Steam coming from under the hood
When I got out of my car this morning I noticed a thin layer of steam coming from under one side of the hood. There wasn't a lot of it, but it kept steaming for a minute or two after the car was off... I didn't notice anything leaking onto the ground, and I hadn't checked the temperature gauge because it was such a short drive (less than two miles)! It has never overheated for me before, even when I had a leak in the heating core and was almost completely out of coolant, and I have never seen it smoke like that either. What could be causing this??
answers
1 Answer
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Jason 7/31/2012It could be a leaking hose if it is steam. Sometimes the leak is not large enough to show on the ground. Is the coolant level low?
robyn 7/31/2012No, the coolant level is right where it should be - it's still at the fill-to line. If it is a leaking hose, will that be expensive to have fixed/replaced?
Jason 7/31/2012Hoses are not expensive, but the cooling system should be pressure tested to confirm a leak. All shops can perform this service. Also need to make sure that a coolant leak is the cause of your steam. Sometimes steam can be confused with smoke. Which could be caused by an oil leak.
robyn 7/31/2012Ohh, that makes me worry because my car warned me that I was low on oil last week! But then the warning went away, the gauge says it's fine, and I had it changed pretty recently so I just assumed it was a fluke. I have no idea how to check the oil level but I guess I should figure that out. Thanks!
