Re: [DML] Did my engine blow up? Fire/smoke?!

[Soma576@xxxxxxx]

Hi David,
 
Tough break on the coolant leak.  My guess is the engine is still OK  if it 
only ran for ten minutes.  Depending on the ambient temperature, the  
thermostat probably barely had time to open anyway!  First try filling up  the cooling 
system with water, then use a pressure tester to find the  leak.  You might 
get lucky and find an easy-to-fix hose is just  loose.  Check your engine oil 
for signs of coolant contamination. If  the leak is a simple one, fix it, start 
the engine, and bleed the cooling  system.  Watch the coolant for signs of 
bubbling while running or oily  streaks in it.  Once you are confident the leak 
is fixed, you will want to  replace the coolant.  For a lasting repair, you 
should replace all the  rubber hoses (like 20 of them), replace all the hose 
clamps, replace the water  pump, and check the radiator and fans for operation.  
Also make sure the  fans kick on when they should via the otterstat. Replace 
the thermostat  too.
 
I would say most of the people on this list have had a similar thing happen  
and their cars run just fine after fixing the leak.  At any rate, you have  
now witnessed the reason why you should probably put a thousand dollars into the 
 car and overhaul all the critical systems, especially the entire cooling 
system  and a really good tune-up.  Low miles definitely do not ensure a perfect  
car.  As these cars age, the lower mile cars are becoming the problematic  
ones due to a lack of use while the high mile cars are more likely to give  
reliable service with little investment since they have probably seen more  
maintenance.  They may need more cosmetic work though.
 
Good luck!  We are here to help.
 
Andy
 
 
 
In a message dated 12/2/2006 5:41:04 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
daviddcalifornia@xxxxxxxxx writes:

I  recentley bought a 1981 Dmc with 15k miles on it. The car is not in 
the  best of shape to say the least. Anyway I drove it over the 
holidays with  not too much trouble and put 1k miles on it.  
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