explicit.muscle

iTrader: (1)

im getting water and steam out of my tailpipes!!!!! have I blown a head gasket?? Not too important cuz im picking up my 383 in a week, but im curious.

OnyxY2KSS

Depends I suppose. Are you seeing constant smoke out of the exhaust? Start your car with the radiator cap off and see if the coolant looks to be boiling. You can also change your oil and see if the consistency is milky (mixed coolant/oil)

RamAir95TA

iTrader: (2)

Small amounts of moisture is very normal.

If you're blowing white smoke that has a sweet smell to it, then yes you most likely have a blown head gasket. Monitor your coolant level to be sure.

explicit.muscle

iTrader: (1)

oh yeah, i forgot to add that its loosing alot of coolant. i have to add some every time i go somewhere. and the engine is real shakey at the lower rpm's. almost feels like a burnt wire, but i know it isnt the wires, cuz i just changed them 3 days ago.

96lt1m6

iTrader: (31)

with that description sounds as if you have a cyl. taking on some coolant

explicit.muscle

iTrader: (1)

thats what im thinking. that would be the head gasket, correct???

96lt1m6

iTrader: (31)

could be a headgasket or a cracked head

explicit.muscle

iTrader: (1)

im guessing the gasket, cuz it started losing coolant slowly at first, but noow its gotten alot worse.

Formula350

iTrader: (3)

Well they said how to diagnose it. Smell the exhaust. Pretty much anyone who's wrenched can tell when their exhaust smells abnormal to what it should. If not, I suggest you get a tin of coolant, oil and fuel and while outside in a well ventilated area burn each Not with an open flame mind you, an electric hotplate comes to mind though! Mind you this really isn't a good idea, but it'll get the job done. A really hot bolt dipped into the three would do it too I guess...

Anyways, more on topic. It all depends on the amount of water. What I'd do, after smelling it, is just let it drip on your finger and take a taste. If there's no flavor, it's water and people just condensation in the pipe from the hot exhaust and the cooler outside temp (or cold outside temp if you're north of Tennessee heh). Coolant can go many places besides into your cylinders. The ground is the most common place and if your water pump is going out, it could be pissing out the weep hole, all over your opti. And even though yours is vented, it could still put some moisture in there and thus a rough idle.

ElkySS

iTrader: (6)

i have a similar situation i am also wondering about. i get white smoke but only at start up. im loosing coolant and i cant figure out where its going. nothing on the ground under the car. cant find any leaks whatsoever. car runs great (has an intermittent high rpm/load miss tho) idles like a cammed car should. any thoughts?
cant smell anything sweet, just running rich because of the lack of tunning

AChotrod

iTrader: (17)

If any of you have done recent engine work the coolant system might not be fully bled causing the loss of coolant. Steam is very normal on big V8s this time of year while the car is warming up.
If coolant keeps dissapearing, car runs like ****, smoke never goes away, no leaks on the ground and exhaust smells funny. Car has milky oil or coolant that smells like gas. Do a compression test or leak down test to be sure.
You could also test your coolant and oil to see if they are mixing

Formula350

iTrader: (3)

LOL No offense AC, but I think that's the most informed post I've seen you make Our lil man is growing up

JB_97ws6TA

iTrader: (6)

in a perfect a/f ratio with pure refined gasoline the chemical equation for combustion is

2C8H18 + 25O2 -> 16CO2 + 18H2O

so the water is not only a byproduct of condensation but it is also a product of combustion. Imperfect a/f ratios will cause either extra o2 molecules in lean conditions or a rich condition would ad more CO (carbon monoxide) but either way you are going to end up with water somewhere