Oh god, please no

[DVJ38]

Yesterday I rigged up something between my Y-pipe and Catback to make it connect. Then I changed my oil. My radiator fan hastn't been coming on and I think it's the CCRM. So it would over heat just sitting there or in traffic. So it's been in my garage on jack stands for a week 1/2 or so. I decided to get the fluids moving and started it. I let it run, then maybe 20-30 min's later I came outside and there was coolant behind the drivers side exhaust. I don't know if it was shooting out the exhaust or what. It looked like it dripped near the radiator and might have flowed in a stream along the exhaust path (sort of) to the back drivers side pipe. The CEL was on and the temp was above the N.

So did I crack my block? Blow a head gasket? Maybe just boil over? Whatever the case, it is not good at all. I coiuld hear the coolant boiling inside the overflow tank I think. I know it was boiling, don't know exactly where it was coming from.

So now I have 2 fans going on the engine bay/radiator to help speed the cooling (They should have been there when I turned on my car....). Is there anything I should check before I start it again? How can I determine the problem?

Any help would be great, and I hope I don't need a new engine!

 

[Ishodu]

Only thing to do is find the leak. It could be a rad hose or a maybe a bad water pump. You can borrow a tester from some auto parts stores that will let you pump pressure into the system so you can find the leak. And its quite possible that the coolant could boil with no pressure in the system being as there was a leak.
It does not sound like the engine is gone though. If you had oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil or coolant exiting the exhaust or spraying from a HG that would be a different story.

 

[DVJ38]

Note: The temp was far above H! Very hot, and the ECL was on. I noticed that while jumping in th eseat to shut it off. I hope I don't need a new engine though!

 

[SHO Continental]

hey it was still running wasn't it?

A friend of mine killed a 3.0 vulcan.. burst a rad hose and kept driving, when we pulled the engine apart we noticed one of the pistons had melted to the head.. mmm.. aluminum.

and just fyi, putting on Max AC turns on the fans

 

[Redline]

Is the leak coming from one of the hoses going into the heater core? I had one leaking and it was dripping directly over the Y-pipe.

 

[yamahaSHO]

and just fyi, putting on Max AC turns on the fans

I think it's the CCRM.

Not if the relay is bad.

 

[DVJ38]

Not if the relay is bad.

Beat me to it

So are there any precautions I should take before restarting it, I just want to minimize any possible damage already done.

 

[SHOMurph]

any water in the oil?

 

[SHO green like$]

leakage

I'm going to assume you checked the two heater hoses going into the firewall. Those could have shrunk up on you while it was parked, especially if the clamps were too tight for years/hoses very very old. My $.02

 

[DVJ38]

I'm going to assume you checked the two heater hoses going into the firewall. Those could have shrunk up on you while it was parked, especially if the clamps were too tight for years/hoses very very old. My $.02

It was parked for atleast 1 month when I first got it. I doubt after 1 week the hoses would shrink. I'm not sure where the coolant came from. I know it was boiling when I got out to my car though. Could it have just boiled out the overflow tank? I've been busy with graduation and my graduation party so I haven't had time to check it. Tomorrow after work I will look at it, all the hoses and everything. I will also check the oil that I just changed to see if coolant/water is in it.

I did start it up today, ran fine I think, although my exhaust fix broke (big surprise), need to get it welded. So it was too loud to really listen in. But nothing drastic was heard. The low coolant light was on, no surprise.