Muddied coolant, white smoke, possible head gasket blown, what else could it be?

[Guest RoxyTT]

2000 2.5l Jeep Cherokee, 65,000 miles

 

Have some white smoke and bits of liquid coming from exhaust when in traffic and lurching forward bit at a time - or so I am told by a co-worker.

Also, coolant is rusty/brown color.

 

Such would indicate a blown head gasket to me however note the following :

 

No gunk under radiator cap

Oil is dark/black, no foamy/creamy white edges

Reservoir tank liquid is clear

Coolant in both locations still smells like coolant

There are no bubbles in reservoir or radiator when the engine is running

I cannot feel a pulsing sensation when I put my hand over the open radiator

 

 

I was hoping it's rust and a system flush would solve it - does not explain the white smoke though.

 

Could be cracked cylinder? Will do compression test when I can.

[Benjy]

If it's not boiling up I wouldn't worry. Catalytic converters generate condensation, thus water which accumulates in the exhaust and will drip out of the tail pipe. As for the coolant, you may find that it's actually red antifreeze. Might be worth changing it, but as long as it's doing its job, I wouldn't panic. Also, with the cat creating condensation, on cold starts, it will kick out some steam, which may appear to be smoke.

[Dnk]

A sniff test could help and is very cheap and easy to do, only takes minutes as well.

 

Condensation in the exhaust usually burns off quite quickly and shouldn't re appear

until the car is left for a period of time, say overnight and in cooler temps

 

Rusty brown coolant just means its old and long overdue being replaced

[jonny mac]

a faulty positive crankcase vent system could also cause similar issues, maybe a blocked pcv valve, maybe blocked hoses etc

[Tayfun.tugra]

My dad had the 4.0 litre with the exact same problems. After 2 replacement engines and 6 months later he found a cure and off it went to the scrap yard...with a seized engine...again.

[Guest RoxyTT]

Thanks all

 

I will keep in mind that it may be ventilation or blockage.

 

We did a compression test earlier - hand held. Cylinder 1 170psi Cylinder 2 155 Cylinder 3 170 Couldn't get to Cylinder 4 tonight, too tight with the alternator.

My understanding is that they should be 120-150psi! So on the plus side, there's only a 15psi variance between adjacent cylinders, but the reading seems high!

[Guest RoxyTT]

Also looking into whether it might be bad/old spark plugs, which isn't burning the fuel properly.