I really don't think that it should smoke like that.
Though the Civic has been a real trooper for the last few weeks, it has developed a bad habit of overheating. So, every day I would add in a few liters of water/coolant into the radiator... and the car would be fine... unless I got stuck in rush hour traffic on the way home, in which case the car would invariably overheat and would be well over the H by the time I pulled into the driveway.
But yesterday as we drove back from furniture shopping in Manchester, CT, it pinned at the H almost immediately as we pulled out of the parking lot. That, and the car started stalling. We knew that there was a problem. That was confirmed as soon as we pulled into the driveway and saw steam pouring out of the hood. Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I am not a gearhead, but even I knew that something was wrong.
Needless to say, I was disturbed. I was pacing around what was about to become a half-ton paperweight wondering how I was going to get into work today. However, after a quick refill with coolant, the temperature dropped to a normal level and I was relieved. I also decided to take the car into the dealership for a check.
Now, I'm a cynic (like you don't know that by now). I believe that everyone is out to screw you... and that if they're extending a hand in friendship, they probably have a knife in the other hand, just waiting to stab you. Add to that my normal fear of mechanics, and you have a potentially nervewracking experience.
Ok... let me clarify. I'm not scared of mechanics like some people are scared of clowns. It's just that I feel so helpless around them. I know nothing about the workings of my engine, and they can essentially tell me that it needs $1000 worth of work, when in reality it only needs a $10 piece of wire or something. So this time I decided to do some research on the internet to see what was causing these mysterious problems.
I came up with three possibilities:
Plus, none of those solutions even came close to explain why the car is stalling. Oy.
4pm. I arrive at Eddie's Evergreen Mobil on Farmington Ave, ready for what was sure to be the reaming of a lifetime. I pull in and ask for Ricky, the mechanic who certified the car before purchase. I explain the problem.
To make a long story short, within a half of an hour, he finds the primary problem: an air bubble in the radiator kept the water from flowing between the radiator and the engine. He bled the air out, and the car immediately sounded better.
Then he broke the bad news.
When the car overheated, the head gasket tore, allowing water to leak into the cylinder. That's what caused all of the water to evaporate, which made the car overheat even more, and it also made the car stall at low speeds. He poured in a can of sealant, waited another 15 minutes and turned the motor on again. Better.
Ricky told me that the tear might have been small, and that the sealant would be enough to fix it... but unfortunately, only time will tell. However, if the head gasket needs to be replaced, his exact words were: Don't worry about it, I'll take care of you.
Suddenly, I'm not so afraid of mechanics anymore.