White Smoke

[metaspace]

My friend had a leak in the radiator of his 95 Es300, so he got the radiator replaced. The mechanic put an aftermarket one and when he went to the shop to pick his car, the car was spewing out white smoke. The mechanic told him that it is because of worn out valve stem seals and head gasket, his point is that the car never had a problem before the radiator change. I know that the white smoke could be due to antifreeze burning, is it possible that when the mechanic replaced the radiator he screwed up something else?

His tail pipe is very clean and that car never smoked before or got abnormally heated up. What could get wrong after the radiator replacement? Is mechanic responsible for this?. He told him to drive it on a highway and after it get heated up , the problem disappear, I think this is just BS and he wants to get rid of the problem.

Thanks

Athar

[ArmyofOne]

My friend had a leak in the radiator of his 95 Es300, so he got the radiator replaced. The mechanic put an aftermarket one and when he went to the shop to pick his car, the car was spewing out white smoke. The mechanic told him that it is because of worn out valve stem seals and head gasket, his point is that the car never had a problem before the radiator change. I know that the white smoke could be due to antifreeze burning, is it possible that when the mechanic replaced the radiator he screwed up something else?

His tail pipe is very clean and that car never smoked before or got abnormally heated up. What could get wrong after the radiator replacement? Is mechanic responsible for this?. He told him to drive it on a highway and after it get heated up , the problem disappear, I think this is just BS and he wants to get rid of the problem.

Thanks

Athar

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DO NOT LET HIM DRIVE IT OFF OF THE PROPERTY, if he does, (depending on laws in your area) then the mechanic is no longer liable to fix it. i have dealt with this before. the mechanic could have caused it yes.

it depends,did your friend let the car overheat? if not then its likely that the mechainc ran the car with no/low collant, and blew the headgasket. for future reference:

White Smoke= Collant Burning

Blue Smoke= Coolant+oil Burning

Black Smoke= Oil Burning.

there are instances however, where the car with a bad headgasket will spew white smoke only, for instance where the coolant is leaking into the cyinders and bruning, but the oil is not leaking into the coolant system. its rare, but it does happen.

check the color of the cooland and the oil. the coolant will look like mud and the oil will look like a grayish sludge when/if a headgasket is blown.

[monarch]

Maybe the head gasket was already busted before your friend took the car in to get the radiator replaced. The same cooling system neglect that could have caused the radiator to develop a leak could have also caused deterioration of the head gasket.

[Alizerothree]

damnit this sucks!!!! i am having the same issue and i think i bought the car with a blown head gasket...i get nothing but constant overheating and tyhe collant which comes out the overflow is muddy, like chocolate milk colors.... and then there slight white smoke that comes from the exhaust at random times....