Please Help- Serious Engine Problem

[gurdjeff]

My 1993es300 has let me down. please offer any advice you can. The symptoms are a sudden change from running perferctly to missing badly with large amouts of smoke from exhaust and when I attemted to drive home the car overheated. I stopped asap and had car towed to my shop.Because of cold weathe at night I was unable to do any diagnosis.

my first thought is that it is a head gasket since car has 131k miles. timing chain and water pump has less than 10k.

I would do a head jasket my self but am in the middle of a move to a rural location were I will build a shop but at present i have no place to complete this job. if it is a head gasket could I get maybe three mounths use by using "stop Leak" type products,

I would really appreciate some help from experienced people. Thanks in advace

[UREXINMYLEX]

White smoke = Burning Coolant. You most likely either have a head gasket is bad. When head gaskets wear out coolant leaks into the motor and is burnt up during combustion in the engine. Thus producing the white smoke. The engine is missing because it cannot hold compression due to faulty head gasket not providing a tight seal. Since the water pump has been replaced already then 99% sure it isn't anything to due with the cooling system. There isn't a quick fix for a head gasket problem. It is a cheap part but heavy labor job. If you continue to overheat the engine you will most likely need to have the block/head machined as they will warp from heat. Ive had a head gasket replaced and head machined because I allowed the car to overheat several times. MY suggestion is buy the gasket online and find a low profile mechanic not a dealership or large service center to save you on the labor rates.

[dcfish]

I concur with UREXINMYLEX. Merry Christmas

[homemechanic]

You want to drive another three months with this head gasket problem. . forget it. You wouldn't be able to go another three miles. With the coolant mixing in with the oil, the oil just turned into milkshake and thicken up like a paste!

[kingjack133]

You want to drive another three months with this head gasket problem. . forget it. You wouldn't be able to go another three miles. With the coolant mixing in with the oil, the oil just turned into milkshake and thicken up like a paste!

I believe you may even have a cracked head (cylinder). This would cause billowing white smoke and loss of coolant, power etc. A new head would be the fix......

[homemechanic]

Better yet, a new car would solve the whole problem. Looks like it's not worth rebuilding a 1993 model because transmission might have problems down the road.

[byf43]

Better yet, a new car would solve the whole problem. Looks like it's not worth rebuilding a 1993 model because transmission might have problems down the road.

Sorry. . . I had to laugh at that one. Please don't misunderstand. I'm not laughing at you.

But, to say that it's not worth rebuilding because the transmission MIGHT have problems, is like saying don't put a new radio in the car, because the gas tank might become empty.

(Yes, at some point, the probability of having transmission problems will occur, but, that's not logical to trade a car because something MIGHT happen.)

I've got a '93 es300 with 107,000+ miles on it. I just replaced the radiator, lower radiator hose and intake manifold gasket.

It would be a LOT cheaper to put a new or rebuilt transmission into that car, than it would be to buy a new car.

Back to the OP's situation.

I concur with NOT driving the car even three miles. Oil and water (coolant) DO mix and make one heck of a mess. Not only in the pan, but, it makes a mess of the metal parts that need to be lubricated by the oil.

From what I've read, the '92 - '94 es cars have had cooling problems.

Chances are, the head gasket has 'blown' and that is causing coolant to leak into the cylinders. IF you keep driving the car, the coolant WILL leak past the piston rings and get into the oil pan and become a to clean up.

[dallison]

sounds like a head gasket