Trouble with 99 GST

I have a major problem with my eclipse... It sat in my garage for almost 2 years because it was leaking oil from the front passanger side of the car. I still haven't found it. I also charged the battery and started it and it ran perfect. I took it over to the hose and washed it and left it started and realised that I smelled anti-freeze because it was over-heating. So I shut it off. I took the thermostat out and changed it and when sitting it was running about half way up on the gauge. So I thought I fixed it... nope...:banghead:
I also changed the spark plugs which were nasty looking. So after all that I took it for a test drive down the road. It instantly overheated. I also noticed that the overflow was filled and the cap wont snap on. So I guess it must be a enclosed system that needs everything sealed to build up pressure, right? Also on the same drive on the way back it started smoking really bad. It was a white color and it engulfed the back of the car. The engine still wasn't running bad, but I didn't try to hit the gas because it was already over-heated. The turbo seemed fine, spoiled up and the pressure gauge went up to where it was supposed to be. What could be causing all of these problems? Is it jealous of my vette?:confused:

Welcome to AF.

First thing I would do would be to drain the coolant completely, flush it out, and then refill making sure you get all the air out.

Is the oil coming from the head gasket? If not, and you can't see where it's leaking from, it may be the rear main seal leaking if it's on the passenger side.

Thanks, David
I am gonna try to flush it tomarrow. It looks like it is leaking from the passenger side and there is alot of oil by where the thermostat is located. I am gonna wash the oil off and let it run for a bit to see if I can get a closer look.

if u had whote smoke cove rthe back of the vehicle, u need a head gasket set, but ur head is fine, no damage done unless u blow the gasket to a point wher ethe car wnt start, i had a 95 avanger do that and a 140 dollar head set fixed it

Nice, I planned on changing it anyway. I just called a local auto shop (auto-metrix) and they said they would fix everything for under 200 dollars. They are a very reputable shop so i'll just take it there.

if u had whote smoke cove rthe back of the vehicle, u need a head gasket set, but ur head is fine, no damage done unless u blow the gasket to a point wher ethe car wnt start, i had a 95 avanger do that and a 140 dollar head set fixed it

Not always true. It could be a bad valve stem seal, bad rings or other problems.

And if it is because of the head gasket, it may from the over heating problem and may have warped the head, causing it not to seal properly anymore, thus needing to be milled flat. You never know until you get in there and check it out.

Also, $200 for a head gasket seems very cheap, considering the timing belt and all timing components need to be pulled and put back properly. It's not a quick job.

Not always true. It could be a bad valve stem seal, bad rings or other problems.

And if it is because of the head gasket, it may from the over heating problem and may have warped the head, causing it not to seal properly anymore, thus needing to be milled flat. You never know until you get in there and check it out.

Also, $200 for a head gasket seems very cheap, considering the timing belt and all timing components need to be pulled and put back properly. It's not a quick job.

Yeah it does seem cheap but I am friends with a couple guys that work there. They are very good and could probably have it done in a couple hours. I'll keep you guys posted on what the problem is.

Note that you can also have a blown HG with NO white smoke at all.

Please ignore advice from posters with the grammatical skills noted above. These are NOT people you want to be taking advice from, especially when they cite an Avenger (420-a) motor as their experience.

Pull the head, resurface it, check the pistons/valves when it's off. Get an MLS gasket, some copper spray, reinstall, torque down, heat cycle, torque again.

Just to clear things up. It only over-heated twice. Both only lasting a couple secs. As soon as it hit where it was obviously overheating I turned it off. I dont think that that could have contributed to the smoke. However it did smoke before I parked it, just a little not as bad as it was.

When you say it overheated, are you going by the stock gauge?

When you say it overheated, are you going by the stock gauge?

yeah the stock gauge was in the red. I also noticed it was starting to steam. So I shut it off. Only was in the red for less than 2-3 minutes. The second time was when it started to smoke really bad, and it was only in the red for about a minute.

5 bucks says the head is warped. If you ever go past the 3/4 mark on a stock gauge you're already at risk. Full red, much less for 2-3 mins, is very bad.

I drove my Chevy truck for 30 mins overheating and had no problems after I replaced the thermostat. Maybe I shouldn't have traded it in for my eclipse. Think I can fab a head out of a tin bubble gum wrapper? <Cusses>