Hi - hoping someone out there can assist me in determining what may be wrong with my Sunfire (96 sunfire GT - manual). I will do my best at describing what is going on - for one, the car is overheating (I know this because of the temp gage), it is also NOT blowing hot air when I turn the heat on - its ice cold. It also is not holding water - it is pouring out! On top of that there is white smoke blasting out of the tailpipe. Keep in mind - this all happened at once! One day it was fine, the next - this is the deal. I am also unable to start it up - the fuel line keeps freezing - so I cant even get it to a shop! Not long ago (a few months) it broke down and it turned out to just be a coil...now this...I have different peoples opinions - radiator (obviously one of the problems), water pump, heater core, even a possible blown head gasket...but no one is a mechanic and none of them own a Sunfire so these are just guesses.

If anyone can help me in determining what the real damage is and the approximate cost of fix-it-yourself vs taking it to the shop, I would appreciate it. What I really need to do is figure out whether or not it is even worth fixing...

Thanks!

Maureen

from the sounds of things it could be the thermostat. this would cause the engine to overheat and it would also not let hot water into the heater core. this is easy to check with the engine at normal temp the hose that comes off the top of the radiator and should be warm to the touch and somewhat hard to squeeze. But you need to make sure the radiator and resivior is full first. as far as the gas line you should be able to cure that trouble with a can of dry gas you can find it at any gas station.

The white smoke coming out of the tail pipe would likely be your coolant leaking into the engine combustion chamber somehow, creating steam. (white smoke). I have seen this before. It may very well be your head gasket. That's probably where its pouring out of too. Check your oil too. Look for a milky white colour. This would mean there is water in there also. This is very bad for your engine as any moisture will promptly rust the cylinder walls and other parts. Take her to the doctor immediately!

Hi - hoping someone out there can assist me in determining what may be wrong with my Sunfire (96 sunfire GT - manual). I will do my best at describing what is going on - for one, the car is overheating (I know this because of the temp gage), it is also NOT blowing hot air when I turn the heat on - its ice cold. It also is not holding water - it is pouring out! On top of that there is white smoke blasting out of the tailpipe. Keep in mind - this all happened at once! One day it was fine, the next - this is the deal. I am also unable to start it up - the fuel line keeps freezing - so I cant even get it to a shop! Not long ago (a few months) it broke down and it turned out to just be a coil...now this...I have different peoples opinions - radiator (obviously one of the problems), water pump, heater core, even a possible blown head gasket...but no one is a mechanic and none of them own a Sunfire so these are just guesses.

If anyone can help me in determining what the real damage is and the approximate cost of fix-it-yourself vs taking it to the shop, I would appreciate it. What I really need to do is figure out whether or not it is even worth fixing...

Thanks!

Maureen

Does it leave puddles of coolant when parked? If the tailpipe smoke is sweet smelling then it's coolant in the combustion chamber. If you have no heat but overheating it sound like there is little or no coolant in there. does the coolant pour out when car is hot? may be a blockage if so!