Help!! What have I done to my car ?
Asked by booklady84 Feb 16, 2015 at 05:00 PM about the 2005 Ford Taurus SE
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Trying to get through ten inches of snow I was getting stuck so I floored my car to get it
through the snow. Once I got to where I could park I had smoke coming out from under
my hood .I popped the hood but could see no specific place of origin. The smoke lasted
for about a minute. When I walked behind my car I noticed a trail of about four drops of a
yellowish looking fluid. What have I dione to my car ?
7 Answers
The yellow is more than likely anti-freeze that came out off the vent on the radiator cap. The smoke may have been the snow melting on the red-hot engine (did you smell something burning?) if not you may be ok. A car depends on air going through the radiator for cooling ... If the engine is racing and the cars not moving ... it gets hot. Keep your eye on that temp gauge for a while to make sure that all is well
I was about to say almost the same thing..so no need to repeat, Tom is right IMO
booklady84 answered 9 years ago
Thank you. No I didn't smell nothing burning but I sure will keep an eye on my temp gauge but as far as the radiator cap, my car doesn't have a cap. I check my fluid levels in the tank you pour it into. Is that a problem?
No. Not a problem, that's what you're supposed to do. Should have marking lines on it.
I need a new starter in my 2002 Ford Taurus. I banged on started and car started. The next time my car would not start I banged again but noticed smoke coming up from starter. Is that normal? Car did not start after that. Did I do more damage?
Is that a question Gloria? Sounds like the starter jammed. That can result in melted wires but the odds are you blew a BIG fuse that's usually a part of the wire going to the starter . Since the danger of fire has long passed .. you are probably OK to change the starter and wire. Some times the mechanism gets jammed and the starter fries itself ... not common but it does happen. There is a remote possibility of a problem with something becoming lodged in the teeth of the flywheel
