So, I think I have a BHG... Im pretty sure I do...

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
0
0
39
Serena's Place ;)
So the car at startup always has a LITTLE bit of white smoke puff out, I was thinking condensation or the fact that Im almost missning a seal on the valves. Burning a little oil.... So yesterday my friend says hey wtf is that under ur car? I go take a look.. nice puddle of coolant... dripping off the transmission. So Im begging it to be that 90* hose at least.. PLEASE... I just rebuilt the engine back in november finally and I got an OEM gasket with ARP studs.... its lasted 8k miles and a 12 hr drive from Houston to here with no problems... She hasnt overheated yet either...

Well so Im lookin for the leak today, and I turn on the car to check it out.. I see more coolant dripping while its running, I press the gas and look behind the car to see not a major amount but significant enough amount of white smoke.. and it isnt going away either...

So guys, BHG? This is gonna fucking SUUUUUUUUCK. Thank God I can fix this at work in the shop for free with tools but Im still gonna need a new head gasket and have the head sent off to be lapped and while they are at it, fix my valves.... Damn I hate this. There goes my prosport gauges for now....
 

Vsalvatierra86

New Member
Jul 6, 2006
44
0
0
Norwalk, CA
that sucks man...

phoenix6 said:
So the car at startup always has a LITTLE bit of white smoke puff out, I was thinking condensation or the fact that Im almost missning a seal on the valves. Burning a little oil.... So yesterday my friend says hey wtf is that under ur car? I go take a look.. nice puddle of coolant... dripping off the transmission. So Im begging it to be that 90* hose at least.. PLEASE... I just rebuilt the engine back in november finally and I got an OEM gasket with ARP studs.... its lasted 8k miles and a 12 hr drive from Houston to here with no problems... She hasnt overheated yet either...

Well so Im lookin for the leak today, and I turn on the car to check it out.. I see more coolant dripping while its running, I press the gas and look behind the car to see not a major amount but significant enough amount of white smoke.. and it isnt going away either...

So guys, BHG? This is gonna fucking SUUUUUUUUCK. Thank God I can fix this at work in the shop for free with tools but Im still gonna need a new head gasket and have the head sent off to be lapped and while they are at it, fix my valves.... Damn I hate this. There goes my prosport gauges for now....
 

tissimo

Stock is boring :(
Apr 5, 2005
4,238
0
0
40
Melbourne, FL
sounds just like a hose leaking..

If you have bad valve seals it will smoke on startup.. if you have no seal.. it would probably smoke all the time.. Synthetic oil burns almost white..
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
0
0
39
Serena's Place ;)
tissimo said:
sounds just like a hose leaking..

If you have bad valve seals it will smoke on startup.. if you have no seal.. it would probably smoke all the time.. Synthetic oil burns almost white..


see thats what I thought but with suddenly coolant leaking then now its blowing more smoke than it ever did, just throws me off ya know? Its not blue smoke its almost pure white, but Im running standard oil, only ran syn when I rebuild it for 1000 miles.
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
0
0
39
Serena's Place ;)
OK i just took it for a 500ft drive, idle is ok, driving FEELs fine, my cousin looked out the back the whole time, no unusual amount of smoke coming out. When we parked again, the smoke was back, not as fierce but still plenty coming out and not stopping, especially when I stepped on the gas a little bit.

Theres NO milky substance on the dip stick or under the oil cap. I DONT hear the waterfall effect.

When I rebuilt the engine, I torqued it down to 85ft lbs. No I didnt have the head lapped but it was flat. so was the block.. also its lasted 8k miles so what gives? I never get on it, EVER. Its been since January last time I really gave it a go.


EDIT: If.. for any reason...how possible is it I have a cracked block.... or would that be yielding some horrible issues?
 
Last edited:

e90suprat

Mechanically challenged
May 8, 2005
110
0
0
Douglasville, GA
Sounds like you need some new valve seals, the coolant leak is most likely just a leaky hose. I live in Douglasville, if you need help with something, pm me.
Ed
 

Figit090

Fastest mk3 GT4 1/4 mile!
Jan 7, 2006
1,835
1
36
Humboldt County
stop driving it and check ALL your coolant hoses. i had one that i forgot to clip, and another that had a hole that was uncovered after the rebuild.

that explains the coolant. not sure about your smoke out the back...but i dont think a BHG, (unless its TOTALLY shot) can cause a loss of coolant that runs down the bellhousing....unless you have a leak to begin with.

i had this same thing happen, drips forming at the transmission/bellhousing seal. it was a bad coolant hose at the back of the engine that connects to the EGR cooler. problem is gone now.

get a flashlight and a small mirror....look behind the top of the engine, and on your firewall and EGR cooler for moisture. chances are you'll see moisture or trails of dried coolant down the rear of the engine.

its possible you have a BHG pushing coolant out, but i believe it would come out the overflow bottle like mine did with the excessive pressure. until you fix your leak...it will make everything more difficult. you might just have a bad hose or a loose one.... did you get new hoses with the rebuild? still using the stock wire clamps? for one, the old hoses probably need replacing, and its a given with those silly wire clamps. they bite into the rubber rather than simply compressing it, and over the years the vibration will make the clamp puncture the hose, and it will leak, or leak once it's been disturbed by your hands during the rebuild/removal....
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
0
0
39
Serena's Place ;)
Figit090 said:
stop driving it and check ALL your coolant hoses. i had one that i forgot to clip, and another that had a hole that was uncovered after the rebuild.

that explains the coolant. not sure about your smoke out the back...but i dont think a BHG, (unless its TOTALLY shot) can cause a loss of coolant that runs down the bellhousing....unless you have a leak to begin with.

i had this same thing happen, drips forming at the transmission/bellhousing seal. it was a bad coolant hose at the back of the engine that connects to the EGR cooler. problem is gone now.

get a flashlight and a small mirror....look behind the top of the engine, and on your firewall and EGR cooler for moisture. chances are you'll see moisture or trails of dried coolant down the rear of the engine.

its possible you have a BHG pushing coolant out, but i believe it would come out the overflow bottle like mine did with the excessive pressure. until you fix your leak...it will make everything more difficult. you might just have a bad hose or a loose one.... did you get new hoses with the rebuild? still using the stock wire clamps? for one, the old hoses probably need replacing, and its a given with those silly wire clamps. they bite into the rubber rather than simply compressing it, and over the years the vibration will make the clamp puncture the hose, and it will leak, or leak once it's been disturbed by your hands during the rebuild/removal....


Ill go take a pic right now, there IS ALOT of moisture back there especially on the EGR block, but I dont feel it coming out. Thats where Im stuck... Ill go take a pic of the area the best I can right now...


The ONLY time coolant spewed out the overflow was ONCE on the final stop on my 12 hr drive at 4k rpms the whole time but it never did it again, never has.
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
0
0
39
Serena's Place ;)
Alex91Mk3 said:
Well with the 2 bhg's i've experienced.. just smell the smoke...does it have that sweet smell of coolant???

Not that I can tell



Man I wish it was a turbo seal! That means Id have a turbo somewhere in there! haha, Im jp, Im N/A man
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
0
0
39
Serena's Place ;)
Ok guys heres some photos, random, at night, and they SUCK, I know they dont show MUCH but look at the speedo calbe that runs back there, its darker where its been hit with coolant But i cant see this happening...













That spots been building up over the past day
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
0
0
39
Serena's Place ;)
LilMissMkIII said:
Shit man, sorry to hear you're having troubles :(

Hope it doesn't turn out to be something massive!


Thanks Kristel me too :)

Dont worry folks... Ill rebuild this whole damn engine if I have to, I love this car too much. Its like that first love with a woman.. it makes you stupid.
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
0
0
39
Serena's Place ;)
slidebabyslide said:
uhm, just go to napa and buy the exhaust gas dye , you just have to add it to your coolent, if it turns yellow, then you have a bhg.


I add it to my coolant, then how do I check to see if its yellow?

How much is this kit?
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
0
0
39
Serena's Place ;)
swaq said:
The kit I got was $50 and you didn't add it to your coolant, just let air from your coolant system get into a test chamber with the dye stuff. Dunno about just adding the dye to the coolant.


Damn $50 is steep for a test, we might have something at work maybe...