Sorry, another "Is this a BHG?" thread

[ninja6o4]

Please watch this video and tell me what you think of the exhaust coming out at the end. It didn't really smell like anything - maybe water vapour? I don't think it was a sweet smell. The second clip is inside the car revving it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvl-jyG__1E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1p7t4MBCvU

Here's some background on the car:
92 Turbo, 175k km (110k miles), prev owner and family owned it since 1994, ran it as a DD, and does not recall any major engine work (ie. HG) being done to it. He had previously driven it to Arizona and back multiple times without incident.

It has been parked for a long time, I would venture to guess at least 6 months to a year before I picked it up. He told me he parked it because he thought the rad was blown because the car barfed coolant on him. He bought a new rad but never put it in.

I took the car home and changed the oil, rad, and coolant. I noted the oil looked pretty clean (no chocolate milk here), and the original coolant was clear (again, no mixtures here). When I popped the rad cap I could not see any rad fluid. I popped the overflow tank and it was completely full.

Put in some fresh 94, and fired it up and drove it around the block a couple times. It was pretty rough sounding - like a car that had been sitting for a year. Thinking maybe plugs needed to be changed or just had to blow out the crap from sitting for so long.

I ran the car for half an hour trying to get the temp gauge up to norm, but it refused to go higher than maybe halfway to middle of temp gauge. Go back and check the overflow tank, and it is filling up.

Let the car sit for a week or so, and fired it up again. I can hear the waterfall noises when I revved it but I assumed that was from my inability to burp the system - that's when I took this video. As I revved it, the engine is still cold.

So here are the alarm bells I have:
- Overflow tank filling.
- White smoke.

Here's what I haven't done yet:
- Changed thermostat (I know, stupid when I have everything apart already)
- Changed rad cap
- Bought a block tester for BHG, but I doubt that will work with all new fluids
- Changed water pump

Please ask if you need more details, but from what I've seen, am I jumping to conclusions that this is a BHG? If it's a BHG I will almost definitely sell this car to avoid more work. If it's not I'd like to fix it up and drive it a bit

Thanks

 

[Facime]

That smoke out the back look more like condensation than coolant vapor. Change your t-stat and your rad cap. If it still fill the overflow, get the block kit and test it. Its certainly possible its a BHG, but you are jumping to conclutions a little too fast.

It otherwise sounds great and if Im not mistaken thats a highly desireable teal/shadow sunroof combo? I would fix the BHG and keep it or sell it for maximum profit

 

[JDMMA70]

Im no expert at this but someone correct me if im wrong if water is coming back into the overflow tank that means air is coming into the system, and it being burned in the cylinders. I think its possible to have a bhg without having oil and coolant mixing but i think its rare to have one like that.

I thought my head was blown due to white smoke, i then turned to turbo seals but i didnt have a stock turbo then found out the engine was just running slightly rich, installed a newer cps and fixed the problem.

 

[ninja6o4]

Yes, it is Teal/Shadow Gray, hardtop sunroof

I'm waiting for a Spill Free kit from Lisle to burp my rad properly because a) I seem to be inept at this and b) my fiancee freaks out when coolant is spilling everywhere because I am poisoning the neighbourhood pets ...

Anyway once I get that I will swap the stat and cap and see how it does. If it's just condensation, the smoke should eventually disappear after a couple days of driving, no?

 

[JDMMA70]

Yes, it is Teal/Shadow Gray, hardtop sunroof

I'm waiting for a Spill Free kit from Lisle to burp my rad properly because a) I seem to be inept at this and b) my fiancee freaks out when coolant is spilling everywhere because I am poisoning the neighbourhood pets ...

Anyway once I get that I will swap the stat and cap and see how it does. If it's just condensation, the smoke should eventually disappear after a couple days of driving, no?

Should disappear yes

 

[Kristian_Wraae]

Sounds like a BHG.

But do the easy thing and have the overflow tank checked for exhaust fumes. That will tell you if you have a BHG. It takes 5 min.

 

[suprahabsfan]

Normally coolant smoke is very white, puffy, long lasting smoke. Maybe its just the quality of the movie, but it seems like that disappears quick.... like condensation. I would say no, no BHG

 

[Facime]

Should disappear yes

Unless you keep adding moisture to the system. Weather can play a role in that. Ever notice the cars at a stoplight when its cold and damp overnight?

Whats the mileage on the car btw? how much did you pay for it? can you afford the cash outlay for a HG repair job?

 

[10secdream]

Unless you keep adding moisture to the system. Weather can play a role in that. Ever notice the cars at a stoplight when its cold and damp overnight?

Whats the mileage on the car btw? how much did you pay for it? can you afford the cash outlay for a HG repair job?

Its in the very first post 175k km (110k miles).

 

[Kristian_Wraae]

It doesn't matter how white the smoke is. My car had a BHG but no white smoke - apart from a little bit when I started it right after it has been sitting for a while. It had waterfall and it pushed the water into the overflow tank.

It all went away after the HG job (well at least the second HG job.....)

 

[ninja6o4]

Normally coolant smoke is very white, puffy, long lasting smoke. Maybe its just the quality of the movie, but it seems like that disappears quick.... like condensation. I would say no, no BHG

You are correct, the smoke was disappearing fairly quick as shown in the video.

Unless you keep adding moisture to the system. Weather can play a role in that. Ever notice the cars at a stoplight when its cold and damp overnight?

Whats the mileage on the car btw? how much did you pay for it? can you afford the cash outlay for a HG repair job?

The car has approx 110k miles (170k km), and I got a really good deal on it as a) it wasn't running and b) it has some body damage that needs taking care of. I could probably afford to get the BHG repaired over the coming months, but I'm not sure I want to bother yet.

I'm thinking I should invest a few bucks and change the easy parts first - I'd hate to dump the car for cheap only to find out it was the rad cap all along .. :cry: I just wanted to post here and check with you guys to see if there's anything from my description that would be a blaring trumpeting horn screaming BHG at you, or if the general consensus is to try a couple more things first.

 

[Facime]

... the general consensus is to try a couple more things first.

always. There tends to be an over-reaction of OMGWTFBBQBHG here in the supra community. There are simple steps that can be taken to determine if indeed it is a bhg that are not expensive at all.

My other question were kind of getting at whether it would be more financially benificial to fix and sell or just sell. It sounds like you have a little room financially in the car to warrant the expence of the repairs if it comes down to that though.

 

[ninja6o4]

always. There tends to be an over-reaction of OMGWTFBBQBHG here in the supra community. There are simple steps that can be taken to determine if indeed it is a bhg that are not expensive at all.

My other question were kind of getting at whether it would be more financially benificial to fix and sell or just sell. It sounds like you have a little room financially in the car to warrant the expence of the repairs if it comes down to that though.

Either way I will come out ahead from when I bought it, given the rarity of the vehicle and relatively low mileage. The previous owner sold it to me as is, not running, and just wanted it out of his garage - the kind of find that we all look for when buying cars

I know I would get more if I sold it with a fixed HG, but I'm more inclined as a person that would just sell it to someone that will be able to fix it themselves and enjoy the car at a lower price point, rather than fix it myself and sell it for an inflated price.

Speakin of OMGWTFBBQ... how did BBQ get tossed into internet acronym l33t-speak?

 

[fonz87]

He seems to have the same problems as im, But no white smoke. It's smells like coolant in the engine bay and also in the car a little.
Whatever, i m hoping to get my engine replaced and rebuild that BHG engine.