Car question - Steam under hood?

[Maple Leafs]

So the wife comes home tonight, and just as she's pulling into the garage notices what seems like a small amount of steam coming from under the hood. We open it up and take a look, nothing's obviously hissing or leaking that we can see. No obvious smell. No engine lights came on and she doesn't think the temperature gauge went up at all. We're having a major snowstorm today, meaning a.) everything was wet and b.) we can't really go out and run it around the block right now.

From poking around online, it seems like the major concern would be a coolant leak, which would risk overheating the engine and doing major damage. Would that happen without any of the dashboard warnings coming on? Is it as simple as going out in the morning and seeing if we've got an empty coolant container/fluid on the garage floor?

[cartman]

You'd likely smell something if it was a coolant leak making the steam. Antifreeze has a distinct smell when heated. You said there was a major snowstorm. Did she run through a puddle or snow shortly before pulling into the garage? If so, then it was likely just steam from hitting the exhaust. But yeah, for peace of mind you'd want to check the antifreeze level in the radiator, and look for any coolant leaking on the floor.

[Maple Leafs]

No puddles but apparently she had to gun it a bit to get through the pile at the end of the driveway.

[cartman]

It was likely just some snow hitting the exhaust manifold/cat converter from that pile at the end of the driveway.

[Maple Leafs]

Neat. So what next - take it for a spin tomorrow and see if it steams again? If it were a coolant issue, how long would it take for the problem to resurface?

(If I tell her not to take it in and then her engine overheats on the highway, I will be getting divorced. So factor that in.)

[RainMaker]

My cooling system failed this Summer and smoke poured out from under the hood. However, my thermostat shot up and the warning light went on.

[Maple Leafs]

Yeah, the steam definitely wasn't "pouring" out. Seemed pretty isolated to one area (near the radiator cap, among other things).

[Vince, Pt. II]

I'm not a mechanic, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

...if your temperature gauge didn't move, you're likely fine. Have her watch the temp gauge the next time she drives, and as long as it isn't moving and you aren't smelling anything distinct (she'll know if it's something bad, even if she knows nothing about cars), she's fine.

[stevew]

You'd smell coolant if that was leaking. Likely if she gunned it through snow that's just evaporating. If it's an older car, I'd have it looked at as it's slightly possible one of the hoses is leaky or the radiator is cracked or the cap is failing. But you'd smell coolant most likely.

Not a mechanic but I'd say I'm in the top 1% of FOFCers in regards to fixing auto problems.

You do know what coolant smells like?

I might still be tempted to take it in though.

[Maple Leafs]

No sweet smell, if that's what you mean. At least not that we could tell in the cold.

Car isn't all that old -- it's a 2010 and she barely drives it.

I'm thinking I may just have her take it in anyway. The place we use is maybe ten minutes away... tell her to bring it over, watch for more steam and/or temperature gauge, and pull over at any sign of trouble?

[RainMaker]

I'd take it in just to be safe.

Might want to run it for 20 minutes or so and see if the thermostat goes up in the driveway.

[stevew]

Dola-

I'd have her drive your car tomorrow and I'd take hers for a long spin. The odds of her actually paying attention to the temp guages are pretty small.

When you check coolant, you want to be sure to remove the radiator cap WHILE COLD as the reserve isn't necessarily an accurate guage. These things can be a pain in the ass to get back on, though, so watch a tutorial first. And likely if you just let it run for a while in the driveway and pop the hood you could detect a smell without removing the cap. Might not be a bad idea to change the cap if the car is older as it's cheap and they sometimes fail. Also, remember, anything cap related would need to be done while the car is stone cold, I cannot stress that enough. Like super death geyser.

I'd probably-

Check underneath for fluid leak
Let it run for a bit in the driveway, see if you notice any smells from engine/smoke
If it doesn't smell/smoke, take it for a drive and watch the gauge.
If that starts to act really weird, take it in.

That being said, it's likely nothing. Would also be a good idea to get a new radiator cap and thermostat installed the next time you take it in. Especially if the thermostat hasn't been changed in awhile.

(Disclaimer, some of this will obviously depend on the make model of the car)

[stevew]

If at any point it spikes/rises you're in pull it over, call a tow truck territory

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

No sweet smell, if that's what you mean. At least not that we could tell in the cold.

Car isn't all that old -- it's a 2010 and she barely drives it.

I'm thinking I may just have her take it in anyway. The place we use is maybe ten minutes away... tell her to bring it over, watch for more steam and/or temperature gauge, and pull over at any sign of trouble?

Yeah, this.

[Maple Leafs]

OK, sounds like we have a plan. Thanks guys, FOFC rocks. Bring it in for the group hug.