I know, Im a dumbass

[SR20d2fourT]

hey guys, I left my car running thinking it was the turbo timer for about 3 hours. When I got back the overflow tank over flowed and I had a burnt smell in my car. It died the damn second I opened my door. My heart dropped... >:| Im pretty sure I got rid of the headgasket. When I opened the oil top a bunch of smoke came out... :'( . Does this mean my head is warped?? what does that mean? should I just do another oil change and fluid change and see how it goes? please help me out cuz this shits rediculous....especially on my part:sadwavey:

[c240sx13]

take out the sparkplugs and test teh compression, rent a compression tool from autozone

[NemeGuero]

You got rid of the headgasket? what does that mean? You need a head gasket.

Anyway, if this happened while your car was just idleing, it was something that was ready to go wrong. You should be happy you weren't driving when it happened.

Checking compression will help narrow down the possibilities.

Which over-flow tank over flowed? Radiator?

Flush coolant, change oil and check compression. My .02

[EchoOfSilence]

i think he means his headgasket DIED.
I think under normal conditions, all the car would do after idling for 3 hours is die, dude. Something else wasn't right if all this shit happened.

[Cashizslick]

Cars dont normally die when idling.



His car is f'ed up.

[NemeGuero]

That's the popular consensus.

[Irukandji]

I second getting the compression check, but your description is a little vague. if you post pictures or maybe compression test results, we could probably help you further.

[smithers584]

never left it for that long, but its even more fun when you forget to take the keys out of the ignition after you turn it off and then get out and lock the doors!!! i have done that twice, got distracted by a shiny object or something when turning my car off.

[SochBAT]

Wow, 3 hours is kinda long.

I woulda noticed after the first hour.

Compression test. See results. Buy new motor.

[breakindrifts]

I don't think there necessarily had to be something wrong with the car prior to leaving it idling for 3 hours.
Even my car in good condition gets a little warmer than usual if Im sitting dead still for like 10 minutes in heavy traffic.
Car probably got messed up because it was just heatsoaked for hours with no air-flow, especially if its turbo...
I think blown head-gasket from being overheated for so long. Check compression like everyone else already said.

[DJPimpFlex]

3 hours is nothing . . .well for diesel anyway. hehe. Diesel guys will leave there trucks running all night, espically big rigs. I heard somewhere that because they use so much fuel at start up that its actually cheeper to do it that way.

[driftking777]

aparently alot of you dont have over-heating issues when the car idles for a long time...yea...sounds like he ran all his coolant out of the car (or alot of it) and pretty much baked the motor in itself...a car overheating, and left overheating, will warp alot of things...head, pistons, ect...sorry to hear about your loss (if it becomes one) becuase i know i've mistaken my turbo timer being on and got out and left my car...but for only like 10 min...never 3 hours...

[Bryants95240sx]

you had to have a cooling system issuse for that to happen. OR you didnt have a fan on the radiator to pull air. Even though it was a turbo car it was idling so it wasnt hitting boost so theres not really gonna be anyextra heat from the turbo. Do a compression test to see.

[aznpoopy]

what kind of fan do you have on it?

e-fan? stocker? does it work?

i've idled my 240sx for an hour and half before without any issues... me and a little lady were having some uh... 'fun.' ;)

[NemeGuero]

If your car over-heats while idleing... you need to replace/upgrade some stuff.

Thermostat, water pump, radiator...

That is NOT something that should happen normally.

And don't lie Aznpoopy.. we all know it was only idleing for 2-3 minutes.. ;)

[EchoOfSilence]

hahaha. you left the car ON? I'd think you'd have turned it OFF so that you don't get CAUGHT! hahaha Only real men have 'fun' with their gf while DRIVING the car, aznpoopy, i though you knew? ;)


anyway, the only way a car dies from idling is form running out of gas, a working one anyway. I'll second the cooling system issue

[SirWarrior]

I left my car running for 4-6hrs when I stopped to get some sleep on a long trip (too cold to sleep with car off and few hours isnt worth 50bux hotel). Didn't hurt anything, at all.

So, there was probably something wrong with it before and you just didn't know.

[Rickrak77]

Guessin you've got the stock fan and fan clutch, bet the clutch is no good, probably the radiator cap too.

If you smelled burnt stuff comin from the oil fill hole, then you got problems, you have to get the oil pretty hot to burn it (I think around 350 - 400 degrees)

[aznpoopy]

And don't lie Aznpoopy.. we all know it was only idleing for 2-3 minutes..

lol! you caught me! actually we were playing 2 player gameboy advance. :P

Only real men have 'fun' with their gf while DRIVING the car, aznpoopy, i though you knew?

props if you can pull that one off! :rofl:

[SR20d2fourT]

damn...well, I guess a compression test is due! Do you guys think it just shut itself off because it was geting to hot? thats what some people have told me. I was going to pull out my thermostat and see if its fucked. What thermo would fit in it? an sr20de from a sentra ? what year?

[wootwoot]

If there is oil in the coolant no point for a compression test, you know its fried. What is your cooling system like? Extreme over heating such as that does bad things as allready said by people.

[SR20d2fourT]

I didnt see any oil in the coolant. I have the KA radiator w/ out fans ( I know its killin me!)

[mrmephistopheles]

no fans at all?
That's VERY unwise.

[SR20d2fourT]

I know, I plan on installing them probably this weekend. Any suggestions on the thermostat? sr20de sentra of WHAT YEAR? I looked in the FAQ but didnt see anything specific to the year. Also, where is the bleeder screw on the SR for the coolant line? Also, is the tstat under the throttle on the lower coolant line? I know the KA is under the throttle. Is this so on the SR as well? thanks

[g6civcx]

I know, I plan on installing them probably this weekend. Any suggestions on the thermostat? sr20de sentra of WHAT YEAR? I looked in the FAQ but didnt see anything specific to the year. Also, where is the bleeder screw on the SR for the coolant line? Also, is the tstat under the throttle on the lower coolant line? I know the KA is under the throttle. Is this so on the SR as well? thanks

1) B13 Sentra SE-R 91-94.

2) On the water outlet for the upper radiator hose.

3) Yes. Follow the lower radiator hose to the thermostat housing.

[MELLO*SOS]

No fans at all on your car and you left it idling for 3 hrs... Oops... Hope you have a spare motor that you've been building up on the side ;).

Change your oil, then refill your radiator with water, bleed it, but leave the cap off. Now crank the car and watch to see if water shoots out of the radiator fill neck. If so your head gasket is gone dude. GL man, sorry to hear.

[wootwoot]

uandfiugnadfiugndafiugnadufiguabnsdufiabndsufnbasu dfvansdbfuvadnvjnadvkjanbdkvankjdfanvdfnvjakdfnvkj adfnvkjadnfvkjadfnv
WHY WOULD YOU EVEN HAVE A TURBO TIMER ON YOUR CAR IF YOU DONT HAVE FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok I'm done now sorry. You're entire motor is going to be really fun to fix..Fun=expensive.

[SR20d2fourT]

lol. I dont let it run that long! Plus, I thought the stock fan would do the job until I got electrics. Im going to do that thing about filling the rad up again and bleeding and seeing if it shoots up. Is this an efficient way to test if my h/g is gone other than compression testing?

[MELLO*SOS]

it will quickly tell you if you have major problems with the HG, same as the sweet smelling white smoke pouring out the exhaust... For a more detailed look you should do a leak down test on each cylinder.

I didn't know you still had the mechanical fan, I guess I missed that part. Not as bad as running "no fans"... But do you have/are you using the mech fan shroud? It helps the fan pull air through the radiator and without it some people have run into overheating issues.

[wootwoot]

oh whoops, I thought you meant NO fans. Stock clutch fan is better then most e fans as long as you have the frickin shroud

[SR20d2fourT]

no, unfortunately I dont have the fan shroud. I keep going back and forth on whether or not to sell the car cuz I've had so many problems w/ it ( but fixed them ) and I guess this one is just pissing me off. I still want to solve it. Im gonna try to wire the e fans up tonight, check the thermostat and do that thing that deals w/ starting up the car w/ the radiator cap off. Thanks guys, Ill update you on what happens.

[SR20d2fourT]

just bought the 350z radiator cap...tomorrow im gonna test the HG. Ill fill you guys in!

[SR20d2fourT]

Ok, I did that one thing that Mello88 recommended. I started the car up w/ radiator fluid in it and no, it didnt shoot up. Im assuming my H/G is ok???? Im installing electric fans tomorrow...ill tell you how it comes.

[SR20d2fourT]

I installed the fans. It hasn't really cooled down any. I want to say it seems to be a bit cooler but cant tell for sure. It sure does pull air through the radiator though! I think the thermostat is next.

[SR20d2fourT]

I replaced the thermostat. I got it from autozone for a 94 nissan sentra 2.0. Whats wierd is that on the OEM t-stat for the SR it has a ridge around it, holding it in place...on the sentra, it doesnt have that so I just put it on but not on the hose, on the block. It seems to have fit rather well...is this normal? it still hasnt cooled down... I want to install a radiator fan shroud next from a 90 single cam s13...would this fit?