The Nissan Path

Hi,
I've just found this forum, thankfully, and really hope one or two of you can help me resolve my problem.

Had my 2006 Path for 4 years. Never had any problem with it.
Four months ago the rear rad aluminium pipes corroded so cut them out and replaced with HP hose. No issue since.
Three weeks ago, on a long drive, the temp gauge kept going up. Stopped, popped bonnet and coolant was shooting out the overflow on the expansion tank. Let it cool down, topped everything up, and continued trip. This went on thre more times before i got there. On last stop, topped everthing up and left caps off rad and expansion tank and squeezed the hose coming out the bottom of the rad. Did this as thought had an airlock. Seemed to sort isssue out.
Few days later started up and turned over several times before smoke coming out exhaust. Lots of smoke! Kept coming out till engine was up to temp. Didnt smoke when floored it. Same the next morning. Took it to a garage, who said it may be cracked cylinder head or the EGR valve. He bypassed the egr valve saying it s not that important really. This seemed to resolve the problem. No smoke on start up. But its started again within a few days. Its getting through a lot of coolant too yet cannot see any leaks.
Oh, and the heating is not working now too!
And its getting cold over here....!

All help, advice and general knowledge will be gratefully received.

Cheers

What color smoke?

Could be the thermostat staying open, or in something you did, might be by-passing the stat and allowing coolant to keep free flowing.

Makes sense when you have no heat, and if the smoke is dark colored say a brown, then it's running rich due to the ECT not meeting required temperature to meet open loop ECU status, which causes a rich condition. IIRC.

Hi, thanks for the quick reply. Should have said it's a 2.5 diesel.
The smoke is bluish but only on start up and then stops when up to temp within 10minutes. As long as it's not been sat for more than 5 or 6 hours, it starts fine. The chap in the garage said it's coolant getting into the cylinder and sitting there making the mix difficult to ignite under compression. The smoke being it burning off.

Thanks

Hard to say as I'm not familiar with the diesel, but sounds like it could be a cracked head or leaking head gasket. Has it overheated recently?

disallow wrote:sounds like it could be a cracked head or leaking head gasket.

+1

nevermind

Diesel, nevermind what I said then.

Egr valves have coolant running to them to cool down the exhaust gasses. If the egr is cracked it will leak coolant when the engine is off but has psi in the coolant system. When the engine is running the exhaust pressure is greater then the coolant system pushing exhaust gasses into the coolant system making it overflow.

You need a new egr or egr cooler.

Sounds like a blown Head gasket.

If it was a blown head gasket it should smoke all the time and not only on start up. If it was a cracked head it might stop leaking as the metal heats up and reseals itself.

Thanks so much for the replies. Ive been worried it was a cracked head but what captain has said is pretty much the same as the technician so it kindof checks out with what I was hoping it was. Ok, now to find an egr valve for less than 700 quid! Yep, seriously, £700!!! I nearly fell over! Good old rip off Britain!

Thanks so much for the replies. Ive been worried it was a cracked head but what captain has said is pretty much the same as the technician so it kindof checks out with what I was hoping it was. Ok, now to find an egr valve for less than 700 quid! Yep, seriously, £700!!! I nearly fell over! Good old rip off Britain!

Do you guys have to get smog tested over there? If not, I'd say leave it bypassed.

OK, just been told by the technician that as they bypassed the EGR, there wouldn't be any coolant going through it, therefore the EGR is not the problem! So, either a cracked head or head gasket. Or both!
What a bummer, man!

Cheers all

My guess is that it is the gasket that you have to deal with. I have had similar problems with my ealier cars and it doesnt matter if it is diesel or petrol.

With gasket it is getting worse and worse over the time and you have pretty good chance to get over heated and damaged cylinder head.

NB! check engine oli and coolat as they might get mixed.