What does it mean when your engine starts smoking/steaming... and the water tank fills up with a brown fluid that then begins to leak out of the tank?
The mechanic says...
The symptoms you describe usually indicate failure of the cylinder head gasket. Depending on where the break in the gasket occurs, in some cases the engine oil mixes with the oil (so you see oil in the coolant, and water in the oil), whereas in others the coolant leaks into the combustion chambers, pressurising the cooling system and resulting in steam emerging from the exhaust pipe. In either case you need to have the trouble fixed before driving the car further, as more serious damage could be caused by running the engine with a ‘blown’ head gasket.
While the cylinder head is removed from the engine, it would be wise to have the cylinder block and cylinder head mating surfaces checked for ‘flatness’ (using the straight edge of a steel rule, for example). The gasket failure could have been caused by warping of the cylinder head (especially if it is made from aluminium) or the cylinder block. Warping of the mating faces and failure of the cylinder head gasket can be caused by engine overheating, so make sure that the cooling system is in good condition too.
