Ok I changed the water pump on my 88 Cherokee. Water was squirting out from the pulley. I have that book for the Cherokee. So I did it like it was told to do in the book. Now I think I have a blown head gasket. Because everytime I turn the car off, after it cools it needs colent in the res. And it smokes white a lil bit, and the car putters. I just want to know if I'm right and can this be done by a rookie, wannabe mechanic ? Lol. If not how much it will cost at the shop? I had never done any work on any car before and I installed the bushings for the coil springs and the whole lif springs. And the water pump. Or will this be over my head, any special tools for this. Thanks for you time and help

 

Well, if your leaking coolant into the cylinders, there should be a noticeable loss of compression. So first of all, I'd say do a compression test. Autozone or another store like that should rent you a tester if you don't own one.

Is the white smoke sweet smelling? Antifreeze smells almost vomit-inducing sweet when burned, for some reason.

 

The people at Haynes who write the manuals are a bunch of two-bit lairs. They have traded each and every person on this forum at one point or another and we are waiting to meet them in a dark alley.

Having said that, think of the manual as a reference, or a guide. It's certainly not step by step. If your good at organization, have a decent selection of tools, an auto parts store nearby for any specialty tools, time, and can afford to have the truck down for a period of time, then I say go for it.

I'm seriously not trying to come off like a tool, or scare you away from it. I encourage people to do their own thing. But we can't sugar coat it for you, it's a rather daunting task.

But I agree with CodeXJ (as usual), rent a compression test kit first and start from there. The more you diagnose, the better you can pin point.

 

Ok thanks guys. The white smoke is very lil. and it does not smell sweet. But the smoke burns my eyes. I'll check the compression this weekend. Thanks again guys.

 

If it's not sweet, it's not coolant. Probably just condensation.


I agree on the Hayes manual. They are good starting points, but if you follow it blindly you'll get in trouble really quick.