Coolant Explosion

[1991S13]

1991 240sx, 145k miles on a mostly stock KA24DE.

Tonight I was driving home when some liquid shot up onto the windshield on the passenger side. I looked down, and the temp gauge normally sits right in the middle of Hot and Cold, but now it is right below the H. I pull over and pop the hood, and there is coolant all over everything on the passenger side of the engine bay. I finished the drive (about 10 minutes of 50 MPH driving) and make it to my girlfriend's house just as the temp gauge is climbing past the H. I park the car and put the hood up to let all the steam out, and went out to check it out a couple minutes later.

I checked all the hoses, the coolant reservoir, and what I could see of the radiator, and there were no holes/cracks in anything. However, on top of the radiator right in front of where the big hose goes into it, it looks like there is a crack and the coolant is coming out of there. It is coming from right between the plastic and foam looking pieces. I attached a picture circling the area of the crack if you don't know what Im talking about (picture is from prior to this).

My grandfather came out and we let the car idle while we filled the radiator up with water. It would suck it in, and as soon as you gave it gas it would blow back out. I wasn't paying attention to him when he explained why we were doing this because I was pretty mad, but he said something about maybe the head gasket is blown. He's been working on cars for over 50 years now, so I figure he knows what he is talking about. I left the car in town at my girlfriend's house and we are going back to tow it home tomorrow.

What do you guys think? Any help is greatly appreciated, you've never let me down in the past. This is my only source of transportation, so this is kind of urgent. Thanks, Kenny.

[navysnail]

sounds like a cracked radiator, the headgasket would only be blown if it overheated and blew it out, a compression test should let you know, do that after you fix the radiator.

[NISTECH]

Radiators tend to crack due to excessive pressure in the system Either the lower seal on the radiator cap being swollen and not allowing pressure to relief to the bottle or as your gramps said head gasket, If when you are adding water it is blowing out the radiator from the cap opening then your head gasket is a good possibility. When you go back fill the system up before you start it. once its full start it up and give it gas a few times if it imediatly starts blowing out ,not just overflowing the filler neck, I would say its a head gasket.

[1991S13]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, before putting it on the trailer we filled it back up and when I gave it gas it sprayed back out of the filler neck.

Since this car is nickel and diming us to death, me and my father called up Jasper and ordered a fresh, remanufactured KA. Hopefully I won't be visiting the Online Mechanic forum much longer