Hey guys, really really appreciate all the responses from my first post ever and I am back with more !

So I recently had this issue with my car, i started driving out of the parking lot at my apartment, and noticed the security light was on when it normally was not. It was possibly flashing, at this moment I do not remember... Sorry...

So, I turned the car off and wasn't sure what the hell was going on because i'm pretty newb with cars actually. I let the car sit in the "on" position, started it back up, and it did the same thing. I repeated, started it up, and the "security" light was no longer flashing on the message center so I went about my day.

Yesterday I got to my buddies and my coolant hose on the bottom had come loose and was leaking pretty heavily. I had no tools there, so I did my best to push it on with my hands, and made it back to my apartment with no leaking. This morning I headed over to my friends where I have access to tools, jacked her up, pushed the hose on, tightened the clamp. It didn't leak on my way to my friends, and the hose was definitely not fully on. It is now. Hopefully now its good.

Sorry for such a story... So i go to start my car, nothing. Absolutely nothing. The previous day I had looked up that a common issue and cause for the blinking security is the ignition cylinder or ignition switch. So I was guessing ****, did it go out on me completely?

So I read online what to do, I put it on the "on" position and waited, about ten minutes go by and the "security" message went from blinking to solid, turned the key to "off", waited a good 20 seconds or a bit more, turned her to "on", security message was solid, started up, but made a funny sound, not sure what it was, my buddy said could be the computer realizing it wasn't a security issue anymore and caused the delay or sound, drove it home, seemed fine.

So my questions are as follows and I apologize again for the story...

What is the plan of action to resolve this issue? Is my ignition cylinder or switch going out and going to randomly stop working all together on me...?

The other issues I am having are these,

I noticed this ticking clicking sound when I drive. Recently tireman told me I needed a new swaybar. They didn't specify if it was broken, cracked, or what was going on, just said it needed replaced and I wanted to wait and do research before i coughed up the $300+ they wanted to for it, and idk if that estimate even included labor. Wondering if this ticking / clicking noise could be the swaybar...?

Another issue I noticed is when using the brakes it seems i have a bit of shaking on the wheel. Wasn't sure if maybe anyone knew what could be causing this?

That aside, I believe my transmission is grinding, as well as there is a tiny hole in my exhaust I believe is causing some noise. My buddy said that we should be able to just weld that ourselves to fix it.

So again, my apologies for the story, you guys are amazing and I am so appreciative for the previous help in my other post as well as the fact that there is this forum to begin with. I have already been here before lurking without an account at older posts which helped me with some information I was looking for.

Really appreciate you guys

 

So today when I started my car i popped the hood and checked the coolant level and it was low and noticed my car was smoking. Couldn't really tell the smell..

Kind of small amounts looked like it was coming from down by the oil dipstick which seemed hot. Also may have an oil leak. Just got my oil changed recently too. Seems like theres a lot of residue caked down there.

I recently replaced my MAF sensor and before I replaced my MAF sensor and my thermostat, i was getting a check engine light and it originally suggested from auto zone that I replace the intake manifold i believe...

Trying to figure out if I need to buy and replace my intake manifold possibly to fix this as well as buy and replace my ignition switch and cylinder.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Wondering if it's possinky that recall linked in the sticky...

 

You do have list I'm sure we can help you with some of it. As for your brakes , a steering wheel that shakes when you apply the brakes is probably warped rotors nothing to exciting. You can either turn the rotors if there machineable or just replace them they are cheap. The sway bar is a part that does break on occasion kinda a pain to change but should be able to do in a few hours. The security light has plagued me for a while but you should re-try the 30 minute security relearn and see if that helps, the light should go out after the flashing not stay on. I can't help you much with that sorry. A grinding transmission don't have any solutions there. Now to the coolant. I would suggest getting a pressure tester to find the coolant leak. You didn't specify if you have a 3800 or 3400/3100 . If the lower intake is leaking and very common on a 3800 it's nothing exciting but on a 3400/3100 I would highly recommend doing the head gaskets also. The heads are intergrated with the intake and when you remove the intake the heads can possibly move creating a bigger problem. Good luck

 

@J.uzt

definitely a list there my recommendation from past experience is to take any auto parts store/tire store/firestone/etc diagnosis with a grain of salt. I would say your better off getting info from here and online before you do anything (unless its an emergency). I would also recommend attacking one problem at a time if you can afford to. All I can say is that I have learned diagnosis is key and everyone usually comes up with a different diagnosis (so its crucial to get the correct one). It would definitely help to have the specific engine and history of repairs for people on here relating to each issue.

I don't have any experience with the security issue so far I can't speak to that. Coolant issues on that year involve the intake often but depending on the engine. I would definitely recommend a coolant pressure test by someone you trust or if you do it yourself (be careful not to over pressurize the system). I am not a mechanic so I'm hoping more people on here can give you specific diagnosis and recommendations. I have gotten lots of good info from here hopefully you get more replies soon!

 

My apologies, it is a 3800. I haven't drove the car since I saw the bit of white smoke, since I had no idea what the cause was and was worried i would completely ruin something in my engine if I drove.

That's my main concern at the moment.

I even had a dream just now that I was driving my car and the engine started smoking and I pulled into a shop so fast my tire flew off.

I just got out of my car in my dream and sat there wanting to cry lol.

Do you guys have any recommendation on if you think my car is in fact safe to drive at this point with the bit of white smoke i saw coming up...? I'm at a loss on how to tell if its just a bit of coolant or oil and nothing to worry about or if there is a serious issue which will cause more damage from driving :/

I really appreciate your guys response, thank you

 

again I am hoping a more senior member with a lot more knowledge responds but... white smoke is usually oil burning in your engine which means oil is leaking into the combustion chamber (if its coming out the tail pipe) and burning along with your gas which is definitely not good. It can gum up your spark plugs and valves if you keep running it with lots of smoke coming out. If its leaking/burning enough oil and the pressure (and oil level) drops too much you can damage internal parts. As far as diagnosis I can't say especially since you have more than one thing happening at the same time... I wouldn't drive it either at this point... hopefully someone on here takes a shot at diagnosis for you... good luck!

 

Thanks man, i appreciate your response

 

I would really get a pressure test done and figure the coolant leak out before driving much. White smoke coming out the exhaust isn't good , my first thought is a head gasket and/or intake gaskets. Most parts stores loan the pressure testers out and will save you a lot of time locating the leak. Good luck

 

Thanks for the reply,

I actually don't know if smoke was coming out of the exhaust, I started my car up, saw the smoke coming from.my engine when I was filling the coolant, and didn't trust to drive it since i couldn't verify the cause


Should I start rhe car up, see if it repeats, and look st the exhaust ?