Smoke coming from under the hood

[bumblebee]

As I was driving home from work, had been driving through the city for about 15-20 minutes. I was stopped at a light and noticed white smoke coming from the passenger side of the car under the hood, it was not a large amount. No smoke coming inside through the vents but I could smell a burning smell. When I got home, shortly after that, and parked the car for at least 3-5 minutes a decent amount of white smoke was coming out of the hood. I tried to locate where it was coming from but it the closest I could locate was under the engine on the passenger side. The temp gauge did not go up and was at it's normal point for driving. Any thoughts of what this could be?

I have a 2004 PT Crusier

[LionPT]

Check your overflow tank & radiator. Also check that the wiring harness above the passenger side wheel didn't fall & is not rubbing on the axle.

[rckstein]

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[ptcruisersteve]

I would suggest doing an engine coolant pressure test. This will help you determine if you have a coolant leak causing all the smoke.

[Handy_Cruiser]

Originally Posted by bumblebee

As I was driving home from work, had been driving through the city for about 15-20 minutes. I was stopped at a light and noticed white smoke coming from the passenger side of the car under the hood, it was not a large amount. No smoke coming inside through the vents but I could smell a burning smell. When I got home, shortly after that, and parked the car for at least 3-5 minutes a decent amount of white smoke was coming out of the hood. I tried to locate where it was coming from but it the closest I could locate was under the engine on the passenger side. The temp gauge did not go up and was at it's normal point for driving. Any thoughts of what this could be?

I have a 2004 PT Crusier

If me, I would first assure the cooling system is full. Then I'd run the car parked at idle until it heated up to operating temperature with the temp gauge needle at the center. I'd visually inspect under the hood to try and narrow down where the "white smoke" (likely steam) is coming from. If it comes from near the front it might be the radiator, radiator hose, water pump or adapter behind the water pump on the front of the engine on the passenger side. If the steam is coming from the center of the passenger side of the engine it might be the water pump front seal. If the steam is coming from the rear passenger side of the engine on a non-turbo PT engine, it might be the overflow tank and/or overflow tank line from the radiator as already mentioned.

My first thought would be the overflow tank or line near the tank because a leak from one of these could allow coolant to splash on the exhaust manifold causing a lot of steam and smoke as the ethylene glycol in the antifreeze burns. But without narrowing it down, it cold still be anything at this point.

It should be noted that I am a Safety Engineer among other things and I haven't worked as a professional mechanic since I was young strapping lad with long sexy flowing hair before college. And even then, I mainly worked on big trucks and heavy equipment. Nowadays, I enjoy working on these funny looking little cars for fun and relaxation.