1991 oldsmobile toronado engine wont turn over

make sure you have 50/50 coolant and water.i would replace thermostat and radiator pressure cap.replace air filter make sure engine getting fresh air.check radiator cores and front grille from debris blocking off airflow through grille to radiator.if problem continue flush out coolant system radiator engine block and heater core.water going bad cause over heat problems also.

One of the main causes of white exhaust smoke and coolant loss is a cracked or warped cylinder head, a cracked engine block, or head gasket failure caused by overheating. A cracked head may allow coolant to leak into one or more cylinders or into the combustion chamber of the engine. Dirty coolant, a poorly maintained cooling system, a low coolant level, or a non-functioning cooling fan can cause engine overheating. In addition, engine wear can eventually cause the gaskets to lose their capacity to seal properly allowing internal coolant loss. Intake manifold gasket and head gasket failures are two of the most common sources of internal coolant loss caused by engine wear.


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Thick white smoke is most likely Blown head gasket! the seal between the cylinder block and the cylinder head. Coolant in the cylinders.
Does the white smoke have a sweetness to it? That will be the glycol in the antifreeze. Does it run rough? Is there smoke in the radiator, or fluid pushing out of radiator? Open radiator only when COLD engine or slowly with thick gloves and towel over cap. Allow pressure to bleed off before removing cap completely. White foam in or around the oil filler cap.? Cylinder pressure test will reveal where it is. As will a super clean spark plug. Sorry.

A couple scenarios- none of them exactly cheap.
1- Head gasket blew or corroded; did it overheat at all recently? It may show a cylinder or two as mis-firing.
2- manifold leak. Are you also getting a lean error code?
3- porous casting or crack developed.

If you open the cap on the radiator hose with engine cold, or if you happen to have a radiator with a conventional cap, is there any oil film or sludge? Is there any on the dipstick/crankcase? If so, there "might be" a crack i nthe engine block. If you leave the cap off the hose or the radiator and start it cold- if you suddenly get a geyser of coolant- the problem is likely a cracked head or the head gasket is the issue.

"Some" white smoke may be visible when the engine is cold right after startup- this is a small amount and is reasonably normal if slight.

If you mean the turn signal switch, it's inside the steering column head under the steering wheel.

I would really be concerned about the antifreeze in oil, sounds like head gasket at least or head, block problem, even if you dont see antifreeze leaking, the engine can burn it and exit through tail pipe-white smoke or steam (beyond just cold start-up)

You may have a blown piston ring, valve seals, valve guides, cracked head gasket or a cracked block, etc... It sounds major though for you to lose power suddenly and have all that smoke...

Ok, you have three sensors on this engine that work together to manage the temperature reading that are sent to the gauge. i recommend checking all three to be safe. i will list the sensors and, locations below.

1. Coolant temperature sensor- Under hood, driver side, upper engine area, above transmission bell housing, mounted in driver side end of intake manifold.

2. Engine Temperature sensor- Under hood, driver side, upper engine area, mounted on rear cylinder head

3. Temperature switch.- Under hood, center, lower engine area, above oil filter, rear of coolant temperature sensor, mounted in engine block

White smoke is caused by coolant or water coming out the tail pipe. There is a chance that the white smoke was caused by water splashing up from a puddle onto the exhaust pipe. Keep an eye on the coolant level in the radiator in any event. If its less then there leak coolant leak in the car engine which is causing this problem....

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if you have white smoke out the tail pipe this means that the car is burning the coolat and sounds like it could be the head gasket or could be a cracked head