Grinding Noise and White Smoke on Startup

[alex2374]

The last time I posed here was October of last year, after a water pump failure flooded the engine with coolant (I asked for advice on a used engine.) Well, turns out I didn't end up replacing the engine; the mechanic I took it to said the engine looked good and we simply needed to replace the engine parts that had been damaged by coolant. Well, after $6300 and six months at the mechanic I finally took the car back from him for his failure to fix a lingering problem. After returning it to him to repair for the third time, I'm left with a car that makes a grinding noise on startup that goes away after about 2-3 seconds, accompanied by white smoke from the exhaust. What's odd is that this only happens after the car has been sitting for about 24 hours. If I start it more than once in any given day, the grinding/smoke only happens on the first startup. My mechanic could never figure out why this was happening or what to do to fix it, and a Google search isn't very helpful. Any ideas for what could be going on here? I'm not driving it currently for fear that whatever is going on will damage the engine, but I sure would like to have some idea of the problem before I spend more money having another mechanic look at it.

[1004ron]

The only advice I can offer is to find a reputable real mechanic - not easy to diagnose here based on that description.

 

 

[Cerberus]

11 hours ago, alex2374 said:

The last time I posed here was October of last year, after a water pump failure flooded the engine with coolant (I asked for advice on a used engine.) Well, turns out I didn't end up replacing the engine; the mechanic I took it to said the engine looked good and we simply needed to replace the engine parts that had been damaged by coolant. Well, after $6300 and six months at the mechanic I finally took the car back from him for his failure to fix a lingering problem. After returning it to him to repair for the third time, I'm left with a car that makes a grinding noise on startup that goes away after about 2-3 seconds, accompanied by white smoke from the exhaust. What's odd is that this only happens after the car has been sitting for about 24 hours. If I start it more than once in any given day, the grinding/smoke only happens on the first startup. My mechanic could never figure out why this was happening or what to do to fix it, and a Google search isn't very helpful. Any ideas for what could be going on here? I'm not driving it currently for fear that whatever is going on will damage the engine, but I sure would like to have some idea of the problem before I spend more money having another mechanic look at it.

I hate to be the one who tells you this, but it sounds like your mechanic has screwed you sideways.

I don't know what legal recourse you have, but I'd find out if i were you.

 

[DILLARD000]

White smoke from exhaust can be an indication of a leaking HeadGasket or cracked Head,

allowing water\coolant into one or more cylinders when engin is cold, then closing up as engin warms up.

In the V6~3.5L~DOHC Tranverse Engin, with failure of the pumps ShaftBearing &\Or the DoubleFlangeSeal

in that damned InternalChainDriven WaterPump (pic below),

coolant is dumped into the OIlPan directly below the Pump, making the infamous Oil+Coolant "MilkShake";

serious\catastrophic engine damage can occur, not only overheating the engine & possibly cracking the heads,

but likely also damages the various engine bearings (grinding sound?) that should never be exposed to water\coolant.

Does sound like a mechanic worked you over.

Edited December 31, 2023 by DILLARD000

[alex2374]

On 12/30/2023 at 4:42 AM, Cerberus said:

I hate to be the one who tells you this, but it sounds like your mechanic has screwed you sideways.

I don't know what legal recourse you have, but I'd find out if i were you.

 

I've already filed suit against him in small claims court. I figure it's open and shut, but the courts take their time and I hate that my son is doing without his car either until I squeeze some money out of him in court or come up with it on my own to get the car really repaired.

[alex2374]

On 12/31/2023 at 3:50 AM, DILLARD000 said:

White smoke from exhaust can be an indication of a leaking HeadGasket or cracked Head,

allowing water\coolant into one or more cylinders when engin is cold, then closing up as engin warms up.

In the V6~3.5L~DOHC Tranverse Engin, with failure of the pumps ShaftBearing &\Or the DoubleFlangeSeal

in that damned InternalChainDriven WaterPump (pic below),

coolant is dumped into the OIlPan directly below the Pump, making the infamous Oil+Coolant "MilkShake";

serious\catastrophic engine damage can occur, not only overheating the engine & possibly cracking the heads,

but likely also damages the various engine bearings (grinding sound?) that should never be exposed to water\coolant.

Does sound like a mechanic worked you over.

 

 

Appreciate the response.

[Cerberus]

1 hour ago, alex2374 said:

I've already filed suit against him in small claims court. I figure it's open and shut, but the courts take their time and I hate that my son is doing without his car either until I squeeze some money out of him in court or come up with it on my own to get the car really repaired.

The only repair I would trust in your situation is a new(used) engine. 

I had a 2011 Fusion Sport with the same engine, same problem with water pump failure milked the oil.

I bought a boneyard engine (after leak down testing it) for $400, replaced the pump with a Delco metal impeller style, all new chains and guides etc for another $300, swapped it into the car, and it was good to go. I drove it for a month and sold it to CarMax for a grand more than I owed on it.

The collection of symptoms you are dealing with, while difficult to definitively diagnose with the information given, do not bode well for the future of that engine.