Big trouble with 97 GA GT

[dramaface]

It all started two days ago when my coolant level light came on. I added about three gallons of coolant to the car and it just kept disappering. So on Sat. I got an oil change and allof a sudden my car started to blow awhole lot of white exhaust and started jerking. So I took the car on a test run today. (to see if it would make it to work or not) and it went alright for a little while the it stated jerking and the engine light came on. More white smoke came from the exhaust and it was feeling like it was hardly getting any gas.At first I thought it was bad gas now I'm thinking some thing else after the engine light. Please Help!!!

[justin0419]

Sounds like a problem with the heads (warped). Did the car overheat at any time? The white exhaust and engine hesitation are indications of water getting into your cylinders. Sounds like that's where your coolant is going.

[dramaface]

Car didn't overheat as a matter of fact it was blowing perfect heat. I found the anti freeze leaking over inbetweent the tires and the overfill if that helps. No smell of antifreeze in engine.

[mdb25]

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are looking at a blown head gasket and probably some warped or cracked heads. When you see white smoke blowing out of the exhaust, it is antifreeze that is leaking from the ports into the cylinders. The combustion causes the clouds of white smoke that you see. Additionally, performance problems will occur. These problems often result after a car has overheated and yes can even occur after the car has overheated once. This has been a problem that has plagued gm for years. The quality of the head gaskets that they use is not so good. A lot of shops try to say that you need a whole new engine, but this is not true. Essentially the engine has to be disassembled to the block and the old head gaskets removed and replaced with new ones. As for the actual head or heads themselve(s), they should be taken to a machine shop and be resurfaced and reconditioned. Simple visual inspection will not be accurate when trying to determine if the heads are bad. Regardless if you are going through all this work, it is a wise decision to have them redone anyway. I know this sounds like a lot, but it's a lot cheaper than buying another engine. Even if you get and engine that is used, you have the potential of running into the same problems. There is some good news in all of this. Once you get the heads back, they are like brand new. When the job is all done, there will be a huge difference in how well the car performs. Well, good luck.

[dramaface]

I was told by one mech. that it might be the intake manifault gasket and not the head gasket. He also said that it's a common problem with my 3.1 Grand AM and my make and model. I also heard it migh tbe a head gasket but who's to say. I have it at the shop right now to get a diag test. Hopfully it's the intake gasket !!

[mdb25]

Based on what you have told me, I seriously doubt that there is a problem with the intake manifold gasket. When you have antifreeze leaking through the head gaskets, you get that white smoke that you mentioned. This is why you are losing coolant, ie it is being burned off in the cylinders. Another indicator that this has happened is the appearance of antifreeze in the oil. Another quick check is to remove the radiator cap and start the car. BE SURE TO DO THIS WHEN THE CAR IS ICE COLD AND HASN'T BEEN STARTED FOR SEVERAL HOURS. If the head gaskets are blown, you will see bubbles (ie a gurgling action) instead of a smooth swirling motion. This shows you that pressure has been lost and the gaskets are bad. Well, let me know what you find out.

[dramaface]

After the dia.test was ran it turned out to be the intake manifold gasket. But the concern is if the engine might be damaged or not. THey will make that detrmination tomorrow.