white exhaust smoke usually means a blown head gasket right? Are there any other possible scenarios I can look into?

If not.. So I don't get jerked around with:

What's the cost?

How long could it take?

Who should I avoid? hole in the wall mechanics?

~~~~Hell... anyone live in Austin TX that could help me out!?!?!

I'll pay!!!!

Let me know

 

White smoke can be a sign of a blown gasket. Have you checked your coolant level to see if it's dropping?

The head will have to be pulled. The gasket replacement is the easy part, it's disconnecting all the hoses, wires, etc. in order to get to the gasket that takes a while.

 

sometimes to coolant will turn rusty colored if exhaust gases are intering it, and it will stink like amonia VERY STRONG. like give you a nose bleed strong. but they wont always smell that way. that is just an indicator. like said above, check your coolant and see if its low. if it is low, top it off and check the level again (at the same engine temp as the first check. preferable cold so you dont get burned). exhaust naturally steams in the winter, but steam should be gone within 15 or so minutes of driving, if it steams constantly, no matter how long you've been driving, then there is a good chance you have a blown/leaking head gasket. take it to a shop, ask for a block test. they put a sniffer in the radiator and check for exhaust gases. also if its blown, after a long drive your radiator hose will be rock hard from all the pressure in the cooling system. hope this helps.

 

takes like 7-8 hours for a mechanic with the proper tools. if you have only done brakes and oil changes, dont even attempt. there are timing issues and lots of other critical shit. probably going to cost around 800-1000

 

check ur oil does it look milky or weird for that matter if oil looks fuked up then water is getting in it and ud then have a b;own head gasket