Today I took my '99 with 155k miles and it's replaced transmission for a ride. Lovely day to enjoy. On the way home car started to run rough. I stopped and restarted, big cloud of white smoke from the exhaust! Had it towed home. I could find no coolant in the oil, took a half gallon of water in the tank. I could find no leaks so restarted, runs but white smoke on the passenger side exhaust and drips from the muffler. Please tell me that it isn't a head gaskett! Just spent a lot getting the transmission replaced!
Ideas? Options?

 

I would think if it were a head gasket it would heat up REAL FAST.

 

It's a head gasket.

 

No coolant in the oil has NOTHING to do with coolant in the combustion chamber!!!!
SOMETIMES the coolant will leak into an area that drains into the sump BUT...............
Not always the case.

bob gauff

 

Yep, blown head gasket.

 

Same thing happened to mine 3 weeks ago and my car only has 63000 miles. Here's a lovely picture of the blown gasket. It blew on number 3 cylinder of the right bank, but cylinder 2 was almost as bad. Left hand block was exactly the same. Tip I got was to use the MLS gasket from the 4.2engine (same bore so can be used on 4.0l). Engine is now rebuilt and running beautifully. Don't forget to get both heads skimmed to keep them balanced.

 

Looks like that water injection really did a good job of cleaning all the carbon off that piston...


Dave

 

It certainly did, could make it a new feature. Open a valve to let coolant into the cylinder To give it a good steam clean. P.S. Very little coolant in the oil.