Lot's of smoke coming from exhaust and terrible smell from heater.

[regal96]

I turned my car on for the first time all day today, it's currently 19 degrees outside and I don't have a garage. Maybe the cold has affected my baby in some way.
Anyways, I haven't started it since...I got a ride to the AutoZone to get some dex cool coolant because the coolant in the reservoir was extremely low. I hope that once I fill it, that will solve the issue...but I read that the thick smoke might be the result of a cracked head gasket or some other major problem like that. There was so much smoke coming out of the exhaust it looked like a damn forest fire. It is a 1996 Buick Regal.

What is going on?

Edit: I turned off the car as soon as I saw the smoke coming out of the exhaust...this is the first and only time this has happened. So I'm thinking that if I got ahead of it...I would have prevented any sort of head gasket damage if I turned the engine off as soon as it overheated.

 

[HotZ28]

That exhaust smoke could be from a UIM failure sucking coolant into the combustion chambers. What color was the smoke?

 

[regal96]

That exhaust smoke could be from a UIM failure sucking coolant into the combustion chambers. What color was the smoke?

It was a thin white smoke. I put in more coolant and the problem was solved completely. It was actually a good bit quieter when I started the engine as opposed to when the coolant was so low which is weird. Not sure what a UIM is either.

 

[century61]

The exhaust could have just been condensation in the exhaust system. I understand that you were low on coolant but that does not automatically mean something is wrong. Adding coolant never solved a leak of any kind for me. I would just monitor it and see how quick you lose coolant and if the car is getting too hot.

 

[HotZ28]

It was a thin white smoke. I put in more coolant and the problem was solved completely. It was actually a good bit quieter when I started the engine as opposed to when the coolant was so low which is weird. Not sure what a UIM is either.

It's important to mention what engine you have when posting here. Is it a 3.8L or 3.1L? The UIM is the Upper Intake Manifold.

 

[regal96]

It's important to mention what engine you have when posting here. Is it a 3.8L or 3.1L? The UIM is the Upper Intake Manifold.

Gotcha its a 3.8L V6