Bill..your autozone isn't the average. Round here..they wouldn't know a coolant elbow if it was in their hand. Picture or not.. won't help.

Red HELP section. Trust me.

Well I did the job today, I cant say it was easy, and what I mean by that is because of texas weather. My other car is in the covered area and not able to move it, so I get up this morning and start on her, and it just starts pouring! But in the end I finished it. There was a couple of things I was wondering tho>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Read under pictures


Every one who showed me a picture, showed a liquid substance covering this area, mine was bone dry, is that good or bad?




These are not the new gaskets! It looks they had been done before.

So seeing all this, Is this the possible reason my car was smoking, well I should not say was, because now there is alot of smoke coming out of the tail pipe.

First of all, please put your year and trim level in your signature by editing your profile.

Secondly, when did the DEXcool get flushed out for the green stuff? Did you do that (pat on the back if it was you).

Thirdly, I'd like to know what condition your UPPER intake manifold is in. See that pipe sticking up in the Lower Manifold? It slips into a hole in the Upper manifold. Just behind that 'round wall' in the Upper manifold are the two coolant passages that are fed by the Lower manifold (two coolant holes right beside the EGR stovepipe sticking up out of the Lower manifold).

Probe this wall in the upper gently with a sharp instrument. Ice pick or shar screwdriver. That'* where the UPPER fails. Your lower looks ok with respect to the gaskets, as expected with the green coolant (which we didn't know about), but it'* hard to say for sure without closer shots.

How long will it take to tell a difference in the fix, because as I stated, there is even more smoke coming out the tailpipe now

Here is a video of what I mean.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=m_Vu1ZL2MuQ

Have you smelled the exhaust? What does it smell like? Coolant or Oil? If coolant, It'* probably the upper intake if you didn't change it.

I just changed the UIM today as well as the gaskets for the LIM

Please answer WillWren'* questions above and also get closer pictures of the gaskets.

The typical thing we see here is deteriorated lower gaskets and an upper intake manifold with a hole or crack in the EGR tube area.

Being that your lower intake was not under water..that is good. This means your upper intake didn't rupture. The next area where coolant could get over to the cylinders is on the gasket for the lower intake.

After changing gaskets....if coolant got into your cylinders and exhaust..it could take up to a 1/2 hour for it to clean out.

Say it is coolent, will it continue to smoke untill I change the oil again? When I was pulling the LIM yesterday, my luck, it got caught on one of the wires and tilted back and poured what coolent (alot) was left in the LIM into top of the engine, I left the drain plug off the oil pan so it would continue to drain, and coolent begain to pour from the drain hole. Now I bleave that this is coolent that im smelling, because I had checked my overflow tank the other day for the coolent and it was full, when I checked it again a couple of days later, it was near empty. So im thinking it was drinking the coolent. By then the check oil light startred to come on regulary and when I checked the oil level, it was way past full, it was probley a good 4 inches up the stick. Now if it was oil being burned, wouldent there be a sign of loss of oil when I check the oil level? I checked it regulary for adout 2 months, and there was no change in oil level. As well, when oil is being burned, doesent it burn a blueish color?

I need to clarify a few things...

The car currently runs and the exhaust is white smoke or blue?

You found the oil full of coolant before or after you changed the upper intake and lower intake gaskets?