Chevrolet Repair: 94 Camaro, radiator cap, long distances

Question
Hi,
I have a 94 Camaro, with about 185000 miles on it.  My engine has been running generally at normal temperature recently, with the occasional rise above normal temperature while idle at a light or wherever.  The problem is, occasionally, some white smoke (not a lot) will come out from the left side (from the car's perspective) of the engine.  This happens only after a short trip with a lot of stop and go.  There is not a lot of smoke, and it only even happens once every couple weeks.  Also, earlier this week, I went into a store, and came about 5-10 minutes later. It appeared as if my car had leaked its entire supply of coolant.  The puddle was quite a lot, so it doesn't appear that it had been leaking before that incident.  I checked my oil, and that also was exceptionally low, even though I hadn't noticed a leak.  Other than that, the car runs fine, and over long distances (highway travel), the temperature is at its lowest.  This is baffling, as I don't know what it could be.  On a side note, I don't know if this is relevant, I topped off my oil (which I have had to do for years) with some oil that I purchased at a bit of a run down gas station.  Any help you can provide is very much appreciated.  Thanks!  

Answer
Hi Randall, What you need to do is to pressure test the cooling system. They make a tool that goes in place of the radiator cap and pumps up the cooling system. Now you can locate the by looking for the coolant. It should show up quickly if you lost that much fluid on the ground.

Hope this helps

Have a Great Day          Mark