Chrysler Repair: 89 le baron GTC conv., head gasket, head gaskets

Question
i drove 1 hour on low coolant ( didnt know the coolant was low) and when i got to my destination everything was fine ... a friend added coolant in the spair resevoir ( not knowing to put in the radiator) and we took off for the hour drive home .. we got about 20 minutes away and the car had over heated and was blowing white smoke ( not blue smoke meaning head gaskets ) do you know what the problem is ?

Answer
Hi Ryan,
White smoke is steam generated when coolant (which is typically 50% water) has entered the combustion chamber of one or more of the cylinders and been turned into water vapor and expelled with the exhaust gases as white smoke from the tailpipe. It most typically is due to the failure of the headgasket, though if the engine really greatly overheated a crack in the head or the block can occur (let us hope that is not the case). So you will need to have the headgasket replaced which involves removing the cylinder head and the exhaust and intake manifolds along with the turbocharger. If it has been more than 75,000 miles since the timing belt was changed it would be prudent to replace that while the engine is dismantled for the gasket replacement. If the leak is not too large and your finances are not in good shape you might be able to do a temporary fix by putting some "Bar's Leak" cooling system sealer in the radiator where it will disperse and seal up small breaks in the head gasket or cracks in the head.  It won't last forever, but if it works it will reduce or eliminate the loss of coolant and the consequent white smoke. But taking the head off and replacing the gasket is the long-term repair and you can also have the head and block examined for cracks. So you aught to access your finances and the condition of the car and your enthusiasm for keeping it long enough to get back the investment in doing the repair. (The repair will cost in the range of $700-900). If you have tools and a good instruction sheet this is a job that can be done by a do-it-yourselfer; but not without the necessary tools and hands-on experience to do it right.
You might also think back to the way the cooling system was operating before this most recent experience. Were you having to add coolant regularly? Did you see white smoke when you started the car that persisted for less than a minute or so (normal due to condensation of water vapor in the air when you turn off the engine and the environment cools down) or did you see smoke that continued for many minutes or cause water to condense on the ground at the tail pipe. If you were adding coolant and had more persistant smoke then perhaps the gasket was already compromised and the last experience was just the final straw. If the headgasket and hoses and radiator are all in good condition, then you shouldn't have had to add coolant very often, it at all.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Roland