Mitsubishi Repair: exhaust smoke, worn piston rings, head gasket

Question
my 97 manual eclipse rs 159,700 miles is smoking white/blue smoke. the radiator has plain water, what do you think(head gasket)? how much should I expect to pay?

Answer
Julian
Running plain water shouldn't cause you to burn blue/white smoke, but it's not great for continuously running in your system.  Without some sort of rust prohibitor added to the water, that water will quickly begin to rust out your engine.  And if you live in a region where temperatures could ever dip below the freezing point (most likely in the winter months), the water can freeze can ruin your engine as well.

That said, your problem may indeed be a bad head gasket or perhaps worn valve seals and valve guides.  Keep an eye on your oil level.  If need to add a quart of oil every 1000 miles or less, you're definitely burning oil.  That can indicate a bad head gasket, worn piston rings, or valve seals.  If your water/coolant level goes down continuously, that is evidence of a worn head gasket.  You can even do a compression test to see if head gasket or even piston rings are worn.
Good luck!