last night i was driving to my friend's house who lives way up in the boonies and the road was pure crap. So I'm driving along and WHAM i go over a huge *** pot hole on the driver's side. i stopped the car, got out and checked to make sure i didn't bend a rim or damage the underside of my car and everything looked fine, so i kept going. when i finally stop in front of my friend's house i see white-ish smoke coming up out from above my head lights. I pop the hood and it smells like radiator fluid burning, nothing was leaking on the ground and still isn't but i noticed the engine smoking from the lower rear. I'm thinking that when i hit the pothole i pinched part of a cooling hose possibly leading to the heater core? and when the system is at top pressure it's squirting on to something, then burning. Any ideas on what might be up?

 

It sounds like you've got a good handle on a potential cause. Let us know what you find. Post pics if you have trouble locating the leak.

 

Figure out exactly what is leaking. Put a large clean piece of cardboard under the car after you have been driving it and it has been warmed up. that should help you see where the leak is coming from. Figure out what type of fluid leaked out as well.

 

ok so i took it in to the local mechanic today, they pressure tested the system for about 2 hours straight and they said it only lost minimal pressure after a long time, but no leaks. nothing dripping, nothing seeping... nothing. The mechanic said that my head gasket is on the way out and probably needs to be replaced. I drive it home pop the hood and it's smoking again (white smoke) and i know it's radiator fluid because of it's distinctive smell (i previously owned a 96 saab 9000CS turbo that blew a radiator hose and top radiator hose connector.) Do you guys think that the head gasket is a possibility and if so would the pothole just be a coincidence or could it have caused extreem pressure on the gasket causing it to break?

just a recap: NO LEAKS there is nothing dripping at all. and the smoke is forming from the back of the engine as so i cant see anything in terms of where it may be comming from.

 

may i add this only seems to be happening when the engine has been operating in driving conditions for a while.
smoking engine that has been pressure tested with no leaks? sounds pretty halloweenish to me