headgasket?

 

Doubt it.

general head gaskets check:

Warm up the car on the road
Thrash it for 2 miles using high boost
Stop and open bonnet, engine running
Look hard at the coolant filler tube just in front of the battery
If you can see bubbles = gaskets gone
Turn off engine: still have bubbles a few seconds after turn-off? = gaskets gone.

The white smoke can be seen sometimes after the engine has been dawdling in traffic and you open it out a bit, residue discharging.

Mine did it the other day, and I raced it for the weekend 3 hours after the 'smoke'.

all is well.

Don't worry, be happy, unless you see bubbles...
Graham

 

This can be true but also can be normal if the header tank cap has been taken off. My rad split last month and we replaced it, obviously i was worried it had split due to pressure build up (Headgasket) so we filled with water and took for a gentle drive, popped the bonnet and saw bubbles, drove it home, checked again and bubbles, thrashed the car and now no bubbles. Basically when the header cap is off the coolant sat in the tube to the expansion bottle drains out, then when the engine warms the expanding coolant pushes the air out the pipe into the bottle, fooling you to think the headgasket has gone. topped water up after that first night and been fine since.

 

Headgaskets defo gone theres brown sludge under the header cap

 

You sure?
They usually fail in a way that gases escape past the damaged area to the water and not the other way round, but if the damage is bad or right nest to a water way...
It is an engine out job.
Have a chat with David at www.apiengines.com about options. He did mine when I had no time.
Graham

 

It never over heated etc just someone told me about the puff of smoke so i cheaked the header and came accross the brown sludge.

How much did you pay if you dont mind me asking?

 

You can get sludge on the header cap if the coolant changes have been previously neglected/overdue, not drained flushed properly, or no/too little anitfreeze. I've even seen it on the expansion cap.

Looking at caps, dipstick and exhaust smoke won't tell you anything relaible, get a pressure test on the cooling system. And compression test done on the pistons. Then you will know for sure

Whistish smoke can be oil or excess fuel burning off in the exhaust. (its only blue or black when it is burnt in the combustion chamber).