Hi all,
so I am stranded, my car overheated on me. I'm not sure if I pulled over in time, or my head gasket is blown. I wasn't paying attention, and my car hesitated on me when I stepped on the gas.. I look down and see check engine light and the temp needle at the very top. I'm not sure how long I was driving like this... I wish I would have noticed sooner so I could pull over. I had white smoke coming from the top of my engine bay (towards the back) the radiator looks fine, and coolant reservoir is full...

Its an 09 with 144k miles.

Is is my head gasket blown???

 

Check your oil. If it looks like normal oil, your head gasket may be intact. If it is milky (water/coolant mixed in with engine oil) that means your head gasket is blown.

I don't have any idea why your car overheated, nobody can tell that without examining it.

 

Could be a stuck thermostat. The 3.5L had issues with thermostats failing well before the 100K mark. I experienced it in my previous Infiniti. With 144K, it's well within the realm of possibilities.

 

sounds like you may have blew a coolant bypass hose or perhaps a heater hose since you stated there is white smoke from the top rear section of the engine. pressurize the sys and you should be able to see if you have a leak. the check engine light on is more than likely an engine overheating fault code.

 

Any update on what happened?