I have a 1999 cavalier z24 with 96k miles. in pristine shape. recently white smoke has been pouring out of the engine bay, it smells sweet like coolant. but the car runs and drives fine and doesn't overheat. is coolant leaking from a hose onto the hot engine? am I able to drive like this until i get paid on the 14th? please help

 

Coolant leak. Check the coolant level every morning before driving (engine cold, of course). Also keep an eye on the temp gauge when driving. If you run it low on coolant you can blow a head gasket, in which case a coolant leak will be the least of your troubles.
Tip: At night, when the engine is up to operating temperature, lift the hood and use a flashlight (or your s-phone flashlight) to look for coolant leaks/steam. Probably a water pump going bad, but could be bad hose or cracked coolant reservoir.

 

Agreed. Likely a head gasket leak. Hopefully, one that doesn't make it to the motor oil.

 

You will not be able to drive it if your coolant is making it to your motor oil. If if it looks gray, not clean or black, it's already done so. Antifreeze damages your engine bearing fast. You should carry some plain water in the car. Like a couple of gallons worth. Use old bleach bottles or any old jugs you can fill with water.

In any case, you will have to have this repaired, or you could have major damage to your Cavalier's motor. It would be best to drain all the antifreeze out of your car, as ethylene glycol is more deadly to your engine bearings than plain water is by far. Just because steam came out of the engine compartment means that something is wrong. That is in no way a normal operating vehicle at all.

If you can use a different car, that would be better the driving your Cavalier, until you can have a mechanic, or someone who knows a lot about cars take a look at it, as I can tell that you need some help finding out what the trouble is. Your car is 23 years old, so things will go wrong due to the age.

The best of luck to you!

 

A more likely cause would be a bad hose, water pump, etc. However H. gasket is a possibility. My 02 still runs perfectly, doesn't burn any oil at all. H. gaskets usually only blow if the engine has been badly overheated.

 

Lots of reasons head gaskets go bad including age. They do not in any way need to be overheated.