My car will crank up .after driving about a block it shuts down.when my car is still its also shaking.there is a thin white or maybe gray smoke coming from the tail pipe of my 1999 gram am.this was never a problem until one day i ran out of gas

White smoke is coolant getting into combustion chamber and burning. Check for oil in radiator also check for foam on oil cap. Could be a blown head gasket

If it is white smoke maybe cooling system engine overheating and the engine shutting down.Check fluids oil antifreeze make sure there clean an check for leaks or loss of fluid.

Yes this is correct, you can get important information from the colour of smoke from the exhaust:

Blue/Gray Smoke: Blue/gray exhaust smoke is an indication of oil burning in the combustion chamber. These are possible symptoms and causes:
Valve Seals: Leaking valve seals will cause blue/gray smoke at startup because oil leaks past the seals into the cylinder after the engine shuts down.
Valve Guides: Excessive clearance between the valve stem and the valve guide allows oil to leak past the gap into the cylinder.
Piston Rings: Worn or damaged piston rings will cause blow-by resulting in blue/gray smoke.
Worn Cylinder Walls: Worn cylinder walls cause blow-by resulting in blue/gray smoke.
PCV System: A stuck closed PCV valve will cause excessive crankcase pressure resulting in blue/gray smoke.
Black Smoke: Black exhaust smoke is an indication of a rich fuel condition. These are possible causes:
Fuel Injectors: A leaking or dripping fuel injector will cause a rich fuel condition.
Fuel Pressure Regulator: A stuck closed fuel pressure regulator will cause a rich fuel condition.
Fuel Return: A restricted fuel return line will cause a rich fuel condition.
White/Gray Smoke: White exhaust smoke is an indication that coolant is burning in the combustion chamber. These are possible causes:
Cylinder Head: A crack in the cylinder head (around the coolant jacket) will cause coolant to enter the combustion chamber.
Engine Block: A crack in the deck of an engine block near the coolant jacket will cause coolant to enter the combustion chamber.
Head Gasket: A damaged or blown head gasket will cause coolant to enter the combustion chamber resulting in white/gray smoke coming from the tailpipe.

If the smoke is white, you have a blown head gasket. If the smoke is black, you have some bad Piston rings.

Please let us know if you are pleased with our service,

Thank You,
Pigsticker1

white smoke (alot) usually means water/antifreeze getting into firing chamber- head gasket(most likely) or a cracked head/block (less likely)- check oil dipstick- if oil is "milky" definite leak somewhere

YOU SAW SMOKE COMING OUT EXHAUST PIPE.SOUND LIKE BLOWN HEAD GASKET.TOO MUCH ANTIFREEZE GOT IN THE CRANKCASE AND CYLINDER BLOCK BY THE PISTONS CAUSING ENGINE TO HYDROLOCK.CHECK CRANK CASE TO SEE ITS FULL OF COOLANNT.IT WILL LOOK LIKE A MILK SHAKE.

the white smoke usually means oil has entered the turbo but should still start unless this newer model has a shut down protection

HI. This white to gray smoke will be a strong indication of a rupture within the block seal(head gasket). Generally, when the head gasket ruptures, or shrinks, this will introduce coolant into the cylinder chambers, thus, inducing the burn - off affect. This issue will cause the discharge of the white to gray smoke you are noticing at this time.

The head gasket must be inspected, along with the intake manifold gasket for visible damage, ro leaks. The leaks may not be noticeable from the outside if the gaskets if the rupture is internal. Due to the fact that you do have discharge, this will confirm that the gasket has failed.

I would advise to perform this test. Kindly pull one spark plug away form the head, and crank the engine. You will need an assistant to observe the spark plug hole for coolant spillage. While you are cranking the engine, if the assistant notices that there is coolant spillage coming out of the hole during the cranking process, this will confirm that the head gasket has rupture. Another indication of gasket failure will be the rough idle. A rupture gasket will induce low compression, thus, affecting the combustion rate of the engine. You can confirm this by having the engine bock pressure tested.


NOTE_ IF your check engine light is on, have the codes pulled asap.

Why did you replace your radiator?
I ask this because I assume the car was overheating or overheated after the radiator swap. If this is the case then how long was it driven while over heating?
Driving in an overheated condition even for a few minutes is enough to warp the aluminum head, (just ask my mother, not once but twice).
First thing I would check is the oil. If the oil appears milky it means that coolant\water if flowing between the oil ports and coolant ports in the head. Also was the color of the smoke white and did it have a sweet odor. If yes to either then the coolant\water is flowing from the coolant ports into the combustion chamber. You would aslo notice a loss of coolant\water with no apparent source.
It sounds like you have a blow head gasket and you can be sure that it also warped the head. A compression test would confirm this.
I really wish I could give you a better explanation for this.

Too late to check now... you've got a blown head gasket. When the gauge starts to give you any indication that something's not right you must shut it down or this kind of thing happens. Could have started as a bad water pump, hose etc. With low coolant from that (or anything else) continued operation will kill the whole thing!...Sorry!!