Replaced the head gasket on my 1997 geo metro now it won't start

its a GEO POPPER.
"no oil up on crank case"

no idea what that means.??????
yes PCV valve. do clog.

white smoke at end if tail pipe.
you didnt say where,?

white smoke has 2 reasons.(tail end)
Steam and oil.
steam goes away fast and looks just like moms tea pot. and smells sweet, like the antifreeze in engine. (rad cap off ,sniff sniff, cold engine)

oil burning, smoke is very very slow to go away.
and smells like , blush burned oil.
if not sure what burn oil looks like or smells like
take out the dip stick on a hot engine
let it drip to the hot exhaust manifold there.
now you know. and is a key diagnostic skill.


no oil seen on dip stick end?, you mean that?
well you need to keep that from happening,
doing weekly service, and for sure old cars.
26 years old.

low oil invites blowing up a good engine.
for sure.
if it did that smoke is oil
if it did 10x worse, both .

my wild guess is you meant to say
I didnt see oil leaking on top of engine.
right?

if the engine backwires to the air cleaner
you forgot to replace the cam belt every 60k miles
the pcv will also be clogged, on cars not getting proper service, super colon.
if the PCV clogs,engine may leak oil bad.

this engine btw is a G10 3 cylinder.
with TBI injection.
we can talk TBI all day, owned one.

white smoke can come from many places
exhaust manifold, leaks of oil can land there
engine can back fire to air cleaner making smoke.
tail end.
steam is much worse. ill not delve in to that yet/.

best to change the headgasket n be done with it

only you can park start engine, warm it up, and at normal
hot 14psi coolant pressure, see the exact leak point, not me or anyone here can. its an EYEs on thing,
the object leaking is bad. if a hose, flange or gasket, if the
head gasket leaks, then bingo bad head gasket.

Check your battery connections at the starter. It may not be getting the needed volts. Just make sure they're clean and tight at the starter and the battery both. Good luck!

old post, but others might find it useful.
sounds like you cranked the battery dead. huh?
1problem is not 2.
why it dont start is comlex.
ever check compression,
ever put in new timing belt at 60,000 miles (every)
ever tune it up, ? and for sure every 60k, per the op. guide in glove box>?

join a metro forum,

few cars on earth had one engine , most have options
the metro had 3.
so if both cars had the same engine , are they the same.
is the real question.
read the wiki on geo metro.
here is one other issue , quoted
1997 featured the four-cylinder engine with a new sixteen-valve head (rather than the eight valves of the earlier design)

that means the EFI is different and head. (at least)

Oil and coolant mixed usually means the engine is damaged.
Blown head gasket, or cracked block - head.
You may have coolant in the engine oil too.
I would not drive it.

If you have adjusted your valves and the ticking persists then try changing your exhaust manifold gasket. A leaking exhaust manifold gasket will often make a loud ticking sound.

You replaced the gasket, did you have the head checked? It might have a bow or warp in it. Might need to be shaved. This IS something you do when you pull the head. You will need to pull it again( yes, replace the gasket again) and have it checked. This will probably be the problem. 9 times out of 10, that's it( been doing this too many years). Pay and have it checked. hope this helps, and sorry to make you spend money like this

it can be the head gasket or the head might be cracked or warped or or it could be a intake gasket