Clunk!

[Don Nelson]

I recently took my '90 out of winter storage (garaged), had the oil and filter changed (Mobil One), and fluids checked. I do this every year. It has 45k on it and ran a little hot last year, so had the hoses checked and raditor flushed out. That helped a lot and for the next couple days it ran cool and well. The other day it started running rough and after a mile or two, I noticed that the pass. side exhaust was white at idle, and "service engine soon" light came on. I pulled into a parking lot and shut it down. After letting it cool off, I turned it over and it did not start. Before calling the tow truck, I tried it one more time and...CLUNK! It appeared to seize up! The dealer got it started and he reported that it smoked a lot and speculated that it may be a head gasket, cracked head, or a warped head. He was afraid to work on it, so it is now in my garage. I have never had any problems with this car. It has never smoked (or used any tobacco products), nor has been particularly "clacky". I am not a mechanic, but I would think that if it is something this severe, it would have been indicated beforehand. Oil pressure has always been good, and except for the high temp (never exceeded normal operating temp), it has never shown any signs of distress. I have checked the oil and antifreeze and there does not appear to be any cross-over of fluids. My question: What should I check before taking this thing apart?