2000 camry. blown head gasket (daughter drove car

I think the head gasket has blown again. If the head was not skimmed correctly or installed correctly it will blown the gasket again. The fact that the water is bubbling in the reservoir but the gauge staying in the middle means the water is not actually boiling but venting air/gas from the cylinders to the water reservoir. Check for a whitish grey substance in the inside of the oil filler cap indicating water getting into the engine oil. Also with start up - the engine will misfire badly but improve after a while. Take it back to the mechanic as he should guarantee his workmanship.

That is normal until the car is fully warmed up. If it happens after that, it indicates a blown head gasket from the water jacket to a cylinder. However most times that will cause instant overheating.
There is a test for combustion gases in the coolant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_SIwHMLmkM

If you have coolant leaking out of the muffler the head gasket is most likely blown. The head gasket has passageways through it for coolant water, exhaust, intake and engine oil. Depending on which location the gasket has ruptured you can mix fluids or gasses in several combinations. The only way coolant can get to the exhaust is through a cracked head or blown head gasket. If the head is cracked and another head is installed a new head gasket is installed because reusing a used gasket is very risky. The only to be sure what is broken is to take the heads off. If only the head gasket is blown the head is usually warped and should at least be milled if not replaced. I hope this helps.

Actually is sounds more like a blown head gasket or intake gasket. The white smoke is probably water.. and my guess is your coolant reservoir tank is dry or soon will be.. and the next thing will be overheating. The water is getting into the combustion cycle and turning to steam as it blows out the exhaust. Hence white "smoke"..

The loss of compression due to the gasket leak on one or more cylinders would account for the loss of power as well.

I was not aware this model came with turbocharger.. unless an aftermarket one was added.

A good shop will do a compression check and identify if it's the head or intake gasket.

Best of luck!

white smoke usually means blown head gaskets,have radiator fan checked,water pump,check coolant for oil in coolant,could be blown in between cylinders,causing coolant to go out exhaust,have compression check done on cylinders.

You just take the head off, and not tear down the whole engine.
Do not have to remove from car.
But make sure water did not get run in the oil so long that the bottom end of the engine is also bad.
Drain coolant.
Set engine to TDC of cylinder #1 because you have to remove camshaft and timing belt.
Start at the top cam cover, and work your way down to the head, removing anything attached to the head, like exhaust, intake manifold, etc.
When you have the head off, take it to shop to check for wharpage.
Remove any excess carbon from piston tops.
Scrape and buff top of block until clean.
Replace head and reverse order on everything else.
Also remember to replace thermostat.

There's really no way to know for sure of what has been damaged, and it also depends how long it was drove and how hot it got. It sounds like you definitely have a blown head gasket, you may want to have the head checked to see if it has warped. Normally they'll do a valve job on the heads. I would look down in the cylinders after you remove the heads to make sure the cylinder walls look ok. You may also want to replace the timing belt when doing the water pump.

well I'd say that coolant is definitely leaking into the combustion chamber, albeit at a slow rate (for now). It could be anything from a blown head gasket to a cracked block or head. I'd get it to a shop as soon as possible and not drive it any more than need be until that point.

Was the car using much coolant before you forgot to replace the coolant bottle cap?

The clinking noise you describe - that may be 'pinking'.. a noise caused by an incorrect air/fuel mix .. and also a symptom of a blown head gasket. Another symptom of a blown head gasket is white smoke (steam...) from the exhaust.

First, check your engine oil on the dipstick. If the oil is a creamy grey colour this indicates a blown head gasket. The creamy grey colour is caused by coolant finding its way into the oil system.

Fill up your coolant bottle with coolant. Leave the cap off, and start the engine and let it tick over for 10 minutes. As the engine warms up air will escape from the coolant level - keep topping up as necessary.

Keep your eye open for extreme bubbling in the coolant bottle - violent bubbling in the coolant bottle is caused by exhaust gases finding their way into the cooling system via a defective head gasket.

If there's no violent bubbling, replace the coolant bottle cap when the engine has ticked over for a few minutes..

... and then begin to look for leaks as the engine ticks over. Look under the car to see if there's any falling fluid. Check around the radiator and the hoses. Check that the coolant bottle itself isn't leaking.

You say your car isn't overheating - that's a positive. One symptom of a blown head gasket is overheating.

However, your coolant is going somewhere and you should try and find out where ... If it isn't a leak from somewhere, it may well be the head gasket.

Prices? To have a cylinder head gasket fixed costs around £500 - £1000 British pounds. A coolant bottle costs around £30 (look on Ebay)

If the head gasket is leaking/defective you can try a modern sealant/repair, which I am told are now quite good. Have a look on Ebay:

3 229results for cylinder head sealant

change cylinder head gakate and check cylinder head that not bend from heat.