First of all, I am NOT a mechanic - that's why I'm posting this.

A couple days ago I noticed smoke coming from the passenger side of the hood after a 20-25 minute interstate commute. I stopped, took a look and saw something dripping from corner of the engine near the transmission fluid check. The smoke I saw was steam from the fluid hitting the hot (exhaust?) pipe and creeping out from under the hood. Take a look at the photo. I immediately checked the oil, transmission and coolant/radiator fluid, in that order. The coolant tank was almost bone-dry, but the engine never got hot and I hadn't noticed a leak anywhere on the ground prior to this (and owning a 15-year-old car I am sure to keep any eye out). The exhaust didn't look weird or smell funny, no weird sounds either. I refilled the coolant tank and let it sit for a day.

This morning I checked the coolant and noticed it's lost 1/4 tank since I refilled it. It's also more brown in color towards the bottom. I cranked the car and just watched it run for 5 or 10 minutes. I couldn't see a leak anywhere and was afraid to keep it running, so I turned it off and here I am.

Main question: What is my mechanic going to say on Monday? Is there any chance I have a blown head gasket? What can I do to spot a coolant leak? I love this car and can't wait another 48 hours to find out what's in store for us. Please help!

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From the picture, it looks like a cracked valve cover. Or it may be bad valve cover gasket.

When the engine is COLD (repeat: COLD), open the radiator cap and check the level. It should be to the top. If not, add coolant (50:50). Then fill the coolant reservoir to its max line. Put the cap back on and run as normal. Check again when the engine is COLD. If the level went down, add more to the radiator. The level can go down if the engine has a trapped air bubble.

The analog guage in the dash is worthless. Get a scanguage so you can see whats going on.

It sounds like coolant was leaking on the exhaust. Dont judge the health of your coolant system by visual look of the overflow tank. If the radiator is only half full, you will never know it till you check the radiator COLD. If you do it hot, you could get burned.

Any aluminum engine head will likely crack if run without coolant for any period of time.

I once drove a car until it over heated then with a blown head gasket until it would no long move uphill due to physics and lack of compression. It went back down the mountian and into town 15 miles no issues. Even started everytime and drove around town until towed to a mechanic for a diagnosis. After that i decided i had a lot to learn about things.

You may have done a bunch of damage by continuing to run the engine with a coolant system only half full. Do not go by the overflow tank. It doesnt have a red light for UNDERflow
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If your coolant color is brown it's likely your radiator has give. Up the ghost. Get a new one for about $100 first. that seems like a strange place to be leaking coolant right?

Doesn't engine oil leaks from a cracked valve cover? Mine cracked in that exact same spot.

If your coolant leak is in that spot then I would be inclined to believe that it is leaking from the heating hoses above the passenger's side valve cover. There are several coolant hoses in that area. The OP stated that steam was coming from the passenger side of the hood...and those hoses would leak right onto the exhaust manifold.

Just my $0.02.

I'd have to agree with this. It must be a leaking heater hose dripping from above.

But, the OP is dealing with a coolant leak and not an oil leak.

If you have a bad valve cover gasket, you leak oil, not coolant. Now, I know there are coolant channels in the head, but they don't come all the way to surface where the valve cover gasket seats. Knowing how common leaking valve cover gaskets are on this engine, we'd all be experiencing coolant leaks as well as oil leaks and that's just not the case. Unless the OP's head is cracked somehow exposing a coolant channel, I'd have to agree with @aontkos that it's probably a leaking heater hose from above.

OP, look at the hoses against the fire wall on that passenger side. You're probably going to find a leak somewhere there. Since you're losing coolant pretty fast, the leak is probably fairly substantial and you'll be able to find it. It also can be deceiving where the leak is actually coming from because the fluid will drip down along other hoses. If you see wetness or a drip, look up above to confirm where it originates from. You may have to wipe it all down first and then recheck unless the leak is totally obvious from a cracked hose or connection.

This is my new favorite diagnosis tool.

https://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-MV4560-Radiator-Cooling-Pressure/dp/B003V9L05G

With the engine cold, pump it up to the pressure level that's stamped on your radiator cap (upload a pic if you're not sure what to look for), and watch for your leak.

After fixing your leak, this funnel makes it SIMPLE to get all the air out of the cooling system, and not make a mess. Also HIGHLY recommend.

https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-24680-S.../dp/B00A6AS6LY

I agree too
check your hoses, wiggle them, pinch them a little
check for wet spots

and yes always check a radiator COLD

I appreciate the help! It hasn't been driven since I noticed what was going on, so I'll have it towed and hope for the best. I cranked it and left it in park to see if I could spot the leak. When I first noticed it after driving home, I definitely saw something dripping onto the exhaust manifold, just couldn't spot the source immediately. That's when I checked fluids.

Oh, and Runer4Life, I've never seen that response in a car repair forum before. Thanks for the 100% original and super helpful input. You're welcome to drive up to KC from Texas and fix it for me, but I'm not equipped so I spend the money and take it to a pro every time.

I don't know what they charge for diagnosis out there, but at $100/hr here in WA, I'd buy those two really useful tools I linked, and be able to troubleshoot AND repair for quite cheap. Free, if you don't feel bad about returning used stuff to Amazon =D

I've got a great mechanic out here, won't charge me a dime until he makes a repair!

Be sure to bring it to a reputable mechanic. Just be patient and don't think the worse. Your troubleshooting needs to begin with the area you saw your leak and go from there. Right now it seems to be external.

The only thing I would mention to your mechanic is exactly what you saw. Don't try and troubleshoot for him. (IE: Don't mention anything like, "Could it be a head gasket?") For not being a mechanic, it's a smart call for having it towed in. You don't want to overheat your engine.

Once you get your diagnosis back, then jump back on here and many are more than willing to help guide you in the right direction from there.

Dude, don't sell yourself short. Lots of auto mechanic fixes can be very simple and save you a ton of money. Your fix could be as easy as removing a couple hose clamps and replacing a heater hose. But, working on cars isn't for everyone. I personally like the challenge and I definitely like saving money. And, it's my opinion as well as many other's on this forum that repairs done on your own are done better. Mechanics often work quick and they make mistakes all the time. It's my goal to try to do all my own repair work on my rig first. If I hit a snag and just can't figure something out, I have a mechanic I trust but I've been able to handle everything so far.

Auto mechanics isn't rocket science. If you're willing to learn and invest in some tools, you'll save yourself a ton of money and get the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of doing your own repairs.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Alex, thanks for the tool suggestions. I love buying new tools and I'm going to put these in my Amazon shopping cart.