Maybe you have a leaking fuel injector and thats causing the clouds of smoke and the fuel smell? I would think the thick white smoke clouds would smell like coolant if you had bad seals.

Try the overnight pressure test. Its a very good idea, and you can borrow a pressure tester from Autozone for free.

 

jr- I went thru this about a year ago. Check all of the simple problems first- bad hoses, rad cap etc., since the engine replacement is so expensive. Do the coolant pressure test and the exhaust gas in coolant check to rule out internal leaks. You can also do a primitive, but effective check for exhaust gas leaks yourself. Run a three to four foot hose from the coolant fill cap (not AST)connection to a bottle of water. Immerse the end of the hose in the water and observe the pattern of bubbles when the engine is running. There may be some bubbles when you first start the engine, but if the bubbles continue as a steady stream or increase after five or ten minutes, it indicates that combustion gas is leaking from the combustion chamber and getting into the coolant. I tried the block sealers as a last resort, but they did not work and only made a pile of crap in the radiator and coolant tank, which had to be cleaned out later. Hope you find a simple fix for your problem.
Ron A.

 

Jr,
I dont know if this is normal or if you even checked it but after I shut the car off the temps climb quite a bit.
I hope i dont have a problem myself but this may have been what caused your damage(if in fact your seals are done).
Sorry I could not offer a slution/idea but everyone else has pretty much covered all the bases...
Good luck and hopefully it will turn out to be something simple and not the seal!