so i was driving down the highway and i floored it to go around someone and when i did my check engine light started to flash and my car lost power and began to start puttering and when i stopped and put it in park it died and then wouldnt turn on, it would crank over and puff out some white smoke out of the exhaust which smelled horrible but wouldnt fire, any ideas as to what it could be?

Flashing SES light is multiple cylinder misfires.

so what are the possible fixes/

welcome to the site.

My L36 Camaro recently had the SES light flash, and it wasn't Random Multiple Misfires or anything else like that. I had tried to replace the wire then the plug. When those failed, I had replaced it with a coil pack I had laying around. That fixed the fault.

If you have access to your own tuner or code scanner, get the code first. The code will tell you what the real fault is. If you have a tuner, you can scan for misfires and see which one it is and how often and also scan for what the devil is making your car smoke that bad.

Be sure to check the oil. I had gone through a couple cars with head gasket issues, and the car acted very much like you're describing. If the oil resembles chocolate milk, park it and get ready for the gasket replacement.

my 03's ses light will flash at me at around 96mph for a little bit but won't throw a code...

A flashing SES is triggered when a large number of misfires are detected.

Definitely check for any set trouble codes, might be multiple codes set, but don't start replacing parts based on whatever codes come up.

Spark is a common cause. If a trouble code is set, it might tell you which cylinder or cylinders are having the issue. A no-start condition makes me think it's not just a cylinder or two... I've had mine running on 3 cylinders before. Pull a spark plug out, attach the plug wire and ground the threads of the plug to the motor and crank it. You'll see/hear the spark each time it fires.

Maybe a LIM or head gasket issue (allowing coolant or oil into the combustion chamber). Pull spark plugs and look for contamination. Would be good to do a compression check while you've got the plugs removed.

Also possibly a failed fuel pressure regulator. Pull the vac line off the FPR and see if gas is leaking out the vac connector.

Another common cause of the symptoms described by the OP is a clogged CAT. Not sure any easy way to check this other than trying to start the car with the downpipe removed from the exhaust mani. It'll be LOUD as hell, don't try this test late at night!

If you put a code reader on the car I bet It would say P300. Once the light is triggered the PCM will hold that code if the problem does not reacur(sp?) in a given amount of cycles the code will go away.

reoccur. Also re-occur, but that is not as common of a usage.

well the cat is new as of january so i think im gonna check plugs and test the ignition coils

Check the freakin code before you do anything.

im going to just have to wait until pay day

Most parts stores nowadays will read the codes for free.

Remember this, if you have a multiple cylinder misfire, think of things that affect all cylinders. Usually fuel or vacuum leak associated. Plugs and wire don't usually have an impact.

First two things I'd do is change the fuel filter, check the vacuum hoses around the engine, especially under the snout if you have an M90. And if it happened not long after getting gas, throw some water remover in the tank.

well i had 3/4 tank of gas and i just have the 3.8, its not supercharged so where would the other vacuum lines be?

so i just replaced all plugs wires and coils, and its fire and ran but it was blowing out alot of white smoke and i looked in the engine compartment while it was runningand there was white smoke coming from aroung the exhaust manifold so i shut it off, and now it wont fire.

sounding more like a head gasket.... A compression test might help. Check the oil and antifreeze for signs of contamination.

Have you checked the codes yet? Replacing plugs and wires is probably a good idea if they were very old, but don't just replace parts.

Our coil packs are very reliable, so the odds of all of them failing is very slim. And if you did the spark test I described, you'd know if the coils were working or not.

If you are near littleton I could help you take a look.

I guess you didn't do that did you?

LOL... probably would have just showed the P0300 we already know about anyways.

Could be others as well.

I've never been a fan at throwing parts at a problem when the troubleshooting isn't finished.

Only as a last resort will I condone throwing parts at a problem.