my 97 lincoln town car has white smoke coming out of the exaust some say its the oil rings and pistons or oil rings then some say it could be the head gasket but i did overheat in the winter from wate

I would like to start by saying that Tom knows more than I do. Hands down. If you choose between his answer and mine, go with Tom. I would just like to add that white smoke could be oil entering the combustion chamber also, and burning as he described. Does the coolant seem to have oil in it? OR, pull the dipstick and if it is far overfull you are getting coolant in the crankcase. Headgasket either way. Less likely is broken piston ring(s). Especially if it overheated

i had the same issue with my 1991 Acura Legend. I had a new head gasket put in and it didn't fix the problem. I've been pulled over for "Excessive Smoke" several times and a ticket each time. i later junked the car. But a few of my family members had mentioned that it was probably my engine valves.