Shudders and overheats?

[RazorWing]

So on my way to work this morning, my car starts shuddering really bad, like a jerky motion and a feeling of resistance, and my car started steaming (possibly smoking?) heavily. The temp gauge wasn't even up to the halfway mark, but I'm almost certain it was overheating as it took a while for the steam/smoke to clear. All the fluids are perfectly fine, had an oil change two days ago and the coolant is full. The car starts smoothly when in park/neutral and seems to be idling fine (though I have had intermittent issues with it stalling out at stop lights recently... Probably unrelated).

I can think of a couple things that might be the culprit from what I've researched online:
(1) Bad CV Axle [but not sure if that would cause any overheating, and haven't determined if there is any popping noises]
(2) Bad Water Pump [which probably wouldn't cause any jerking]

Any ideas as to what could be going on?

[RazorWing]

I managed to drive it home, and it drove well for a little while, until I got it up to 50mph and then it started sounding like a lawn mower or Harley motorcycle. Now I'm really confused as to what it could be..

[FestYboy]

start looking at your ignition system for a place to start

[WmWatt]

Oil changed two days ago? Did you change the oil or did someone else? Have you pulled out the dipstick to see what they put in there?

[RazorWing]

I did take a look at the dipstick and it looks like oil. I had taken the Festy to Jiffy Lube. The starter system is a mess, for sure, as it was rigged by the previous owner to be a push-button start. Didn't realize the starter could effect the car while it's already running?

[FestYboy]

if the starter was still active after start-up, you'd know right away as it would make a nasty noise as you pass 500rpm.

[nitrofarm]

I managed to drive it home, and it drove well for a little while, until I got it up to 50mph and then it started sounding like a lawn mower or Harley motorcycle. Now I'm really confused as to what it could be..

Maybe your thermostat stuck closed,you lost sealing @ head gasket and now you have a low compression cylinder causing the rough engine "Miss".

[WmWatt]

To see if the coolant is flowing you wait until the engine wams up and feel the hoses going in and out of the radiator. If they are not both warm (I think it's the bottom one which would be cool) the thermostat is not opening but I also think that would show up on the dashboard temperature guage as overheating and you wrote the temperature gualge is normal so I didn't mention the thermostat before. If the thermostat is not opening you repalce it, inexpensive and pretty easy to do.

[RazorWing]

Thank you all for your suggestions! After much consideration and the narrowing down of the symptoms, I'm 90% sure that it's the head gasket. Even more reason now to do the engine swap I've been preparing for.

[FestYboy]

head gasket test is rather easy: remove t-stat, fill rad to JUST the top of the cooling tubes and cap it, fire the engine, if the top hose gets hard to squeeze (rock hard) within 5 min at idle from a cold engine, you have a presurization problem from combustion gasses getting into the coolent passeges. another test: remove t-stat, fill rad to bottom of the neck, fire engine and refill to bottom of neck. watch for constant bubbles in the coolent.