What your probably seeing is water vapor, if it was gas it would mean your not fireing on all cylinders.
valve seals and or guides bad
possibly needs a new carborator
If it is white smoke, you probably have a bad head gasket or a cracked head.
check your answer
Yes
raise the bed up it would be easier
That would be a vacuum reservoir.
That would be the distributor.
yes and they look pretty good
the 1996 and 1997 are the same and would not work in your 2000 straight from GM
cost to replace timing gear on 1996 chev s10 4.3
Yes, there is no reason you should not be able to change the oil by yourself in a 1996 Chevrolet S10.