I have a 2004 Chevy Tahoe with about 180k miles. Its really taken care of with regular maintenance. Recently after driving 30min on the highway, the next time I turn it on white smoke comes out the exhaust. I also noticed it is burning my oil and coolant, having to add more almost every month. It just had an oil change and inside the filter the oil had turned to jelly. I've asked a few mechanics but they all say they wont know til the check engine light turns on. Really trying to find a solution since I love this car
2 Answers
The motor has a failed head gasket, and/or a cracked cylinder head, and/or a faulty oil cooler. Any of these would explain the loss of oil and coolant, and the jellied deposits (from coolant getting mixed into the oil) inside the oil filter. Here's an almost-identical question and answer.
The mechanics you've asked are lazy. This is not an OBD/software challenge, but is a hardware diagnosis challenge...and not a difficult one, IMO.
answered Mar 28, 2021 at 2:31
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They might not be "lazy", but they just don't want the job of rebuilding a 16 year old engine. Commented Mar 28, 2021 at 3:36
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1@alephzero - Rebuild? No ... this is an LM7, of which GM made about half a billion of them (well, that might be an over statement). You can get a used replacement for $500 which would probably last longer than the vehicle being looked at.– Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦Commented Mar 28, 2021 at 12:53
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In either event, they obviously don't want this job, and it should not be given to them. Commented Mar 28, 2021 at 18:37
You are getting coolant in your oil a very serious problem, most likely the head gasket. Who ever those are mechanics are I would not use them anymore , even if it is just an oil change.
