Car burning oil or has a leak?

CWINE84

MEMBER
2006 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
5.3L
V6
4WD
AUTOMATIC
165,555 MILES

My truck is burning oil or has an oil leak but can’t pinpoint the leak. It gives off a burning smell. Every time I crank my trunk to start the day or after sitting for a while it pushes smoke out of the exhaust but stops afterwards. When I got the truck the valve covers were replaced and had a small ticking noise but only in idle, please can someone give me an idea what’s going on?

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,700 POSTS

Hi,

The valve covers are my first suspect. They are above the exhaust manifolds and are the most likely thing to leak on the exhaust causing what you described. Have you checked them for leaks?

When you get blue smoke when starting it cold or after sitting, the most common cause is faulty valve seals. See pic 2. They are a little tricky to replace with the heads still on the engine. Compressed air is used to prevent the valve from dropping into the engine when the valve spring is off. It needs to be removed so you can get to the seal.

I attached a pic below showing a valve cover. There will be one on both sides of the engine. Check for leaks where it mounts to the cylinder head.

Let me know if you find a leak.

Take care,

Joe

See pics below.

Images (Click to make bigger)