2014 GMC SIERRA WHITE SMOKE WHEN STARTUP/ IDLING

[Jalpoz]

Hey guys I’m new on this forum. I’ve never owned a GMC or a truck before and this is a first for me so it’s definitely a learning experience for sure so any help would be much appreciated. It’s a 2014 GMC Sierra 5.3. I recently had the AC condenser line break on it causing it to leak transmission oil everywhere in the bottom half of the engine bay. Got it taken care of. When I received it from the dealer it was still covered in oil residue. I was pretty mad about that but I cleaned it up pretty well with engine degreaser. Then I checked back a couple of days later and there was oil still after I had cleaned it so I took it back to the dealer and they pressure washed it (or so they told me) and now it’s all gone. Anyhow afterwords now everytime I start the truck up and it starts getting warmed up quite a bit of white smoke comes out of the exhaust. It’s pretty common for cars and trucks to do this I know but the smoke smells like burning oil. The truck isn’t leaking oil or coolant on the floor. After I drive and warm up it goes away. But once I park the truck anywhere and start it up again it smokes, I drive a little and it keeps smoking then stops. If I’m stuck in traffic idiling it smokes as well. Any help would be useful please. Could it be a serious problem or still left over old oil residue or just me being paranoid? 

Edited December 11, 2019 by Jalpoz

[JimCost2014]

On 12/10/2019 at 7:41 PM, Jalpoz said:

Hey guys I’m new on this forum. I’ve never owned a GMC or a truck before and this is a first for me so it’s definitely a learning experience for sure so any help would be much appreciated. It’s a 2014 GMC Sierra 5.3. I recently had the AC condenser line break on it causing it to leak transmission oil everywhere in the bottom half of the engine bay. Got it taken care of. When I received it from the dealer it was still covered in oil residue. I was pretty mad about that but I cleaned it up pretty well with engine degreaser. Then I checked back a couple of days later and there was oil still after I had cleaned it so I took it back to the dealer and they pressure washed it (or so they told me) and now it’s all gone. Anyhow afterwords now everytime I start the truck up and it starts getting warmed up quite a bit of white smoke comes out of the exhaust. It’s pretty common for cars and trucks to do this I know but the smoke smells like burning oil. The truck isn’t leaking oil or coolant on the floor. After I drive and warm up it goes away. But once I park the truck anywhere and start it up again it smokes, I drive a little and it keeps smoking then stops. If I’m stuck in traffic idiling it smokes as well. Any help would be useful please. Could it be a serious problem or still left over old oil residue or just me being paranoid? 

Welcome to the site.

 

Have you checked your oil, does it smell like gas? Look like coolant is mixed with it? Low on the dipstick?

 

[Jalpoz]

Hey thanks for your replies. I have checked the oil dipstick it does not smell like gas. I have checked the transmission oil as well and it smells a little funny but maybe that’s just how transmission oil smells. By funny I mean the smell of it is very strong. And there isn’t any coolant or anything else anywhere. I was looking at it a little harder and it seems to be like a gray bluish color so maybe it could be the valve covers or a Pcv valve? 

[JimCost2014]

2 hours ago, Jalpoz said:

Hey thanks for your replies. I have checked the oil dipstick it does not smell like gas. I have checked the transmission oil as well and it smells a little funny but maybe that’s just how transmission oil smells. By funny I mean the smell of it is very strong. And there isn’t any coolant or anything else anywhere. I was looking at it a little harder and it seems to be like a gray bluish color so maybe it could be the valve covers or a Pcv valve? 

The oil is a gray bluish color?

 

How many miles since your last oil change?

 

White smoke is usually a coolant leak (head gasket), are you loosing coolant, overflow tank low?

[Jalpoz]

No not the oil. The smoke coming out of the exhaust is like a gray bluish color. The oil is a golden light color it was changed about 1500 miles ago. I checked the coolant a couple of days ago and it was below the full. Then I checked it recently and it’s not back to full and looking normal. Weird because I didn’t realize coolant fluctuated. Like I said it’s a whole new learning experience with a gmc. 

[Jalpoz]

Now back to full*****

[Snowcamo]

No not the oil. The smoke coming out of the exhaust is like a gray bluish color. The oil is a golden light color it was changed about 1500 miles ago. I checked the coolant a couple of days ago and it was below the full. Then I checked it recently and it’s not back to full and looking normal. Weird because I didn’t realize coolant fluctuated. Like I said it’s a whole new learning experience with a gmc. 

Bluish gray is oil. White is coolant. Black is prob rich.

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[JimCost2014]

12 minutes ago, Jalpoz said:

Now back to full*****

Mine does that too on the coolant. But there was a problem with the 14 and 15's having a bad thermostat that would cause too much pressure and crack the radiator. 

 

How many miles on the truck? 

 

To be honest, there is really nothing unique about the GM trucks, take care of them and they will be a good reliable truck. All brands have their problems, many shared by all.

[Jalpoz]

Okay thanks for the help. The truck has 93,000 miles on it. Should I get the thermostat looked at to see if that’s a problem while I’m at the dealer or just leave it alone? 

[JimCost2014]

8 hours ago, Jalpoz said:

Okay thanks for the help. The truck has 93,000 miles on it. Should I get the thermostat looked at to see if that’s a problem while I’m at the dealer or just leave it alone? 

I would check with your dealers service department to determine what TSB's and recalls have been done to the truck.

 

You might still be covered under the powertrain warranty, and there have been some extended programs like the vacuum pump that should be addressed while they will pay for it.

 

All they need is your VIN.

[Jalpoz]

On 12/14/2019 at 3:25 PM, JimCost2014 said:

I would check with your dealers service department to determine what TSB's and recalls have been done to the truck.

 

You might still be covered under the powertrain warranty, and there have been some extended programs like the vacuum pump that should be addressed while they will pay for it.

 

All they need is your VIN.

So just a little update. I took it to the dealer a couple of weeks ago and they checked the coolant pressure and said nothing was wrong. Checked oil levels and they were fine. Fast forward to now and the truck is still smoking a lot more than before. Now it does it while I drive and doesn’t stop and when I idle it keeps smoking. I have no leaks and no oil or coolant or anything on the ground. I have checked my oil after leaving the truck over night and the level of oil has dropped and is below minimum now. I have no idea what to do any help would be much appreciated. 

[dieselfan1]

Here's what I'd do

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[Jalpoz]

1 hour ago, dieselfan1 said:

Here's what I'd do

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 

Yeah but it’s kind of silly for me to put a new engine in a truck I haven’t even had for 60 days. The stealership I got it from refuses to give me my money back so now I guess I’m stuck with a broken truck that they scammed and sold to me. None of this happened on the test drive that I did before anyone jumps to conclusions. All the problems occurred literally right after I bought it. 

[dieselfan1]

Sorry about your situation but what else are you going to do?Chalk it up to bad luck or whatever. The motor sounds like it is toast. Move on and fix it. It's not the end of the world. Shit occurs.
Try looking for a used one at the boneyards. Probably get one for $1500.
If the truck is worth fixing, which it is, its worth dropping a new motor in. Especially if you are going to keep it for a while.


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[JimCost2014]

1 hour ago, Jalpoz said:

Yeah but it’s kind of silly for me to put a new engine in a truck I haven’t even had for 60 days. The stealership I got it from refuses to give me my money back so now I guess I’m stuck with a broken truck that they scammed and sold to me. None of this happened on the test drive that I did before anyone jumps to conclusions. All the problems occurred literally right after I bought it. 

Report them to the BBB, call the local news and see if they have a customer advocate series or person that covers things like this, stand outside their dealership with a sign about how unhappy you are with the truck, be creative, maybe they help with repairs if you make a big enough stink.

 

You have nothing to loose, but maybe you can make their lives a little uncomfortable in the meantime.

Edited January 7, 2020 by JimCost2014