Smoke at start up

[mturnerua]

I have noticed that when I start up my 07 Tahoe I get a puff of smoke on occasion but I cannot readily replicate it. I live in Alabama and its about 90 degrees so I don't think it is a temp issue. I have also received a "low oil" message and have added about a quart of oil. One problem I have is that I've only had it a month and have not had the oil changed so its kind of hard to get a completely accurate reading of how much oil I'm actually using. Is there anything that normally causes this or that I can check? It has 95k on it so if it is something that is covered by the powertrain warranty I want to get it checked out quickly. Thanks

 

[mike06train]

A puff of blue smoke at start up could mean bad valve seals. When the motor is not running, oil that is left sitting on the top of the heads seeps past the valve seals into the cyclinders. When you start it the oil burns off quick and thats the puff of smoke. When it's running the oil is in motion and dosen't get passed the seals.

 

[mturnerua]

Is there any long term danger of this continuing? I assume the only fix is to replace the seals? Would a change from dino to synthetic oil make any difference?

 

[stevek]

Is there any long term danger of this continuing? I assume the only fix is to replace the seals? Would a change from dino to synthetic oil make any difference?

I'd swap the oils out, say you've only used the recommended oil, then let them deal with the problem. It does sound like a bad seal and will decrease your engine life if you keep going as it is.

 

[blueflamed03]

agree, bad seals, sometimes they can be fixed, IF the dealer will cover it

 

[mike06train]

Is there any long term danger of this continuing? I assume the only fix is to replace the seals? Would a change from dino to synthetic oil make any difference?

I don't think an oil swap would change things. Like everyone said, if left like that it will shorten engine life. I don't know what your abilities are but it's not a hard fix. You'll need an air compressor, an adaptor to fill the cyclinder with air through the spark plug hole and an "on the car" valve spring compressor. All are pretty cheap.

 

[rogersinsel]

I have noticed that when I start up my 07 Tahoe I get a puff of smoke on occasion but I cannot readily replicate it. I live in Alabama and its about 90 degrees so I don't think it is a temp issue. I have also received a "low oil" message and have added about a quart of oil. One problem I have is that I've only had it a month and have not had the oil changed so its kind of hard to get a completely accurate reading of how much oil I'm actually using. Is there anything that normally causes this or that I can check? It has 95k on it so if it is something that is covered by the powertrain warranty I want to get it checked out quickly. Thanks

How is the coolant level?

 

[mturnerua]

How is the coolant level?

Just had the coolant and all other fluids flushed last week.

 

[02Lightning]

It does sound like a bad seal and will decrease your engine life if you keep going as it is.

How would this decrease engine life if it is left as is? By the way, the first thing I would do is change the PVC valve and see if that does anything.

 

[mturnerua]

So I dropped it off at the dealer last night to let it sit over night. Lucky it "smoked like a freight train" the service guy said when they started it. He said they did some test and the PVC valve is defective. They are ordering it and some seal that they will be replacing tomorrow. Hope this fixes everything and by the way it is covered under the 5/100k.