Dear Scotty,
I have a paid off 2014 Chevy Equinox 2.4L with 116K miles. After 2K miles after an oil change (typically Valvoline High Mileage), I have a clacking/tapping coming from the engine and a rough idle. Opening the oil cap, I have a frothy mix, and the dip stick shows nothing on the dip stick. No white smoke or other odors.
My hunch is I burn about 1 quart every thousand miles (mixed highway/city driving). Do you think I have excessive oil burn or a bad head gasket? If it's a bad head gasket, is repairing it worth it?
Thanks for your input!
Tom in NJ
well having low oil will definitely cause the engine to make a racket. You really need to stay on top of it and make sure it's always full.
Try to find out how much oil the engine is consuming.
Well, there's one other possibility, but it's not a good one: The vehicle has a head gasket leak AND is burning oil. You can't rule that possibility out until you've done the block test.
What is clear to me (as it should be to you) is that you probably should be checking your oil more frequently.
Good Luck to You.
Do the block test. It's simple. See Scotty do it. That will determine whether you have a bad head gasket.
As for burning oil, there's multiple ways to tell. The most obvious is the dipstick oil level will reflect that.
Also, go to the tailpipe, roll your finger inside. If it's significantly black, your burning some oil.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0U8Iyf0kk4
Those cars are notorious for burning oil so thats a large possibility so check it out with Scotty's videos.
Head gaskets? Thats also a possibility, again diagnose it with a good mechanic and check out Scotty's videos for it.
