2008 Pontiac G5 yellow liquid

My 2008 Pontiac G5 has yellow liquid/sludge on the oil dipstick and oil cap. It also smells like coolant, not sure what it is. Could my coolant be leaking into my oil? It also sounds like my car is working extra hard when going up hills, even small inclines.

Typical sign of a leaking head gasket. Get to your local independent mechanic ASAP to verify. Water in the oil is bad for the engine. If caught soon enough little damage, run it for a while (days weeks) and you can roach the engine.

Yup, clearly that is, indeed, coolant. I’d suspect a bad head gasket but you really need to get it checked out pronto. It may be an intake gasket - much cheaper repair. Coolant in the oil can destroy your engine.

Look for a good local independent mechanic well reviewed on Yelp or YP.com or your friends and co-workers.