2011 ecotecĥ 2.4 oil gallery cleaning
- Thread starter Cliff1140
- Start date
The tv show "The Magic School Bus" comes to mind......
THose who know...know.
THose who know...know.
Can you tell if they need cleaning? I know you said it's a common thing, but your individual circumstances might prove different.
Maybe some oils or change frequencies, driving habits, will give better results.
Maybe some oils or change frequencies, driving habits, will give better results.
Theoretically an engine flush should dissolve some amount of deposits. I would probably run something like HPL or Valvoline Restore and Protect.
I should add that I'm looking at buying a 2011 Equinox that the seller says rattles a lot on cold start up. From what I've read that's common and is caused by a clogged oil port that carries oil up to the head and the camshafts. I was wondering if I could maybe remove the valve cover and run something down that oil passage.
There is a TSB for this issue, PIP4495E.
"Please note that the orifice is not available separate from the cylinder head and cannot be inspected/cleaned without cylinder head removal."
Maybe some cleaner or a good oil would help clean it up if it's not completely clogged, I wouldn't assume that the engine won't need an expensive repair.
I have owned 3 ecotec engines known for cam chain problems. No problems with mine. I keep an eye out for any videos of pictures of ecotec engines with timing chain problems. %99 of engines with problems appear to have been neglected and have heavy varnish/sludge. If this equinox you are looking at rattles loudly on startup, I suggest you look elsewhere as it has probably not seen regular oil changes.
Prevention is the key here; the Clogged scenario could be from inferior oils. LOL
I will give you a list of Oil's that are good to use:
1) Valvoline Restore and Protect
2) HPL Oil's
3) Mobil 1 FS Oil's
No that is not the reason. The rattle is loose timing chains which means they ran it low on oil. This is the pattern with that crappy motor....first they burn oil and by the time the next oil change comes they are severely low on oil because most owners don't check oil levels. I've seen it too many times. Done too many chain and motor replacements on these 2.4L's....I would not buy that vehicle. Regardless of "why" it happened...the end result is you are buying a ticking time bomb and these motors are not cheap new/reman or used. Even if you fix the "clogged port" you are still on the hook for the chains..if the motor is still good.
+1
Yeah I decided to pass. I do already own three vehicles with the 2.4 ecotech but is the version without direct injection. An 08 Saturn Vue with 164,000 miles, a 08 Saturn Aura with 134,000 miles and an 07 Chevy Hhr with 219,000 miles. I change oil frequently on all if them. I don't go by the oil monitor I look at the oil on the dipstick and when it gets darker brown I change it and the filter. I think that it might be that the last version of the ecotech with direct injection may be less reliable because of the direct injection combined with the orifice type pcv system
