Chev Blazer/GMC Acadia 3.6L ?

Joined
Jun 3, 2003
Messages
4,413
Location
BC, Canada
I'm thinking of selling my daughter's nanny mobil, a 2014 2L turbo Escape that just turned 50,000 miles before it falls apart.
The Acadia AT-4 looks cool. Is the 9 speed auto and 3.6L V6 any good?
Can the stop/start be deleted or disabled?
 
Acadia is great however your Escape with that few miles is barely used and is reliable. Financially makes no sense but vehicles also bought with emotions.
 
I have a 2020 Blazer with the 3.6 9 speed. Great combo. I had a 2019 Equinox with the 2.0 turbo 9 speed but needed more leg room so traded it in. Love the low end grunt of the v6 vs the turbo four. The 2020 Blaze models have a start/stop disable button right below the normal on/off start switch. I assume GMC is the same. If not, it can be disabled two ways: 1. Put tranny in manual and click to 9-it shifts completely normal auto just doesn't start/stop. 2. there is a couple of websites selling defeat modules. One tricks the ECM that the hood is open and the other uses the a plug in OBD port-I don't know how it works. The 3.6 also burns reg vs premium.

Early 3.6's had some timing chain issues but that was sorted out years ago. Over the years, I had three of them but never had any TC issues with all three well over 100K in mileage. I use Mobil 1 and always change oil at 5K regardless of what OLM says. If you have any questions, just ask.

Thanks,

Dave
 
Originally Posted by Slick17601
In this case, you'll be better off keeping the Escape.


The Escape is an 8 year old vehicle and is probably showing it's age up North. With looming rust issues and so on.

I very much like the way the Acadia drives. The engine makes plenty of power and delivers good economy. I rent cars regularly. The Acadia is always a first choice. Plenty of room, power, comfort and utility. I even carried my very large roll around tool box in the back of one. Took an act of god to lift it up, but it did fit!
 
Thanks guys. I believe the Traverse is the Chev/ Acadian equivalent. Both seat up to 7? Both are in short supply, so are car buyers. The 21s will be out soon, so there might be incentives on the 20s.
Trouble is in waiting, the good ones get picked over and white, cloth seat base models remain. Yuck!

The Escape will hit 83,000 kms tomorrow, which is 51+ k miles. My daughter asked why the exhaust smells like gasoline. I told her because the engine can't breathe with a cat and 2 mufflers,
and that the oil when I drain it smells like gas too. The transmission shifts about 4,000 times in 50 miles, even in sport mode.

I want to trade or sell it while it is still running, the dealerships need trades and I'm a preferred customer at GM which is better than employee pricing.

The Traverse/Acadian are slightly bigger. Wet dogs go in the far back.

In 7 years when paid off, the Escape would be over 13 years old, in need of everything including a transmission or two and worth scrap value.
 
So you bought a 6 year old Ford Escape and financed it over 7 years? Did I do the math correctly?

I suppose you're "gettin' while the gettins good".

Since you're "preferred", might GM search nation wide for a specifically equipped vehicle for you?
 
Originally Posted by bmod305
I have a 2020 Blazer with the 3.6 9 speed. Great combo. I had a 2019 Equinox with the 2.0 turbo 9 speed but needed more leg room so traded it in.

Bet that was a financially sound move...
 
Originally Posted by Cujet
Originally Posted by Slick17601
In this case, you'll be better off keeping the Escape.


The Escape is an 8 year old vehicle and is probably showing it's age up North. With looming rust issues and so on.


Math says 2020 - 2014 = 6 year old vehicle.
Lower British Columbia is relatively mild part of Canada, less salt used as a result.
Plenty of life left IMO for the Escape.
PS Used to run a large fleet of trucks (1,000+), across Canada. My BC trucks lasted far longer with less rust issues than eastern Canada trucks.
 
Those 3.6s have a LOT of issues with the timing chains / phasers / tensioners going out. Replacing requires the engine and transmission cradle to be dropped out.
 
I have worked on many first-generation Traverses/Acadias/Enclaves, and found that they basically started falling apart at 100K miles. When new, they were very nice driving vehicles. But the drivetrain and chassis could not handle how heavy they were. They were basically fat Malibus, and the Malibu didn't even hold up so well.

I hope the second-generation is better. It looks like a totally different platform, and a bit smaller. I have driven the new Terrain with the turbo four and the nine-speed, and it was pretty nice.
 
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The early GM 3.6 V6 had some issues with the timing chains. They seemed to have remedied the issues on the later built LLT version but the LFX version was when GM made a lot of changes to ensure more durability and it has been a very reliable engine for GM and it's a great performer. The newest 3.6, the LGX, is really a totally new engine, it doesn't share really any parts with the previous generation 3.6 and the dimensions and part spec are different. The LGX now has three timing chains instead of four, and has a whole host of differences. From what I've seen, the LFX and newer engines are pretty bulletproof.
 
Originally Posted by buddylpal
The early GM 3.6 V6 had some issues with the timing chains. They seemed to have remedied the issues on the later built LLT version but the LFX version was when GM made a lot of changes to ensure more durability and it has been a very reliable engine for GM and it's a great performer. The newest 3.6, the LGX, is really a totally new engine, it doesn't share really any parts with the previous generation 3.6 and the dimensions and part spec are different. The LGX now has three timing chains instead of four, and has a whole host of differences. From what I've seen, the LFX and newer engines are pretty bulletproof.



Thanks for that break down the GM 3.6 is getting a bad rap on here . I knew they fix the issues from early on
 
I have the 3.6L LFX V6 in my 2015 Equinox. Aside from a failed purge valve solenoid (a very common problem, GM even acknowledges it and provides an extended service campaign on the Equinox/Terrain for the part) it has needed just routine maintenance. I am approaching 58,000 miles. It is the rest of the vehicle that has me ready to start the search for something new. Based on owners forums, the transmission becomes a huge problem in the 75,000-100,000 mile window. I am also starting to notice issues with the A/C as well as an increase in interior rattles which are slowly driving me mad. I have one particularly annoying rattle that I have been chasing for over 2 years now that has been impossible to find. That is truly maddening!
 
Yep I've replaced that purge valve on a few of my buddies vehicles. It's the same purge valve used on the LLT and LFX but luckily it's inexpensive and pretty darn easy to replace.
 
Kira; I paid cash for the Escape last July as a favor to a friend who bought a 2019 1500 GMC. My daughter needed a car asap as her 2018 3500 Chev wouldn't fit in the underground parking at her new job at VGH. (OB RN)
What I end up buying, can roll into my truck payment all at 0%, then trade up before the extended warranty is up 7 rears down the road.
A 1500 crew cab short box would make more sense, but the AU nanny is still figuring what side of the road to drive on.

Nation wide shopping? Don't need to, my hometown friends own the Murray Auto Group.
 
You spilled all sorts of details here, just asking why are you involved with your daughters vehicle purchasing who is likely a young adult working a professional job?
 
Lol. Like I haven't heard that one before. What about the $1.4M house she lives in? The kids get in the end anyway.

My previous boss buys his daughter jumping horses at Double H Farms
 
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