Well, my wife's darling 2013 Equinox has endeared itself again, as I discovered it's using lots of oil. Found this thread https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&...lve&usg=AOvVaw17GYO7csmkhEwLrYc9yHrM and it looks like it's either got lots of blowby or the PCV is clogged. Pulled the breather tube off and it's blowing a steady stream out instead of holding a vacuum. So, any suggestions? I'm thinking call the dealer and see if it qualifies for the special service for the PCV problems, or maybe we'll get a new ring job as part of the recent class action suit.
How awful would it be to pull the IM off to check the little PCV hole? I recall the IM on my Traverse was surprisingly easy; no coolant to worry about.
Ecotec 2.4 oil consumption
- Thread starter Dave Sherman
- Start date
How many miles on her and how much does it consume?
59,000 miles, and about 2 quarts in 6,000 miles.
Start with the obvious by changing the pvc valve and then see what happens
Originally Posted by PPWarrior
Start with the obvious by changing the pvc valve and then see what happens
4WD
$50 site donor 2023
Originally Posted by Dave Sherman
Originally Posted by PPWarrior
Start with the obvious by changing the pvc valve and then see what happens
Poor or preditary engineereig .
Do what my buddy did...trade it in at the local Honda Dealership!
Then the Honda Dealership sent it down the road to get fixed for free at the Chevy Dealership......
Seriously though, let the Dealership fix it...should be free or darn near close.......
Seriously though, let the Dealership fix it...should be free or darn near close.......Friend of mine had to have his 2.4 rebuilt. Checkfor known issues...its not a reliable engine.
GM won't do anything for one quart per thousand mile oil consumption. Remember, it was GM who advanced the idea that one quart per thousand miles was normal!!!!!!!!!!!
I have an I4 engine AWD Equinox with 110,000 miles. 6000-mile OCI's are way too long! Change the oil when it starts to consume it at a higher rate. With my engine, that's between 3000 and 4000 miles, running QSUD 5W-30. Other mfgr's FS oils perform the same -- the car starts to use it between 3 and 4K miles. Watch consumption like a hawk! Stay on-top of it.
So, out goes the old and in goes another round of QSUD 5W-30, to include a new oil filter. There's no need for special filters with this cheaper car. Use whatever is reasonable, such as a the ACDelco to the add-on's from Amazon. The most recent filter purchase were 4 each Bosch D3324 for less than $6 each.
All Ecotech start using oil at some point. Mine in the Vue started at one quart in 5k and got worse. I traded it in for Caravan since my daughter had to cars with this engine and both used oil. My Vue had 136k when I traded it and it consumed a quart every 3500 miles but daughter wasn't that lucky. One got totalled at 60k used quart every 1500 miles and other one bit dust at 80k then new motor. Mine wasn't newer version but I knew it would get worse as it aged. PP seemed to be the best at slowing consumption down.
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4WD
$50 site donor 2023
Guess you mean the 2.4L … our 1.4L eco is at 115k and still not using any - almost all M1 5w30 for 5k to 7k … started M1 0w40 past 100k
I know it's been mentioned, but is there even a PCV valve on current ecotecs? IIRC, the 2.2 in my 2007 Cobalt, the vacuum side of the PCV system was nothing more than a port drilled in the cylinder head (or top of the block?). The plastic intake manifold mated up to the port and applies vacuum to it. A shifted gasket can plug the port.
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Originally Posted by Eddie
GM won't do anything for one quart per thousand mile oil consumption. Remember, it was GM who advanced the idea that one quart per thousand miles was normal!!!!!!!!!!!
Update:
Got it into the dealer, mentioned that there was positive pressure in the crankcase. They confirmed what I already figured from their TSB: Clogged breather port. Too bad, so sad, your VIN isn't on the list of covered vehicles, so you're on your own for the >$600 in labor to pull the intake manifold and clear the port. We should consider getting it done, because that same service bulletin that we're excluded from points out that if we don't, the breather tube could freeze up in winter and blow out our rear crankshaft seal. You'd think that if it's a known problem GM would apply to all of them, but no.... Thinking I'm going to buy a Chilton's or get the 3 day subscription to Helm and see what it takes to pull the IM myself.
There is a couple of vids on YT on the 2.4 IM removal.
One guy at another forum decided to just remove the valve cover and spray something like CRC intake and intake valve cleaner thru the port. Seems like a easier process and just as effective. Of course, that would have to be done before it becomes completely clogged. Not quite the nice easy task that some would like, but seems like a easier process than pulling the IM. He claimed he would do that on a regular basis like every 30,000 miles.
Of course, by pulling the IM and following the cleaning procedure in the TSB, it would seem like one could at the same time open the port a little more using a slightly larger drill bit than the 1/16th bit they recommend in the TSB. Not sure that is a possibility, but might be worth a try. 1/16th inch port is pretty narrow for what is going on. No wonder it gets clogged on so many vehicles.
On my wife's 2017 Equinox, I got the AC Delco pressure vented oil fill cap to replace the stock cap as a preventative measure.
One has to wonder what the engineers who did this engine were breathing to come up with this design. Certainly were suffering from a lack of oxygen.
Update:
So I got the Haynes book (somewhat useful, but missing lots of info), and took the IM off myself. Good news is I got it off, cleaned the suspect orifice in the service bulletin, got it all back together, and it runs fine with no check engine lights. Also good, my expense was just some Gumout and a new throttle body gasket, not the $630 the dealer quoted. 
The bad news: The orifice wasn't clogged after all 
. I ran a drill bit into the hole like the service bulletin says, but didn't find anything in it. I stuck the little tube from the Gumout can into it, and spray started coming out of holes near the intake ports, so it doesn't seem to be clogged after all. Wasn't such a bad exercise anyway though, the intake manifold had some oil pooled in the bottom, and it was grimy inside. The throttle body also needed cleaning. Also glad I didn't pay the $630 to have the dealer find out it didn't fix it. I tried blowing a shot of Gumout into the port in the cylinder head that feeds the little orifice, put the nipple from the blow gun on my air compressor into it, and I could feel air coming through the filler cap. I don't think that port is clogged either. The breather tube that goes from the air box to the valve cover is also clear.
Now it's running the same, and I can still feel puffs coming from the oil filler and breather. The receipt from the dealer who diagnosed that the PCV system was clogged says there was no change in fuel trim when disconnecting the breather line, which points toward a clogged PCV instead of bad rings. Does that sound right?
Any ideas? Here's the recap:
-2013 Chevrolet Equinox Ecotec 2.4 burns about 1 quart/1000 miles.
-Service bulletin mentions clogged PCV orifice in the intake manifold as the usual suspect. There is no PCV valve to replace.
-Dealer confirmed positive crankcase pressure, diagnosed it as clogged PCV system. Dealer says service bulletin does not apply to our VIN.
-Intake manifold orifice was not clogged. Cylinder head port to the valve cover does not appear to be clogged. Breather tube from valve cover to air box is not clogged.
-Engine runs fine, but there is still positive pressure coming from oil filler cap if removed, or from breather tube port if it is unhooked with the filler cap on.
Any ideas? Is it starting to sound like maybe it really does have bad rings and maybe what I'm seeing is just lots of blowby?
The bad news: The orifice wasn't clogged after all . I ran a drill bit into the hole like the service bulletin says, but didn't find anything in it. I stuck the little tube from the Gumout can into it, and spray started coming out of holes near the intake ports, so it doesn't seem to be clogged after all. Wasn't such a bad exercise anyway though, the intake manifold had some oil pooled in the bottom, and it was grimy inside. The throttle body also needed cleaning. Also glad I didn't pay the $630 to have the dealer find out it didn't fix it. I tried blowing a shot of Gumout into the port in the cylinder head that feeds the little orifice, put the nipple from the blow gun on my air compressor into it, and I could feel air coming through the filler cap. I don't think that port is clogged either. The breather tube that goes from the air box to the valve cover is also clear.
Now it's running the same, and I can still feel puffs coming from the oil filler and breather. The receipt from the dealer who diagnosed that the PCV system was clogged says there was no change in fuel trim when disconnecting the breather line, which points toward a clogged PCV instead of bad rings. Does that sound right?
Any ideas? Here's the recap:
-2013 Chevrolet Equinox Ecotec 2.4 burns about 1 quart/1000 miles.
-Service bulletin mentions clogged PCV orifice in the intake manifold as the usual suspect. There is no PCV valve to replace.
-Dealer confirmed positive crankcase pressure, diagnosed it as clogged PCV system. Dealer says service bulletin does not apply to our VIN.
-Intake manifold orifice was not clogged. Cylinder head port to the valve cover does not appear to be clogged. Breather tube from valve cover to air box is not clogged.
-Engine runs fine, but there is still positive pressure coming from oil filler cap if removed, or from breather tube port if it is unhooked with the filler cap on.
Any ideas? Is it starting to sound like maybe it really does have bad rings and maybe what I'm seeing is just lots of blowby?OK , here is my very limited understanding of a typical PCV system .
Filtered fresh air is introduced into the engine , often at a valve cover . Said air circulated inside the engine , mixing with any blow by .
On a normally aspirated engine , vacuum is usually present in the intake manifold area . The air / blow by mixture is allowed to be pulled through a restriction ( PCV valve ) and from there piped / plumbed to the intake manifold . Where it is mixed with the other air ( coming through the carburetor or throttle body . At some point , fuel is mixed in with the air / blow by and the whole lot is sucked into the cylinder . Where combustion takes place .
I am not really familiar with your car , but it sounds like you are saying all of that system is free & clear ?
How many miles on the odometer ?
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