Oil Consumption On Chevy Equinoxes

cj_herring

Just how much oil do you guys add in between oil changes on the Equinox? I average 2 Quarts between oil changes and I always change my oil around the 30% life mark. Why do these engines use that much oil? I'm around 70,000 miles now and am the original owner.

ray80

I would guess you have the 4 Cyl version, there has been issues with that engine and oil consumption. I am not up on the last fixs for it though. I believe the current 'acceptable' rate is a quart every 2000 miles (like it or not). If yours is using more (and it sounds like it is) it might be time for dealer to do oil comsumption test and go from there.

thecardoc3

The oil consumption problems are usually caused by the rings sticking in the piston ring lands. This is usually caused by deposits from the engine oil that accumulate in the ring grooves and is one of the reasons that GM always specified the 6094M or 4718M specifications that have been superseded by the dexos spec. The sad part is top techs made it a point to try and get consumers to be aware of this and yet at every turn there was someone else saying that it wasn't necessary to use an oil approved for the O.E. spec.

wproct

Just curious how long your Equinox has been consuming oil at that rate? We bought our 2014 LTZ 4 cylinder new the middle of June and so far we have just under 5000 miles on it and shows 38% oil life remaining. So far it shows full on the dipstick. I'm hoping for the best.

ray80

wproct said:

Just curious how long your Equinox has been consuming oil at that rate? We bought our 2014 LTZ 4 cylinder new the middle of June and so far we have just under 5000 miles on it and shows 38% oil life remaining. So far it shows full on the dipstick. I'm hoping for the best.

I believe the troublesome 4 cyls were the 2010 and 2011 versions, I haven't seen much of anything on the newer ones

purplegemini

I own a 2012 Equinox, I bought it new. The first year was awesome, but this past year, I have noticed that my oil changes are not lasting to the next oil change and I am having to add almost 2 Q of oil and my maintenance says it still has 72%. as i just got an oil change My engine does not idle smooth and it almost sounds like there is a tapping sound in the motor? Why does a new vehicle such as this Equinox have so much motor problems? Is any one else having this problem?

ray80

purplegemini said:

I own a 2012 Equinox, I bought it new. The first year was awesome, but this past year, I have noticed that my oil changes are not lasting to the next oil change and I am having to add almost 2 Q of oil and my maintenance says it still has 72%. as i just got an oil change My engine does not idle smooth and it almost sounds like there is a tapping sound in the motor? Why does a new vehicle such as this Equinox have so much motor problems? Is any one else having this problem?

I have seen this over and over again with the oil life monitor. While its a good thing and allows for driving well beyond the magic 3000 mile change number that used to be used, the OLM does NOT check oil level . Owners still have to check that and add oil as needed in between changes and not let level get so low as to do damage to engine.

thecardoc3

Oil life monitors also do not work if the engine is serviced with a product that does not meet the vehicles specs. The oil itself isn't tested by the monitor in order to determine the change interval, the monitor scores each trip by the factors that cause oil to degrade and counts down the oil life with that information. Before GM's spec became dexos it was the 6094M or 4718M IN ADDITION TO the API SM GF4 and API SN GF5. There was so much pressure to accept "an equivalent" except what was really equivalent was both misunderstood if not ignored in most cases. The dexos spec was designated as the replacement for the 6094M and 4718M specs which were obsoleted making dexos backwards applicable all the way to 2004.

tdw1954

I have 65,000 miles on my 2011 4 cylinder LT2 and I've had zero measurable oil use. I run my oil to zero % remaining life every time and it's still at the full mark at that time. Oil consumption in these modern engines is NOT normal. Clearly some of you have issues.

gmcustsvc

tdw1954 said:

I have 65,000 miles on my 2011 4 cylinder LT2 and I've had zero measurable oil use. I run my oil to zero % remaining life every time and it's still at the full mark at that time. Oil consumption in these modern engines is NOT normal. Clearly some of you have issues.

Have you already brought this to the attention of your dealer, tdw1954? Let us know if there's anything we can look into on our end regarding this matter. We're available via private message if you'd like to discuss this further.

Amber N.
GM Customer Care

caskab

I have a 2011 Equinox w/ the 2.4L Ecotec LEA engine code. Vehicle date of manufacture was 1/2011. It is a known issue that this engine in Equinox's made before 3/2011 are prone to oil consumption, which I am now seeing and have brought it to the attention of my dealership.Engine is consuming 0.5QTS per 1000 miles and dealership is now doing the recommended GM's oil consumption test (4 visits at 1K miles intervals) which I am doing now. 1st 1K visit showed 0.5QTS low. Service Manager says it is not a problem. How can it not be......at that rate, I will run out of engine oil between normal oil changes!! Car just turned 85K miles. Among the many engine issues that come w/ this engine, the high pressure fuel pump will dilute the oil causing excessive piston ring wear. See http://sandyblogs.com/techlink/?p=2204 for a great discussion and recommended fixes for this problem and others. I am fearing that this will not go well w/ the dealership as I sense they already are taking a stance of it not being an issue!

ray80

caskab said:

I have a 2011 Equinox w/ the 2.4L Ecotec LEA engine code. Vehicle date of manufacture was 1/2011. It is a known issue that this engine in Equinox's made before 3/2011 are prone to oil consumption, which I am now seeing and have brought it to the attention of my dealership.Engine is consuming 0.5QTS per 1000 miles and dealership is now doing the recommended GM's oil consumption test (4 visits at 1K miles intervals) which I am doing now. 1st 1K visit showed 0.5QTS low. Service Manager says it is not a problem. How can it not be......at that rate, I will run out of engine oil between normal oil changes!! Car just turned 85K miles. Among the many engine issues that come w/ this engine, the high pressure fuel pump will dilute the oil causing excessive piston ring wear. See http://sandyblogs.com/techlink/?p=2204 for a great discussion and recommended fixes for this problem and others. I am fearing that this will not go well w/ the dealership as I sense they already are taking a stance of it not being an issue!

Hhmm .5 quarts every 1K miles would be in current acceptable range ( quart every 2K). As with any vehicle its the owners responsibility to check (or get checked) oil and other fluid levels once in a while and fill as needed.

cmhj2000

ray80 said:

caskab said:

I have a 2011 Equinox w/ the 2.4L Ecotec LEA engine code. Vehicle date of manufacture was 1/2011. It is a known issue that this engine in Equinox's made before 3/2011 are prone to oil consumption, which I am now seeing and have brought it to the attention of my dealership.Engine is consuming 0.5QTS per 1000 miles and dealership is now doing the recommended GM's oil consumption test (4 visits at 1K miles intervals) which I am doing now. 1st 1K visit showed 0.5QTS low. Service Manager says it is not a problem. How can it not be......at that rate, I will run out of engine oil between normal oil changes!! Car just turned 85K miles. Among the many engine issues that come w/ this engine, the high pressure fuel pump will dilute the oil causing excessive piston ring wear. See http://sandyblogs.com/techlink/?p=2204 for a great discussion and recommended fixes for this problem and others. I am fearing that this will not go well w/ the dealership as I sense they already are taking a stance of it not being an issue!

Hhmm .5 quarts every 1K miles would be in current acceptable range ( quart every 2K). As with any vehicle its the owners responsibility to check (or get checked) oil and other fluid levels once in a while and fill as needed.

Yup but some of these people think maintenance is something not needed!!!!!

thecardoc3

cmhj2000 said:

ray80 said:

Hhmm .5 quarts every 1K miles would be in current acceptable range ( quart every 2K). As with any vehicle its the owners responsibility to check (or get checked) oil and other fluid levels once in a while and fill as needed.

Yup but some of these people think maintenance is something not needed!!!!!

The question that needs to be asked is why do they think this way. Losing one quart of oil in a thousand miles isn't a big deal and the fact that replacing that lost oil also replenishes the additives in the oil there is some significant benefit. From there even if a car is using a quart in five hundred miles the cost of oil that is consumed isn't anywhere near the cost to repair the engine. The last part of this is that if consumers made sure that the right products that really meet the manufacturers specifications were used, the vast majority of the reports of excessive oil consumption would have been prevented.

cmhj2000

thecardoc3 said:

cmhj2000 said:

ray80 said:

Hhmm .5 quarts every 1K miles would be in current acceptable range ( quart every 2K). As with any vehicle its the owners responsibility to check (or get checked) oil and other fluid levels once in a while and fill as needed.

Yup but some of these people think maintenance is something not needed!!!!!

The question that needs to be asked is why do they think this way. Losing one quart of oil in a thousand miles isn't a big deal and the fact that replacing that lost oil also replenishes the additives in the oil there is some significant benefit. From there even if a car is using a quart in five hundred miles the cost of oil that is consumed isn't anywhere near the cost to repair the engine. The last part of this is that if consumers made sure that the right products that really meet the manufacturers specifications were used, the vast majority of the reports of excessive oil consumption would have been prevented.

IMO part of it is pure lazyness and they bought the low maintenance marketing hype.

People just want to jump in the darn vehicle and drive off. Put in gas and drive off again. My equinox uses very little oil yet I check it every 500-1000 miles depending on how it's being driven, weather etc are factored in too. If it needs a 1/4 qt or whatever, it gets topped off and I do NOT wait until the OLM goes to zero or even 35%!!!.

Granted the 2010 and 11 models did have issues. But IMO if the cheap skates would change oil, use a good oil and check fluid levels once a month, they'd have a lot less belly aching to do and enjoy life more.

cmarshall1

I have a 2012 Chevy Equinox with 50k miles. When I had around 40k (late jan 2015) I took it to the dealer because I would hear a knocking sound right before I would be due for my oil change. this happened twice. so when I let the advisor at the dealer know he said it sounded like an "engine problem" and gave me a loaner for a couple days. They ended up saying it was the timing chain and replaced it, and did a courtesy oil change (all under warranty). so now we are a few months later and the sound is back. I immediately took the car back and the advisor tells me it could be the timing chain again. well he calls me after they have it 2 days and asks me if I ever check the oil. I've never had to check the oil in my car in between changes. I told him I had never been told I needed to do that. so he said that this car burns oil. so I reminded him of what transpired in January. I asked if they checked the oil level then (especially since I told them the sound went away after oil changes) he was talking in circles because he knows I wasn't buying what he was telling me. but they put me on an oil consumption study. I've been researching and there are so many complaints about this, what can us consumers do to force GM to address this issue? I haven't had to worry about oil levels since I was driving a 1989 Chevy Cavalier!

cmhj2000

Still dont get the idea that some think routine maintenance is not needed. GEZ

gmcustsvc

cmarshall1 said:

I have a 2012 Chevy Equinox with 50k miles. When I had around 40k (late jan 2015) I took it to the dealer because I would hear a knocking sound right before I would be due for my oil change. this happened twice. so when I let the advisor at the dealer know he said it sounded like an "engine problem" and gave me a loaner for a couple days. They ended up saying it was the timing chain and replaced it, and did a courtesy oil change (all under warranty). so now we are a few months later and the sound is back. I immediately took the car back and the advisor tells me it could be the timing chain again. well he calls me after they have it 2 days and asks me if I ever check the oil. I've never had to check the oil in my car in between changes. I told him I had never been told I needed to do that. so he said that this car burns oil. so I reminded him of what transpired in January. I asked if they checked the oil level then (especially since I told them the sound went away after oil changes) he was talking in circles because he knows I wasn't buying what he was telling me. but they put me on an oil consumption study. I've been researching and there are so many complaints about this, what can us consumers do to force GM to address this issue? I haven't had to worry about oil levels since I was driving a 1989 Chevy Cavalier!

Hi Cmarshall1,

We apologize for this, and would be more than happy to look into this further for you. Please feel free to send us an e-mail to our socialmedia@gm.com along with your VIN, current mileage, contact information and preferred dealership. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Patsy G
GM Customer Care

cmarshall1

cmhj2000 routine maintenance is bringing my car into get serviced in a timely manner. I am absolutely diligent in getting oil changes, rotations, etc. what is hilarious is that ANYONE should expect to buy a brand new car and need to add oil to it in between oil changes. this not my first rodeo. I've owned several new cars. and this is the first car that I've ever had a problem with oil burning. how is THAT normal and ok??? seems to me that this is a huge complaint. everyone cant be wrong.
secondly, I'm NO mechanic. when I brought my car to the dealership with my concerns they are paid to investigate and figure out the issue. I was not informed my car was low on oil. I was told it was my timing chain (which clearly was a mis-diagnosis). the sound is back and my consumption test is just under the 2k mark. And as of yesterday, the oil is still full. sounds to me like they are grasping at straws. there is a problem with this model and its time GM admits it. I will be on them like a tick because if 20k miles down the road they tell me my catalytic converter is bad or any other issue related to low and/or burning oil we they will have a big fight on their hands.

sprute1

I have a 2011 2.4 Chevy Equinox LTZ with 57K miles. It has been using about 2 qts of oil every 1000 miles. The dealership Michaels Chevrolet in Issaquah, WA replaced actuators when the engine light would not go off about a month ago. This morning I took it back to the dealership after there was no oil showing on the dip stick again. The oil light or check engine light never indicates an issue. The dealership wants to perform an engine oil usage test and bring it back on Wednesday and they will check it for leaks. The dealership has performed all of the maintenance since we bought the car new in June of 2011. I have had a GM case created. I have had 10 different GM cars all except the Olds Silhouette made it to 130-150K miles without any issues. This is a bad engine and I am curious with the number of issues if anyone is aware of a class action lawsuit? GM is fixing the 2010s but not the 2011s.

car1969

I got a recall on my 2011 Equinox for the excessive oil use... The stipulation is seven years or less than 120,000 miles...I currently have 128,000 miles on mine and my husband called the dealership and they more or less let him know we're screwed. Anybody else in this situation?

mike4nu

I have a 2012 that ive had for about 8 months. Check engine light came on and the dealership said it was the timing chain but also brought up the low oil issue. They are replacing the chain and putting me on the oil consumption study. They never mentioned low oil at my last oil change so im not sure if it was an issue then. They appear to be willing to fix it if the study shows it but im scared they are going to tell me its normal.

I respect everyones opinion on needing to do routine maintenance but this isnt 1985. There is absolutely no reason anyone should have to routinely get under the hood to check the oil level if you are getting oil changes in the regular time frame. Modern cars should not require someone to regularly get dirty to make sure the engine is doing something it is supposed to do. If it was normal they would put an oil level monitor in the car. It tells me I have a low tire or when it may be icy for gosh sakes. If checking the oil level was a normal part of maintenance it would be part of the car alteady. Dont try to tell me im lazy or dont maintain my car because I dont think i should need to check my dipstick whenever I get gas.

I am hopeful my dealer will do the right thing but im not optimistic. I bought this car because i owned an older one that treated me very well. I anticipated the same reliability with the newer model but it looks like i was wrong

thecardoc3

mike4nu said:

I respect everyones opinion on needing to do routine maintenance but this isnt 1985. There is absolutely no reason anyone should have to routinely get under the hood to check the oil level if you are getting oil changes in the regular time frame. Modern cars should not require someone to regularly get dirty to make sure the engine is doing something it is supposed to do. If it was normal they would put an oil level monitor in the car. It tells me I have a low tire or when it may be icy for gosh sakes. If checking the oil level was a normal part of maintenance it would be part of the car alteady. Dont try to tell me im lazy or dont maintain my car because I dont think i should need to check my dipstick whenever I get gas.

Enjoy needing to have your car repaired, just don't try and blame someone else for it.

stever

I think @mike4nu gets it. Lots of us don't really enjoy having to mess with that stuff and would rather have the car monitor itself. If I did all the recommended maintenance on all the junk in my house, I wouldn't have time to cook breakfast every morning. Flush the water heater once a year and then mop up the mess. Change the furnace filters every three months. Lube the door locks and back up my computer every week. Yeah, right.

Oh yeah, to do it right at the gas station, you have to wait for the oil to settle 15 minutes now, right? Or do it first thing in the morning as you are juggling you coffee heading out the door while you are running late.

thecardoc3

stever said:

I think @mike4nu gets it. Lots of us don't really enjoy having to mess with that stuff and would rather have the car monitor itself.

Do I need to link to the thread where people complain about "that" light coming on when their car does need a quart of oil added?

stever said:

Oh yeah, to do it right at the gas station, you have to wait for the oil to settle 15 minutes now, right? Or do it first thing in the morning as you are juggling you coffee heading out the door while you are running late.

The answer is, if you check your oil before the first start up once in a while, and then you check it hot right after shut down, then you would have the answer for your car. What is correct for one vehicle isn't necessarily correct for the next one. My Escape, I can check it hot or cold and it does not make a significant difference and that is actually true for "most" cars, but not all of them.

As far as whether Mike actually gets it or not, no he doesn't get it, and any suggestion that he or anyone else sharing a similar attitude are the ones that are correct is never going to help them. Cars are machines, not appliances and machines demand attention, care and service from the operator.

isellhondas

mike4nu said:

I have a 2012 that ive had for about 8 months. Check engine light came on and the dealership said it was the timing chain but also brought up the low oil issue. They are replacing the chain and putting me on the oil consumption study. They never mentioned low oil at my last oil change so im not sure if it was an issue then. They appear to be willing to fix it if the study shows it but im scared they are going to tell me its normal.

I respect everyones opinion on needing to do routine maintenance but this isnt 1985. There is absolutely no reason anyone should have to routinely get under the hood to check the oil level if you are getting oil changes in the regular time frame. Modern cars should not require someone to regularly get dirty to make sure the engine is doing something it is supposed to do. If it was normal they would put an oil level monitor in the car. It tells me I have a low tire or when it may be icy for gosh sakes. If checking the oil level was a normal part of maintenance it would be part of the car alteady. Dont try to tell me im lazy or dont maintain my car because I dont think i should need to check my dipstick whenever I get gas.

I am hopeful my dealer will do the right thing but im not optimistic. I bought this car because i owned an older one that treated me very well. I anticipated the same reliability with the newer model but it looks like i was wrong

This isn't a perfect world ad some cars by nature will use a bit of oil within normal bounds.

You used the word "should" a lot. If I know one of my cars is using a bit of oil, I'll check it once in awhile and I don't mean every time I buy gas. Maybe once every couple of weeks. I don't see why this is a big deal? Checking my oil takes maybe a minute and I don't get dirty.

jeremy0711

thecardoc3 said:

cmhj2000 said:

ray80 said:

Hhmm .5 quarts every 1K miles would be in current acceptable range ( quart every 2K). As with any vehicle its the owners responsibility to check (or get checked) oil and other fluid levels once in a while and fill as needed.

Yup but some of these people think maintenance is something not needed!!!!!

The question that needs to be asked is why do they think this way. Losing one quart of oil in a thousand miles isn't a big deal and the fact that replacing that lost oil also replenishes the additives in the oil there is some significant benefit. From there even if a car is using a quart in five hundred miles the cost of oil that is consumed isn't anywhere near the cost to repair the engine. The last part of this is that if consumers made sure that the right products that really meet the manufacturers specifications were used, the vast majority of the reports of excessive oil consumption would have been prevented.

Wow, this guy is an [non-permissible content removed] in the system! He must be a dealership owner or a mechanic racking in the paycheck fixing these out of pockets costs for a supposedly quality product. The bankruptcy dealership clearly knows this is an issue when I talk to them about it. This car wasn't sold thinking it would consume oil. They clearly wouldn't have changed parts in the later cars to prevent this if it wasn't an issue. The dealerships oil doesn't prevent these problems either. No one in their right mind would send their daughter off to college in a car with this issue unless she was going to be a mechanic and then so would be avoiding this kind of car. How is it that I rebuild a 45 year old engine with basic parts and it doesn't consume oil. No engine operating correctly should consume oil of any nature like the Equinoxes do. A half a quart maybe but not completely off the dipstick as in two quarts per oil change. I will have to admit that I have seen a quart low in my 05 F150 in between oil changes and in my parents 00 F150. I am very hesitant on the term quality in our car manufacturers today.
I am not a mechanic but I am not scared to fix a car. I have rebuilt several cars and I am 39. I do not need a mechanic or dealership trying to lie about something that clearly is a dealership product recall. I can't believe someone out there like this guy saying crap like this.

These cars clearly have issues....fuel pump pressures, timing guides, oil consumption.... Which department did they cheap out on here to save a few bucks? I am generally a Ford guy and my wife asked me why I am okay with a Chevy. I am questioning myself today about this.

stever

Let's not make it personal please.

cmhj2000

Ya boy, gez

thecardoc3

jeremy0711 said:

Wow, this guy is an [non-permissible content removed] in the system! He must be a dealership owner or a mechanic racking in the paycheck fixing these out of pockets costs for a supposedly quality product.

It's my pleasure to let you know that you are wrong on all counts.

jeremy0711 said:

The bankruptcy dealership clearly knows this is an issue when I talk to them about it. This car wasn't sold thinking it would consume oil.

No car is sold with the design intent of making them use oil excessively. However, poorly maintained ones suffer abnormal failures and the majority of the reports that you see are the direct result of not maintaining the cars correctly. Now people can and will blame anyone they want to for that, but that is where the blame really lies, not with any of the vehicle manufacturers. This thread is specifically about GM, but there are plenty of other manufacturers who are dealing with similar issues.

jeremy0711 said:

They clearly wouldn't have changed parts in the later cars to prevent this if it wasn't an issue. The dealerships oil doesn't prevent these problems either. No one in their right mind would send their daughter off to college in a car with this issue unless she was going to be a mechanic and then so would be avoiding this kind of car. How is it that I rebuild a 45 year old engine with basic parts and it doesn't consume oil.

Well one possibility could be that it doesn't run, but neither your claim nor that possible reason can be confirmed within the restraints of this forum. Seriously though, if you managed to build an engine that isn't using "an excessive" amount of oil that's nice. Let's see how it is doing when you have put 60K, 70K, or more on it. None of these cars suffering failures did so right off the showroom floor. It took time and mileage for these issues to develop. Meanwhile lets look at some of the variables that people might not think to account for. How many miles have you put on this car? How many miles are you driving it each year? What oil are you using in it? There are a lot more questions that can be asked but these are enough to get started.

jeremy0711 said:

No engine operating correctly should consume oil of any nature like the Equinoxes do. A half a quart maybe but not completely off the dipstick as in two quarts per oil change. I will have to admit that I have seen a quart low in my 05 F150 in between oil changes and in my parents 00 F150. I am very hesitant on the term quality in our car manufacturers today.

All engines consume oil, they have to or there would be no lubrication of the pistons, the piston rings, and the valve guides and valve stems. Now how much oil actually get's consumed can vary and as long as it does NOT cause a drivability issue, in other words result in a fouled plug(s) and a misfire, it actually won't hurt anything. That's a fact and all of the whining and complaining isn't going to change it.

jeremy0711 said:

I am not a mechanic but I am not scared to fix a car. I have rebuilt several cars and I am 39. I do not need a mechanic or dealership trying to lie about something that clearly is a dealership product recall. I can't believe someone out there like this guy saying crap like this.

It does take a lot of nerve to tell people the truth when they don't want to hear it. So you say that you rebuilt several cars, but you are not a mechanic. That suggests that you have the natural talent that you could have been a good mechanic/technician, but by your own admission you have no real training or experience beyond that. That explains why you would make a statement like " The dealerships oil doesn't prevent these problems either." If you knew anything about what the real failure is and why it is occurring on SOME engines, then you would know that products that actually met the specs prevented the failures that the majority of the reports are based on. There is a difference between "the dealers oil" and products that meet the manufacturers specifications. I've covered this dozens of times here in these forums. Feel free to do some research and learn about this instead of what you have done here.

jeremy0711 said:

These cars clearly have issues....fuel pump pressures, timing guides, oil consumption.... Which department did they cheap out on here to save a few bucks? I am generally a Ford guy and my wife asked me why I am okay with a Chevy. I am questioning myself today about this.

If they dropped the ball anywhere it was in educating the consumer how to properly service the cars and they allowed room for people to use products that failed to meet the specifications. That stopped with the dexos licensing requirement. Now there is no excuse for someone to use products that don't actually meet the manufacturers specs.

clarktt

the problem with the 2.4 litre engine and oil consumption is not what some [non-permissible content removed] said about maintaining your vehicle.It is a recall from gmc because of the top piston ring failure,and the fuel pump inside the motor compartment.the fuel pump is blowing gas pass your rings and getting into the oil.I just took my terrain,2010 in for repair.it is a recall from gm.the longer you wait the more damage you do to your motor because after 2000 miles after a oil change,now your oil is 50% oil and 50% gas.You will spin a bearing,or tie up your motor.Gm knows about this and has offered a recall.

thecardoc3

GM's stepping up and helping owners out with some of these doesn't change the fact that the number one reason behind the failure was improper service. You should be grateful to them for fixing something that really isn't their fault.

BTW, while we are on the subject, here is a snippet of some of the latest information. http://newscenter.lubrizol.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=250972&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2166149

We had known that a step up in the specification was coming but it wasn't explained how it was going to be approached. Based on this article they are keeping the specification written as is, but are adding a date similar to how the ACEA specifications work.

bflanagin

Hate to piss everybody off but, I have a 2013 4 cylinder and in the last 9 months have had to have the Pistons changed, Actuator's, something to do with the timing and have had problems with oil consumption. Just brought it back this morning because the AC is not blowing cold anymore. While I was there I was speaking with a tec and she said that a lot of the 4 cylinder's were having these problems and that it did not matter which year you had. She told me that after this problem was fixed i should not have anymore problems at least she has not seen anyone else with any other problems. I do need to say that my car is still under warranty and they have replaced and fixed everything for free and even given me loners until my car was fixed.

cmhj2000

clarktt said:

after 2000 miles after a oil change,now your oil is 50% oil and 50% gas.

The stories get better

mikegrb

I have a 2013 Equinox, bought it new, and have 28,917 miles and it started to make knocking sounds with under 4000 miles on the oil. Checked the oil and there wasn't a drop of oil on the stick. I went to the dealer and they said I have to go thru the oil consumption test. I purchased 4 NEW VEHICLES in 5 and a half years and you would think they would have your back and do right and make the needed repairs. They say they need to do 'the test' to see if GM will cover it, but I have yet to hear that they indeed covered any. Am seriously considering buying a different make of vehicle after 40 plus years of GM. And to think I supported the GM bailout and this is my reward!

Mr_Shiftright

With those low miles you might get something from GM--be patient and see it through!

tizzmarie

Not a happy camper today. My Hoopty mobile, aka 2012 Chevy Equinox, I purchased in Sept. is sitting at Freedom Chevrolet in Fremont needing what they tell me is $6800 in repairs and the service manager is telling me as it's out of warranty, I am SOL. First GM vehicle I've purchased in 20 years and I should have known better. Repairs it needs: New pistons and piston rings, new timing belt, catalytic converter. By researching I've found the timing belt had an engineering problem that has since been corrected in newer models and replacement kits for existing. Found a service bulletin regarding the pistons and piston rings, issue was also known by GM, in fact they even extended the warranty an extra 20k on the vehicles because of it. No recalls were done and no owners were made aware of the problem. The catalytic converter is also a common problem, probably linked the the other issues. It would be easier to swallow if GM wasn't aware of the issue. I am so disappointed right now. I sold my 2005 Nissan Ultima (that was running perfectly btw) and bought this as I needed something easier to get in and out of due to health issues and weekly hospital visits. I looked up consumer ratings before purchasing. Thought I did my home work and I was buying a good car, even though my husband was telling me, "don't buy a Chevy " I loved it, right until it started coughing sputtering and running rough. Immediately parked it, and even had to towed to dealer to ensure I didn't cause any more issues. Called GM customer care, who was kind enough to give me a $100 credit for diagnosis and advised me to contact them again when the dealer knew what was wrong. I did, then was told... sorry, its out of warranty. So now it looks like I will have a very pretty Chevy yard ornament, and a husband that gets to tell me, "I told you so."

Mr_Shiftright

Did you buy it at a dealer?

tizzmarie

Unfortunately, I did not.

Mr_Shiftright

So does it still run?

tizzmarie

It runs like it missing a couple of spark wires. I had it towed to the dealer.  Parked it as soon as it started missing. 

Mr_Shiftright

So did the dealer perform a cylinder leakdown test in order to determine the cause of the oil burning? How was it decided that you needed a new engine? What I'm driving at is if the engine is not internally damaged too badly you can take some steps to live with oil burning, like improved valve cover design (to help the PCV system evacuate better), more frequent oil changes, etc.

tizzmarie

The service manager is telling me I need new pistons, piston rings, new timing belt, and catalytic convertor. Haven't told me if hey have done a leakdown test.  To be honest he has  been kind of rude and not at all helpful. The service manager I contacted initially, Gordon, was great but he went on vacavrion. I called GM myself and am waiting to hear back from
the adjuster. Crossing my fingers but to be honest, he didn't sound very positive. 

Mr_Shiftright

Well he should be able to present you with evidence. After all, you'll be making a big buck decision and you are entitled to all the facts.

In a cylinder leakdown test, pressurized air is injected into each cylinder, one at a time, and the percentage of air that leaks out over a measured amount of time is recorded. If the engine is pretty tight, not much air can leak past the piston rings below or the valve seats up top. If there is excessive engine wear, then the percentage of leakdown will be high. (A reading of more than 20% leakage isn't good).

This VIDEO explains the entire process pretty clearly.

tizzmarie

Thank you. I will be asking 

lynzyh28

I own a 2013 Equinox that is currently in the shop having a new engine put on it. I had taken it to get looked at because the engine was knocking. After not being able to find the issue we changed the oil and did a full tune up. The engine continued to know for a few days and before I could get it back in the motor died. I was on my way to work and the "engine power decreasing" warning popped up. I pulled over and shut it off. After trying to restart several times I called a tow truck. It took the mechanic a few hours of checking everything before he found the timing but guard had broken which caused the timing chain to break. To repair all the parts it damaged would have been 2000 so I opted for a new engine for 500 more. I have a open case with GM because they were well aware of this problem in the 2010 through 2014 models. From what I understand they have fixed the issue in the new models. 
I have been tossing the idea of opening a class action lawsuit against GM for this issue. The mechanic said the timing chain is a life of the engine part and should not really have to be replaced. Every forum I've looked at had people posting about this same issue, some at 25000 miles.

kctom

The oil usage problem with the GM ecotec 2.4 L engine has nothing to do with proper maintenance. I just had my engine in my 2011 Equinox repaired, by GM, at no charge. They replaced the pistons and rings and replaced the timing chain. This is not something an automobile manufacturer does for customers that do not properly maintain their cars. If your GM automobile with this engine is using a lot of oil, take it to a GM dealer. It may be covered by an extended warranty at no cost to you. The criteria is a quart in less than 2000 miles.

thecardoc3

kctom said:

The oil usage problem with the GM ecotec 2.4 L engine has nothing to do with proper maintenance. I just had my engine in my 2011 Equinox repaired, by GM, at no charge. They replaced the pistons and rings and replaced the timing chain. This is not something an automobile manufacturer does for customers that do not properly maintain their cars.

It has everything to do with the vehicles not being serviced with engine oil that actually met the specifications and GM knows this and are fixing the cars anyway. Before the dexos specification GM had the 6049M and 4718M specifications which exceeded even the current API SN and ILSAC GF5. There was a lot of noise in 2010-2013 when GM started the dexos approval requirement. Consumers didn't understand that getting something that was truly equivalent to GMs specification wasn't easy and there was even a ton of articles badmouthing them and trying to undercut the requirement. Here is one such article from right here in Edmunds.
https://www.edmunds.com/car-care/do-i-have-to-use-the-manufacturers-oil.html

The result of stuff like that is that a lot of vehicles were serviced with products that fell short of the specification and that is the direct cause for piston ring wear and deposits that caused the rings to stick in the pistons resulting in consumption issues.

cmhj2000

kctom said:

The oil usage problem with the GM ecotec 2.4 L engine has nothing to do with proper maintenance. .

oh boy

Mr_Shiftright

Well if I were an automaker I would know better than to require some esoteric specification and then expect the American car owner to religiously study the literature, bone up on his oil chemistry and then, with notes in hand, insist that his local quick lube meet that specification.

This is a recipe for disaster.

thecardoc3

Were you an auto-manufacturer you would understand how all of the demands that were being made on the engines and emissions systems led to more stringent specifications. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal if it wasn't for oil companies who had an interest in a one size fits all standard. The "article" that I linked is something that was repeated ad-nauseum in their effort to fight back against the advanced specifications. When Valvoline reversed their position from claiming that they met the specification to actually getting licensed approval, they did it very quietly. Amsoil still claims that they have products that meet the specification, but if you look at the information from PQIA it's clear that they do not. http://www.pqiamerica.com/

(I posted a capture of the testing results in the mechanics forum)