[gdisselkamp1]

So i bought an 05 equinox about 3 months ago off craigslist. I guess that was my first mistake. Test drove the car and it was great so i figured i didnt need to take it to a mechanic to check it out. Well two weeks later it starts to misfire and i was looking under the hood and thought the coolant was low so i took the overflow cap off and it blew off like it had 200 psi behind it. So we take it to gm and they do a hydrocarbon test on the coolant system and of course it fails. So they say you need a new head gasket at the cost of 2800 dollars but say nothing anout the misfire. Not wanting to spend a third of the cost of the vehicle we take it to another local shop. They tell me it just needs a tune up. Because really we didnt have any symptoms of a head gasket i.e white cloudy exhaust, overheating issues, etc. So they do a tune up on it and everything is running fine then a week later bam check engine light. Take it back to the shop. Code reads misfire so the shop pulls all the plugs and cylinder one's plug was already gunked up after a week. They replace the plug and then another week later same thing. So I drove it for a week to work cause my work is 900 meters from my house and then now all of a sudden it has overheating issues. Guage goes almost to the red with the fan running at a stop light so we have since not driven it. Thinking it was a stuck thermostat i replaced it but it still overheats. When i slowly take the cap off the overflow i see no coolant and as i release pressure i see the coolant starting to bubble up into the overflow to the cold fill level. SO this is my diagnosis. Either the misfire is causing this to overheat and/or there is a head gasket leak and all the exhaust gases are running through the coolant system and collecting in the overflow causing the coolant to be pushed down into the motor which is why i see no coolant until i let all the exhaust pressure out of the coolant system. Then earlier this week the battery went dead. If there should ever be a class action lawsuit i think it should be on this car or at least the 3.4L motor because from what i understand it really is a problem with this motor. Other then the motor this car is actually nice except for the blind spots while driving. So any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
George :'(

P.s. when i went to buy the thermostat i had autozone check the codes and this is what it read:

Powertrain control module detects a misfire due to
1. vacuum leak
2. bad coil
3. faulty spark plugs
Also had a emmissions code for bad gas cap

but nothing as far as the overheating issue

 

[SuperMat64]

So i bought an 05 equinox about 3 months ago off craigslist. I guess that was my first mistake. Test drove the car and it was great so i figured i didnt need to take it to a mechanic to check it out. Well two weeks later it starts to misfire and i was looking under the hood and thought the coolant was low so i took the overflow cap off and it blew off like it had 200 psi behind it. So we take it to gm and they do a hydrocarbon test on the coolant system and of course it fails. So they say you need a new head gasket at the cost of 2800 dollars but say nothing anout the misfire. Not wanting to spend a third of the cost of the vehicle we take it to another local shop. They tell me it just needs a tune up. Because really we didnt have any symptoms of a head gasket i.e white cloudy exhaust, overheating issues, etc. So they do a tune up on it and everything is running fine then a week later bam check engine light. Take it back to the shop. Code reads misfire so the shop pulls all the plugs and cylinder one's plug was already gunked up after a week. They replace the plug and then another week later same thing. So I drove it for a week to work cause my work is 900 meters from my house and then now all of a sudden it has overheating issues. Guage goes almost to the red with the fan running at a stop light so we have since not driven it. Thinking it was a stuck thermostat i replaced it but it still overheats. When i slowly take the cap off the overflow i see no coolant and as i release pressure i see the coolant starting to bubble up into the overflow to the cold fill level. SO this is my diagnosis. Either the misfire is causing this to overheat and/or there is a head gasket leak and all the exhaust gases are running through the coolant system and collecting in the overflow causing the coolant to be pushed down into the motor which is why i see no coolant until i let all the exhaust pressure out of the coolant system. Then earlier this week the battery went dead. If there should ever be a class action lawsuit i think it should be on this car or at least the 3.4L motor because from what i understand it really is a problem with this motor. Other then the motor this car is actually nice except for the blind spots while driving. So any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
George :'(

P.s. when i went to buy the thermostat i had autozone check the codes and this is what it read:

Powertrain control module detects a misfire due to
1. vacuum leak
2. bad coil
3. faulty spark plugs
Also had a emmissions code for bad gas cap

but nothing as far as the overheating issue

I had a 3.4L for years and never had a problem like that... They guy who sold you the car was probably knowing all about these problem and patched them with a leak sealer or another bottled solution from an auto part store just to make the car working fine to sell it.

So i think that the guy who sold you the car is just a liar and sold the car the fastest that he can.

 

[gar187er]

lol, you want a lawsuit cause you bought an 05 privately without looking it over, or even running the vin?

i bought my 05 from the dealer a month and a half ago, runs like a champ...only thing it needed was a new battery (stupid northeast heatwave)....this engine in a slightly different form has been around for 20 years....its a solid engine...old...kind of inefficient compared to modern engines, but still a good power/mpg balance

sounds like needs that headgasket, along with some other work though...

if you PM the VIN i can at least run it thorugh autocheck and see if it had past issues....but still sounds like you got taken for a ride....

 

[Gm guy]

Caveat emptor

 

[bballr4567]

Google this:

Lower Intake Manifold Gasket. Your symptoms sound EXACTLY like one that failed.

Sorry you bought such a ****ty vehicle but buyer beware on used vehicles. Did you get ANY maintanence paperwork from the seller? Im gonna go with no.