Amen to that ! :thumb:JayTee2014 said:So happy trouble free owners are never heard from. Only the 1 to 5% of certain year/model problems/
Amen to that ! :thumb:JayTee2014 said:So happy trouble free owners are never heard from. Only the 1 to 5% of certain year/model problems/
If you have proof of the oil changes, you should be fine. You got the OLM software update from a year or two ago, right?jeffreyachristensen said:So I'm a little concerned. 2011 2.4 Terrain.
The engine starting throwing some awful noise, so I took it in and gave a technician a ride. He immediately identified it as the timing chain. No problem, under warranty, right?
Well now GMC is asking us to provide proof of oil changes because the oil was low. And, to boot, some part having to do with the timing chain has lodged in the motor and I need a new motor.
We're pulling the oil change history together, but I'm already expecting a battle. We followed the oil life monitor, which still showed 9% left. We've NEVER been low on oil between changes, so something has changed. And the low oil light is not on either. We probably averaged ~7,000 miles between changes before the monitor said to change it. Anyone have similar experiences?
If the oil life monitor doesn't function correctly, GMC needs to retire it. I can't tell you how upset I'll be if they leave me on the hook for this when their systems don't operate correctly.
1) It's routine for the dealership to require paperwork of all oil changes if there's an engine failure. Especially if it's an oil-related failure.jeffreyachristensen said:Well now GMC is asking us to provide proof of oil changes because the oil was low. And, to boot, some part having to do with the timing chain has lodged in the motor and I need a new motor.
We're pulling the oil change history together, but I'm already expecting a battle. We followed the oil life monitor, which still showed 9% left. We've NEVER been low on oil between changes, so something has changed. And the low oil light is not on either.
usmcakers, seems you're in a really tough spot. I agree, the extended warranty should have covered this repair. However, since it was disassembled elsewhere, I think you're out of luck.usmcakers said:I need some opinions as a "next step"... some history: my 2011 Equinox's timing chain was replaced at 102K under warranty in July 2014... fast forward to May 2015 and I go to start my car and all I get is rattling under the hood. I take it back to the dealer and specifically ask them to check the timing chain. It took 4 days, but they did and told me that it was fine, and at the time they said it was 1 qt low on oil... but that I needed a new engine because it was seized and wouldn't make the noise for them that it was making for me... the start wasn't engaging anymore. So believing them, I picked up the car and took it to a trusted mechanic that had replaced an engine in another vehicle for half of the price of the dealer. They start taking the engine out and realize it isn't seized... and then look at the timing chain and it is loose! I went back to the dealer to tell them of our findings and they obviously don't believe us since I removed the vehicle, but the service manager agreed to look at it. Turns out the upper timing chain tensioner had broken (galled according to the service manager) and wouldn't release from its starting position causing slack in the chain and allowing the timing to skip which caused everything else inside the engine to break... literally almost everything.
The tensioner was replaced under warranty 10 months prior (parts still under warranty)... the service manager now says that my car was 2 quarts low on oil when it was in, and he thinks it galled because not enough oil was going through there and the part got too hot. Thoughts? I have been told only a 1/2 a quart is running through the engine at a time and that even 2 quarts low shouldn't cause THIS to happen.
Thanks for the reply. So it's not a "low oil light", but page 5-28 of the Owner's Manual, under the topic "Engine Oil Messages", states: ENGINE OIL LOW - ADD OIL. This message displays when the engine oil is too low. This is the message I'm talking about that our Terrain did not throw.Chas said:2) Common misconception - there is NO "low oil light" for these vehicles.
a) The Oil Life Monitor only estimates the oil QUALITY, not the oil QUANTITY.
b) To check oil level, the owner is supposed to check the oil dipstick.
c) There's a dummy oil light on the dash that signifies low oil PRESSURE, but again, not oil level. And pressure does not equal volume.
Yep, I know what you're referring to. This has been brought up multiple times before in this forum. And I do agree, GM was misleading about this.jeffreyachristensen said:Thanks for the reply. So it's not a "low oil light", but page 5-28 of the Owner's Manual, under the topic "Engine Oil Messages", states: ENGINE OIL LOW - ADD OIL. This message displays when the engine oil is too low. This is the message I'm talking about that our Terrain did not throw.
Notice the "On some vehicles,..."? The 4-cylinder Terrain are not included. Yep, GM was cutting corners by dropping the oil level sensor in the 4 cylinder. And yep, it seems GM did a hack job by doing a copy/paste of a generic statement about Engine Oil Low message throughout different vehicle Owner's Manuals.ENGINE OIL LOW — ADD OIL
On some vehicles, this message
displays when the engine oil level
may be too low. Check the oil level
before filling to the recommended
level.
I really doubt they would. You aren't just a little over warranty, and you put on a lot more miles per year than average.tgrayfox said:I have a 2011 Equinox that has just started having the issues listed by many in this thread. I do have over 184,000 miles on the engine. Fuel pump was replaced. I now get the engine light coming on after driving for one day. Do you feel that GM would honor their warranty seeing as I have just become aware of the timing chain and other issues that can dominate this beta type of engine system?
The car is pretty close to the end of it's normal life (200k miles), I wouldn't expect any concessions unless you have an exceptional relationship with your dealer.tgrayfox said:I have a 2011 Equinox that has just started having the issues listed by many in this thread. I do have over 184,000 miles on the engine. Fuel pump was replaced. I now get the engine light coming on after driving for one day. Do you feel that GM would honor their warranty seeing as I have just become aware of the timing chain and other issues that can dominate this beta type of engine system?
I agree, i would have expected the timing chain to be fully covered. How many miles on your car ? Maybe you are past the extended warranty coverage mileage. :banghead:leftrified said:Update to my timing chain replacement: the dealer in Michigan replaced the timing chain; I had to fight with GM for a few days and they said they would cover all but $550 of the cost after much complaining. I wasn't pleased because the timing chain stretch is a known design defect and they should have covered the entire repair!!!
Once completed, I think the job was done ok, but there is more valve train noise now than when the symptoms started appearing.
On a separate note, my front passenger side window regulator has failed, in the up position thankfully. Last winter, in -10F weather, I was at a Tim Horton's drive through and my window wouldn't go back up. I had to drive 33 miles to get to work with driver's side window down. Yes it was damned cold!! Not impressive, GM!!!!