Engine problems with only 22,000 miles
 

Well, I have been a long time reader, but haven't posted here before. Well, I figured it was my turn. So, I have a 2010 LS and have just passed the 22,000 mile mark. Well, recently I have noticed some hesitation. I wondered if it was gas related and was going to burn up the tank and see if it helped after a re-fuel. I was driving to work one morning when the CEL light came on and the computer drastically cut back power. I had to limp into the dealership where I bought it (which luckily is just around the corner from my work). I dropped it off and they gave me some attitude about not having an appointment. Whatever. Well, I called back later and they said that supposedly there was a TSB about some junk on the injectors and that they would have to run a fuel injection cleaning. I thought it was a little odd, but what the heck, go for it. Well, it cost me over $150, and they said if I saw any other problems to bring it back in. There was also a misfire being reported on two cylinders. Oh, and the kicker...my 3 year bumper to bumper expired the day before....fun times. :) Well, driving it home, it was running better, but was still hesitant. And there was also a gummy film below the gas cover that wasn't there before. It was two days later and I noticed a loud pinging noise coming from the engine. Well, I dumped some 44K into the tank, figuring it was still gas related and it would help. It didn't. It was an odd noise, and only seemed to be happening in the 3-5K RPM range, with just a little throttle. It seemed to be coming from somewhere under the intake manifold. Let off the throttle and it would stop, give it more and it would stop. So, I ended up doing more service, cleaning the throttle body, changing spark plugs, and other little things. All seemed to help a bit, but the pinging noise was still there. So, I ended up taking it into another dealer, since I wasn't impressed with the service I received at the last one. I dropped it off on Saturday, and was told they would look at it tomorrow. Well, I just received a call and the engine is totally removed from the car and they are trying to narrow down what the cause is. Apparently the mechanics are baffled as well. But he did reassure me that it would be covered under the powertrain warranty (I would hope so) and that it would either be repaired or replaced. So, my little baby with only 22K miles is getting heart surgery. I figured I would post this out there in case anybody else experiences a similar issue. I did do some looking in the forums, but nothing quite matched up with what I was seeing/hearing. So, I will keep this updated as I hear more information. In the meantime I'm driving my 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee....which isn't nearly as fun to drive. :frown:

Just wondering if you had a catch can?

Sounds like detonation. That pinging noise you describe anyway. Probably caused some internal damage somewhere. Either a rod or piston.

by any chance does it sound like the echo of a helicopter? mine is making a rotor wash echo sound around 25-40 mile a hr its annoying the crap out of me. and no there wasn't a helicopter around lol

Why did the first dealer charge you? That should have been covered under the power train warranty. I would let GM know about that experience.

+1

u paid $150? isnt it under warranty?

Need to post that first dealership under the "Stealership" sticky. Also, since the 36/36 expired the day before I would ask the regional manger or one of the moderators for warranty consideration.

Yeah sounds like the first dealership ripped you off for sure. Should have been covered under power train warranty.

I think the upper intake and valve cleaning is considered normal maintenance like oil changes and not covered under the warranty, but if that didn't fix the problem or may have left loose carbon deposites that could have broken loose and caused the other problems I would be wanting a refund.

No catch can on it. But I am definitely thinking about putting one after I get it back. My wife says it was more of a rattling sound then a pinging sound. Almost like something is loose and vibrating or rattling. It was always in the same RPM range with a bit of throttle. Didn't matter if I was going 5 MPH or 80 MPH. It was very noticeable, and I actually had other drivers look at me funny when I went past them. I thought it would have covered under the warranty, but then they gave the excuse that it was consider normal maintenance and wouldn't have been covered anyway. I did reply to the survey I received from them and gave them a 1 star rating (the lowest) and a 0 on a scale of 0 to 10 to the question of referring them to another person. I also gave a big long comment of what I felt and what was happening. I am a bit surprised that the other dealership hasn't tried to contact me yet about the bad review....especially since they want to keep their 5 star rating. I was actually hoping to find out what is wrong and try to use that as ammunition against the service that they performed. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better news.

My guess is an intake manifold leak. Unmetered air could cause a lean condition and pinging. Try a Cadillac dealer and see if they will work on it. The LFX is much more common in their product lines.

The second dealership that I took it into was actually a Buick and GMC dealership. They said they did warranty work on Chevrolet, so I thought sweet. And it was recommended by a friend of a friend.

Thank you for that offer. Still waiting to hear what is going on with it and will keep everyone updated. And just might take you up on that offer. :)