Does this sound fatal?

[Scalded Dog]

I was on the throttle, going uphill, somewhere around 4000- 4500 RPM. I had it in "automatic" mode, but when I let off of the throttle, it did not upshift as expected, staying in 3rd gear.

I changed to manual, and upshifted to 4th, but had no power. Then, lightly at first, I heard a metallic tapping, which soon got louder and louder. Power continued to diminish.

I pulled over as soon as possible (less than a mile from the first indication of a problem). I turned the car off, looked underneath, and saw that oil was pouring onto the ground, from behind the crankshaft pulley wheel (I think that's the crankshaft seal).

I got the car flatbedded home. There, I added three quarts of oil, before seeing anything on the dipstick. I started the car. It shook and shuddered, bucked like a bronco, but then settled down after a few seconds. It seems to run smoothly for a few seconds at a time, then it will resume the shakes and the shudders. It finally threw a CEL code (had not done so before, nor given any dashboard indication of any problem), which reads as 0300, "random misfire detected."

Any theories, thoughts, ideas? Am I about to spend a lot of money, a LOT of money, or will it be so expensive that I'd be better off selling it for parts?

2011 1LT (six- shooter), 185,000 miles

[CamaroDreams76]

I dont own a v6 but I've heard the LLT and LFXs have a fairly common problem with the timing chains stretching over time causing misfires and cars timing to be off. That's my first guess.

[Terryfied]

Sounds like catastrophic engine failure but who knows til you look inside. If you like the car, find a donor engine and enjoy it for another 100k miles... it's only money.

[captaincog]

Happened to me without the oil loss....your engine is toast. Dealer wants about 6k or find a used engine. So sorry that to hear it happened. Ignore the haters that will post up crap. The engine is not a long term design from GM. I had my engine replaced and I hope to sell off my Camaro in a year or so once I can save up for something else.

[redcoats1976]

185,000 is not a bad run for an engine,just find another one and get another 100k out of it.as long as the rest of the car is good thats the cheapest way out.

[qcman]

OP it sounds pretty bad to me but you have gone pretty far at 185K so the car has done pretty well I would say. I agree with some others if the rest of the car is sound and you like it throw another motor in there and travel on. Good luck & sorry to hear your Camaro had a a bad turn....

[Scalded Dog]

Thanks, my friends, for the responses!


I just got the diagnosis back from the shop (a place I trust). They said that the engine is a complete loss... utterly destroyed.



So.... now I need to decide whether or not to perform the heart transplant, or to buy another vehicle...

[mikeman]

Are all of the V6 engines prone to failure like this?

[rebelyell22]

Originally Posted by mikeman

Are all of the V6 engines prone to failure like this?

yep

[Spurshot]

At 185K, the chassis is in it's twilight. If you have mechanical skills, engine replacement and maintenance of the chassis systems like suspension, steering, rolling parts, etc., along with the engine would be still be a lot of work and expense. It seems like this is an age/mileage that things are somewhat balanced, making this decision harder. Only you can decide, since we aren't setting in your financial shoes. In my past when I didn't have a lot of disposable income, I maintained my El Camino for half a million miles, because I had to. 3 engines, 2 trannies, 3 paint jobs, 2 interiors, several headliners and dashboards, carburetors, alternators, A/C compressor, all kinds of things I can't recall over 20 years of driving that thing, and who knows how many tires and barrels of oil. Almost all of the work I did myself. I wouldn't go down that path now, in my current financial shoes.

[qcman]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

The telling point is the "added three quarts of oil before even seeing anything on the dipstick..." and however much to bring it up to the full mark... Unless it tossed a rod out of the block, or was smoking like crazy, this engine failure may be attributed to failure to maintain proper oil levels.

He said there was oil pouring out from the back of the motor when he pulled over. It wouldn't have mattered what his oil level was before that happened I would think.

[jrob56]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

The telling point is the "added three quarts of oil before even seeing anything on the dipstick..." and however much to bring it up to the full mark... Unless it tossed a rod out of the block, or was smoking like crazy, this engine failure may be attributed to failure to maintain proper oil levels.

It sounds like a spun main bearing from the description.... A "complete loss, utterly destroyed" is kind of vague.

If you routinely change the oil and keep the oil level properly adjusted, there is no reason for the engine to just suddenly fail.... Having said that, it is mechanical and can fail for no other reason than karma... There is no set number of miles and then the motor will fail.... Hell, I'm on motor number eight going into my car....

What we have is failure of reading comprehension. He said oil pouring out from behind crank pulley, so front cover. That is why oil was low, not due to maintenance. Id guess cause was timing failure of some sort.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by qcman

He said there was oil pouring out from the back of the motor when he pulled over. It wouldn't have mattered what his oil level was before that happened I would think.

Originally Posted by jrob56

What we have is failure of reading comprehension. He said oil pouring out from behind crank pulley, so front cover. That is why oil was low, not due to maintenance. Id guess cause was timing failure of some sort.

You are both correct and my bad... I completely missed or just simply forgot that point.... I'll step back from the keyboard now....

[Foxfire15]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams76

I dont own a v6 but I've heard the LLT and LFXs have a fairly common problem with the timing chains stretching over time causing misfires and cars timing to be off. That's my first guess.

Last I heard this only applied to the LLT. Has this extended to the LFX as well?