3.6 timing chain longevity?

[drew peacock]

i thought timing chains last the life of the engine...my mates hyudai is at 300k miles with the same chain

cam belts are a huge pita

[Evil-Bee-NH]

The V6 Camaro timing chain issue was 2010 to Early 2011 Camaro models. If your 2011 Camaro has pre-drilled strut bar holes in the strut towers you have a late model with the upgraded timing chain. LFX engines also have the upgraded timing chains.

[FloridaBill]

Originally Posted by Evil-Bee-NH

The V6 Camaro timing chain issue was 2010 to Early 2011 Camaro models. If your 2011 Camaro has pre-drilled strut bar holes in the strut towers you have a late model with the upgraded timing chain. LFX engines also have the upgraded timing chains.

Exactly. I can't believe that so many people are unaware of this issue... It's well documented on this forum and all over the internet. That was one reason I got out of my 2010 with 70K on it.

The research I did on this seemed to suggest it was most common in cold weather climates where the car was used for short trips and the oil wasn't getting up to operating temps. There should have been a recall on those chains in the Camaro, I believe there was a recall on the 3.6 in another model. Maybe it was a Caddy.

[FloridaBill]

Originally Posted by paul84043

That V6 is one of the finest engines GM has ever made.. quite a piece of engineering..

True, but those early chains were junk.

[DonM]

Originally Posted by SnowyCamaro

The llt motor had timing chain issues. Ie 2010 and 2011 camaro with v6 motor. They fixed the issue with the updated lfx motor mid way through production of the 2011 year.

The problem was the chain itself on the llt motor could stretch. There are a few people here who can tell you about when it happened to them. Gm claimed it was due to driving hard for short distances and not having the motor reach full operating temperature before driving it hard. Anyway i dont know the full reasoning behind it. But yes some have stretched, and they usually fail within the first 30k if not usually there are no problems. And you definetly do not need to replace it before any engine light comes on. The computer picks up the thrown timing before anything will happen. And if something were to happen gm would likely cover any repairs since there are documented cases of people with the problem.

As for reliability of the car. I had a 2010 1lt for 2 years with 120 000km and the only service it saw at the dealer was for an evap can replacement and 1 cat (under warranty). Gm was great about those 2 repairs too. Manufacturing defect for the cat.

I tried to explain this to my FB "source" and he came back with "they are all junk."

I think I'll just ignore him from here on out ...

[FloridaBill]

Originally Posted by DonM

I tried to explain this to my FB "source" and he came back with "they are all junk."

I think I'll just ignore him from here on out ...

2010's with the weak chain are out of warranty and I would avoid those like the plague. But since you are in a 2013 I wouldn't worry about it.

[christianchevell]

And just FYI timing chains do not Stretch as that's unusual....they wear out the single roller on them usually (or double rollers) on the cross bar between the links from the gear teeth and lack of lubrication and thus they wear and appear to stretch from the slop when its really the roller on the cross bar or the cross bar itself if its not a roller timing chain.....

[VTSummit]

^ he speaketh the truth. The sprockets wear as does the roller in the chain. The links don't stretch at all. If that was the case, why wouldn't every other metal moving part stretch?
Anyway, the LFX has no common issues related to timing chains. HOWEVER, like any car using a hydraulic chain tensioner as well as hydraulic cam timing controls- CHANGE your oil and don't get creative with trying oils that have not been tested in it or that guy who always says to try a different weight just because it's what he sells out of his garage.

[SnowyCamaro]

Originally Posted by DonM

I tried to explain this to my FB "source" and he came back with "they are all junk."

I think I'll just ignore him from here on out ...

Sounds like you are trying to argue with a ford guy....no winning with them. They are just grumpy for always being in your rearview.

Hes just jealous of your sweet ride.

[oreduks]

Hey!!! I have a Ford too..

[DonM]

Originally Posted by VTSummit

^ he speaketh the truth. The sprockets wear as does the roller in the chain. The links don't stretch at all. If that was the case, why wouldn't every other metal moving part stretch?
Anyway, the LFX has no common issues related to timing chains. HOWEVER, like any car using a hydraulic chain tensioner as well as hydraulic cam timing controls- CHANGE your oil and don't get creative with trying oils that have not been tested in it or that guy who always says to try a different weight just because it's what he sells out of his garage.

I plan on giving my car nothing but the recommended oil weight and it's going to be either a semi or full synthetic 'Big Name' brand.

[Evil-Bee-NH]

i just like seeing this same 'thread type" get resurrected everytime someone gets an offhand comment from a friend about an old issue when they don't even have the car it applies to. makes me chuckle with delightness.

[RB43TD]

I had the P0008 code show up in April on my 2010 (purchased new in June 2010). I think I had about 75-80K miles on it at the time. Luckily my warranty was good for two more months so it didn't cost me anything out of pocket. They had it back to me in 3 days. I've heard though that this repair is fairly pricey.

A couple months before that my seatbeat latch broke and of course that was no longer covered by warranty so that was about $300 out of pocket. Now, two weeks ago, I had to take it in for a coolant leak (where the transmission meets the engine) and since my warranty ran out in June it cost over $900 out of pocket it.

So, on a car that is 5 years old and has less than 90K miles on it, thousands of dollars of work had to be done on it in less than a year. I've never had a Chevrolet but I've had many cars before this and I'm not sure that the repairs on all of them would even amount to the dollars that have been spent on this car in the last year. I love my car but I've not been really happy with it the last few months. Is this normal Chevrolet quality?

[SnowyCamaro]

Originally Posted by RB43TD

I had the P0008 code show up in April on my 2010 (purchased new in June 2010). I think I had about 75-80K miles on it at the time. Luckily my warranty was good for two more months so it didn't cost me anything out of pocket. They had it back to me in 3 days. I've heard though that this repair is fairly pricey.

A couple months before that my seatbeat latch broke and of course that was no longer covered by warranty so that was about $300 out of pocket. Now, two weeks ago, I had to take it in for a coolant leak (where the transmission meets the engine) and since my warranty ran out in June it cost over $900 out of pocket it.

So, on a car that is 5 years old and has less than 90K miles on it, thousands of dollars of work had to be done on it in less than a year. I've never had a Chevrolet but I've had many cars before this and I'm not sure that the repairs on all of them would even amount to the dollars that have been spent on this car in the last year. I love my car but I've not been really happy with it the last few months. Is this normal Chevrolet quality?

I would say no. But sometimes you get a lemon.

My family and myself have owned.
Avalanches (had 5 of these)
Tahoe
GMC vans
Silverados
Buick Encore
Camaros
Equinox

So far they have been some of the better cars we've owned. However 1 Avalanche practically lived at the dealer. Had non stop problems, must have been built on a friday. But over the years working in my own vehicles (i was a mechanic at one point too). This list actually describes my feelings on build quality and reliability of cars pretty accurately.