Chevrolet Engine Problems

Toss another lawsuit onto the ever-growing pile of GM Vortec oil consumption cases.

The Missouri based class-action is the latest in a series of suits saying the 5.3L Vortec engine churns through oil because of defects in the low-tension piston rings. The problem is compounded by GM's questionably designed oil life monitoring system which doesn't warn owners when oil levels get dangerously low.

In fact the system doesn't monitor oil levels at all, just the quality of the oil itself. So while the engine may be dry and on the verge of collapse, rest assured that last quart of oil is still in tip-top shape. 👍🏼…

GM used heat shields that don't curve under the starters in the 5th and 6th generation Camaro, according to a new lawsuit.

That leaves them exposed to heat and makes them completely unreliable. The plaintiff says the problem is particularly noticable on hot days or after a long drive where the engine gets hot. The car has to cool down before an owner can start it back up.

Over time the lack of heat protection will melt the wires, damage the fuses, and create all sorts of electrical havoc to the starter's conductors.…

A new class-action is accusing General Motors of knowingly selling vehicles that consume abnormally high quantities of oil.

It's not the first time GM has been sued for oil issues in the Vortec engine. Specifically (and stick with me here) the Generation IV 5.3L V8 Vortec 5300 LC9 engine.

As with previous lawsuits, the plaintiffs say low-tension piston rings, oil spray from the Active Fuel Management (AFM) system, and agressive vacuuming from the engine's positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system are to blame.…

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federal case against GM’s handling of their ignition switch recall might be over, but a judge has left the door open for owners to sue the automaker for economic losses if they want. Judge Jesse Furman ruled on claims of "manifest defects," or what claims can proceed based on if the defect manifested itself to a customer. The consolidated lawsuit is a massive 1,700 pages of arguments that GM should pay any vehicle owner who owned a recalled car equipped with bad ignition switches.

If you own (or have owned) one of the affected cars, this judge says you should be able to sue GM even if problems related to the ignition switch never affected you personally.

Normally I’d say there’s no way that’ll hold up in court … but it just did.

A lawsuit says the 2.4L Ecotec engine in the 2010-2017 Equinox burns too much oil, knocks incessantly, has defective spark plugs, and is pre-disposed to timing chain issues that can lead to complete engine failure

. But wait, there’s more…

All of these problems are allegedly masked by an inadequate warning system that gives owners a false sense of security as their engine rips itself apart from the inside.

Should I go on?…

A lawsuit says defective piston rings have been causing overheating and oil consumption issues in Equinox and Terrain vehicles since 2010.

The allegedly faulty engines cause too much oil to enter the combustion chambers, something General Motors has allegedly known about since before 2010. The plaintiffs claim defective piston rings, including both “compression” and “oil” rings, can't handle the high compression ratios of the engines.

The EcoTec’s 2.4-liter piston rings can’t maintain a good seal within the crankcase. That means more oil and more engines hitting the scrapheap.

Guess it isn’t very eco-friendly after all.

It's no secret that the Equinox's 2.4-liter EcoTech engine has problems with excessive oil consumption.

Now there's a lawsuit that wants Chevy to do something about it.

In the end, the plaintiffs claim the EcoTec 2.4-liter piston rings can't maintain a sufficient seal within the crankcase. The engines also contribute to the oil consumption due to spray jets that spray oil onto the piston skirts and cylinder walls.…

keep reading article "Lawsuit Says Equinox Piston Ring Problems Cause 2.4-Liter Engines to Consume Too Much Oil, Overheat, and Stall"

A proposed settlement will award certain GM owners in Arizona about $200 each for owning cars with ignition switch problems.

The $6.28 million will be paid to about 33,000 GM owners in Arizona, as long as they purchased the vehicles between July 2009 and July 2014 and didn't get rid of the vehicles before the ignition switch recalls were announced in 2014..

As with any settlement, there are plenty of stipulations which you can read about here.

GM owners are still trying to convince a judge that Vortec 5300 engines have oil consumption problems and don’t give owners adequate warnings when oil levels are dangerously low.

According to the lawsuit, the Vortec 5300 engines in the vehicles consume extreme levels of oil because of defects in the oil rings that allow oil to invade the combustion chambers … The plaintiffs claim the oil pressure warnings can fail to activate in time to prevent engine damage, something GM has allegedly known is a problem with the Vortec engines.

The judge had previously dismissed the lawsuit and doesn't seem too interested in complaints about fires, oil rings, or inadequate warnings.

The plaintiffs have a small, uphill chance if they can amend their complaints.

Well, that didn't work.

Last year a very reasinable argument was made that the Vortec 5300 engine is designed in a way that creates excessive oil consumption. It's also designed in a way that doesn't warn you when an excessive amount of oil has been used.

However, a federal judge has ruled there isn't enough evidence to support the claims.…

There's something funky going on inside GM's 5.3L Vortec 5300 engine causing it to use a higher-than-normal amount of oil.

Some might even say it's excessive. A lawsuit filed in Minnesota says the problem is multi-faceted.

1. GM used low-tension piston rings that allow oil to leak out of the crankcase and into the combustion chamber.
2. The rings, which are already leaking, are then overloaded by a spray of pressurized oil from the Active Fuel Management (AFM) system.
3. Even more oil is being burned off after being sucked into the intake by the engine's positive crankcase ventilation (PCV).

That's a recipe for disaster, but the cherry on top is the somewhat useless oil monitoring system. Instead of measuring the volume of oil left in the crankcase, the system measures environmetal variables to determine the quality of the oil.

Sure, there's only a pint of oil left in the engine but don't worry ... the oil quality is great.

The lawsuit mentions GM has tried to improve the situation by updating the vehicle's crankcase ventilation and active fuel management system, but it never really helped. Eventually GM just updated the Generation IV Vortec 5300 engine and replaced it with a redesigned Generation V Vortec 5300 that stopped using low-tension oil rings and reintriduced an oil level sensor.

Here's a fun thought --- your Chevy Cruze turbo diesel might be illegal in the USA.

A new lawsuit claims GM is using "defeat devices" to hide emissions output similar to the ones VW just got raked over the coals for.

"Attorneys say the plaintiffs tested the Cruze using a "Portable Emissions Measurement System" and found the cars don't meet emissions standards. The lawsuit says the standard is 70 mg/mile, but according to testing, the Cruze diesel cars averaged 174 mg/mile with a high of 557 mg/mile."…

keep reading article "Is the Chevy Cruze Turbo Diesel Legal?"