Is there a difference in these ecotec engines in the years . There was a mention on another forum (face book hhr drivers) that the 08 block is inferior to the 09 & 10- One person referred to the 08 block as being porous --never heard of that term being used for an engine before - bottom line , the gist of the conversation is that an 08 wont last as long as the 09 &10
Is there anything to this, as I have an 08 with 130k & didnt like what I was hearing .

 

There were porosity problems in the 2008 2.0 litre engine, not a matter of it lasting as much as the coolant and oil mixing and washing out the bearings.

 

It was a problem with the 08 2.0 block. But, all the blocks didn't have that porosity problem. Only some had it and those were the result of a faulty casting process used during manufacture.
So it's just a gamble with the 08's if you got a block that will last.

 

They did change the casting method sometime in there. Porosity refers mostly to through drilled holes for bolts basically too deep.

 

As always Thanks guys & Merry Christmas

 

Agreed.

 

For the cost of parts and machine shop labour to rebuild an engine, I’d order a new one from ZZPerformance. New everything

 

But does the OP have a bad block to being with ?
I really thing the question was, what is the difference between the years.

 

There is only 1 report of this porosity issue presenting after high mileage. All other reports here on the site occurred very early in the life of the engine.

 

And, it was actually a drill bit that was longer than the casting material at the water pump. The fix was teflon tape on the threads. They never said if they were using the wrong bit/screw or the casting was too thin it was supposed to be a blind hole.
A lot of folks think that the change from "lost foam" to "sand" casting in the 2009 MY cured any other problem with tiny pitting in the machined parts, like the head gasket is supposed to take care of.
It does not apply to the fairly common (in Cobalt SS) crack between #3 and #4. That comes from a hot spot when overheated. Most of those got replaced under the drive train warranty.
They used a poor choice in words, "porosity" sounds scary.