Cracked block resolution, 6 months later...
 

So y'all may not remember my thread. Just as a refresher, my car started going through coolant at about a quart per day back in January. It would leak down into the oil and it was pretty evident on the dipstick and under the oil cap.

After MONTHS of fighting and a letter and research, I was only able to get 58% cost assistance on the repair of $5714 leaving me with a $2500 bill. The ONLY saving grace is that they now extended a warranty on the motor for 3 years/100,000 miles. This has taught me a lot:

1) GM doesn't care about their product or warranties. Recall this, recall that..but at the end of the day, "good will" repairs are all about PERSONALITIES and not the problem at hand. I was only able to get the assistance I did by being a "nice guy" to the service manager (who was great through the process, I might add..any local NJ people can PM me and I'll let you know where the dealership is and who to talk to)..but GM basically ignored the issue, likely due to the low production numbers on all of these LNF motors. Mind you I had several conversations with GM's absolutely useless customer service department.. you will never talk to a superior, and "that's all we can do" will start repeating in your head..

2) Don't bother writing to GM. You will get a letter back saying "sorry" and "cars are complex machines that sometimes require repairs". Really GM? You are saying this to a product development engineer who is having engine failure before 60k miles? A power window motor, yes..a broken trim piece, maybe.. not an engine. That is just sloppy engineering as I see it..

3) The part number on the short block assembly has changed 3 times since the car came out. Did I get an updated block? Who knows.. if they are using the LHU block then maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel, as the later blocks had thicker walls (hmm.... if it ain't broke, oh wait it was..)

So all I can really recommend to anyone is that if you don't have a warranty, get nice and friendly with a dealership. GM will side-step you for as long as they can (in my case, why not just offer the end agreement up front? Were they trying to wear me down?)

There it is.. I have the car back, but have become extremely discouraged with GM as a competent auto manufacturer. Their cost-cutting measures and lack of research and due diligence causes serious issues to get out to the market. Once I determine the fate of this HHR, I will NEVER purchase a new GM vehicle again. I will only drive older cars from the days when they actually made a decent car. GET WITH IT GM!! One recommendation: cheap out on anything you want besides safety equipment and powertrain components. We don't like having our cars out of commission for months at a time. That's how the OLD cars were.. the whole thing would fall apart around the powertrain but at least it ran and drove while you fixed it.

That is all.

Did you find out why it cracked? There's a known issue with some ecotec blocks due to porous casting.

Interesting issue over the verious issues of the blocks.

I am really glad you got it fixed, and I hope it gives you many miles of happy stuff.

But, it was off warranty and that was the issue with GM. I'm glad you got at least some satistaction for sure.

If you had it another 10 years and had the same mileage on it, would you expect that they will cover some of the cost?

I sure would.. engines should not go bad. Seals? Gaskets? Maybe..but a cracked block is due to nothing but poor manufacturing, and therefore they should be liable no matter what the TIME factor is if the mileage is low. If it blew the motor at 250K I would be upset but at least it could be from wear. And if anyone said "well heat cycles and blah blah blah" I would still come back to poor engineering.

And the "porous block" thing is a bunch of bull.. they used bad castings and the walls are too thin. Apparently two of my cylinders had San Andreas-sized cracks in the water jackets. So not "porous" but "poor US"... and GM sweeps all of these under the rug...if you look at other forums this has happened an ALARMING number of times, as early as a few thousand miles.

I think the blocks come from another land, maybe one that brings mysterious music to mind.

This is what happens when they hire bean counters to run production. They try to get everything made as cheaply as possible with no concern about quality and it's coming back to haunt them. The problem is obviously GM's fault and they should man up and cover it.

I think Pharaohs said the exact same thing.

Happened to me at 40K they replace the engine and turbo under warranty. Took em 2 months. They paid for 2 months of my car payments and it cost me 0$ I guess I did ok....

Hmm... Just had to replace my engine as all the coolant was leaking at the water pump into the oil pan. The dealership noted the crack in the block near the water pump.

It has a 2.4 l ecotec le5 i4

A few details would be nice to add - such as year and mileage.

I think there most important phrase is "POOR-US". When it comes to quality control, craftsmanship, customer service, etc.; EVERYTHING is a crap shoot. The cook at the "Waffle House" takes more pride in his work than most companies foreign or domestic.

Sorry

2009 at 130k KM. The work order on the replacement said the block was cracked. Spoke with GM rep today who denied that there was a crack.

GM basically told me to go pound salt.

What research have you guy done on this block?

Now that speaks well for insisting that all used parts be returned to you, on any repairs you pay for. Warranty replaced items are not deemed able to be returned to you typically.

So. Your profile says you have a Saturn Vue. Any reason for posting this on the HHR site ?

Same Engine as this post. Same problem.

Whopper: I actually though of asking for the cracked block, but had no way of transporting it, or storing it.

No. Actually this thread is about the 2.0 lt. LNF turbo engine in the SS. Same family of engines but a different block.
The early LNF 2.0 had some casting issues that resulted in some of the engines having porosity problems.
Don't know of any block casting issues regarding the 2.4.

Thank for the clarification. Guess I'm stuck with the full bill then.

2008 HHR Turbo Charged - possible cracked block?
 

Hello All, and sorry for the late entry into this not very fun conversation! I bought a used 2008 HHR Turbo Charged with approx 163K miles on it - that just lost heat, and is showing water in the oil. My husband did a top end overhaul on it, replacing head gasket, milled the head, replaced the water pump, timing chain, plugs, etc.....only to have the coolant leaking out when he put it back together. He check to see if there was fluid in the turbo hoses, and their dry! Does this mean the block is cracked? Your input and guidance is so greatly appreciated!!

Coolant leaked out?

Onto the ground- no
into the oil pan- maybe
However the "porosity" they talk about is usually between the engine block and the gasket. from the casting being too granular and the milling exposing bubbles in the casting.

You are out of the 10/100,000 drive train warranty, that usually shows up much earlier.

If he milled the head, then it would not be a block issue, either tear it down again and have the block magnafluxed.

Huh?

Same here. :lol:

One porous block issue I read about (several years back), told of a crack that would show up between the cylinder jackets. Can't remember if it was between #2-3 or #3-4. It would allow the coolant to leak into the block and settle in the oil pan.
I know there was another area a leak could occur but can't recall where.
Hey Don. Was it a mounting bolt hole ?

There is the A/C mounting bolt hole that is drilled too deep on one year that I do not recall. Teflon tape was the fix.

However, I was under the impression that milling the head was asking for tolerance problems.

In post #18, it is mentioned that the husband milled the head, yes possible piston to valve clearance problems, but milling the head would not open up any porosity issues as you mentioned in post #19, Don.

The block problem can be verified by magnafluxing to expose any cracks or porous surface

The problem was the milling in the factory exposed the bubbles and QC passed them. The TSB fix was to use Form-a-Gasket or similar.

Alrighty then, so just smear it on the block surface or in a specific area , identified by the magnaflux process.
I read your post as a response to the head being milled.

Anywho, ZZP has bare blocks available, or short blocks with pistons and crank and rods, or long blocks

I can't find it now, so I'm working from memory.

It was the GEN1 & GEN2 blocks that were cast using the foam method. leaving tiny voids near the surface, subsequent machining would expose the void. The tiny holes were big enough that the metal gasket did not fill them. The recommended fix was to use gasket sealer on the block side of the gasket, like old time fiber gaskets.

I don't remember if they specified shellac or RTV type products.

The problem was solved by changing the casting method to sand in the GEN3.

I’m thinking the TSB is in here somewhere!

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/prob...-thread-23231/

Just something to read after you order one of these

https://zzperformance.com/ecotec/gen...ort-block.html

Or one of these, be sure to tell them it’s going to replace an LNF

https://zzperformance.com/ecotec/ldk-long-block.html

I agree with the OP about lack of quality in GM. My '07 has 130K kms on it. This year was the 5th brake job with rotors (I didn't buy GM ones this time), the steering rack gave up the ghost, a lower ball joint, the switch for the power seat ($100 part, are you kidding me?), and the intermediate shaft for the steering. That's just this year. Have had a section of the fuel line replaced, loose trim, switches (like the ignition switch that killed people, and GM knew about that going into production). It just shows that GM does not care at all about the customer. I keep looking at older vehicles now. Something pre-computer. Either that or I may just buy my first Ford. I have been a GM guy since the '70's, they have cheaped their way out of that. I look at Kia, Hyundai, and Toyota too....anything but a GM. The styling is so bland and ugly anymore too.

Well, that has nothing to do with the OP’s problem with their 2.0 Turbo SS.
And don’t forget, your HHR and mine were built pre GM restructuring in 2009,
Maybe if y’all stay loyal to the GM brand then the other companies wouldn’t have a chance!
But wait the Ecotec was developed by Aston Martin, then Saab!
Remember the ‘80’s Chevy Nova? A rebadged Toyota Corolla? How’s about Fords mash up with the 70’s Ford Couriers, or Mazda B3000 pick ups.
Many car companies intertwine, many come and go, but if none of them attempted these projects, we would probably be walking!!
Or riding a bicycle, yea one of those companies morphed into Jaguar.

I will say GM doesn't care about their customer's compared Ford, Chrysler or (Fill in the blank).
I would like to go to Arizona and find a 69 Chevelle and put a LS engine/trans in it and make it my DD (Daily Driver). Being the LS doesn't seem to have that many issues other than the random lifter failure.
As far as block problems. Remember the 4 cylinder Vega?

I sure do. And what was it called? "Toylet" (toilet). Nice junk.

But was it Toyota or GM junk?

We have a saying up here, “ they’re all junk , eventually, rust, worn out and obsolete parts ,
collisions, all attribute to that statement.
I’ve owned Vega’s , Pinto’s , C10 pickem ups , they all had problems.
The LS blocks had porosity issues as well, give me a 289 SBF with a Fast fuel injectors set up, a AOD trans and a 9 inch rear end!!
Factory Five has got it right!!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...c152a9d0aa.jpg

Reply
 

I will just chime in and tell op this-
Go on Ebay and get yourself a new ( used) engine..
This exactly why I didnt tear down the 2.2 ecotec.. I had no history with the motor and because it was losing coolant- I called the entire motor out as suspect in all ways.. Hoisting engine from the top is easy and only took me couple days.

On Ebay right now
2009 2.2 ecotec with 75K miles for $550

Scouttster
Did you read the entire thread ? We've been discussing the SS and it's 2.0 turbo engine.
Posting up something about Ebay and a 2.2 doesn't apply here. Besides that, pulling a 2.0 turbo and all it's plumbing from the top would be a nightmare.

Reply
 

I read alot of it- why?
just chining on post title " cracked block resolution "
Hee hee hee hee.. Merry Xmas fire man

I’m sure the OP will confirm they order the correct block for the year and model .