Engine information on new vehicle

[Service1956]

Could someone pass on some information about a new vehicle. My wife is looking at a 2014 Chevy Equinox. Want to know how these have been in the past. Good, or not so good? I am mostly concerned about the 2.4 DOHC engine.

 

It has been years since she has had a car with a 4 cylinder engine, and it was not a good experience! How does the 2.4 stand up in the new Equinox?

[Doug_Scott]

I think you will not get much feedback on that engine yet. It is a new direct injection engine this year. The previous 2.4 was not direct injection.

I had the 2.4 engine in my 08 G5 with the 5 speed. I did not have any issues with the engine (or the car for that matter). You may want to drive both the 4 cyl and the v6 model though before deciding. For me, I think direct injection will be the best addition in years. Should make mileage and power become able to work together finally.

[Jsdirt]

Given my Silverado's track record, I'd steer clear. Just MHO. Some manufacturers do a better job at building things than others. When they're new, it's tough ... no, actually, it's IMPOSSIBLE to decipher the crap one from the well built one. All you have to go on is their previous track record.

 

Case in point - I just bought 2 Volvo 940 sedans this week. I've never owned or driven a foreign car in my life. I've driven nothing but GM or FoMoCo products, and grew up riding in nothing but those (with one Chrysler product mixed in there). One of the 940's was a '93, the other, a '94. One of the first things I did before I bought them was crawl underneath in the mud and see how bad the undercarriage was, because this is what you have to do with GM or Ford products - expect brake & fuel lines to be leaking or in half, frame to be shedding metal like scales off a trout, etc, etc. Well, these 2 Volvos look just as intact underneath as my 7 year old truck - and I hardly drive it! Just turned 69k today picking up the second Volvo.

 

So ... with this in mind, why is it that nearly every single GM product of that age that's been driven daily here in the northeast has been in the scrap heap for years while these Volvos continue to run past 300k miles? Why are they on the orginal brake & fuel lines after 20 years with not even the slightest sign of corrosion? Why are the original springs 100% rust free?

 

If Volvo can do it, GM can do it. They chose NOT to. THIS is what I will base any future purchase decisions on.

 

On a side note, I bought those 2 Volvos to replace our '89 S10 Blazer. After 4 winters up here in MA, the body is flaking away to nothing (and the previous owner completely gutted all the rot and repainted it a few years before I got it). I'm sick of stuff rotting away to nothing. Glad I found a vehicle built to handle MA life. Sad that it has to be a 20 year old vehicle built in another continent, but that's the reality of it.

 

Think twice, buy ONCE.

 

And before the GM worshipers come in here thinking I based my decision on just 2 Volvos ........ not quite. I've seen MANY Volvos .. Subarus ... Hondas ... Nissans ... and even a few Toyotas that managed to outlast any domestic vehicle I, my family, or my friends owned. GM, Ford , & Chrysler need to S*** or get off the pot. Build something GOOD that lasts longer than 6 years! We all know it can be done.

[Havasubum]

You may want to read up on the EQ's reviews. Consumer Reports thinks the 4 cyl engine is underpowered as does other reviews I've read. They also remark that the car is stale and needs a redesign. I was seriously considering buying a Equinox LTZ with a V6. Then I visited my dealer to have my Denali serviced. I asked the service writer about them. He said they are nice. When asked about trouble potential, he told me they frequently develop an oil leak in the timing cover seal at around 27k miles. In order to change the seal, the entire front subframe has to be dropped. I don't drive many miles since I'm retired. That would mean that it would be past the warranty period for me besides the fact that I wouldn't want that much work done to a relatively new car. Moreover, GM is anticipating a major body style change soon.

[RVJ]

The car itself is very nice except for a lot of hard plastic everywhere., the 4 cyl. engine in the 2010-2011 not so much. I don't know about the new engine.

[&CDFiXER%]

Someone at work bought an Equinox a few months ago. Not sure what engine it has though. So far they love it.

[Doug_Scott]

You may want to read up on the EQ's reviews. Consumer Reports thinks the 4 cyl engine is underpowered as does other reviews I've read. They also remark that the car is stale and needs a redesign. I was seriously considering buying a Equinox LTZ with a V6. Then I visited my dealer to have my Denali serviced. I asked the service writer about them. He said they are nice. When asked about trouble potential, he told me they frequently develop an oil leak in the timing cover seal at around 27k miles. In order to change the seal, the entire front subframe has to be dropped. I don't drive many miles since I'm retired. That would mean that it would be past the warranty period for me besides the fact that I wouldn't want that much work done to a relatively new car. Moreover, GM is anticipating a major body style change soon.

 

The oil leak you mention would be covered by the powertrain warranty after bumper to bumper is up at 3 years. If that oil seal is something common, and replacing it fixes it forever, then vehicles being built now will have the replacement seal in it already.

 

Saw a show the other day where they were rebuilding an engine. When they put the timing cover on, they did not tighten it up, it was sitting there loosely. Once the balancer was installed(with seal lubed before pressing balancer on) and bolt torqued, they then torqued the timing cover on. The idea was that by leaving the cover loose, it would move slightly to ensure the seal was centered on the balancer. I had never seen that done before, makes complete sense though. It is something I was doing on transmissions back in the day, just never considered on an engine.

[Havasubum]

 

The oil leak you mention would be covered by the powertrain warranty after bumper to bumper is up at 3 years. If that oil seal is something common, and replacing it fixes it forever, then vehicles being built now will have the replacement seal in it already.

 

Saw a show the other day where they were rebuilding an engine. When they put the timing cover on, they did not tighten it up, it was sitting there loosely. Once the balancer was installed(with seal lubed before pressing balancer on) and bolt torqued, they then torqued the timing cover on. The idea was that by leaving the cover loose, it would move slightly to ensure the seal was centered on the balancer. I had never seen that done before, makes complete sense though. It is something I was doing on transmissions back in the day, just never considered on an engine.

Assuming I drive that many miles in three years. My Denali is 3 years old and has just over 22k. Also, do you really want a dealer mechanic to disassemble your $35k car? You're asking for nothing but rattles and future trouble IMHO.

[Jsdirt]

They have to remove the SUBFRAME for that???? Good Lord ... another brilliant design. That would cancel the deal for me, since I'd be the one doing the work, unless under warranty.

[MikeNH]

They have to remove the SUBFRAME for that???? Good Lord ... another brilliant design. That would cancel the deal for me, since I'd be the one doing the work, unless under warranty.

 

Most newer vehicles it's easier to make the engine come out from underneath. Been this way for a while.

[Jsdirt]

Yikes. Guess I'd better start saving for a lift I've been eyeballing for years.

 

Would be cheaper just to keep driving relics I guess ..

[Doug_Scott]

The times I have seen where someone had to drop the subframe/engine is was easier than it looked. The newer engines look to be harder to access, and if you try to access like we used to do it, it is a lot harder. If you use the recommended way, it has been easier on the jobs I have seen. I would never think about dropping a subframe/engine first for just about any work. That is a problem for the old timers, we don't like to read instructions first, and by the time we read them we are so pissed off that it does not matter how easy it ended up being, that job will always be a bitch to do. Some days I am happy for a screwed up back.