2010 Buick Lacrosse Help

[Mr. Anderson]

I was recently given the opportunity to get a 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS with a knocking engine for an excellent deal, and now I have the car! That being said, I know absolutely nothing about these modern cars!

 

I am in need of some help going forward with this engine knock. Is there anyone here that has experience working on these cars? I really need to know how to remove the oil pan, and eventually how to separate the engine from the transmission. 

 

 

[Janousek]

The 3.6 v6 is a bit of a turd.  Especially the early years.    Since they decided the pushrod 3.8 was no longer hip they replaced it with a POS and call it a high feature motor.  No idea what it means and goes into alot of GM stuff.    Basically the timing chains stretch and tensioners no longer keep them tight.  Cams run in the aluminum head without bearings.  The camshafts wear into the head.  I don't remember why but a friends car with 100k did it.  On his car the crap from the cam eating the aluminum head took out the lower end.  You'll probably have to pick up another engine or completely overhaul yours.  If you do an internet search their is a ton of info.  Supposedly the newer cars keep getting updates and the engines run longer than 100k.  He changed his oil with synthetic every 5000 miles the entire time they had the car.    The census from our poker group is they are junk.  One Traverse went out, one Saturn Aura XR,  and another guy with  Saturn SUV with eratic oil pressure and cold noises waiting for his to go out.  

 

You bascially drop the entire cradle from the new stuff.  The cradle contains the eng/trans/suspension.  It's easy to drop them onto the floor and go from there.  Easy with a hoist and doable with jack stands.  

 

Nice car other than the engine. 

[Mr. Anderson]

Well that about decides it for me. I have started the process of unhooking everything from the engine bay and will start looking for another engine. I will try to get a newer one as compared to an older one.

 

Is there any way that I can get the oil pan off without having to have the engine in the floor?

 

Pretty car, just wish I knew more on how to fix it.

[Janousek]

I'm not sure about the oil pan.   We have a 12' Lacrosse but it's the scam 4cylinder hybrid.   I just know the garage standard is to drop the cradle and go from there.  

 

Personally if it was mine I would probably rebuild it or at least find the problem.  I haven't researched the price of chains/tensioners/new heads.  The rest if standard rebuilding stuff.  

 

Normally you unhook hoses and wires, exhaust,  unhook struts at the towers, unhook tie rods from the steering rack.   Remove the 4 bolts holding the cradle and raise the car up from the drivetrain with a hoist.  

 

Good Luck, it is a nice driving car.  

[MrEarl]

VERY pretty car. 

[Barney Eaton]

GM started using the 3.6 around 2004......so your cars has an engine that was in production at least 6 years.   I have owned a 2005 Rendezvous and now a 2011 Enclave with the engine and my only complaint is the gas mileage. 

Since you are planning on pulling the engine......check the cam drive train before going for a replacement.   The stories I hear is the cam timing chain, sprockets, and tensioners tend to wear especially on cars that have not had regular oil changes.

A repair kit with all the parts from GM is around $900.

Check the new Cadillacs......they are running turbos on this engine, a little research might save you some work.

[NTX5467]

Check the VIN for the correct engine size!  Some of the LaCrosses ad 3.0L V-6s.  Same engine family as the 3.6L, though.  The one I rented (with the earlier 3.0L ran and accelerated BETTER than the beloved 3.8L V-6.  That was in the first model year of the "new" Lacrosse. 

 

In more recent times, several years ago, the main issue was the VVT cam phasers.  When they failed, it took new heads to fix it.  GM finally started servicing the heads as "an assembly" rather than individual pieces.

 

The "high feature" V-6, which applies to the 3.6L ohc V-6 means that it has overhead camshafts, variable cam timing, and many other newer features.  The "high value" V-6s included the Buick 3800 and Chevy 3.5L V-6 pushrod motors.   Good power and reliability, just more traditional engines.  In reality, the wheels don't know what's making them turn, just that it's happening.  Problem with many OHC V-6 and V-8 engines is their total HEIGHT.  Pushrod engines are so much shorter.  Funny thing is that Corvettes and Vipers have high-power pushrod engines, but NOBODY talks about them being "low-tech" or undesirable engines!!!  Only in markets served by Lexus, it seems, does the "high feature" issue become an issue.

 

Although it sounds like a lot to do to drop the cradle, it just required a body lift lift, rather than a chassis lift lift.  Be sure to unhook the steering column at the steering rack!!  Wit the cradle assembly (sans wheels/tires) firmly supported on the floor, you might still need an engine lift to remove the engine from the transaxle. 

 

There can be different 3.6L V-6s, depending upon the model year.  You need the CORRECT model year for the electrical harnesses to hook up correctly!  I suspect that if you crossbreed something, you'll be chasing gremlins (NOT the AMC type) for a long time.  IF you might end up with a newer model, get the ENTIRE engine wiring harness AND the ECM.  Then, though, you'll have to trick the computer to thinking it's still in the newer body, IF POSSIBLE.

 

Nothing to be really gained with a newer engine model year.  Just look for TSBs and  such to see what might need to be done while the engine is one the floor.

 

Nice cars!

 

NTX5467

[Brian_Heil]

Check with the dealer.  They know what year the corrected chain system went into production.  I think 2010 but the oil life monitor system was not updated and was still calling for >10,000 mile changes so there were still issues.  Then in 2011 they had the system revised down for change interval and the new chain system.

 

Wife has a 2011 3.0L in a CTS Cadillac.

 

Also check for special extended warranty.  I know GM did something on the chain issue to help customers.

[NTX5467]

Where we saw the failures were on the CTS 3.6L engines.  Seems like they usually had about 50-60K miles when they failed.  As I recall, when all of the "stuff" had settled, it was a small gasket behind a cam phaser (of which there are four) failed and caused that whole mess.  We went from selling new head assemblies (two), in pieces, to two head assemblies assembled from GM, plus the related timing chains and phasers.  Considering all of this was going on about six years ago, I somewhat doubt any "hidden warranty" situations from GM as their liability to fix the engine would end when their factory warranty ended.  Past that, it would be for the extended warranty operatives, if the vehicle has a TRANSFERRABLE extended warranty.  But . . . can't hurt to check.

 

I don't recall any dialogue about a software change (from this particular failure) relating to quicker oil changes.  Just "replace the failed parts".  The GM OLM (miles/use-based, rather than the earlier mileage-only based system), if you read the original information supplied by GM, there is a bell curve of mileages, with the right side extending out to 15K miles . . . under certain use conditions.  I believe the main plateau of the curve was in the 7-9K range.  On a G-30 van I drove at work, for a good while, in predominantly highway use, the oil change message (signaling 10% of oil life left) would happen at about 10K miles, consistently.  At that mileage, the oil was not dark and was still at the Full mark.  It was a 6.0L V-8 with 6L90E automatic transmission.  A few times, I ended up running it to 15K . . . oil still not dark and still "Full".  This was on GM-issue 5W-30 motor oil, from new.  Certainly, if the use had been different, the OLM would have signaled sooner. 

 

Whenever considering a used vehicle, you should be able to take the VIN to the brand's dealership and ask they run a "VIS" check via the GM Service database.  That will generate all of the warranty repairs, performed "campaigns", and outstanding "campaign" repairs which have not been performed.  Mileage, dates, labor operations, and where performed are all in that report.  In another GM portal, "Service Information", any applicable TSBs for a particular VIN can be researched, as I recall (might also find a website online for this, too).  CARFAX can also generate similar information, plus normal maintenance and emission control checks . . . if the particular repair shop is hooked into the CARFAX reporting network.

 

NTX5467

[Larry Schramm]

The change engine oil light originally was set at 7,500 miles hard coded to change the oil.  It would come on earlier depending on how the car was driven and all of the inputs into the algorithm.  Over time there was a decision that the number could be changed and the oil change interval maximum could be increased without any problems.

 

After the increase of oil change interval maximum I believe there were issues with base engine durability.   Then there was a change back to the 7,500 mile hard ceiling to change the oil regardless how the vehicle was driven.  You should be able to find the software update if your car in involved. 

[Brian_Heil]

http://answers.edmunds.com/question-Has-gm-extended-warranty-past-factory-timing-chain-issues-2007-gmc-acadia-162287.aspx

 

Here are some facts.

 

 

[60FlatTop]

Scary stuff. The owners really wait for a light to come on to tell them to change the oil. And heads are serviced as a unit.

 

I had to put a new head on my '60 Electra when I bought it. The previous owner had decided to change the valve cover gaskets. He over tightened one of the cover bolts and broke it off. When he tried to drill it out he went through the water jacket and created a little green fountain. Undeterred,  he drilled the hole larger and broke a tap of in it. The car sat in the garage for two years while he and a friend pondered how to get the broken tap out. I bet he is sitting in his new car right now waiting for a light to come on and tell him what to do next.

 

BTW, I tossed the damaged head and put a used one on a couple days after I got the car, been good ever since. Sure is interesting reading about modern cars.

Bernie

[old-tank]

On 8/23/2016 at 2:09 PM, Janousek said:

 Cams run in the aluminum head without bearings

Saw one at a junk yard Saturday...looked just like a worn out lawn mower engine.