GM Ecotech 2.4L

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The delco filters are way better than any aftermarket offering I have seen.

Stock up at the dealer.

I bought the special socket for mine from ebay for about 6 bucks.

This motor likes any good cheap oil, and runs as quiet as a mouse.

My saturn has 57k miles on it, I have been ignoring the OLM (it was going off at around 8500 miles), and changing it at 5000 miles.

I use whatever is on sale, if nothing is on sale, then I default to a 10 dollar jug of Quaker State from wallys.
 
My Ecotec is running Amsoil SSO 0w30. The OLM lets me take it out to a full 10k miles between changes, which for me is about 3 months. Once i'm out of waranty, i'm going to get a UOA and see if I can push it out to 15k or 20k between changes.

The ecotec is a great motor. Keep the oil good, keep the filter good, and it'll run like a clock for longer then the car will hold together. I'm planning on having mine for at least 300k miles.
 
I loved the 2.2 Ecotec in the HHR I had. The 4T45E auto transaxle in mine had serious problems though, and required too many service visits for my comfort level so I bailed. It was almost like the 4T45E couldn't handle what the Ecotec had, my HHR ran real strong for a 2.2, at least before the transaxle went soft.

The cartridge filter for the Ecotec is very efficient. Wix makes the exact OE design (same as the Delco filter), but some other after market brands have a slightly different size opening on the bottom of the filter than the Delco unit and the Wix. Doubt it matters much though.
 
The Ecotec is an interferance engine if the timing chain breaks.I did replace a couple so far,broken timing chains.I have heard of one out a Pontiac Vibe going due lack of maintnance with 25,000 miles on it,rods were knocking.I bought the special socket from the Cornwell dealer that used come around for $23.00,my Grandma Rose has a 2001 Saturn with the 2.2 Ecotec
 
Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
The Ecotec is an interferance engine if the timing chain breaks.I did replace a couple so far,broken timing chains.I have heard of one out a Pontiac Vibe going due lack of maintnance with 25,000 miles on it,rods were knocking.I bought the special socket from the Cornwell dealer that used come around for $23.00,my Grandma Rose has a 2001 Saturn with the 2.2 Ecotec


Then your problem is pretty rare. The timing chains do not usually break. They last the lifetime of the vehicle. A guy on a saturn forum had a 2003 ion with over 330k miles on it, original clutch and the motor finally gave up at 330k.

I would call that good service.
 
some '99 to '02 ecotecs in the saturn L series had a recall for a oil squirter design. the chains were getting starved for oil and breaking.
does the vibe use the ecotec? if that's true I wasn't aware of that.
btw wafrederick1, ALL twin cam 4 cyl engines are interference.
 
Originally Posted By: mpvue
some '99 to '02 ecotecs in the saturn L series had a recall for a oil squirter design. the chains were getting starved for oil and breaking.
does the vibe use the ecotec? if that's true I wasn't aware of that.
btw wafrederick1, ALL twin cam 4 cyl engines are interference.
[color:#FF0000][/color]

Thats a new one for me too.
 
Originally Posted By: 3putter
Just did my patriotic duty and bought American; new Malibu with the 2.4L Ecotech engine. Was surprised to see GM went to a cartridge type filter, as opposed to their traditional can design. Seems as tho the OLM is taking me out to a 6,000 mile OCI for a 50/50 combo of city / hwy driving. Are these engines hard on oil? Nice car btw. Very solid and incredibly quiet. Rides like a much bigger car.


3putter,

Congratulations on you nice GM purchase! I too recently bought a super nice Impala SS and can't wait to it's first oil change. Currently I'm just short of it's 1500 miles on the odometer. The way the OLM tells me it won't need a OCI until about 5600K so in the mean time the Mobil 5000 oil will suffice.

For your car/Malibu consider going to a synthetic oil IF you worried about the long OCI based from your OLM. A synthetic will take you easily that far with no issues what so ever. Many brands of synthetic are good so choose what ever fits your pocket book.

In my 01' Durango/Dodge it's had synthetic since it's first OCI and I've never been dissapointed at all.

Durango
 
Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
The Ecotec is an interferance engine if the timing chain breaks.I did replace a couple so far,broken timing chains.I have heard of one out a Pontiac Vibe going due lack of maintnance with 25,000 miles on it,rods were knocking.I bought the special socket from the Cornwell dealer that used come around for $23.00,my Grandma Rose has a 2001 Saturn with the 2.2 Ecotec


Since when did the Vibe have the Ecotec engine? I thought Vibe had a Toyota drivetrain?
 
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
The Ecotec is an interferance engine if the timing chain breaks.I did replace a couple so far,broken timing chains.I have heard of one out a Pontiac Vibe going due lack of maintnance with 25,000 miles on it,rods were knocking.I bought the special socket from the Cornwell dealer that used come around for $23.00,my Grandma Rose has a 2001 Saturn with the 2.2 Ecotec


Since when did the Vibe have the Ecotec engine? I thought Vibe had a Toyota drivetrain?



You would be right. The Vibe runs a 1.8 and 2.4(Currently) from Toyota.
 
I just bought a 09 Saturn Vue with the 2.4 Ecotec.
We also have a 05 Pontiac G5 (Pursuit in Canada in 05)
with the 2.2. It's been a great engine with over 110000 km
or 68000 miles. My only concern with these engines is the
oil filter being too small for long oci's. I like the fact
these engines have a 5 qt sump but that filter is half the
size of my BMW's filter.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
The Ecotec is an interferance engine if the timing chain breaks.I did replace a couple so far,broken timing chains.I have heard of one out a Pontiac Vibe going due lack of maintnance with 25,000 miles on it,rods were knocking.I bought the special socket from the Cornwell dealer that used come around for $23.00,my Grandma Rose has a 2001 Saturn with the 2.2 Ecotec


Since when did the Vibe have the Ecotec engine? I thought Vibe had a Toyota drivetrain?



You would be right. The Vibe runs a 1.8 and 2.4(Currently) from Toyota.

should have figured it was just wafrederick1 shooting off at the mouth about something he knows nothing about, which, it seems, is everything.
 
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: wafrederick1
The Ecotec is an interferance engine if the timing chain breaks.I did replace a couple so far,broken timing chains.I have heard of one out a Pontiac Vibe going due lack of maintnance with 25,000 miles on it,rods were knocking.I bought the special socket from the Cornwell dealer that used come around for $23.00,my Grandma Rose has a 2001 Saturn with the 2.2 Ecotec


Since when did the Vibe have the Ecotec engine? I thought Vibe had a Toyota drivetrain?

It does.(have the Toyota drivetrain)
 
Last edited:
I have a 2008 aura 2.4 at my first oil change, I went with a Purolator oil filter.Time for second oil change, the filter was partially collapsed. I again installed a purolator filter, checked filter after 500 miles, filter again started to collapsed.I checked filter to make sure it was not being crushed when istalled, but filter was fine. Replaced with AC/Delco 3000 miles later no problem at oil change. Has anyone else had this problem? I sent email to Purolator, but no response.
 
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: mpvue
some '99 to '02 ecotecs in the saturn L series had a recall for a oil squirter design. the chains were getting starved for oil and breaking.
does the vibe use the ecotec? if that's true I wasn't aware of that.
btw wafrederick1, ALL twin cam 4 cyl engines are interference.
[color:#FF0000][/color]

Thats a new one for me too.


Many DOHC 4 bangers have non interference engines. All the AFE Toyotas are non interference.
 
Hmmm.

I have a Purolator waiting to go in my ecotec, but maybe I'll pass and go with an OEM filter, or even a Fram, instead.

Do you remember which Purolator it was? I don't recall the part number on mine, but I think I recall it having media dyed blue, and being marked as made in USA.
 
Purolator L15436 oil filter. I did receive a response from purolator today, they wanted me to send them the filters, but I had already disposed of the filters.
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: mpvue
some '99 to '02 ecotecs in the saturn L series had a recall for a oil squirter design. the chains were getting starved for oil and breaking.
does the vibe use the ecotec? if that's true I wasn't aware of that.
btw wafrederick1, ALL twin cam 4 cyl engines are interference.
[color:#FF0000][/color]

Thats a new one for me too.

the ecotec is indeed an interference engine. On the ecotec forums, there's been a few who have found out the hard way by either breaking the chain or setting the timing off when swapping cams. valves and pistons do not like close encounters
Many DOHC 4 bangers have non interference engines. All the AFE Toyotas are non interference.
 
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