Dad's Enclave 3.6L ruined a timing chain

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Yet another GM 3.6L timing chain failure here. Dad's 2008 Enclave has been making some odd noises the last 6 months on and off. Finally, he started getting CELs and reduced engine power. Took it in, and one of the timing chains is shot (but didn't break, thankfully). His is not the DI engine, but the older port-injected one. Engine has roughly 150K miles; he's owned it since 80K and always does 6/7K mile OCIs with syn blend or high mileage oil. He puts miles on quickly so this means an oil change roughly every 4-5 months. Anything else he can do to make sure the new timing kit doesn't fail? This seems to be a common issue with these IIRC.
 
I would definitely run a full synthetic, and go only about 5k miles on it.

That's what I do on my '09 Traverse. The oil gets black as night in no time at all; not saying that is a bad thing, but it can't be good. GM did us wrong with this engine...
 
Originally Posted By: MarkM66
I would definitely run a full synthetic, and go only about 5k miles on it.

...


I've seen a few forum entries on the GM boards where oil type doesn't seem to matter as much as OCI.
 
Makre sure it's Dexos approved and go no further than 5k miles. GM put out a service bulletin saying the OCI needed to be reprogrammed and that the owners shouldn't go any farther than 5k on oil changes. If he wants that extra 2k tell him to upgrade to full synthetic.
 
The SN Plus and GF-6 are supposed to address timing change issues. Problem with your dad's vehicle, is that he doesn't know what happened OCI wise in the first 80k miles. I would use best quality oil with 5k OCI. As soon as the new standards are in place, buy that oil, and 5k OCI it.
We are probably going to see this more and more as soot producing newer engines, get more miles on them. The manufacturers are concerned. That is why they are pushing for the new standards.
If you have a newer engine, especially a GDI, particularly a TGDI, you're not going to hurt a thing on your engine with 5k or less OCI. There is certainly a possibility you will hurt something with longer OCI.
If anyone wants to argue with me about that, don't. I won't reply.
 
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And GDI is good. Why? How can something that causes incomplete combustion=> soot and increased fuel dilution be touted as an improvement? A 5K mile OCI to prevent Timing chain wear? Granted, I'm an old curmudgeon and resist progress simply because it is new. What is the upside to GDI? Please school me. I have no passion for the Camry, but I'm glad it doesn't have this jim crack. I went with the 4 cyl because 2 OHCs on a V6 is a catastrophic failure waiting to happen. Let alone GDI
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Originally Posted By: andyd
And GDI is good. Why? How can something that causes incomplete combustion=> soot and increased fuel dilution be touted as an improvement? A 5K mile OCI to prevent Timing chain wear? Granted, I'm an old curmudgeon and resist progress simply because it is new. What is the upside to GDI? Please school me. I have no passion for the Camry, but I'm glad it doesn't have this jim crack. I went with the 4 cyl because 2 OHCs on a V6 is a catastrophic failure waiting to happen. Let alone GDI
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There is one, sole reason for it. CAFE standards, particularly 2025.
 
Originally Posted By: AZjeff
He got to 150K on the OEM, is he planning going to 300K with the Enclave? If not then not really a concern. If he is that's awesome.


Yes, how much longer will he keep it?
 
He is lucky it made it that long, especially on a 2008. I kept or 2008 and 2011 Acaida at 5k miles no matter what oil I ran in it. All my UOA's, most are on here showed the oil was shot at any point past 5k.
 
There is one, sole reason for it. CAFE standards, particularly 2025.

I get that, reducing emissions is good. GDI just shifts emissions from the tailpipe to the oil drain plug. Sorta like getting your Tesla charged by a coal fired power plant? If oil analysis were made part of the CAFE mandate, what Rube Goldberg would auto engineers devise next? I understand the need for clean as possible standards for ICEs. I do, and the advances made in the automotive world in my 66 yrs are wondrous indeed. This is even a worse idea than run flat tires
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Originally Posted By: AZjeff
He got to 150K on the OEM, is he planning going to 300K with the Enclave? If not then not really a concern. If he is that's awesome.


I was thinking the same thing. Friend of mine had a heart attack. They performed angioplasty and inserted stents. He figures if he made 60 years on the original stent free arteries, he's good for another 60 on his newly expanded ones and could eat junk and stop exercising. His wife did not agree, LOL.
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
There is one, sole reason for it. CAFE standards, particularly 2025.

I get that, reducing emissions is good. GDI just shifts emissions from the tailpipe to the oil drain plug. Sorta like getting your Tesla charged by a coal fired power plant? If oil analysis were made part of the CAFE mandate, what Rube Goldberg would auto engineers devise next? I understand the need for clean as possible standards for ICEs. I do, and the advances made in the automotive world in my 66 yrs are wondrous indeed. This is even a worse idea than run flat tires
grin2.gif


This isn't emissions. It's gas mileage. GDI has had a negative effect on emissions. So they have to get emissions down, while trying to drastically increase fleet gas mileage.
 
DI is simply about gas mileage...and it works! I just prefer a quieter,smoother,less heat generating technology like port injection.
 
The combo of thin oils and extended oil change intervals leads to chain wear. Particulates grind away at the wear surfaces, it really is that simple. A higher viscosity will help, in fact industrial chain manufacturers suggest a 30 viscosity oil for longest life. But the bottom line is that many modern engines are suffering premature chain wear due to extended drain intervals.

Keep in mind that UOA results will only show "normal" levels of wear metals. So those of you that choose uber thin dino oils and change every 10,000 or more, are not doing timing chains any favors.
 
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