Random Ecotec fact

Common knowledge that the timing chain tensioners aren't good. There have been three designs from GM that I even know about.

I just got a beautiful one-owner Saturn LW200 because it jumped two teeth between the intake and exhaust cam gears. All they knew was compression was weak. It ran horrible. Made horrible noises. Enough to convince a well respected mechanic in our town to recommend dumping the car. Picked it up for Lemons money.

A $100 timing set and $40 worth of gaskets from RockAuto, and she runs like new. Didn't bend any valves.

Score. I like them but the L-series are a much overlooked and much forgotten chassis. There are many reason for this.
The cars looks and the name is ridiculously similar to the S-series giving the Ls no real identity of their own.
The V6 was a monumental turd. Combine the complexity and unreliability of the V6 with the unreliability of the 4 cylinder to ruin timing chains and most people will recommend anything else!

I used to sell them when they were new cars. Those L81's were bad even back then. But i always felt the ecotec L's were better than the sum of their parts.

Making a donut run.

Still under $600 total investment. Including the pastries.

Our high school soccer coach had one and he was a dick.

We used to hail soccer balls at it towards the end of practice and I must say that those panels are pretty good at deflecting dents! Felt bad at times doing it but he deserved it haha

Have you had to replace the BMC yet?

I don't recognize that acronym.

Body control module. BCM. Common failure point results in lots of electrical issues.

i didn't know they made a wagon version of the "big" Saturns...

regarding the Ecotec engine: my experience is similar to my relationship with the Olds Auroras with the V8 in them.. i liked them until i had to work on one, then i didn't like them any more.

Lol fail. BCM I meant.

Its pretty problematic in VUEs. It's really problematic in Ls.

novaderrik wrote: i didn't know they made a wagon version of the "big" Saturns... regarding the Ecotec engine: my experience is similar to my relationship with the Olds Auroras with the V8 in them.. i liked them until i had to work on one, then i didn't like them any more.

What didn't you like? Feel like there's room for two of them under this hood.

The Ecotec is a really underrated engine, I think.

Considering what it replaced and the era of regulation it was expected to exist in, it's damn stout.

Funny, my new car has an Ecotec engine, and it doesn't even have a timing chain. It's a belt!

In reply to JohnRW1621 :

The v6 was from honda

Alfaromeoguy said:

In reply to JohnRW1621 :

The v6 was from honda

Wow, old thread.

The L series V6 was not a Honda.

The Vue started with the same V6 as the L series and later switched to the Honda.

That engine was also in Cateras and early CTS. 

Vigo said:

That engine was also in Cateras and early CTS. 

Yeah, I delivered the bad news to a Catera owner when their oil cooler pooped the bed. What a crappy design. The Vue Redline with the Honda V6 was actually fun except it also had the crappy Honda transmission bolted to it.

Those 4-cyl L-series cars were pretty much forgotten. My friend had one and all I could think of was swapping in an Ion Redline driveline.

I am stuffing in a modified 2.2 ecotec engine in my Alfa Romeo spider, it's a great motor once  you  look at it  bedplate for the main bearings, 4 bolts per main . Mine is.020 over, Molly on the pistons, ceramic on the tops

Lots of mods

 Lots of big block folks crow about 4 bolt mains 

Baffled oiPan. Etc 

Vigo said:

That engine was also in Cateras and early CTS. 

And the saab 900 6 cylinder.

And the saab 900 6 cylinder.

Including the one that had a tiny turbo running off only one side of the engine that ran 3psi of boost so it would make WELL OVER TWO HUNDRED lb ft of torque.  

belteshazzar said:

Common knowledge that the timing chain tensioners aren't good. There have been three designs from GM that I even know about.

I just got a beautiful one-owner Saturn LW200 because it jumped two teeth between the intake and exhaust cam gears. All they knew was compression was weak. It ran horrible. Made horrible noises. Enough to convince a well respected mechanic in our town to recommend dumping the car. Picked it up for Lemons money.

A $100 timing set and $40 worth of gaskets from RockAuto, and she runs like new. Didn't bend any valves.

Nice!

It seems like half the time, when the chain gets slap-happy, it beats the left-side guide (the one opposite the tensioner) so much that the upper bolt breaks off at the shoulder.  Then the guide flaps loose, and if not caught quickly enough, all sorts of bad happens.

Of course, this is the bolt that you have to access through the little plug in the front of the cylinder head, so drilling it out is a righteous pain.  Most of the time a left handed drill bit will grab it and unthread it, but sometimes....  ugh.

pimpm3 said:

Vigo said:

That engine was also in Cateras and early CTS. 

And the saab 900 6 cylinder.

Well, it was a SAAB engine.... it was a 54 degree V6 designed by SAAB to fit in the 9000, or 9-5, or whatever they called their "big car".

Which shared the platform, sort of, with the L-series.

And no, it has nothing to do with the "High Feature" other than being a V6 with some questionable design features.  Check out how fun it is to do a thermostat in a V6 L-series.  (It's not)

I misspoke, i meant the Saab 9-5. 

Ecotec  in Alfa Romeo  spider