[UnknownJinX]

And regarding the loaner: it did take a little bit of work for me to get the loaner, but it seems to be a problem with National franchising since the loaner car in this case was provided by them. I had to take a ferry and then ask a buddy to give me a ride to the dealer where my Camaro is as there is a National there that is willing to work with them. In the end, though, I managed to pick up a very new Hyundai Elantra as a loaner which will get me around in the meantime.

The dealer told me that the long block is coming from the States, which is what's causing the wait, but everything else is coming from Canada, so if there is something toast with my emissions stuff, they said it should be a quick fix.

The estimated repair cost was something like CAN$20k. I forgot if that included labour, but regardless, that would have hurt me a lot.

[UnknownJinX]

Just called the dealer now, and they informed me that they are halfway through installing the engine. Apparently, they told me the replacement engine is actually a bit more than a long block, they are replacing it with basically a crate engine, water pump, exhaust manifolds and all.

The estimated completion time should be early next week. As much as the Elantra sips fuel, I am dying for some high-octane actions... Hopefully, it will be done by then.

[Dabjbr]

Bravo for sharing the details. I didn’t do the same with mine. My failure didn’t result in losing any fluid. Spun bearing but still held together.

Like you, they replaced the whole engine which I preferred anyway. I think in total time, I was out 3 weeks.

Ps, it was hard to watch your video after experiencing that myself. I’ve done one track day since my replacement. I didn’t regain absolute confidence on my first outing. I hope to do so over my next two scheduled events.

[Chutzpah]

Glad this whole ordeal is working out for you. A crate engine is a definite plus.

[N Camarolina]

Originally Posted by Dabjbr

Ps, it was hard to watch your video after experiencing that myself. I’ve done one track day since my replacement. I didn’t regain absolute confidence on my first outing. I hope to do so over my next two scheduled events.

Yep, I know what you mean. After my replacement crate engine earlier this year (spun bearings, no blown out block), I've continued doing track days, but now shift around 6,000 instead of revving it out to redline every time. And hoping that it doesn't happen again.

Glad GM backs the warrantee, but the hassle of making sure the dealer puts everything back correctly is a major PITA and definite time consumer.

[2004YZFR1]

Good luck with your car. I hope they fix it properly and quickly. It’s good to k ow that Chevy is taking care of this. And you get to drive your car the way it was meant to be driven. Lots of 1LE owners will never track their car. I’m glad I’ve been able to track mine. It’s a great car.

[Gunkk]

A crate motor, nice!

Here's the break-in procedure:

[UnknownJinX]

Yeah, seeing others having good experience definitely made me more comfortable.

As for the confidence thing, I think I will just track the car as hard as I did before, heh. Crap happens, and it might just be a fluke.

In other news, the dealer has informed me that my car is ready to go as of today. They test drove it and said everything works well. I think I will have to wait until Friday to pick it up, though. Ah, it's gonna be pretty long couple of days... Not to mention that I have to pay a bit out of my pocket for the rental now.

It took 26 days to get my car repaired, and 3 weeks on the dot since when the warranty was approved by GM. Looks like yeah, I would have been without my car for 4 weeks if I go pick it up Friday.

[UnknownJinX]

Welp, I thought I should have left the thread at that, but boy oh boy, I definitely need to vent after what happened on Thursday...

So I gave the car a bit of a drive since I got the car back, and everything was driving fine for the most part. On Thursday night, however, the CEL paid me a visit. So I plugged the OBD2 scanner in and saw that I have P0171 and P0174. System too lean on both banks. Naturally, I took a look at my intake and well, I didn't like what I found, one bit.

The MAF itself was drenched in oil, so I cleaned that off with some MAF cleaner. I was a bit concerned, so I took the GM CAI off. Lo and behold, some old oil and tiny metal bit from when the last engine blew was still around! WTF! I immediately cleaned everything off, and ordered a new air filter for the GM CAI. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics since I was pretty burnt out and just wanted to be done with it.

I made sure to put everything back together correctly. The code still persisted. I have made an appointment with a dealer near where I live so we will see what they say about these codes.

Needless to say, I will be having a very strongly worded conversation with the service advisor at the dealer repair happened next week. One of my friends was playing all "I told you so" with me since he told me to ask them check everything. Well, what am I supposed to tell them? Check to see if every last bolt has been tightened down to spec? I know the job is to just replace the engine, but this is a bit too literal.

Sorry for the rant, though I think everyone would be able to understand my frustrations to some degree. I have attached a screenshot of the code and freeze frame data on the phone. Any help and idea is appreciated!



- The engine seems to run fine other than the CEL. No loss of power or anything I could tell.

- I have sprayed some carb cleaners around the intake, and the engine didn't skip a beat or rev up. I also had an old Mazda3 that had a vacuum leak and that thing would rev up and down like crazy when cold. My Camaro's cold idle is fine.

- Maybe the MAF is toast after being drenched in oil? I don't like throwing parts at it.

- As for an exhaust leak, again, I had one when I had my RX-8 after I had a shop put an aftermarket cat on. I could feel the heat and smell the untreated exhaust when idling at a stoplight. Not so much the case here. I will note that I think the engine bay is a bit hotter than I am familiar with, but that could just be the car running a little leaner than what it's supposed to. Also, both banks are having issues so I would lean towards the intake side being the problem.

[SATINSTEEL1LE]

Originally Posted by UnknownJinX

Welp, I thought I should have left the thread at that, but boy oh boy, I definitely need to vent after what happened on Thursday...

So I gave the car a bit of a drive since I got the car back, and everything was driving fine for the most part. On Thursday night, however, the CEL paid me a visit. So I plugged the OBD2 scanner in and saw that I have P0171 and P0174. System too lean on both banks. Naturally, I took a look at my intake and well, I didn't like what I found, one bit.

The MAF itself was drenched in oil, so I cleaned that off with some MAF cleaner. I was a bit concerned, so I took the GM CAI off. Lo and behold, some old oil and tiny metal bit from when the last engine blew was still around! WTF! I immediately cleaned everything off, and ordered a new air filter for the GM CAI. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics since I was pretty burnt out and just wanted to be done with it.

I made sure to put everything back together correctly. The code still persisted. I have made an appointment with a dealer near where I live so we will see what they say about these codes.

Needless to say, I will be having a very strongly worded conversation with the service advisor at the dealer repair happened next week. One of my friends was playing all "I told you so" with me since he told me to ask them check everything. Well, what am I supposed to tell them? Check to see if every last bolt has been tightened down to spec? I know the job is to just replace the engine, but this is a bit too literal.

Sorry for the rant, though I think everyone would be able to understand my frustrations to some degree. I have attached a screenshot of the code and freeze frame data on the phone. Any help and idea is appreciated!



- The engine seems to run fine other than the CEL. No loss of power or anything I could tell.

- I have sprayed some carb cleaners around the intake, and the engine didn't skip a beat or rev up. I also had an old Mazda3 that had a vacuum leak and that thing would rev up and down like crazy when cold. My Camaro's cold idle is fine.

- Maybe the MAF is toast after being drenched in oil? I don't like throwing parts at it.

- As for an exhaust leak, again, I had one when I had my RX-8 after I had a shop put an aftermarket cat on. I could feel the heat and smell the untreated exhaust when idling at a stoplight. Not so much the case here. I will note that I think the engine bay is a bit hotter than I am familiar with, but that could just be the car running a little leaner than what it's supposed to. Also, both banks are having issues so I would lean towards the intake side being the problem.

Probably NOT going to be a popular answer, but this is when I'd trade that bad boy in. There is no way a new dealer is going to touch it, and the old dealer has shown to be inadequate. So I'd find a new ride and move along. Or you could do what some would do, and hand it off to a real performance shop for a built motor/cam/blower/whatever. Those places are generally good at righting the dealer wrongs, but expect to spend $15k+ out of pocket to make this right.

So if you are in it for the long haul and have the scratch, send it off to vengeance in GA, RPM in delaware or LMR in Houston along with a massive check.

If not then its time to make its someone else's problem...

[Gunkk]

If cleaning the MAF sensor and intake doesn't solve, then replace the MAF sensor. Remember to disco the battery first.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by SATINSTEEL1LE

Probably NOT going to be a popular answer, but this is when I'd trade that bad boy in.

Originally Posted by SATINSTEEL1LE

If not then its time to make its someone else's problem...

You mean with a full disclosure and taking the hit on trade-in, right? Right?

[UnknownJinX]

Originally Posted by SATINSTEEL1LE

Probably NOT going to be a popular answer, but this is when I'd trade that bad boy in. There is no way a new dealer is going to touch it, and the old dealer has shown to be inadequate. So I'd find a new ride and move along. Or you could do what some would do, and hand it off to a real performance shop for a built motor/cam/blower/whatever. Those places are generally good at righting the dealer wrongs, but expect to spend $15k+ out of pocket to make this right.

So if you are in it for the long haul and have the scratch, send it off to vengeance in GA, RPM in delaware or LMR in Houston along with a massive check.

If not then its time to make its someone else's problem...

Well, it's kind of like a car that has been in an accident. You know somewhere, something may never be the same.

Here is the thing, though, you are assuming it's easy or cheap to find a new ride nowadays. Even if money isn't a big deal, if there is no car, what do you do? And nah, I don't feel like modding the car just yet as my own driving skills haven't yet squeezed the last bit of the car out.

Let's focus on a more approachable solution for now. A system too lean code only has so many causes. It's just that I have limited resources to do a through diagnosis.

Originally Posted by Gunkk

If cleaning the MAF sensor and intake doesn't solve, then replace the MAF sensor. Remember to disco the battery first.

That's certainly a possibility, but again, I'd rather not throw parts at it. At least not on my dime.

Ideally I could swap someone's MAF sensor in and test that theory, but I don't think that's an option here.

I do have a service manual PDF so I will see if there is anything I can do to test it.

[SATINSTEEL1LE]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

You mean with a full disclosure and taking the hit on trade-in, right? Right?

Hell no. You think the next guy wouldnt do it?? Be noble all you want but its not a noble world. Like I said unpopular opinion. Its not his problem the dealer is an idiot. This plain and simple should be a perfect car once fixed. There should be no reason to chase gremlins going forward with it. But alas this is reality where the dealer will lie, cheat and steal their way to making it your problem. At that point cut the cord.