OT: 2021-2024 GM V8 engine issues

T-TownDawgg

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Nov 4, 2015
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Please tell me how I can turn it off permanently... I have to push the damn button every time I get in my vehicle. I hate that stop/start shitt.
Stop/start is different from cylinder deactivation.

To turn either off permanently, you'll likely have to purchase an aftermarket programmer, or get a mechanic who has one to disable for you.
 
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Perd Hapley

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Sep 30, 2022
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Why does it matter if an engine has a turbo or if it is naturally aspirated?
That’s a loaded question, but in the case of this specific topic with the GM failures….turbochargers greatly increase combustion pressure vs. natural aspiration when the engine is under boost. This puts a lot more stress on all the moving parts in the shortblock, but specifically the bearings for the connecting rods and the main bearings of crankshaft. This means there’s a lot smaller margin for error in the dimensional tolerances and contamination generated by the manufacturing process.

Contrary to what some believe, even turbocharged engines are actually naturally aspirated 95-99% of the time…..depending on individual driving habits / conditions. Exceptions being towing, which is going to lower that % a bit.

What everyone else said about more moving parts, more complexity, etc. is also true.
 

Walkthedawg

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Oct 3, 2022
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Are they as bad as they say? Looking at Yukon XL & Escalade ESV. Researching a duramax because of all the engine problems in the 6.2L V8
The “baby duramax” in the SUVs has an oil pump belt. Not a chain.. not running off the camshaft that worked awesome for 5 decades, a belt.

I believe the recommendation is to “have it checked” at 80k. To “check it”, the transmission has to come out of the vehicle.
 

Dawgbite

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Nov 1, 2011
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Ultimately, issue there seems to be both vehicle design and part specs on GM side.

Variable vane turbo is a far more complex way of doing what a twin scroll turbo already does with far fewer moving parts. That’s mistake #1. Mistake #2 is not designing enough clearance in the engine compartment for service. $18,000 for a simple turbocharger replacement is insanity. I’m seriously hoping you added an extra zero in there by mistake. The only way it’s accurate is if they are having to either pull the entire engine, or lift the cab off to do the turbo swap (or maybe both).

And even then it still seems too high. If the new turbo is like $500, that’s $17,500 in labor cost. Even at an asinine labor rate like $150/hr, that’s still 116 hrs of work. That’s 3 technicians each working for an entire week on 1 truck repair. I’m calling BS. So the other mistake is that GM is letting their dealers completely fleece their customers with their service costs.
Said that they had to pull the cab to replace the turbo. A new turbo was over $9000 per the estimate. The rest was primarily labor.
 
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I had 234k on my 2008 that I sold in November. Started using some oil ( bout a qt/1000).
270K on 2009 Silverado. I had the rear main seal replaced about a year ago as it was leaking oil. Now leak free. Turn off Displacement on demand at about 150k. Change oil and filter every 4000. The truck still runs great.
 

T-TownDawgg

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Nov 4, 2015
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The “baby duramax” in the SUVs has an oil pump belt. Not a chain.. not running off the camshaft that worked awesome for 5 decades, a belt.

I believe the recommendation is to “have it checked” at 80k. To “check it”, the transmission has to come out of the vehicle.
I know 2 people that have this engine, and as much as I like to shitt on stupid engineering like this(Ford does the same crap), they love this engine.

FWIW, I saw where an aftermarket parts producer was working on a chain-type retrofit for the oil pump belt.

This engine seems to be promising when maintained properly. I’m watching this drivetrain closely over the next couple of years. I love diesels, but not many new versions.
 

Perd Hapley

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Sep 30, 2022
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Go to this website and buy a plug in module that disables the active fuel management and you'll be fine with the GM 5.3 or 6.2. Around $200 for the module. It also disables the start/stop
It will also disable your powertrain warranty immediately. Definitely wouldn’t mess with this if your truck is still in the warranty window.
 

Perd Hapley

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Said that they had to pull the cab to replace the turbo. A new turbo was over $9000 per the estimate. The rest was primarily labor.
WTF. Not sure what model year or engine size you have, but Google shows them in the $600-$800 range for the ones going back to 2017. I think your dealer is cooking the books, big time.

And “only” $9000 is still wayyyyyy too high for labor, even if they have to lift the cab. That’s still around 60 labor hours.
 

ababyatemydingo

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Nov 27, 2008
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It will also disable your powertrain warranty immediately. Definitely wouldn’t mess with this if your truck is still in the warranty window.
No it won't. The advice to get it and the vendor to get it from was given to me by the service manger of a GMC dealership.
 

RocketDawg

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Oct 21, 2011
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Well it's something added to an engine that is forcing it to do something it wouldn't naturally do. I'm not saying it's bad or it shortens the life expectancy, but it very well could.
Depends on how often you use the full capability of the turbo.
 

RocketDawg

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Oct 21, 2011
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Yeah, the premium gas thing is just throwing money away. If your car requires it, you need it or the engine will knock & eventually you’ll have real problems. If not there’s no advantage to premium gas. And regular gas has the exact same additives as premium so the Acura dealer was full of sh* t.
More important is to buy Top Tier gas (my car needs premium, but I knew that going in). Stay away from Kroger and Race Track and similar. Costco is fine, Sam's is not.
 
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RocketDawg

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Oct 21, 2011
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Please tell me how I can turn it off permanently... I have to push the damn button every time I get in my vehicle. I hate that stop/start shitt.

Stop/start is not the same as cylinder deactivation. It does exactly what the name implies - turns off half of the cylinders when cruising. Even Corvette has it (I think) and is another method of saving a little gas, but can't possibly be good for the engine.

Start/stop is a pita, and can be turned off with the switch every startup, or you can buy an inexpensive kit on Amazon and deactivate it permanently.
 
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Delta_dawg

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Jul 15, 2021
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Please tell me how I can turn it off permanently... I have to push the damn button every time I get in my vehicle. I hate that stop/start shitt.
On my last F150 there was a wire that ran to the battery. All I did was unplug it at the battery and that was all it cut off that I could tell. Never had any issues after that and if I needed to take it in for work could just plug it back in . I’m sure a quick YouTube could find it
 
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Howiefeltersnstch

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Dec 28, 2019
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Anything with the VVT and AFM is gonna be a problem. That's a ridiculous idea forced on these manufacturers to meet fuel consumption requirements while still providing a V8 engine to the customer. Anybody that does any hot nodding or LS swap knows to skip over those engines. Just something that's gonna have internal failure guaranteed
 

Perd Hapley

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Sep 30, 2022
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No it won't. The advice to get it and the vendor to get it from was given to me by the service manger of a GMC dealership.
Yeah….that doesn’t really mean anything. If the service manager at the dealership didn’t actually put it in for you, then its likely a voided warranty if discovered.

If you roll up to the dealer at 45,000 miles with a busted engine, and they find out you have it, there’s a real good chance that the manufacturer will not honor the warranty.

Now, they may NOT know you have it if you remove it beforehand, but still might see stored codes from before the failure or conditions in the ECM that show that the AFM system should have been engaged, but wasn’t. That would be evidence of tampering.

You want to roll the dice on that, go ahead. Just saying you’d be better served to install something like that AFTER 60,000 miles, just in case.
 

Delmar

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Jan 8, 2008
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The “baby duramax” in the SUVs has an oil pump belt. Not a chain.. not running off the camshaft that worked awesome for 5 decades, a belt.

I believe the recommendation is to “have it checked” at 80k. To “check it”, the transmission has to come out of the vehicle.
I have the babymax in my truck and I love it. Through 2022, the recommendation is to change the belt at 150k miles, stating in 2023 they changed the recommendation to 200k miles. There is no interval for inspection. The transmission doesn’t have to completely come out of the vehicle but it will have to dropped to get access to the rear main cover and the belt.

The reason for the belt is footprint. It is an inline 6 and already a long engine. Adding a chain would have required a tensioner and that would have just put them over the design envelope for the engine. There is an interview on YouTube with the chief engineer.
 

kired

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Aug 22, 2008
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I’m not sure if it’s the 25s or not. I think it’s 20-24 Santa Fe’s and Palisades. It’s the GDI engines getting buildup up because there’s so gasoline to clean out the buildup due to the direct injection. They recommend oil changes every 4,000 miles with fully synthetic oil which is just wild to me but that’s what they’re saying now.
We’ve got a 2020 palisade. Original recommended oil change was 7500. I started noticing it using oil maybe around 35000 - a quart after 5000 miles or so. But only got worse. Somewhere around 50k it had got to using 2-3 quarts between changes. They did a couple of consumption tests for 1000 miles each then did some type of cleaning where they kept it for a week, I didn’t ask for details. It’s been fine now for past year. They did switch recommended interval to 5000.

Anyway, we should be under warranty for at least 2 more years worth of driving but once it hits high 90k I’ll be done with Hyundai forever. We had an 09 Santa Fe that I gave to my parents, it’s now close to 300k miles and never had any work other than brakes / coolant / oil / spark plugs.
 

PooPopsBaldHead

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Dec 15, 2017
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Are you fellas telling me my 2024 RST Tahoe was a bad purchase?
You have to be joking, you don't really have one of those do you? Weren't you busting my balls about how nobody should be spending more than $200k on a house a few years ago and you bought a $80k Chevy???

1000019450.jpg
 
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Dawgbite

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Who else on here can honestly say that they’ve paid more for an automobile than they have for a house?
Excuse Me Reaction GIF by Laff
 

DesotoCountyDawg

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Nov 16, 2005
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We’ve got a 2020 palisade. Original recommended oil change was 7500. I started noticing it using oil maybe around 35000 - a quart after 5000 miles or so. But only got worse. Somewhere around 50k it had got to using 2-3 quarts between changes. They did a couple of consumption tests for 1000 miles each then did some type of cleaning where they kept it for a week, I didn’t ask for details. It’s been fine now for past year. They did switch recommended interval to 5000.

Anyway, we should be under warranty for at least 2 more years worth of driving but once it hits high 90k I’ll be done with Hyundai forever. We had an 09 Santa Fe that I gave to my parents, it’s now close to 300k miles and never had any work other than brakes / coolant / oil / spark plugs.
They probably used a GDI cleaner on the intake valves. It does the cleaning that would happen with typical injection gas motor. I’ve watched the oil consumption constantly and so far ours hasn’t done it and I’m the same, as soon we get 80 or 90k on the car, it’s gone.
 

patdog

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May 28, 2007
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Who else on here can honestly say that they’ve paid more for an automobile than they have for a house?
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Most expensive car I’ve bought was $35,000 new. It’s a better car than most “premium” models. The BMW was a little better but only a little & would have been twice as much. As for what people are paying for large SUVs & trucks, I just don’t understand it, unless it is truly a farm or heave duty work vehicle.
 

MSUDOG24

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Mar 31, 2021
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Who else on here can honestly say that they’ve paid more for an automobile than they have for a house?
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Interesting question and had to think for a sec. Have not. First house $51,000 1980, last car $40,000 used 2020.
Wonder what the tipping point is where it's highly unlikely? Seems you'd have to be in a certain age group to come close.
 
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Dawgbite

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Interesting question and had to think for a sec. Have not. First house $51,000 1980, last car $40,000 used 2020.
Wonder what the tipping point is where it's highly unlikely? Seems you'd have to be in a certain age group to come close.
I should have been more specific, current house. Built this house in 1988/1989. We’ve sold it and cleaning out stuff I found my original payment book. I borrowed $42,500 and my payment was $437.37 per month. I payed $61,000 for the Jeep I’m currently driving.
 
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Dawgbite

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Most expensive car I’ve bought was $35,000 new. It’s a better car than most “premium” models. The BMW was a little better but only a little & would have been twice as much. As for what people are paying for large SUVs & trucks, I just don’t understand it, unless it is truly a farm or heave duty work vehicle.
Local dealer has a new Yukon Denali parked out front. Wife’s been ogling it so she stopped and looked at the sticker, $106000.
 
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Boosh

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Sep 14, 2017
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Who else on here can honestly say that they’ve paid more for an automobile than they have for a house?
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I have. I bought a house in 1998 for $135k. I bought a car in 2021 for $150k. Dont ask me why, but it was fun.
 

TrueMaroonGrind

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Jan 6, 2017
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Thanks to this thread I bought an Auto Stop Eliminator for my wife’s Chevy. Cost $12 and saves a lot of annoyance from Auto Stop. Wish I would have bought it earlier than 160k miles. Better late than never.
 

paindonthurt

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Apr 7, 2025
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You have to be joking, you don't really have one of those do you? Weren't you busting my balls about how nobody should be spending more than $200k on a house a few years ago and you bought a $80k Chevy???

View attachment 826773
People can buy whatever they want if they can afford it.

I dont think you’ll hear me griping about the things I can’t do bc of money.
 

dawgman42

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Jul 24, 2007
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We bought a 2020 Sante Fe and we have 90k on it now with no issues and superb fuel mileage. I was thinking our next one would be a Hyundai as well. I really am please with to overall quality of the Hyundai and cost.
Just be careful with Hyundais. Had a 2013 Sonata that I kept up extremely well. Gave it to my daughter back in 2022, and it was still running great at 125,000 miles. Then, last July, the engine threw a rod due to known Hyundai engine issues with this model. Because I had all my maintenance records accessible and all recalls performed (including one that gives has a knock-sensor warning for this particular engine failure), Hyundai replaced the engine. Fast forward 3.5 months from the replaced engine . . .

IMG_20241026_184801 (3).jpg

Not what you want to happen on a two-lane road about 20 miles outside of Hillsborough, TX. Major rupture with gas lines for the new engine (daughter smelt gas, then had the car start filling with smoke). Hyundai engines have issues, and yes, even still with the 2020+ year models. I would watch them very carefully, get all of your maintenance done EARLY, and in the future, look to other brands.
 

o_Hot Rock

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Jan 2, 2010
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Internal combustion vehicles have 2,000 moving parts and these engines create so much heat. If the EV GROUP can get solid state battery that lasts, then I think more and more people will change for the reliability of 200 moving parts of the EV VS 2,000 of ICE.

No one questions the electric motors vs ICE. We learned how to make those things last for decades in much more demanding conditions in manufacturing a long time ago. It’s the battery and even in its current evolution is better for many people. I know I probably will never buy another ICE but they do have limitations, for now.