The GM 6.2l L87 Disaster

[sablebrush52]

Hmmmm....

After considering all of the above, I'll stick with my 20 yo Sienna van. It's been mechanically maintained, is reliable, still got at least 100,000 more miles in her.

Dashboard looks like a car dashboard instead of the bridge of the Enterprise, minimal electronics to break down, low insurance cost, lacks the genital stimulator that's become all the rage, but I don't care.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Dashboard looks like a car dashboard instead of the bridge of the Enterprise,

Right there... I agree 100%. The more computer shit they put on the dash, the more disgusted I am with the shit.

 

[PaulRVA]

General Motors had two catastrophically bad engines in my lifetime, the aluminum 2.4 liter Vega engine and the first aluminum Cadillac V-8. I owned two aluminum block Northstar Cadillacs and sold both before the head gaskets failed, so maybe that’s three aluminum bad motors General Motors made.

But how many really good push rod iron block V-8s has General Motors made since 1955?

They should be the master of traditional V-8.

As I understand the problem the crank in 21-24 6.2 engines has end shake that the pre 21s and the 25s do not have.

Using 0-40 oil is a band aid, and a bad one.

These new engines are all built for low viscosity oil.

My Father bought an 83 Biarritz and bought an 83 Seville for My Mother. Those two cars were beautiful but serious pieces of $¥!~ so much so that Dad’s next car was a BMW and he never bought another Cadillac. Those two cars also swore me off GM Products my entire life as well.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Hmmmm....

... lacks the genital stimulator that's become all the rage, but I don't care.

They've rendered our sweeties superfluous?

 

[sablebrush52]

My Father bought an 83 Biarritz and bought an 83 Seville for My Mother. Those two cars were beautiful but serious pieces of $¥!~ so much so that Dad’s next car was a BMW and he never bought another Cadillac. Those two cars also swore me off GM Products my entire life as well.

My father was an engineer who grew up around cars in the teens, twenties, and thirties and never lost his fascination with them. He designed turbines that were used in race cars and we would watch closed circuit screenings of the Indianapolis 500 at the local theater before there was cable, much less streaming.
So when GM came out with the 4-6-8 engine on its Cadillac he was intrigued. People wouldn’t buy them so GM offered a very complete warranty that pretty much covered everything, in order to get rid of them. He bought one for my mom.
Someone must have been looking out for them because the engine and drive train performed faultlessly for the 10 years they had it. Pretty much everything else fell apart. The front bumper just fell off one day while the car was parked in the driveway, but that engine and drive train soldiered on.

 

[georged]

7.3 liter International turbo diesel Ford F-250 4x4, here, and it runs as well today as it did new in 1996.

21 mpg (empty), pulls 12K lbs up Interstate-grade mountain passes without slowing down, has a fold-down cushy bench-style "kid seat", and a full size bed.

Nice chunky analog controls on the dash, a cruise control that doesn't take a PhD in astrophysics to use, no absurd TV cameras or screens, no seat heaters, no annoying fembot asking me incessant questions, and none of that absolutely criminally bad half-ass "self-driving" crap.

Oh yeah... it has the most effective anti-theft device known to Man: a manual transmission.

Why am I mentioning this? Because it is proof positive that durable vehicles that do the job CAN be built.

Which leaves only one reason why they no longer ARE: They don't want to.

 

[ashdigger]

I have a 2000 Ford F-250 Super Duty with a 7.3 Powerstroke that currently has 350,000. I say currently because add 1,000 after tomorrow.

Great truck. Runs fantastic. No emissions bull crap.

 

[PaulRVA]

My father was an engineer who grew up around cars in the teens, twenties, and thirties and never lost his fascination with them. He designed turbines that were used in race cars and we would watch closed circuit screenings of the Indianapolis 500 at the local theater before there was cable, much less streaming.
So when GM came out with the 4-6-8 engine on its Cadillac he was intrigued. People wouldn’t buy them so GM offered a very complete warranty that pretty much covered everything, in order to get rid of them. He bought one for my mom.
Someone must have been looking out for them because the engine and drive train performed faultlessly for the 10 years they had it. Pretty much everything else fell apart. The front bumper just fell off one day while the car was parked in the driveway, but that engine and drive train soldiered on.

He sounds identical to my Grandfather (1909-1993) retired from United Engineers.
He was a diehard Cadillac guy and a huge 572 engine fan. He pampered a 1972 Sedan Deville 572 as if it was his child. My Grandma had a 1969 Coupe Deville even though she never drove a day in her life literally grandpa kept it charged and backed into the garage ready for her at all times.
Grandpa and I took that 1972 along the Old Route 66 remnants from Chicago to Arizona when I was 10.
He had this quirk where he felt 52mph was best for fuel consumption. You have no idea how slow that trip was never getting to 53 mph but I’m glad I spent it with him.

 

[ssjones]

I put 400k on a six year old Altima. Absolutely nothing failed, not even a bulb. (well, after they replaced the CVT POS transmission at 100k)
329 k in four years on a Honda Accord, one headlight went out.
240k in three years on a Lincoln MKZ (exhaust manifold cracked, rear rotors crapped out twice - the damned Electonic Parking Brake nonsense cause that issue)

 

[wyfbane]

I won't buy a GM made after 2009 because having the government forgive the last 10billion of your bailout isn't the same as actually paying back your bailout, which they are fond of touting. Thus, their shit still-subsidized-in-my-mind motor is irrelevant to me.

Al, you drive an awful lot.

I have a 2017 Ram 3500, last year of the 6 speed manual transmission. Ram is the US volkswagon. I keep having a sensor go out here, go out there, go out every damn where.

Best cars I ever had were an 85 and 87 BMW 528e. They go everywhere for a RWD, and they go forEVER. I'd still be driving the 87 if some asshole hadn't rear ended it and killed my poor car.

 

[Dave760]

Just saw this on Rainman Ray's channel. Apparently GM's finally going to replace the affected engines.

 

[Alejo R.]

Here’s the problem for GM, and Ford and Stellantis, as well,

The richest man who has ever lived (even after a disastrous three months) marketed an automobile and sold millions of them that:

1. Doesn’t need gasoline.

2. Is three times more energy efficient (cheaper to run).

3. Outruns sixties muscle cars.

4. Replaces a piston engine and conventional drive train with an electric motor much cheaper to build that is hooked to the axles.

5. Requires about 40% of assembly time and cost.

The bad news is range (about like sixties and seventies gas guzzlers) and recharge time and battery replacement cost, all improving steadily.

But the gasoline car, and even gasoline truck, are dead technology but are still the mainstay of the industry.

Here’s the problem for GM, and Ford and Stellantis, as well,

The richest man who has ever lived (even after a disastrous three months) marketed an automobile and sold millions of them that:

1. Doesn’t need gasoline.

2. Is three times more energy efficient (cheaper to run).

3. Outruns sixties muscle cars.

4. Replaces a piston engine and conventional drive train with an electric motor much cheaper to build that is hooked to the axles.

5. Requires about 40% of assembly time and cost.

The bad news is range (about like sixties and seventies gas guzzlers) and recharge time and battery replacement cost, all improving steadily.

But the gasoline car, and even gasoline truck, are dead technology but are still the mainstay of the industry.

Stellantis continues to sell the Puretech 3-cylinder turbo engine with oil-immersed timing belt, which has been a disaster around the world, with catastrophic failures in less than 20,000 miles. So you don't know what's incompetence and what's malicious intent. Puretech's nickname is Pudretech (rotten technology)

 

[captainsousie]

I've owned four Chevy Silverados and I was on several forums and facebook pages for that truck. Engine lifter issues with the 6.2L motor are epic. You'd have to be a fool to miss that this motor was a disaster. 5.3L motors were also effected, but you have better odds.

The issue is with Chevy's Active Fuel Management and the Start/Stop Idle programs.

I lucked out with our 2022 High Country 5.3L. It was a Covid truck, so missing several chips - including AFM and idle stop. I never had an issue with this one (same with my other 5.3L 1500's). We didn't tow anything, so the 5.3L was more than adequate. Plenty of issues with the turbo four as well (I can't imagine being happy with a turbo four in this giant ass truck).

My buddy bought a 2023 Denali 6.2L, despite my warnings. His motor failed after 16 months (lifters) and he waited over four months for a replacement.

I traded this truck for our 2025 Ridegline Black Edition. The sales team low-balled me on the trade-in, and showed me there were a lot of HC's available in their range. I said check the motors - they are all 6.2L trucks people are bailing on. Yep, I was right. Not a single 5.3L on the used market in our area. No long beds with no AFM either. I got a few more grand out of it (then got $2500 additional at the end of the deal). The sales manager bought the truck the next day.

My Ridgeline also has the Idle Stop, like nearly every vehicle on the market these days. It drives me nuts. You can turn it off, but must do so on every drive. I just ordered yesterday, an idle-stopper that locks it out. I don't need to save 0.8 ounces of gas on a typical drive.

Yep, AFM was a bonehead idea. Had it in my Pontiac G8 with an L75 but shutting it off with an ECM programmer and eventually doing an AFM delete made the engine last over 150k miles and still going strong.

 

[ssjones]

Yep, AFM was a bonehead idea. Had it in my Pontiac G8 with an L75 but shutting it off with an ECM programmer and eventually doing an AFM delete made the engine last over 150k miles and still going strong.

I just installed an IdleStopper on my Honda Ridgeline, another senseless idea.

 

[captainsousie]

I just installed an IdleStopper on my Honda Ridgeline, another senseless idea.

Yep, let's not kill our starters prematurely.

 

[Sig]

Every car can have issues and many have many issues. But, if you do your homework, you can make out ok.
My 2017 Silverado 2500 HD with the 6.6 liter Duramax is great....with a bit of knowhow and some aftermarket parts. I'm not sure what I'll buy next, but it won't be new.
Ive got a 1971 Chevy K20 with the original 454 that stopped counting at 208,000 miles. And a 2014 BMW M4 that came with the 3.0 in line 6 cylinder twin turbo (one of the best engines ever). I've made a few mods, increasing the HP by about 150.
I have a bunch of old engines laying around. I just need a fresh square body Chevy or bull nose Ford to put them in after the Silverado is done.
I will go the rest of my life without a vehicle newer than 1984. But, my wife is about due. Her 2013 Rouge has 130,000 miles and she's getting antsy for a new ride. The Rouge has been fantastic, never had a single issue. Even with it's poorly designed non serviceable CVT transmission.....which I made serviceable.

 

[ssjones]

Every car can have issues and many have many issues. But, if you do your homework, you can make out ok.
My 2017 Silverado 2500 HD with the 6.6 liter Duramax is great....with a bit of knowhow and some aftermarket parts. I'm not sure what I'll buy next, but it won't be new.
Ive got a 1971 Chevy K20 with the original 454 that stopped counting at 208,000 miles. And a 2014 BMW M4 that came with the 3.0 in line 6 cylinder twin turbo (one of the best engines ever). I've made a few mods, increasing the HP by about 150.
I have a bunch of old engines laying around. I just need a fresh square body Chevy or bull nose Ford to put them in after the Silverado is done.
I will go the rest of my life without a vehicle newer than 1984. But, my wife is about due. Her 2013 Rouge has 130,000 miles and she's getting antsy for a new ride. The Rouge has been fantastic, never had a single issue. Even with it's poorly designed non serviceable CVT transmission.....which I made serviceable.

They key to Nissan CVT's is to drain and refill the CVT fluid frequently. That got me to 400,000 miles on my Altima. (300k on the replacement CVT transmission). The guy I sold it to replaced the CVT transmission and his daughter is still using it (7 years ago!)

 

[Sig]

They key to Nissan CVT's is to drain and refill the CVT fluid frequently. That got me to 400,000 miles on my Altima. (300k on the replacement CVT transmission). The guy I sold it to replaced the CVT transmission and his daughter is still using it (7 years ago!)

Yep, every 30,000 miles.
I always use the NS2 fluid from Nissan. Just incase.

 

[Briar Lee]

Yesterday my wife and I saw up close our first Tesla in the wild, winding up some business in Halfway Missouri (which is even more of a devastated economic war zone than Humansville.)

The young lady that owned it, was using her 2021 Tesla like a hammer. It looked like any other modern, white, lemon drop styled car of the last 25 years. It almost had a hundred thousand miles on it.

My wife asked, how far does it go on a charge?

She said up to 300 miles.

She asked, how long does it take to charge?

The girl said usually I leave it plugged in overnight, but if I’m on a trip I might stop for 20 minutes to top it off.

My wife asked what happened to her electric bill and the reply was she hardly could tell the difference. It was a bunch cheaper than buying gasoline. And she added, the payments were even cheaper than the Suburban she’d traded in.

The last question my wife asked, was do other people heckle you or give you grief for driving a Tesla?

She said this isn’t a Cybertruck. Who knows it’s a Tesla?

When we left, my wife asked me, does Tesla or anybody else make an electric Suburban—not a Tahoe—a full sized electric Suburban?

I replied, not yet, I don’t think.

The gasoline buggy car makers had better sell those things while Mama still will buy one.

The party is about over.


Sing one Willie

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Yesterday my wife and I saw up close our first Tesla in the wild, winding up some business in Halfway Missouri (which is even more of a devastated economic war zone than Humansville.)

The young lady that owned it, was using her 2021 Tesla like a hammer. It looked like any other modern, white, lemon drop styled car of the last 25 years.

My wife asked, how far does it go on a charge?

She said up to 300 miles.

She asked, how long does it take to charge?

The girl said usually I leave it plugged in overnight, but if I’m on a trip I might stop for 20 minutes to top it off.

My wife asked what happened to her electric bill and the reply was she hardly could tell the diffence. It was a bunch cheaper than buying gasoline.

The last question my wife asked, was do other people heckle you or give you grief for driving a Tesla?

She said this isn’t a Cybertruck. Who knows it’s a Tesla?

When we left, my wife asked me, does Tesla or anybody else make an electric Suburban—not a Tahoe—a full sized electric Suburban?

I replied, not yet, I don’t think.

The gasoline buggy car makers had better sell those things while Mama still will buy one.

The party is about over.


Sing one Willie

You must be smoking something besides tobacco in those Algerian briars.