Go to have a steering column replaced and end up with a broken head gasket?

[vi edit]

WTF?

Car: '06 Chevy Equinox w/ 63,XXX miles.

Issue: Steering assembly sounded like it was going to fall out of the bottom of the car when driving on gravel/bumpy roads.

Wife dropped car off at the dealer last Wednesday. They replace a strut up front and the steering column. She picks it up later that day and immediately notices that the vehicle makes a "whining" sound when accelerating.

Calls dealer back and gets a ride along Wednesday morning. They say "probably a vaccuum tube that's leaking air" and they set up an appointment for today.

They call her this AM and say "It's a cracked head gasket, you probably couldn't hear it over the steering column". Which about as far away as the truth as it could possibly get. That sound never existed until they worked on it for the strut & column. It's in the shop until Thursday now.

Only silver lining is that it's covered under the GM Certified B2B warranty that came with the purchase.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Major WTF, but not a big deal since you have the warranty.

What engine is in that Equinox?

 

[vi edit]

It's the chinese outsourced 3.4L

 

[PricklyPete]

Major WTF, but not a big deal since you have the warranty.

What engine is in that Equinox?

The LNJ from what I understand....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_60-Degree_V6_engine

Would definitely piss me off if it was out of warranty...but not as big a deal since still under warranty.

 

[arch113]

I hope I don't have those problems with my '08 Equinox...

 

[boomerang]

Cracked head gasket? I think something got lost in the translation. Maybe cracked exhaust manifold?

Doesn't matter it's under warranty.

 

[LTC8K6]

Intake manifold gasket?

Would a blown head gasket make a noise?

 

[vi edit]

They told my wife cracked head gasket. My google-fu says that it sounds more like a "LIM" lower intake manifold. Those I guess are fairly common fail points in these engines.

Still not sure how that would make a noise. It's the strangest sound. The closest I can describe to you is that it sounds like a bunch of cicaida bugs doing that high pitched chirp thing. And it's only when you apply gas.

 

[PricklyPete]

Intake manifold gasket?

Would a blown head gasket make a noise?

I don't remember any noticeable noises with a blown head gasket...just lots of white smoke and loss of power.

 

[AMCRambler]

Yeah, I don't think a blown head gasket makes noise until the piston rings break, it throws a rod or something else catastrophically fails.

A cracked gasket on the intake manifold might make a nice rushing sound though. You'd get more engine noise plus a big vacuum leak that would probably make the car idle like shit.

My guess would be that the exhaust manifold gasket cracked. The level of noise you describe sounds a lot louder than what you'd here from an intake leak.