Timing Question

[Itskontakt]

First post here, just wanted an opinion or two or more than a few. Lol
So I have a 2010 equinox 2.4 with a broken timing guide (black), oil was of course the culprit.
Car stopped (at idle) with a P0016. Refused to restart. In my attempt to turn over it did feel like it hit one very very brief time.
Didn’t try for long as it was obvious the timing was off due to how these motors sound when that occurs.
I finally got around to disassembly today. I turned the crank to TDC and my exhaust (as expected) looks ok! The intake on the other hand (which I knew based on the code) was off. I would say it’s roughly at maybe 12/1 o’clock?
Instead of at 2 o clock that I’ve saw online. When I rotate the motor it feels pretty good, compared to other cars I’ve done previously.
My big question is, does anyone think I could’ve suffered any valve damage. I know once I dig further I will know for sure.
But trying to get an idea before I go in further. I’ve added a few photos for reference. Thanks in advance for any input!

Also sorry if my formatting looks weird. Typed in a rush on a iPhone and it looked bad so I edited and spaced things out some for easier (hopefully) reading.

 

[Itskontakt]

I managed to find my scanner and run the codes. P0016 is definitely there, and was there beforehand. I had p0113 come up (IAT) now I’m thinking that maybe that’s why it stalled and won’t start. But I definitely know the timing needs work.

 

[Itskontakt]

Got it finished and nothing was bent! Got the cams lined up and chain on, and the crank practically fell into position without much effort. As a side note the way my crank is pictured up above. It has me either 1/2 or 1 link off (didn’t find out how to remove the washer on the crank until after I had it timed and tensioner set). Not sure if the vvt system compensated for it but the car runs GREAT and has so much pep kind of reminds me of my old 13 Malibu with a 2.5!

For anyone doing this job, if your guide broke. I HIGHLY recommend pulling the oil pan. There is going to be some broken bits laying around the bottom of the oil pan, as well as in the pickup tube.

Don’t have a lot of timing jobs under my belt. But this one is definitely simple!

 

[corvairbob]

glad to hear you got it i was going to tel you to pull the pan becasue you will have a bunch o timing parts in the oil pickup and that can and will hinder oil pressures. also the way you described this it sounds like it actually jumped time.

 

[Itskontakt]

glad to hear you got it i was going to tel you to pull the pan becasue you will have a bunch o timing parts in the oil pickup and that can and will hinder oil pressures. also the way you described this it sounds like it actually jumped time.

It actually did jump time, but that’s not why it stalled. Forgot to mention in my earlier post. The P0113 is what stalled it, due to fouled plugs. I say it was a intervention! Lol and regarding the pan, once I saw the broken timing guide pieces that didn’t fall, I knew what I had to do. The attached pic is what was in the pan.

 

[schovil69]

Nice work! Good job getting the broken bits out of there.

 

[corvairbob]

greate glad to hear it is done. the iat will cause a no start. but just for S&G if you get a chance you may want to do a compression just to make sure you did not hit a valve and bend it a bit. it does not take much for the cam to be off to caruse that. when i did my girls the intake was off maybe a bit more than your due to the wrong intake phaser that they sent to me and turning it by hand i found that out. it was good i did not just put it together and crank it. but i have done enough of these to know that you always hand crank the engine just to make sure you have valve clearence, the engine may not start due to timing still being off but at least you do not damage valves.

anyway did all your codes go away after the repair? also did you checke the phaser solenoids to make sure the screens are clean. thanks for the update.

 

[Itskontakt]

greate glad to hear it is done. the iat will cause a no start. but just for S&G if you get a chance you may want to do a compression just to make sure you did not hit a valve and bend it a bit. it does not take much for the cam to be off to caruse that. when i did my girls the intake was off maybe a bit more than your due to the wrong intake phaser that they sent to me and turning it by hand i found that out. it was good i did not just put it together and crank it. but i have done enough of these to know that you always hand crank the engine just to make sure you have valve clearence, the engine may not start due to timing still being off but at least you do not damage valves.

anyway did all your codes go away after the repair? also did you checke the phaser solenoids to make sure the screens are clean. thanks for the update.

Honestly I don’t think the IAT itself will cause the no-start, if you keep a defective one on long enough though it will kill the plugs. Atleast that’s what happened for this one. Before I started my disassembly I rotated the motor by hand quite a few times to see how it felt (this was before I ever thought to check the plugs, so I was assuming the timing was the reason for the no-start) I also did that with the spark plugs still in it. Talk about frustrated everytime TDC came back around (without the crank pulley on). The car still runs great, but it has 0016 and 0017 (which I know why, but it gives me a chance to get my girl to get the phasers since she didn’t the first go around ). Also did clean the screens. The day of, and then I just changed the oil two days ago and checked again. Everything looked pretty good, just a little light specks which I knew would happen considering I drained the oil cold (couldn’t start the car, and needed to remove oil pan). Had previously cleaned the pcv orifice on the intake and it’s safe to say that helped with the oil burn. Went from 1 quart a week to no burn in 3 weeks. I think once I get the phasers done, and the timing reset. This nox will be somewhat dependable for the long term.

 

[corvairbob]

the iat sensor is the same as the choke on a carbed engine. and you recall what happens when the auto choke failed or you forgot to push in the hand chokes. also make sure if you get phasers that they have 2 types. make sure what your engine is before you order. the lea engine uses the exhaust on both cams. if you can't find out the engine go to cloyes and input the vin and see what they say for the engine. good luck

 

[Itskontakt]

the iat sensor is the same as the choke on a carbed engine. and you recall what happens when the auto choke failed or you forgot to push in the hand chokes. also make sure if you get phasers that they have 2 types. make sure what your engine is before you order. the lea engine uses the exhaust on both cams. if you can't find out the engine go to cloyes and input the vin and see what they say for the engine. good luck

Born in 89 so I didn’t get to experience that. Thank you for the heads up as well. Not exactly sure of the motor type but I do know it’s California emissions just by looking at it. Going to run that vin and see what it tells me! Thanks again

 

[comp]

Born in 89 so I didn’t get to experience that. Thank you for the heads up as well. Not exactly sure of the motor type but I do know it’s California emissions just by looking at it. Going to run that vin and see what it tells me! Thanks again

update?? where ya get good tech info,,,never been into a 2.4 and it looks like i have a intake cam advanced,,any ideas to start with? thanks

 

[Itskontakt]

When you say tech info, what do you mean exactly? As far as research I did for myself, the only real thing I “needed” was something that showed me where my crank and cam should be lined up at for TDC. I also posted that picture earlier in the thread if you want to refer back to it. I would also recommend watching this and maybe a another video or two on YouTube. Not sure how mechanically inclined you are, but this will give you an idea of what you would need to do.

The work and actually getting it timed is pretty simple. Especially compared to a ford 3.5 , I spent a week doing a timing chain on the Lincoln version of the ford edge a few years back. Lol

But let’s backtrack. Why do you think your timing is advanced? I’m assuming you haven’t went into the motor yet? Is yours still running? What codes do you have?

 

[comp]

the code read said advanced,,put both intake and ex. in it christmas day,,it must had been off awile before it popped the code because its been months sence it idled this smooth,,,no debre or shavings in there, as soon as i can going to pull cover and inspect chain and guides,,and that bolt that backs out,,,,by INFO,,,i would love to have a book with real info,torque,measurements etc,,just got the updated HAYNES and it doesnt have crap on the 2.4 VVT,,,and the chiltons is a joke to

 

[Itskontakt]

Going off memory with the codes so forgive me if I have the code numbers wrong but I’m assuming you had a p0013/p0015 (I believe those are the codes for intake and exhaust solenoid)? If you don’t have any shavings on the solenoids you may not have any timing damage. I personally didn’t use this but I found this on google. https://chevy-specs.com/cars/2012/equinox2.4/torque-specs_engine.php

I went by feel for everything except the phasers. And still no torque wrench for that. I’ve also been working on cars since 2007 so I kind of have a “feel” for torque. If that makes sense.

 

[comp]

Going off memory with the codes so forgive me if I have the code numbers wrong but I’m assuming you had a p0013/p0015 (I believe those are the codes for intake and exhaust solenoid)? If you don’t have any shavings on the solenoids you may not have any timing damage. I personally didn’t use this but I found this on google. https://chevy-specs.com/cars/2012/equinox2.4/torque-specs_engine.php

I went by feel for everything except the phasers. And still no torque wrench for that. I’ve also been working on cars since 2007 so I kind of have a “feel” for torque. If that makes sense.

mine were p0010 at first and p0011 after driving 5 days,,,,,anybody ever seen a engine manual ? if i have to build one im going to bluprint one ,,total-seal rings strongest rods( what i read the DI rods are weakest) full float the pins add a few tho. on the cams,,5 angle valves ETC. just do it right...

 

[corvairbob]

try the hot builders forums they may have what your after i doubt your going to get that from this site. most guys here are having enough issues just keeping them going. but it may be a waste of time to hotrod this engine if the trans will not take it. but hey may be worth a try. i think i would just look for a 2018 or newer engine and ecu and install that as they fixed all the issues in the 4th gen. but good luck and let us know how it is progressing https://www.hotrodders.com/forums/

 

[comp]

try the hot builders forums they may have what your after i doubt your going to get that from this site. most guys here are having enough issues just keeping them going. but it may be a waste of time to hotrod this engine if the trans will not take it. but hey may be worth a try. i think i would just look for a 2018 or newer engine and ecu and install that as they fixed all the issues in the 4th gen. but good luck and let us know how it is progressing https://www.hotrodders.com/forums/

not hot rodding just tweaking for a stronger torque curve...what other sites you think would be good ???

 

[corvairbob]

sorry that was the only site i could find for the help i needed with the equinox. good luck. for what it is worth blueprinting that engine for more is almost a waste of time and money as the trans will not handle the power. just rebuild it. just so you know if you have not torn it down yet it has 3 layers of block. the crank is not under main caps the crank is in wafer section. when i did mine i gaged the rods and the rod wear was minimal so i did the rods and left the mains alone. that is just one more block oil leak to avoid. i did the rods because i had it down. the oil pan is hard enough to seal. just use yamabond sealer that is made for aluminum. if your looking to stop the oil burring you can install an old school pvc in the oil fill cap and run a hose down to the intake. there is a YT showing how to do that.

if your into just wanting a better engine then see if the equinox guys have done an engine swap with the new equinox engine in the gen 3 cars.