Oil leak

Asked by Matt Nov 24, 2019 at 09:25 PM about the 2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Why do I have an oil leak after replacing the motor in my 08
Buick enclave?

7 Answers

The job was done by a gmc dealership with a used motor I purchased, and right away just from putting it on a lift and looking up from the bottom they blamed the mechanic I bought the motor from because he had replaced the timing chain prior to sending it to them, saying it was a timing cover leak. Long story but the motor had a warranty and so he said he would cover it if it was in fact the cover but he wasn't willing to foot the bill at the dealer so he said he would fix it for free no matter who was at fault if I drove it 5 hr to his shop, which I did and he cleaned it up and found it to be leaking from a sensor installed by the dealership so he pulled them both and one was missing the seal, I drove it the 5 hrs back and had it parked in my drive for 10 min and had a 4" round pool of oil again. So he said it maybe a solenoid since those would only leak when the cars running and he didn't have it running to locate the leak the first time. I'm in over double what this vehicle is worth since I did the timing chain a wk or so be fore the motor blew and and the dealer wants 2200 to 2700 to reseal the cover if it's in fact that and I'm just done peeling off 100s for this headache.

40

Your first problem is that you went to a dealership. I hope you never do that again. Second, you to find a closer shop! WTF man. 5 hours AINT CLOSE. shops that do lots of ads are generally scum (include dealerships). corporate shops, like pep boys, are middle of the road at best, but more expensive than the small mom and pop shops that are always busy, and require you to wait a few days to come in. also, AAA plus ($87)has 4x 100 miles free towing per year. Do not drive any car without oil. look on yelp for a mechanic with great reviews and talk to hem yourself before taking it in, so you can get a feel for the place. and you will know how to tow it there.

When you install a used engine you should replace all the gaskets and seals except for the head gaskets. The head gaskets should be tested for leakage and replaced if necessary.

18,975

i had a rebuilt engine from the dealership once. never again. it was an older reworked block than the original stock engine block.

Like I said it was a long story...first the car lot I bought from deleted the codes and 100 miles of driving showed me it needed transmission work and timing chains and the old retired mechanic that did the timing chain in the first place had oil leaking too so he said keep driving it and keep the oil checked which I did until he can get to it but in the meantime driving down the rd it lost all power so I towed it to him and in the process of trying to diagnose the problem he had to go in for heart surgery so he suggested towing it to the dealer to just diagnose it. I did and they called and said they have to drop the motor to see what the problem is so I asked him if they couldn't tell me without going thru all that if the motor was blown because if so I wasn't going to put more money in it and he said they can't tell without dropping it and they seemed to think that the chain just jumped time again. So I allowed it and when they dropped it they said its blown. And held me hostage because the engine was out they wanted to charge me a 1000 for pulling it and another 1000 for them to get put it back together so I could take it to another mechanic. So I told them I would run the title down and they could just have it and he said they won't do that and my options were to replace the motor with new which would cost roughly 7500 or get a used one from them for 3000 plus the 2000 in labor so I went on Ebay and found this mechanic from 5 hrs away that had 5 star reviews and the engine I needed with new timing chains and seals for 1700 so I got it to the dealer thinking I could get this done for 4000. they were responsible for all seals and parts going into the block. All said and done their bill was 3700.. and I paid for the engine. Now they want over 2200 more to locate the leak and fix it. And the local shop here (that the mechanic that sold me the motor got to do the warranty work) would do it for half that but if it turned out not to be the cover i would have to foot the bill which I agreed on and when the time came he said he doesn't want to get involved. So my options were pay the dealership or find a differnt local mechanic and pay myself or drive 5 hrs and get everything taken care of for free. So with everything I had happen and done to this thing I'm over 12500 on a vehicle barely worth five so the drive seemed like the best bet. And like I Said he did find a leak but obviously not the only one.

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