[G6AZ]

Do I safely assume it's my valve cover, leaking onto the exhaust manifold and burning off before it an be noticed? The smell is strong at idle, but I cannot see any drips or visible oil anywhere. Any chance my PVC valve is stuck open or something that would also cause an oil burn off? I am not seeing smoke in my exhaust but I do see oil burn off smoke while sitting at red lights. I have neglected this motor and let it get low on oil more times than I should have and living in Arizona means gaskets dry out even in good conditions.

Should I start with the valve cover gaskets and go from there? Or is there other places the oil could be going or burning off? The coolant looks fine but is somewhat low I am getting more of that orange stuff today.

 

[G6AZ]

Also I have a CEL code on for a crankshaft position sensor which I am seeing is thrown for low oil often, however it has not gone away, should I replace the sensor as well?

 

[Dan Osier]

CEL codes do not go away by themselves. You can use a basic scan tool that can be used to clear the codes. To make sure the CEL code is not just an anomaly it's common practice to clear codes and then see if they return. Going by your text, I assume you have the 2.4 engine. If your gasket is leaking onto the exhaust manifold, it should be easy to see.

 

[G6AZ]

CEL codes do not go away by themselves. You can use a basic scan tool that can be used to clear the codes. To make sure the CEL code is not just an anomaly it's common practice to clear codes and then see if they return. Going by your text, I assume you have the 2.4 engine. If your gasket is leaking onto the exhaust manifold, it should be easy to see.

I don't really see any oil or signs or burnt oil, but there is oil residue over the passenger side of the motor and somewhat along the back leading down towards the manifold. There is a strong burning oil smell when I drive especially in colder weather and run the heat I can smell it through the vents. At red lights I do see a slight white smoke coming from under the hood occasionally but when I pop the hood there is nothing obvious. I pulled the oil cap and no smoke either while running. No exhaust smoke either. Coolant and oil both look normal so I am puzzled. I am running synth blend oil which doesn't smoke as much but I thought I would still see something more obvious.

I am going to pull the engine cover off and see if I can get a better look I may try to run an intake like you have to help with visibility on these leaks as well.

In the past this CEL has cleared it self after a few driving cycles, I am not sure how. I will go back to autozone and clear the code while I wait for my OBD2 reader to arrive.

 

[Dan Osier]

You are getting a scan tool...good for you. You may be needing to replace the Valve cover gasket. This is a fairly easy job. I change mine every couple if years just to check the timing chain and look for sludge, Yes, I installed that air intake (factory air cleaner is a cold air system) just to get rid of that engine cover. To properly remove and replace that cover, you really need to loosen and tighten the clamp for the throttle body. That's a real pain.

 

[G6AZ]

Thanks! I noticed today there is some oil splatter on the top of the plastic engine cover which was not there a few days ago, I still don't see a ton of oil/residue but on the manifold but I smell it as I drive. I noticed the smell is the worst after the car sits overnight, I assume it's due to the longer period it has to leak.

The car is 12 years old and 160k miles with original valve cover gasket so I think I will start with that, and also check the timing chain to see if it's loose/damaged from the low oil. Anything else I should do in the meantime? Any ideas about the oil splatter on the cover?

 

[G6AZ]

UPDATE: I got a video of the oil smoke today, I am starting to think the plastic bit under the oil cap is loose, or the oil filter housing o-ring is bad, there is visible oil building up on the engine cover, and also build up on the oil filter housing. The car smokes like this when I drive all the time now. I also noticed I have a oil drip in my driveway after being parked for a few hours. I had the crankshaft seal (or maybe camshaft seal) replaced due to an oil leak in the same area 3 years ago and he said it would need to be replaced every 3-4 years likely, so could this be part of the issue? Would it somehow cause the smoke at the top of the motor or should I pull that filter housing out and inspect?

G6 2.4L Smoking Oil

www.youtube.com

Code reader is here, pulling the codes now.

UPDATE - All the codes were crankshaft related, I cleared the codes for now and will see what comes back since the codes came up before oil was added.

CEL Codes P0017, P0016, P0014

I replaced the VVT solenoids back in 2021 after getting P0013/P0014. Could one of these be bad again in 2 years?

I also found a bit of fresh oil on the bottom of the motor here, this isn't the oil pan but I can't tell what this is, the bottom of the timing chain area maybe? It was dripping from 2 spots here

http://imgur.com/BzOaUDt

 

[G6AZ]

I am concerned about the P0014 Camshaft Timing Advanced mostly, I had this same code and replaced the exhaust VVT in 2021 but also reading this could mean the timing chain is bad or ready to break? The car does start a little rough but runs smooth.

 

[Dan Osier]

The market is full of cheap replacement VVT solenoids. I would only get AC Delco or NTK solenoids. (NTK is NGK for O2 sensors, VVT solenoids etc.) Timing chains rarely break. They do wear though and the resulting slack will cause problems. One good thing about timing BELTS is that up until they break, they keep perfect time.

 

[G6AZ]

The market is full of cheap replacement VVT solenoids. I would only get AC Delco or NTK solenoids. (NTK is NGK for O2 sensors, VVT solenoids etc.) Timing chains rarely break. They do wear though and the resulting slack will cause problems. One good thing about timing BELTS is that up until they break, they keep perfect time.

I cleared the codes but P0016/P0017 for Crankshaft sensors A and B. Should I bother with the VVT right now or wait until the P0014 code comes back? Should I replace the crankshaft sensors? I found the one behind the starter and the other one looks like it's closer to the top drivers side?

 

[Dan Osier]

I wouldn't worry about the VVT unless the P0014 code returns. I can't say if you need to replace the crankshaft sensors or not. I'm not a mechanic. As an amateur though, replacing sensors is easier than searching for broken wires etc. Mechanics feel the same way but, when that doesn't solve the problem, THEY have wasted your money instead of YOU wasting your money.

 

[G6AZ]

Do you know if you need to relearn the sensors? I can't seem to find a straight answer online. I'll start with the sensors, I am due for emissions testing at the end of the month so I am trying to get these CEL codes to be cleared so I can pass and get registration.

I pulled the engine cover today, replaced the oil fill tube which had a bad oring, and also put a new oil filter and cap on since I noticed some leakage around there as well. Nothing major on the as far as oil or residue but it's leaking a few dips per day now. I think my next step should be the valve cover gaskets and then inspect the timing chain while that is off.

Another weird issue I found today is some sort of oil or residue in the intake tube that connect to to the engine cover, any idea how would this get in there? It didn't smell exactly like oil but wasn't far off. There is no oil near the filter only in this spot.

 

[boomer]

Neither of the camshaft position sensor replacement articles in the service manual for the 2.4l mention a relearn. The only relearn I see mentioned is for the crankshaft position system variation learn

 

[G6AZ]

Thank you for checking the manuals. I can only seem to find one crankshaft sensor by the starter on the bottom (AC Delco 12674703 ) and then the Camshaft sensor by the trans? (Ac Delco 12674704 ) does this sound right? or am I only needing to do the one crankshaft sensor? I am trying to track down a chiltons manual for this car but in the meantime there are some good youtube videos on both of these sensors. The camshaft one seems much easier to get to to start.

The codes I have specify Sensor A on P0016 and Sensor B on P0017. Both say Crankshaft Position Camshaft Position Correlation Bank 1

 

[boomer]

Maybe some of these 2.4l Service Manual Docs will help

 

[G6AZ]

Thank you very much for these! I will do some digging into these documents.

Are there any tricks to get the CEL light to clear so I can pass emissions you might know of? I can clear the codes but they come back by the next morning. I am going to try and do the crankshaft and camshaft sensors this weekend but worried codes might not go away if it's the timing chain issue.

 

[boomer]

Only that, from what I understand, the VVT system is driven hydraulically through engine oil. If the oil is too low, or the wrong viscosity it could impact performance. If the oil passages are blocked, this could also be an issue. Have you considered using one of the fuel system cleaners in the engine oil and giving it a good run to see if it will clean out any crap? Good idea to plan an oil change after that to remove anything that gets picked up / suspended in the oil.

The documents mention a couple of ways to test the actuators, both with and without an advanced scan tool. I don't have VVT, so cannot be of much more help.

 

[G6AZ]

I replaced both actuators in 2021 with some acdelco ones but maybe running the oil low ruined these. The P0014 is gone just the P0017/P0016 for CKP and camshaft sensor it seems. I am hoping if I do both sensors and the valve cover gasket the leak will stop but worried it's the timing chain since I am at 160k on the original chain.

 

[G6AZ]

Any ideas about the oil in the intake tube? Could that be caused by a bad or blocked breather on that tube that leads into the intake? That tube seems bone dry. I do a lot of short trips could it be some sort of condensation oil mist mix?

 

[G6AZ]

Can anyone confirm that there are TWO camshaft sensors and not just one? I found one on the front and the back of the motor. The CKP sensor seems to be on the bottom side by the starter.