[TRON]

Hello, Bad news. My engines blown at 40k miles. 2.8 duramax, stock, no mods. Had it towed to a nearby dealership. The service manager has determined to just replace the engine rather than further diagnosing and repair. It’s been in the shop for a week and the engine isn’t even ordered yet?
My question is. Now what? What are my options? I’ve contacted GM and requested to have a senior advisor contact me and discuss options. What have others with blown engines done/ requested/received??

Extended powertrain warranty? 100k?
Buyout? If so how much?
Traded in? Trade up?
Engine replacement then sell outright?
Legal help- Lemon law enforcement? Lemon law attorney?
Refund of total vehicle cost new?

I’m worried about these 2.8’s. I’ve heard of many issues from this forum over the years. I’m a fleet Mechanic 15+ years. So I see first hand how many issues the new diesels have with all of the new emissions add ons and ULSD. Getting kind of tired of all the problems with the new diesels and the extra cost at the pump? Might want to switch to gas??

Any info would be appreciated thanks.

 

[CleverUserName]

There haven’t been many issues with the 2.8. A handful of failures.

I would like to find out what happened as I’m curious about the cause. GM is probably working with the dealer on the failure diagnosis which is why there is a delay.

You will get a new Engine. Anything else is a pipe dream unless the dealer offers something as goodwill. GM isn’t obligated to do anything other than replace the engine under the powertrain warranty.

 

[Burgess159]

Should get a new warranty with the new engine. See if you can’t get one for 100k if they don’t give you one. Run it till the end of that warranty and reassess your situation then.

 

[TRON]

Thanks for the quick replies. I’m worried about the warranty most of all. If I can get another 60k powertrain I would be happy with that. I love the truck. But just spooked after all of this.

I’m interested in finding out the cause as well. It seems like a Timing belt snapped really. Running fine, 70mph on highway, heard a slight valve tap, then it blew and was dead in the water. No codes, good temp. No leaks or sign of damage externally. Pulled the dipstick and had a bit of rust colored sludge up the dipstick and engine was locked…

 

[Duken4evr]

Most of the catastrophic failures involve a fragged piston. The cause of this is a little unclear. We do know that GM changed piston set providers from Federal Mogul (in the old VM 2.8s, which did not have piston issues of note) to Mahle. It is thought that there is a quality control issue with some of the mahle pistons. It would be good to know what year your truck is - if it is '18 or later, that is super concerning, as it would indicate the issue is ongoing. Most of the failures I have seen online (about 20 of them, out of hundreds of trucks that did not fail) were in '16 and '17 models. I know all this as the tuner of my truck did a tear down on a failed '16 and metallurgical analysis on the piston. We were all excited to see the engineer's report, and then the tuner went silent - I suspect that GM told them to STFU. They are power train engineers and GM is a customer of theirs I believe.

Another possibility is that an injector stuck open, which turns it into a blowtorch that holes the piston, causing it to frag. It is a little hard to tell after the fact if the piston was bad or the injector was bad - and GM is not terribly forthcoming about all this either.

We can run lubricity improving additives in the fuel (I like Optilube products) change the fuel filters early to pamper the pump and injectors, and I run T6 oil, as I believe 5/30 is a little thin for a diesel motor, and that spec is GM chasing an incremental gain in fuel economy. It is worth pointing out that the earlier VM 2.8s specified 15/40 conventional oil, some models 5/40 synthetic. None ever specified 5/30. The motor has changed since then, but not the basic stuff like crank and rods.

If I were you, I would get the new engine and trade it in or sell it. Have heard of people having problems with the new engines as they reuse the old turbo, and (just theory on my part) the turbos have gone out due to metal in the oil left behind. Dealers hate major warranty work like this, and some do a really half ass job of it. Whether or not I kept the truck would depend greatly on the faith I have in the dealer. Even if covered by warranty, as you know all too well, when an engine catastrophically fails out of the blue, it is always a major PITA.

As an owner with a tuned truck, I am nervous about this. It runs great, EGR is off, which is awesome, no problems of any kind to date, but if it blows, I am screwed, up Sh%t Creek without a warranty. It is a conundrum. Most trucks don't fail, but if yours does, it is 100% suck. It really is a bit like playing Russian Roulette with these things. I don't want to dump a truck that is mostly likely fine and working great, but man, if it blows, that is a financial hit. To date I choose to take the risk. I ride motorcycles, go too fast sometimes on them, I guess that is just who I am - haha...

Do report back and let us know what they find regarding the cause of failure if you can.

 

[alberta minimax]

Following intensely.
Mine is a tuned ‘17 with 55,000 miles.
So far no problems.

 

[Duken4evr]

Following intensely.
Mine is a tuned ‘17 with 55,000 miles. So far no problems.

Well, you are only 5K miles away from the tune not really mattering - once past 60K, the power train warranty is up and tuned or not, an owner is equally out of luck. I believe tuned motors with EGR off and a catch can in place should last longer, along with the DPF receiving a lower soot load, all else being equal. I sounds odd I suppose, but I tuned mine for longevity, not power, although who does not like more response and power?

I am going to be happy when my truck hits 100K miles, the reason being if it has a bad part, it would have let go before then. I figure 90-100K trouble free indicates my sweet little 2.8 will run 300K no problem, which will take me all the way to Geezerville! I do wonder about the viability of preemptively changing out the pistons and pins, Hell, throw some beefier rods in while I am at it. There is not much of a performance aftermarket for internal engine parts for the 2.8 though, and assuming all 4 piston sets are OK, doing so would be a monumental waste of money, a very expensive insurance policy that is not needed in the vast majority of cases.

The highest mileage I have seen with a failed piston is around 70K. The vibe I get (and it is just a "vibe" from reading a bunch of these stories) is the failures are not due to the piston itself, but instead a small end pin that is not heat treated and hardened properly. The Tootsie Roll pin finally lets go and takes the piston with it. The block often gets "windowed" too if the truck is on the highway and/or towing a load when the failure happens, as the pin and bent rod gouge a hole in it. That is my theory anyway.

One thing with these motors - they make a lot of torque at low RPM, and the transmission likes to get into 6th gear early at around 52 MPH. It is best not to lug it at 1,400 RPM or less under throttle as that hammers the rods and piston pins, and probably is not great for the transmission either. In normal driving, I don't lead foot it, but don't feather the throttle either. Roll it in good, enjoy the diesel torque, and accelerate promptly to speed. If traffic dictates cruising at the problematic low 50 MPH 6th gear range, put it in manual mode, shift to 5th gear, run it at 1,800 RPM and light throttle, spin to win. Fuel economy does not really suffer and the more time it spends around1,800 RPM the better. The 2.8 just loves to run at 1,800 - so relaxed and efficient and yet making power there. Most diesels are like this, even my friend's big 7.3 Ford.

Also consider running slightly heavier 5/40 oil. There are Dexos 2 5/40 oils out there. I choose to run Non Dexos 2 Rotella T6 and have had excellent Blackstone Lab reports with it, but that is mostly because it is cheap and convenient to buy at Walmart, and my power train warranty is toast anyway!

 

[sadjack]

Well, you are only 5K miles away from the tune not really mattering - once past 60K, the power train warranty is up and tuned or not, an owner is equally out of luck. I believe tuned motors with EGR off and a catch can in place should last longer, along with the DPF receiving a lower soot load, all else being equal. I sounds odd I suppose, but I tuned mine for longevity, not power, although who does not like more response and power?

I am going to be happy when my truck hits 100K miles, the reason being if it has a bad part, it would have let go before then. I figure 90-100K trouble free indicates my sweet little 2.8 will run 300K no problem, which will take me all the way to Geezerville! I do wonder about the viability of preemptively changing out the pistons and pins, Hell, throw some beefier rods in while I am at it. There is not much of a performance aftermarket for internal engine parts for the 2.8 though, and assuming all 4 piston sets are OK, doing so would be a monumental waste of money, a very expensive insurance policy that is not needed in the vast majority of cases.

The highest mileage I have seen with a failed piston is around 70K. The vibe I get (and it is just a "vibe" from reading a bunch of these stories) is the failures are not due to the piston itself, but instead a small end pin that is not heat treated and hardened properly. The Tootsie Roll pin finally lets go and takes the piston with it. The block often gets "windowed" too if the truck is on the highway and/or towing a load when the failure happens, as the pin and bent rod gouge a hole in it. That is my theory anyway.

One thing with these motors - they make a lot of torque at low RPM, and the transmission likes to get into 6th gear early at around 52 MPH. It is best not to lug it at 1,400 RPM or less under throttle as that hammers the rods and piston pins, and probably is not great for the transmission either. In normal driving, I don't lead foot it, but don't feather the throttle either. Roll it in good, enjoy the diesel torque, and accelerate promptly to speed. If traffic dictates cruising at the problematic low 50 MPH 6th gear range, put it in manual mode, shift to 5th gear, run it at 1,800 RPM and light throttle, spin to win. Fuel economy does not really suffer and the more time it spends around1,800 RPM the better. The 2.8 just loves to run at 1,800 - so relaxed and efficient and yet making power there. Most diesels are like this, even my friend's big 7.3 Ford.

Also consider running slightly heavier 5/40 oil. There are Dexos 2 5/40 oils out there. I choose to run Non Dexos 2 Rotella T6 and have had excellent Blackstone Lab reports with it, but that is mostly because it is cheap and convenient to buy at Walmart, and my power train warranty is toast anyway!

sadjack here , well bad news about my LWN 2.8 105626 miles and #2 wrist pin broke and took the block with it , this truck was taken very good care of with only GM oil and filters .I have called everyone (dealer, customer care and GMC) I find it hard to understand that no one at GM knows anything about the piston failures that we all fear yet several engines have been replaced under warranty for the same failure. So as I write this I am wondering what my new truck will be. Even the cheapest cars cars out there don't brake pistons

 

[Duken4evr]

sadjack here , well bad news about my LWN 2.8 105626 miles and #2 wrist pin broke and took the block with it , this truck was taken very good care of with only GM oil and filters .I have called everyone (dealer, customer care and GMC) I find it hard to understand that no one at GM knows anything about the piston failures that we all fear yet several engines have been replaced under warranty for the same failure. So as I write this I am wondering what my new truck will be. Even the cheapest cars cars out there don't brake pistons

ugh! Sorry to hear that. How frustrating! Yours is the highest mileage truck I have heard of failing. Usually when they blow up, they do it around 45K miles, maybe as high as 70K. There goes my breathe easy theory of making it to the 100K mile finish line. You got that right - no modern vehicle has this type of failure. When I was a kid, I drove a '72 Ford Pinto. The car was an absolute POS, but you know what? It's pistons did not randomly grenade. This is so damn disappointing.

Your story lends credence to some of the wrist pins not being heat treated properly theory. As I mentioned in a prior post, my tuner had an engineering firm do hardness testing on a failed wrist pin, and then they suddenly and mysteriously got very quiet on the topic. Conspiracy theorist me thinks GM threatened them. Perhaps there needs to be a NHTSA recall, class action lawsuit etc. Engines that randomly blow up on a more than minimal basis are a major safety concern. Can only imagine the nightmare if one of these trucks was going down Vail Pass (a challenging stretch of steep and windy, often bumpy freeway here in Colorado) and the engine lets go. What a nightmare for GM and it's dealers though, having to tear down and replace piston sets on all the 2.8s out there? Wow...

Was thinking about what truck I would buy if I did not have my Canyon. My truck is an SLT 4x4 crew cab long box, has been perfect to date, and it serves my needs so dead on perfect too. I really don't want a full size, but the other non Twins mid sizers don't do it for me. The Ranger does not offer a long box option, and it's turbo 2.3 sucks more fuel than the 3.6 gas engine in our trucks. Honda Ridgeline? Reliable, but you have to be joking. Tacoma? Arguably reliable (the new ones have some issues) but joyless to drive and they suck gas like a full size, so why bother? Frontier? Dead reliable, but it sucks to be stuck in the 90s, and they suck gas worse than a new full size. So if replacing my truck, I guess I would get another twin with the 3.6, and pray it has a good 8 speed. Geez. Should not have to "pray" about anything when dropping mid 30K money on a vehicle.

Canyons with my truck's color and configuration are pretty much special order now - I was able to buy it off the lot at giant GMC dealer Laura Buick/GMC, but even they no longer seem to carry too many SLT long box trucks, much less any with a diesel. In other words, the truck is kind of a rare bird. I pray all it's wrist pins are good...

 

[Torch13]

Hello, Bad news. My engines blown at 40k miles. 2.8 duramax, stock, no mods. Had it towed to a nearby dealership. The service manager has determined to just replace the engine rather than further diagnosing and repair. It’s been in the shop for a week and the engine isn’t even ordered yet?
My question is. Now what? What are my options? I’ve contacted GM and requested to have a senior advisor contact me and discuss options. What have others with blown engines done/ requested/received??

Extended powertrain warranty? 100k?
Buyout? If so how much?
Traded in? Trade up?
Engine replacement then sell outright?
Legal help- Lemon law enforcement? Lemon law attorney?
Refund of total vehicle cost new?

I’m worried about these 2.8’s. I’ve heard of many issues from this forum over the years. I’m a fleet Mechanic 15+ years. So I see first hand how many issues the new diesels have with all of the new emissions add ons and ULSD. Getting kind of tired of all the problems with the new diesels and the extra cost at the pump? Might want to switch to gas??

Any info would be appreciated thanks.

 

[Torch13]

I am sorry that you have had an engine blown. My 16 Canyon Diesel 4x4 is awesome. 32+ mpg on the road from upstate NY to Florida 5 times, to Nevada twice, and to South Carolina 3 times. It is great in the snow, it is one of my top 5 favorite vehicles I have owned throughout my 52 years of driving. I just hope you get your new engine and it should run very well. Remember, my engine has fed mogul pistons. You may have a different vendor which is not good because GM or any other company look to cuts costs and make more money. I just hope GM honors the warranty. Good Luck.

 

[MiniMaxInferno]

Hello, Bad news. My engines blown at 40k miles. 2.8 duramax, stock, no mods. Had it towed to a nearby dealership. The service manager has determined to just replace the engine rather than further diagnosing and repair. It’s been in the shop for a week and the engine isn’t even ordered yet?
My question is. Now what? What are my options? I’ve contacted GM and requested to have a senior adviso

I am sorry that you have had an engine blown. My 16 Canyon Diesel 4x4 is awesome. 32+ mpg on the road from upstate NY to Florida 5 times, to Nevada twice, and to South Carolina 3 times. It is great in the snow, it is one of my top 5 favorite vehicles I have owned throughout my 52 years of driving. I just hope you get your new engine and it should run very well. Remember, my engine has fed mogul pistons. You may have a different vendor which is not good because GM or any other company look to cuts costs and make more money. I just hope GM honors the warranty. Good Luck.

Tron,
my 2.8 blew up at 52k. I would like to talk to you about my situation and how GM Fucked me hard... so you can avoid the same situation.

 

[EazyEd]

Hello, Bad news. My engines blown at 40k miles. 2.8 duramax, stock, no mods. Had it towed to a nearby dealership. The service manager has determined to just replace the engine rather than further diagnosing and repair. It’s been in the shop for a week and the engine isn’t even ordered yet?
My question is. Now what? What are my options? I’ve contacted GM and requested to have a senior advisor contact me and discuss options. What have others with blown engines done/ requested/received??

Extended powertrain warranty? 100k?
Buyout? If so how much?
Traded in? Trade up?
Engine replacement then sell outright?
Legal help- Lemon law enforcement? Lemon law attorney?
Refund of total vehicle cost new?

I’m worried about these 2.8’s. I’ve heard of many issues from this forum over the years. I’m a fleet Mechanic 15+ years. So I see first hand how many issues the new diesels have with all of the new emissions add ons and ULSD. Getting kind of tired of all the problems with the new diesels and the extra cost at the pump? Might want to switch to gas??

Any info would be appreciated thanks.

I just got my 2016 2.8L LT 4x4 truck back from the dealer 3 weeks ago. 41K miles, all stock, no warning and threw a rod. They gave me no excuse for why, but the new engine was covered by warranty. All they give is 3 year, 36K warranty on the new engine only. Was gonna trade in, but they offered crap value. So added extended warranty and made sure it can be extended at the end of that for engine and transmission at least. Soon as there is no warranty, it has to go. Don’t trust it anymore.

 

[Oliveman]

Wow, one more scary story. I am having regrets of investing 40+ K into my 2019 2.8 Z71
At 30,000 miles and only 6,000 left on bumper to bumper warranty and so far:
3 Sensor failures with one replacement
Belt, Belt tensioner, and engine pulleys replaced
Turbo Charger replaced
And now my tale light bulb is out (Final straw)

Options:
Lemon Law Attorney says I need one more failure with 5 days in the shop to dump back to GM
Or maybe they got all the bugs out and I will get 150K and then sell out
Or pay $$K for extended warranty
Or someday I am really FKed by being out of warranty and having a blown engine

What to do? And then what do I buy? Full size gas?

 

[terryjm1]

Wow, one more scary story. I am having regrets of investing 40+ K into my 2019 2.8 Z71
At 30,000 miles and only 6,000 left on bumper to bumper warranty and so far:
3 Sensor failures with one replacement
Belt, Belt tensioner, and engine pulleys replaced
Turbo Charger replaced
And now my tale light bulb is out (Final straw)

Options:
Lemon Law Attorney says I need one more failure with 5 days in the shop to dump back to GM
Or maybe they got all the bugs out and I will get 150K and then sell out
Or pay $$K for extended warranty
Or someday I am really FKed by being out of warranty and having a blown engine

What to do? And then what do I buy? Full size gas?

Generally speaking, I think extended warranties are a waste of money, but maybe with your experience so far it wouldn’t be a bad idea. My Canyon is a 2017 and so far it hasn’t really had an issue at 28,000 miles. Well, the AC ices up internally on long trips in high humidity environments. When it does, I turn it off for about 30 minutes and it’s good to go again. It’s irritating it really can’t be corrected as the dealer would have drive it hours to get it to repeat.

 

[Duken4evr]

At 30,000 miles and only 6,000 left on bumper to bumper warranty and so far:

Power train warranty is 5 years 60K miles, so you have some time and will be OK if it decides to blow up like the original poster's did. Emissions stuff is 8 years 80K miles.

I have heard GM will sometimes argue that certain items in the exhaust are not "emissions". I submit if it can't pass an annual emissions check with the problem (DPF issue, sensor, SCR, even the ECM not working right) it is covered under the Fed mandated warranty, and auto manufacturers do not want the FED crawling up their ass.

Case in point, the ECM in my wife's car went out at 75K miles, KIA wanted $1,200, I pointed out that the ECM controls the engine's function, that it is emissions related, and that I would be calling the Feds. The result was the ECM was replaced for free. Funny how that works.

 

[sadjack]

Well my used engine came to the shop Friday. 39k from an 18 Colorado ( from Denver no less). I will begin the install after work tomorrow and when finished she will go to dealer and get traded in for a full size gasoline truck. I hate that I can’t keep my Canyon but my research shows that the pistons are still the same. ( second best truck I have ever had. ) Number one is my 1990 GMC C3500 with the 7.4 gas hog. 997K and pistons are still in it. I didn’t save enough on fuel to pay for a 5K used motor plus the 4K diesel option. It’s a SAD day when I go to look at non GM options after working for them and only driving them for 46 years. Guess my 2010 SS Camaro will go next

 

[Duken4evr]

It is a pity that there is not much aftermarket support for the 2.8 that I am aware of. It would have been cool to drop some bad ass pistons and rods in it before it goes into the truck. Set up thus, I would be happy to keep it

I really do think the pistons themselves are OK, but the big problem lies in some bum small end pins that did not receive proper heat treatment. It is the little stuff that gets ya. Anyway, I can't blame ya for wanting out after all you have been through.

 

[sadjack]

Mine scored the block so bad it can’t even be bored. So new pistons are not an option. Wish I could upload pictures but I have been instructed not to and to pay the core charge to retain the original motor and send it out for testing to find the cause of the failure for ultimate legal action

 

[sadjack]

One additional question. Why is the core on this motor $2500.00 ? Do they know something they don’t want you to know. Cause if you take it apart. No core