2017 Malibu PCV Orifice Camshaft Cover - How Difficult?

7229 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Milesmo305, Dec 30, 2021

Rudeman

Discussion Starter · Mar 19, 2021

Just got back from the dealer with news that my 2017 Malibu 90K has a PCV issue.
I have a leak from the crankcase caused by the high pressure. They ran a cylinder test and there are no issues with the pistons or rings. The dealer quote to replace the orifice is just under 2K.

How difficult is this job? Can my basic mechanic handle this?
The internet is a dangerous -- I found a Service Bulletin 20-NA-047 descrbing the issue and it seems straight forward?

The service advisor was stunned that I've been driving the car with this condition for about a year. Is it that bad?

Why can't all Chevy's run like my 2008 Impala?

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campb292

· #2 · Mar 19, 2021

GM is reimbursing 4.7 hours work for camshaft cover removal under warranty. Those reimbursements tend to be tight - setup for a fast moving skilled tech. A independent shop mechanic likely can do it (not jiffy, meineke etc) but quality and price depends on shop. It is likely a moderate to high skilled job. I've never removed a camshaft cover but I've seen one. Ha.

I'm sure there are members that have removed one but based on the bulletin time varies from 2 hours to 5 depending on vehicle. It's not all the same. The Malibu complicates because of tamper proof tubes/pipe that must be replaced.

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Rudeman

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 22, 2021 (Edited)

Thanks for the feedback. I think it might be more than my mechanic normally does. I'm looking at a couple of shops that handle engine rebuilds. Might be over-kill but they will know their way around camshaft covers.

Update: Was able to get the job completed for $450. That doesn't include diagnostic costs I paid the dealer to find the issue.

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bakerjw

· #4 · Jun 15, 2021

Rudeman said:
Thanks for the feedback. I think it might be more than my mechanic normally does. I'm looking at a couple of shops that handle engine rebuilds. Might be over-kill but they will know their way around camshaft covers.

My daughter in law with a 2017 Malibu LT 1.5 EcoTech has this same exact issue. Her and my son are very tight on money right now so I ordered the parts and tackled the project. Sure enough, the PVC was completely clogged. In my 40 years of working on engines, I've NEVER seen a PCV clogged like that.

The PCV Valve Tubing GM# 12673862 has quick release clips that are a bear to get to in order to remove it from the top of the engine. They tend to be brittle as well so you might as well order one..
The hardest part is removing the injectors. If you have the right tool, it is not a big deal. We had the o-rings in hand, so I pulled the injectors and buggered the top rim of 2 of them so I picked up 4 replacement injectors.

Now to see what it takes to get them coded to the ECM. They have numbers on them as well as 2 very very small and impossible to read data matrix barcodes.
Sometimes being nice and helping out gets you more than for what you bargained.

And to top it off. I made a puller to pull the injectors and when removing it from one injector, an allen screw popped up and landed right into the oil return drain to the oil pan. Yep. Got to remove both oil pans to get it out of there.

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repairman54

· #5 · Jun 16, 2021

I wonder if these PCV clogging issues are related to using regular oils and not using full synthetic oils. Semi synth. is no better than regular oil BTW.

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Rudeman

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 16, 2021

repairman54 said:
I wonder if these PCV clogging issues are related to using regular oils and not using full synthetic oils. Semi synth. is no better than regular oil BTW.

That never occurred to me. But it may just push me towards synthetic.

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Milesmo305

· #7 · Dec 30, 2021

Rudeman said:
Thanks for the feedback. I think it might be more than my mechanic normally does. I'm looking at a couple of shops that handle engine rebuilds. Might be over-kill but they will know their way around camshaft covers.

Update: Was able to get the job completed for $450. That doesn't include diagnostic costs I paid the dealer to find the issue.

Thanks for the feedback. Where did you go to get this fixed? I have a 2017 Chevy Cruze and the dealership told me $1,700.

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