PCV Valve seeping oil? WTF?

[I.<3.Saturn]

Why is it doing this at 6000 miles and why wont the dealer fix it?!

[fotovue]

Why is it doing this at 6000 miles and why wont the dealer fix it?!

Need more info.

[I.<3.Saturn]

Ever since like 2500 miles the part on the driver's side of the motor has been oily. It has gotten worse over time, it isnt dripping or anything, but there is definitly something coming out or else it wouldnt be dirty. the "mechanic" at saturn told me someone spilled oil on the motor and so he just cleaned it up. Well, my husband changes the oil and (its only been done twice) he has never spilled a drop ever. anyway the oil fill is like 8 inches away from where this oil is and the valve cover is bone dry and always has been.

I talked to a guy with an ion redline and he said his did it too and they told him it was normal. also they spoke to me there like i am an idiot and i dont know anything about anything.

It is near impossible for me to get into reverse or first gear when it is cold out, and he explained to me how a clutch works so i would understand to put it to the floor to get it in gear. like i dont know how to drive my car. what the hell, i am not an idiot. :upset:

[Tom92SCm]

The ecotec motor doesn't have a PCV system- at least not on my 2004 motor. My guess is that the leak is a gasket didn't get seated very well. Either that or your leaking power steering fluid ;)

And your shift cables are binding up (most likely). Why it's more noticeable when it's cold? Don't know. Happened to me too. Dealer replaced under warranty and it fixed it..... for awhile.

[I.<3.Saturn]

well, we just got back from picking up my car. they didnt do anything, i dont know what that little housing thing is on the side of the motor. it was filthy with oil though and they are saying that it came from one little stream of oil from where the filler cap is. :snide: what-ever. thats a pretty smart oil drip to roll itself on down the side of the motor and around the corner to the front of that housing. man, then to spread out the way it did, genious.

as for the shifting they also said nothing was wrong there, he went on to try to teach me how a clutch works. :upset:

i guess all we can do is go to another dealer - this one has treated us this way before, they just happen to be closer and easier to get to.

I know there is a guy on here that works at katy freeway saturn service department. If you happen to read this please let me know why i wasnt taken seriously. i wont be buying my next saturn there.

[Bigdaddy94sc2]

To be honest, try to post pics. More than likely it isnt that bad, and the dealer cant do anything about it. Trust me, I know what GM will cover and what it wont.

As far as the clutch, take the car there when it is cold out, leave it overnight, and make them start it in the morning. Only way to verify it.

To prove them wrong (or right), make them ride with you. It will either do it or it wont.

[ssicarman]

Sounds like the cover/seal on the back of the head where a hydraulic power steering pump woudl go is seeping. If see very few of these engines that don't have some amounts of seepage coming from there. It will not get covered under warrenty as a leak because it is not leaking unless it is leaving an oil trail or forming drops. I have yet to see any that actually leak oil. They seep oil.

[pdough]

I have the same issue with the oil seeping. It is coming from the plate that was put in place of the power steering pump. I am taking mine to the dealer tomorrow to have them look at it. Mine was not so bad but has steadily gotten worse and is making a considereable mess all around. They can't claim that mine is due to oil fill issues because it is seeping down both sides of the gasket and down the front and back of the block etc.

I was told they will reseal it under warranty as long as it isn't due to road damage etc to the oil pan... Hope they don't feed me the same BS you got. If they choose not to fix it, another dealer told me to pull the plate off and use some RTV sealant to fix it. Has anyone done this?

[binkybaby]

Makes sense......i'd prolly steamclean the engine first, then run it for a little while and check again, to get an idea where the oil is leaking from. The part about the plate makes sense, even though i have the V6. i keep my engine bay clean anyway and i'd know right off the bat if anything leaked.....

[pdough]

I got my Vue back from the dealer yesterday and the oil leak (seep) was repaired under warranty. They also replaced the oil pan gasket because they said it was leaking also. They also cleaned the engine so I can see if it starts leaking again. I figured I would have to do that but it was done for me! I had just changed the oil a few days ago and since they replaced the oil pan gasket, they changed the oil as well. I.<3.Saturn, I'd find another dealer if possible and have it taken care of.

I have noticed the shifting problem also but it hasn't been so bad since it doesn't get too cold here. Try putting the shifter in second gear just before first, or if possible try to let the car drift a few inches before shifting into first. If you park on level ground this might not work but it seems to work for me. I found the following on another forum and it explains that GM is or has already tried to improve cold weather issues with this transmission... You might also want to do a search in these forums to get some more info since the below post from another forum points to SaturnFans for more info!



Looking around the GM Powertrain web site I found the following document regarding the F23 (M86/MG3) transmission:

"2007 Getrag F23 (M86/MG3)

2007 Model Year Summary
Getrag F23 five-speed manual car and truck transaxle

• There are no changes for the 2007 model year


LOW MAINTENANCE

The F23 uses DEXRON III for 2007, and are filled-for-life, requiring no fluid changes for normal duty service. The clutch is actuated hydraulically, and so wear is automatically compensated and no clutch adjustments are necessary.

OVERVIEW

The Getrag F23 is a three-axis conventional transverse five-speed manual transaxle with fully synchronized reverse gear. It features compact packaging, broad low-torque applications, and reliable operation.

The F23 has two gearsets on each of three parallel shafts – the input shaft, the output shaft, and the intermediate shaft. This three-shaft (also called three-axis) design results in a very short axial length for better packaging. There are three separate shift fork shafts, which hold three shift forks to activate the synchronizer rings for the two gearsets on each of the three gear shafts. The shift forks are activated by a cable system. The clutch release bearing is operated by a concentric slave cylinder that surrounds the input shaft in the clutch housing. A concentric slave cylinder allows more linear clutch feel than an external lever-actuated clutch and release bearing. The input shaft carries the 3rd and 4th gear synchronizer, the intermediate shaft carries the 1st and 2nd gear synchronizer, and the output shaft carries the 5th and reverse gear synchronizer. The aluminum case contains a conventional final drive gearset.

There are sintered bronze double-cone blocker rings on the synchronizers for 1st and 2nd gears, while 3rd and 4th gears use carbon fiber blocker rings, and 5th and Reverse gears use molybdenum on their synchronizers. Carbon and molybdenum are extremely durable friction surfaces that remain stable even under extreme heat. Reverse gear is synchronized, which is a design advantage. That means the vehicle does not have to be completely stationary in order for reverse gear to be selected by the driver. On-going improvements include refinements such as a new synchronizer sleeve for first and second gear that improves cold-weather engagement of the gears.

Several refinements differentiate the applications of the F23: The concentric slave cylinder, which hydraulically actuates the clutch pressure plate, was redesigned to match the engine configuration in the Chevy Cobalt. VUE and ION use a reservoir where brake and clutch fluid share the same reservoir body, although partitions inside the reservoir keep the fluid for each function separate.

The specifications for the transaxle came mostly from Opel, which uses most of the production of the transaxle in Europe. The primary differences between the M86 and MG3 are the gearset ratios (see specifications page) and the clutch housing (also called bell housing) machining. The case of the M86 and MG3 are cast identically, but mounting bosses are drilled for different engine mounting studs.

Getrag builds the transaxle in Bari, Italy."

[I.<3.Saturn]

Wow, thanks for all the info, it is helpfull. The dealer did clean up my mess, so I just have to wait a little while for it to come back.

Thanks again!