2012-2017 equinox 2.4 engine oil leak diagnosis and crankshaft seal repair.

Edited by VideoGuru:videoguru.page.link/Best

[@ErikBruh]

Wow, I’m having this same issue. Thank you for posting this. You’re a life saver

[@ronaldfeaster9530]

Thanks for guys like you who do these kind of videos. I was having trouble sleeping till I saw this. Thank you thank you UPDATE. I replaced the seal, installed a NEW bolt called a torque to yield , I think,. NEVER use the old bolt as Paul did in this video because I tried that and the leak continued. The bolt is a one time use bolt per what the GMC service dept told me. Torque it 74 ft foot lbs plus 120 degrees. Yup , that's how the factory specs described it. I used a torque wrench to do it and BAM, it stopped the leak. I did have yo buy a pipe to slide over the torque wrench handle to get to pull I needed to do the full torque.

[@Drityfro09]

Thank you so much. I came across this video randomly but at the perfect time.

[@jjwatsonATL]

Thanks for this! Super easy to follow along. Just finished the job on my wife's 2013 and the test drive showed no follow-up leaks.

[@TheMachineTC2]

Just did this repair myself today. Took longer at the parts house than actually doing the work! $9 later, all done!

[@beefystik]

Excellent vid. My 2.4 Verano is doing the same thing. Thanks so much.

[@atlasmi1truth175]

@ronaldfeaster9530 speaks the truth and makes a good catch. The crank pulley bolts on the 2012-17 2.4L Equinox are torque to yield bolts which stretch to the point of yield and must be replaced after one time use. Torque to yield bolts were introduced due to the need for even clamping force on today's modern engines using different materials like aluminum and aluminum alloys that expand/contract at different rates. Elastic properties of the torque to yield bolts, allow movement between parts, while maintaining even clamping loads and sealing. The expansion rate of some parts will stretch typical fastening bolts past their yield point and can snap them. Hence used torque to yield bolts must be replaced with new(unstretched) bolts and specified torque to maintain required torque to prevent loosening and fracture due to part(fastened by the bolt) expansion/contraction. In this case the first step in tightening is 74 Ft-lbs(preload or snug torque) to provide a uniform baseline, from which the true load, is then applied. The second step is plus 120 degrees of additional rotation(using a torque angle guage for accuracy). 1 Success reusing a torque-to-yield bolt and an impact wrench is truly luck because there is no way to ensure accuracy. In 1990 an unnamed dealer repaired a leaking front crank seal on my 1983 1.6 liter gas Chevette Sedan because I was in the process of moving and had nowhere to DIY repair. Two months later the crank bolt broke while my wife was driving spilling the damper pulley, both accessory belts on the pavement as well as damaging the rubber timing belt, timing belt crank gear and leaving the broken bolt in the crankshaft.The crank bolt was not a torque-to-yield, but I suspect the dealer over torqued the bolt(which successfully held the pulley for 9 yrs), possibly using an impact gun setting up the failure. A private garage extracted the broken bolt in the crank and restored the rest of the parts for just north of $300. I would not reuse a torque-to-yield bolt on a crank and then trust the car/truck for a trip across country.... 1. dannysengineportal.com/torque-to-yield-bolts-tty-what-exactly-are-they/

[@nelsonlopez4695]

Mine is on passenger side, reason why I didn’t think it was rear main seal. Thanks! God bless 11/27/23

[@brianschindlbeck2807]

Just left autozone with the parts and hopefully all the tools. Got 2 days and fingers crossed. Couldn't find the replacement bolt.

[@wesnolton442]

Thank you soooo much for this viedo!! You really helped me out with this job!!! Totally Awesome!! 😊😤😤😤💪💪💪💪✌️

[@tainowelder3335]

gonna try this today or next weekend have to to much money on oil dont want to ruin everything either wish me luck

[@lesteraddison4638]

Would the oil leak be possibly the oil pan gasket? I'm having this same issue

[@erwinpadgett1050]

Thus was caused by the pvc system being clogged up. If you rake the oil fill cap off and hear the engine blowing loud thru the oil cap then you need to replace the intake manifold as well. No engine breathing thru pcv causing pressure to build blows the seals out, then oil leaks appear.

[@awnedrerepz1786]

i dropped the tensioner bolt inside the access hole. i have no idea how to fish it out. please help.

[@delphiniapickett2934]

Good video

[@OscarSanchez-sp5lc]

Thank you!!!

[@tomwolfe1983]

Total cost of new seal + bolt at the Chev dealer was $35 CAD ($25 USD yes a rip off but oh well) so why not get a new bolt. Also, to torque it properly all you need is a flywheel stopper. Or a coat hanger hooked through one of the holes and tied off to the frame. If you're going to do it why not do it right for the extra $5-10 bolt? Thanks for the video regardless, nice work.

[@tomwolfe1983]

Or this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2enc4Nursx7as0si=LEsIhiNM_aCnEBF0

[@tssci6774]

This customer will next be replacing the rear crank seal at cost of $1500, that is if he is lucky he doesn't blow the engine. Of you have oil build up on the top cover, around the oil fill cap, you have a clogged PCV system. This is what caused the front seal to leak. They were lucky it was the front. Clean the PCV system and orifice, then get an AC Delco FC-219 vented oil cap. Looking at the heavy varnish on the crank and pulley, this car has been neglected. Use premium full synthetic oil, premium filter, change every 3k. Use premium 91/93 Top Tier fuel.

[@atvizory2000]

I’m about to attempt this exact same job. I have no way to measure the torque. Hopefully it will be alright lol

[@paulkelley86]

Common practice. Done it a hundred times. Just about all the ones I have seen come back with a crankshaft pulley bolt loose, or worse, loosened then broke off in the crank were undertorqued because a person tried to use a torque wrench but couldn't hit the number because they did not have a way to lock the crankshaft.

[@RAM-fh6zs]

Update ?

[@atvizory2000]

Replaced the seal. Then actually replaced the whole pulley a week later. It stopped the leak. It wasn’t a hard job at all. Hardest part was putting the belt back on lol

[@clarkkent3654]

Is the bolt loose when hearing a crackling sound

[@kkozlen]

Also have a 2014 Equinox that appears to be having the exact same issue. I don’t have the tools to do this job myself. What should I expect to pay to have this done for me?

[@tomwolfe1983]

More than the cost of the tools

[@thejeepthemyththelegend]

how much would you charge for this kind of job?

[@camperamber]

I had an alternator replacement done. Now all od the sudden..i believe i have this leak. Could the two be connected? The lube place just said oil pan gasket or crank shaft gasket... Great video btw.

[@paulkelley86]

@camperamber doesn't sound related but what I can say is that I would get a second opinion or better yet a proper leak diagnosis from a legitimate shop or technician. The lube place doesn't have the qualifications to diagnose if they don't have the qualifications to perform and guarantee the repair.

[@paulhernandez4265]

Awesome video, brother. What's the ballpark to charge for that job?

[@paulkelley86]

It's gonna be a couple to a few hours labor. Depends on the shop. I'd do it for $250 out the door but a shop with labor rate of $100 plus will probably be $400 or more.

[@toddforslund3571]

Would this cause the oil to go down in the Equinox?

[@wilbertogonzalez5073]

I have this problem and will be working on it tomorrow and yes it will drain your oil . Not so much but with time .

[@ramongonzales1631]

Huh come you didn't use your torque sticks in the top drawer ?

[@paulkelley86]

Lol, fair point.

[@eddyquinn877]

Can this affect the ac? Or is that entirely a different issue?

[@paulkelley86]

The only way it would is if so much oil got on the belt it slipped off, in which case you would have no alternator so your battery light would be on and car will be dying soon and it won't have a water pump spinning so it will be overheating. If you don't have those symptoms it is unrelated.

[@michaelhodgson8272]

Interesting how all the comments are around the same time. Anyone else got a 2014 equinox lol?

[@lemonaid8678]

Should that pulley come right off? Mine seems to be stuck

[@paulkelley86]

That's common, use a puller. Search 2.4 ecotec crankshaft pulley (or harmonic balancer) puller.

[@lemonaid8678]

@@paulkelley86 I was able to get it off, but seems the key for the pulley is sheared.

[@paulkelley86]

@lemonaid8678 uh oh. Look closely, if it is damaged you will need l replace that. Check wherein sits on the pulley for damage too, you may need to replace both. If I recall correctly, you can get a woodruff key, but it may be hard to find.

[@lemonaid8678]

@@paulkelley86 pulley looks fine, really not sure what happened, I bought this car for 300$ from a guy. timing chain tensioner appeared to be bad found lots of slack in the chain at the top, Chevy calls for it to be changed at 100k miles, so I was in the process of doing that when I couldn’t get the pulley off. I can see that I’ll have to take water pump chain and pulley off as well to change the key out

[@lemonaid8678]

I am a mechanic btw, so I’m not just some random taking on jobs to big for me.

[@todizzle666]

What is this seal called?

[@paulkelley86]

Crankshaft seal.

[@paulkelley86]

Or sometimes front crankshaft seal, crank pulley seal.

[@todizzle666]

I don't know where it's leaking for sure it been leaking oil for a while n I checked it n found out it was now flinging the oil but I don't have a shop I took wheel off n I think it could be this but I don't have a socket that big I'm thinking a pipe maybe n then the belt broke I think maybe the ac motor isn't moving anymore I could not really move it by hand I'm pretty sure I can do the seal n put belt back on I was thinking I could go around the ac compressor but I'm no macanic but I can do smaller things itsva 2.4 2013 has 113k miles I want to fix n get rid of it also tougher now that it's Michigan abd getting colder it's slinging oil as well

[@liss1788]

And someone tried to charge me $1500 for this job. And it’s only a $25 kit. SMH smh