Occasional burning smell(like oil on headers)

[FrankAR15]

I know we've talked about this before, but I couldn't find using the search.

Maybe once out of every 5 drives I get a smell of burning oil for a few seconds and then it goes away.
If it happens, sometimes it will happen again within 5 min or so.

The funny thing is, that I haven't seemed to smell this all summer(I remember it happening last winter)
As soon as we started using the HEAT, it seemed like the ocassional burning smell has returned.

So, is it possible that it is coolant leaking on a header(or something else hot)?
Maybe it's a coincidence that it hadn't leaked all summer...

And what areas should I check that would only ocassionally leak for both oil and coolant?

Thanks

[dpnewfie]

The valve cover gaskets are leaking. It is a common problem on these N* engines. You will find that over time evey gasket on that engine will weep.

[FrankAR15]

Is there a better brand of gaskets or did GM revise them?

This car only has 53,000 miles

[sethjamesrimrodt]

Pretty much every gasket leaks in my car with 68,000 miles. I would recommend felt pro perma dry gaskets, that's what I am going to put in this summer.

[05boni]

Do u have a link for these gaskets?

[sethjamesrimrodt]

Well if you go to rockauto.com you can either do a search for you car and valve cover gasket set or you can look them up at any parts store by the part number: VS50526R

If you go with rockauto you are looking at about $63 plus shipping mines our club discount of 5% that expires soon.

[PaulyGXP]

I agree with Seth. Also could be oil cooler lines. This would leave some drips on the garage floor so that's a dead giveaway. Another known oil leak area is the oil pan, if you pan is oily at all, time for a gasket there too!

[FrankAR15]

Ok, so the problem was the valve cover gaskets. Had them replaced, and when driving the car back home there was a problem.

When driving the car easy, everything was normal. But moderate acceleration, especially from a stop, there is this funny humming/vibration noise that momentarily comes from the engine compartment... I can even feel it in the gas pedal when it does it. I will never be able to explain the noise, but it almost sounds like a steering belt slipping but no squeeling, if that makes sense.

I took the car right back to the shop. The engine never produced this kind of noise before under any kind of acceleration.
Does anyone know what this could be? Valve covers to tight??

On a side note. Also had the intermediate shaft replaced and new brakes and rotors on front. But I don't think any of that could cause this new problem.

[sethjamesrimrodt]

I guess I would look everything over real good. It could be coming from the water pump area. If they didn't pay attention when they put the pulley back on the cam it could be out of alignment.

[FrankAR15]

It's all fixed! They said it was the throttle cable vibrating against a bracket. They re-routed it. Or possibly didn't route it correctly in the 1st place?

Anyway, happy it's fixed!

[skregal]

I'm on my second set of valve cover gaskets and my second oil pan gasket.
My GXP has 92K miles on it.
Dealer did the repairs each time under extended warranty.
The total cost would have been in the thousands without the warranty
because they drop the subframe to remove the oil pan.

I'm not sure if the repair can be done without doing that.
(They also remove entire dash boards to replace actuators and we all know
you don't have to do that).

BTW my valve cover gasket repair was $536 last time, but I paid
$100 deductible.
These Northstars suck in my opinion.

[FrankAR15]

Yeah, hopefully in dont get the oil pan leak. I did get a quote from the dealer and it was like $4500!!

[CMNTMXR57]

It's not the gaskets. The GM ones are actually very nice gaskets. It's the fact that the cam covers are only torqued to 7lb/ft of torque. So running the engine a couple times (heat cycling it), loosens them right back up.

I loctited them and went 10 lb/ft and it helped.

Could also be coolant if it has a slight sweet hint to it. The freeze plugs on the back of the motor like to weep when cold, which then drips down the back of the block, works it's way down to the cross-under exhaust pipe from the front bank. Then when you start it up, run it, it burns it off the block and exhaust, and you can't find a trace of hte leaking coolant.

[05boni]

I have the same oil leak issue and was quoted $485 by local shop. I've decided to tackle this one on my own. I just purchased the fel-pro $83.00 but the Victor were a few bucks more. Does this mean better quality for the Victors? Also read 10ft lbs w/locktite, any other helpful hints would be great.

[CMNTMXR57]

You're in for a fair amount of work on the backside cover. Strut tower needs to be removed, EGR needs to be removed, coils and coil cartridge need to be removed, and then you can loosen the bolts. But it doesn't just pop off. A big fat electrical harness which has zero slack in it is in the way. Then once you get it off (the cam cover), the challenge is getting the camshaft cover back over the cam drive chain on the one side, and under the harness, and NOT damage the new gasket in the process...

The front is much easier, but then you'll need to work around the water pump drive (driven off one of the camshafts and has another seal you'll want to replace), disconnect the water pump drive belt on the drivers side, pull the pulley off it's shaft, remove the coils and coil cartridge, then remove the cam cover.
$485, less $42 for parts / the average of $80/hr labor = about 5.5 hours of labor. I arrive at the parts cost, which looking at GMPD, each cam cover gasket is $16.04, the seal isn't listed (at least I can't find it), but I would reckon it's in the $5 - $10 range. So lets call it a total of $42 in parts.

I'm a former GM tech and it took me about 6 hours in total... Granted I wasn't working 100% on it, 100% of the time, but still, it took a lot of time and swearing (especially at the back side).

As to which gaskets, I have nothing against Fel-Pro (I use them all the time, including on my GTO when I did that engine), but honestly, the GM gasket is a pretty nice gasket. It is a neoprene rubber gasket with double wires impregnated in it (kinda like an underwire bra), running the circumference of the gasket to maintain it’s preformed shape to the design of the head.

Point I'm making, unless you're into this kind of torture, sometimes spending the money is worth it...

[05boni]

Is there no way to disconnect the wire harness to get it out of the way?
Are you also saying I need another gasket called the water pump drive seal?
I thought I read somewhere I need a special tool to remove the pulley belt.
This sounds like it is going to be quite a job. Good thing I'm on vacation this week cuz it sounds like it may take a week.

[CMNTMXR57]

No on the wiring harness. At least not a junction that you can just quickly disconnect it and remove to get out of the way. I'm sure if you really wanted to, you could trace the thing through the engine compartment and unhook it from everything. It is the main harness.

Yes, I believe that's it. It's like half a circle in appearance. Nothing special, just a pulley puller. It's only a plastic pulley if I recall (so be careful not to put too much force on it). You'll also need to remove the little stamped steel belt shield around it.

Have fun...