[bjstorm69]

I just bought a 2007 Outlook XR FWD(210,000miles) with only 50psi in cylinder 3. It should be 140psi. I will verify before disassembling the engine. I plan on doing it myself and would like to know if anyone has had experience doing an engine tear down. I bought it from my aunt and know that it has had a very good service record. The timing chains have already been replaced, but nothing has ever been done to the transmission.

 

[salguod]

210K! I think that's the highest mileage I've seen reported on a Lambda, congrats.

I think you may need to drop the engine & trans, but I'm not sure. You could get a subscription to alldata for access to the factory service manual to check.

You might want to join the Acadia forum. The Acadia and Outlook are nearly identical, mechanically, and even share several body panels and there is a lot more activity over there. There's a member there named KeyDiesel who is a GMC tech and repairs them on the side who might be able to help you out.

 

[rbarrios]

Very Nice on your 210,000.

Thats the most Ive seen someone report.

Like Salgoud say.. keydiesel may be able to help you over there.

 

[bjstorm69]

MIGHT NOT BE BLOWN HEAD GASKET!!!!!!!!
I bought this vehicle from a family member on the basis that a certified mechanic diagnosed it. Upon my review of this issue, i believe there to be no internal engine damage here. I work on vehicles quite a bit and do all my own work. I do not do this as a CAREER, but find mistakes, big ones that dealers make, very sad indeed!

As to the saturn, I bought it on a whim without any research done. The CUV was always well maintained so I knew that most systems would be in good shape. I studied all of the Lambda's and it seems to me that besides interior and some exterior stuff, the are the same. I have not found anything that i do not like about it. It is extremely roomy, nicely engineered interior, and the engine is relatively simple to work on. And the ride, wow, very nice. I am very perplexed by one thing, the engines power output. The vehicle seems very peppy to me and I do not understand why you would want any more horsepower and sacrifice fuel economy? I have to be very careful or else I am doing 90mph! I do not know why people complain about its power, I do not see this as being an issue. I reviewed a foreign vehicle of this type, twice as expensive with an additional 100hp, but the fuel economy was something like 13-17. Not a selling point for me. And to add a personal note, know that I own this vehicle, I look at the competition very closely now. It seems to me that there is very few vehicles that can compete with GM's Lambda's. Quite simply put, the others either look cheap, cost to much, or are just plain ugly....some have all three issues!

Also to those out there approaching high mileage. If you maintain these vehicles, they will last!!!!!!I have gone through this vehicle inside and out, and I am surprised as how well it has held up in michigan. The undercarriage has no rust, not even the brake lines. So i must say that time will tell, but I do believe that these vehicles will last and age gracefully..........

 

[salguod]

If not a head gasket or internal damage, then what would cause the low compression?

I agree that the Lambdas are the best design in the crossover market and I hope you are right about their durability. Reliability hasn't been great to date, they seem to get hit hard at about 3 years old, but maybe they'll settle out and last a good long time. I plan on keeping mine to close your mileage (at about 65K now) so I guess I'll find out!

 

[bjstorm69]

I am sorry, I didn't mean to mislead anyone. I bought this vehicle on a whim.............I got a great deal because a family member was just going to trade this vehicle in and I bought it for that price. I could not go wrong, if I didn't like it, I could just flip it.

The mechanics said that it had internal engine damage and that it had low compression in cylinder 3. I checked the compression and it seemed ok, then i checked the engine codes and it stated that it had a bad MAP sensor. The vehicle was getting poor mileage 11 to 13 mpg, I replaced the MAP sensor (about five minutes) and it instantly fixed the problem. I have done my best to understand what the dealer did to this vehicle and how they could be so wrong. Was it a scam, were they wrong, or did I miss something? I am not sure, but i will keep posting on this subject. I also have a complete maintenance log and will post it when i finish dictating it. This should be very helpful for all.

 

[bjstorm69]

HERE IS THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF MY 2007 OUTLOOK FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER. THIS MIGHT BE USEFUL FOR OTHERS TO SEE WHAT CAN GO WRONG WITHIN 200K MILES.

2007 SATURN OUTLOOK MAINTENANCE LOG

5/15/07 8,490 MILES, REPLACED R REAR TIRE SENSOR TIRE LOST AIR
8/2/07 12,500 MILES, OIL & FILTER, TIRES ROTATED, PASSENGER SIDE ROOF RAIL REPAIRED
8/15/07 17,674 MILES, OIL & FILTER
10/17/07 23,321 MILES, TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE UPDATE, OIL CHANGE, TIRES ROTATED
12/13/07 27,008 MILES, OIL CHANGED, ROTATED TIRES, A/C MAINTENACE, B.G. FUEL SYSTEM CLEANING
1/21/07 31,107 MILES, OIL CHANGE
3/3/08 34,907 MILES, OILE CHANGE
3/X/08 TIRE SENSOR REPLACEMENT
3/17/08 ROTATED TIRES
5/19/08 43,000 MILES, ROTATED TIRES, BOUGHT NEW TIRES
6/3/08 DOOR LOCK REPLACED
7/31/08 50,844 MILES, OIL CHANGED
10/11/08 59,549 MILES, OIL CHANGED, TIRES ROTATED
10/21/08 3 STEP FUEL SYSTEM CLEANING, RECALL WINDSHEILD WIPERS-PARTS ORDERED
12/3/08 COMPLETE WIPER RECALL WORK
12/15/08 64,888 MILES, OIL CHANGE, TIRES ROTATED
5/5/09 79,546 MILES, OIL CHANGE
5/19/09 80,752 MILES, TIRE ROTATION, WHEEL ALIGNMENT, FRONT DISC BRAKES
6/10/09 82,519 MILES, POWER STEERING FIXED
7/2/09 TIMING CHAIN ORDERED
7/15/09 FUEL DOOR FIXED, TIMING CHAIN REPLACED
11/X/09 97,204 MILES, TIRE SENSOR REPLACED
12/04/09 99,221 MILES, OIL CHANGED, AIR FILTER CHANGED
3/10/10 112,240 MILES, NEW TIRES
4/10/10 114,894 MILES, 2 TIRE PRESSURE SENSORS REPLACED
4/14/10 115,428 MILES, OIL CHANGE
5/3/10 116,789 MILES, R REAR BEARING REPLACED
7/1/10 124,017 MILES, OIL CHANGED
7/9/10 HEATED WINDSHIELD WASHER REMOVED
8/10/10 127,612 MILES, TIRES ROTATED
9/16/10 133,454 MILES, OIL CHANGED
9/24/10 134,289 MILES, TIRES ROTATED
11/27/10 141,832 MILES, OIL CHANGED, TIRES ROTATED
12/29/10 144,290 MILES, REAR BRAKES PADS & ROTORS
2/23/11 149,679 MILES, OIL CHANGED, TIRE ROTATION, BRAKE FLUID FLUSH
4/14/11 TIMMING CHAIN REPROGRAMMED, ENGINE CONTROL MODULE
4/28/11 155,118 MILES, OIL CHANGED, TIRE ROTATION
6/1/11 160,766 MILES, TIRES ROTATED, AIR FILTER REPLACED
6/28/11 163,997 MILES, NEW TIRES, BALANCE & ALIGNMENT
8/2/11 168,282 MILES, ROTATED TIRES
9/23/11 174,040 MILES, WIPER FIXED-BROKEN WIRE2
9/27/11 174,323 MILES, ROTATED TIRES-6,000 MILES
10/18/11 177,349 MILES, OIL CHANGED
11/22/11 180,889 MILES, REPLACED SHOCKS & STRUTS, TIRES ROTATED 6,500 MILES
12/26/11 183,058 MILES, RECALL ON HEADLIGHTS
1/7/12 184,224 MILES, REPLACED SPARK PLUGS, ROTATED TIRES, CHANGED OIL & AIR FILTER
3/23/12 187,243 MILES, LEFT REAR BEARING, AIR CONDITIONER
5/8/12 190,846 MILES, OIL CHANGED, TIRES ROTATED 6,500 MILES
7/16/12 199,171 MILES, OIL CHANGED, TIRES ROTATED 8,325 MILES
8/3/12 201,457 MILES, 3 STEP FUEL INJECTION CLEANING
8/22/12 203,107 MILES, ENGINE LIGHT ON-LOOSE HOSE AT PURGE VENT
8/30/12 203,884 MILES, INSTALL FUEL EVAPORATOR VALVE & CANISTER CONNECTOR, A/C RECHARGED WITH DYE
10/1/12 206,453 MILES, OILD CHANGED, TIRES ROTATED
11/7/12 ENGINE LIGHT ON, ON STAR RECOMMEND TO SEE GM DEALER
11/9/12 209,354 MILES, REPLACED GAS CAP & PURGE VALVE
12/3/12 210,905 MILES, TRAC LIGHT ON, MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3
12/14/12 211,345 MILES, OBD2-MAP OUT OF RANGE, REPLACED MAP SENSOR AND CLEARED CODES

 

[salguod]

5/15/07 8,490 MILES, REPLACED R REAR TIRE SENSOR TIRE LOST AIR
8/2/07 12,500 MILES, OIL & FILTER, TIRES ROTATED, PASSENGER SIDE ROOF RAIL REPAIRED
10/17/07 23,321 MILES, TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE UPDATE, OIL CHANGE, TIRES ROTATED
3/X/08 TIRE SENSOR REPLACEMENT
6/3/08 DOOR LOCK REPLACED
6/10/09 82,519 MILES, POWER STEERING FIXED
7/2/09 TIMING CHAIN ORDERED
7/15/09 FUEL DOOR FIXED, TIMING CHAIN REPLACED
11/X/09 97,204 MILES, TIRE SENSOR REPLACED
4/10/10 114,894 MILES, 2 TIRE PRESSURE SENSORS REPLACED
5/3/10 116,789 MILES, R REAR BEARING REPLACED
4/14/11 TIMMING CHAIN REPROGRAMMED, ENGINE CONTROL MODULE
9/23/11 174,040 MILES, WIPER FIXED-BROKEN WIRE2
11/22/11 180,889 MILES, REPLACED SHOCKS & STRUTS, TIRES ROTATED 6,500 MILES
3/23/12 187,243 MILES, LEFT REAR BEARING, AIR CONDITIONER
8/22/12 203,107 MILES, ENGINE LIGHT ON-LOOSE HOSE AT PURGE VENT
8/30/12 203,884 MILES, INSTALL FUEL EVAPORATOR VALVE & CANISTER CONNECTOR, A/C RECHARGED WITH DYE
11/7/12 ENGINE LIGHT ON, ON STAR RECOMMEND TO SEE GM DEALER
11/9/12 209,354 MILES, REPLACED GAS CAP & PURGE VALVE
12/3/12 210,905 MILES, TRAC LIGHT ON, MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3
12/14/12 211,345 MILES, OBD2-MAP OUT OF RANGE, REPLACED MAP SENSOR AND CLEARED CODES

That's the list when I took out the wear, maintenance and recalls. That gives the skeptics among us (myself included) some hope. Not too many repairs there and not many big ticket items. Timing chains and 'power steering fixed' at 82K, which may or may not have been pricey. I was encouraged to see shocks and struts went 180K.

 

[bjstorm69]

I thought the most interesting aspect of all is that no water pump, starter, or alternator have been replaced yet. Yes, there are some design issues and manufacturing mishaps, (ie: timing chain, washer heater, and steering). But the most important issue to me is that the engine, transmission, electronic modules, and suspension design are designed robustly.

I join forums so that I can get the most out of things that I own, and educate myself and others as best I can. My goal is to get 400K miles out of a car. I expect to replace alot of drive train components but the engine should last to 300k and the transmission to at least 200k. I have owned two cars that I had to scrap because of structural fatigue on them. I had a 1986 Chevrolet station wagon with a 2.0L 4cyl, 5 speed manual that lasted to 410k with original engine, but replace transmission 3 times. My 1990 Old cutlas cierra lasted 395k but I needed to replaced engine and transmission. Both were driven on the harsh roads of Michigan and both vehicles were structurally welded on extensively to keep them going. I scrapped both of them due to safety reasons (only so much welding and fabricating braces can be done...........and I lost interest on all the work to keep them going). I am very pleased to add that this Lambda has an excellent undercarriage, virtually no rust, and perfectly clean strut towers, cradle to uni-body mounts, and suspension to uni-body mounts. When weather permits, I will put it up on my hoist and power wash the engine and undercarriage. I will then undercoat it and take full inventory of the conditions of mechanical components. I will post pictures and write comments. I assume this might be of interest to some (it is to me) who work on their own vehicles. I found very few pictures of the mechanics of these vehicles so I hope what I post will be helpful!

 

[bjstorm69]

P.S.

I seldom go on forums unless i am doing research, so if you have a comment that is directed to me and want my response, it is best to email me at [email protected]