What do you mean orange rubbery substance. Did they provide a picture?
The only thing I can think of that is even close to orange is the copper from journal bearings. Other than that orange does not make sense unless you added additives to the oil.

You only recourse is to contact GM customer support. Dealer needs to provide more than orange rubbery substance and I would want to see for myself what they are seeing.

CS info

 

Here is the only picture I have but it’s hard to see. Sounds like they have more of it that they found. I’m at a loss, the only explanation can be something from the engine came apart? I’m no mechanic but it’s the only thing that makes sense to me. I don’t suspect anything nefarious or something like that.

No additives just synthetic 0w20

 

What oil filter do you use? There was an instance a few years ago of a Fram Ultra oil filter puking it's ADBV through the filter and doing engine damage on a Mazda engine

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/update-defective-fram-ultra-missing-adbv-leads-to-engine-damage-in-2018-mazda6.337855/

 

Well then if GM won't cover it. go after the oil change place as its a good chance something they did is the source of your problem, especially with only 70 miles since. Get documentation from the dealer so you can show them.

 

I don’t understand how this would not be covered under warranty, the orange substance has to be from a failing engine component, but they are acting like it is not.

Some of the most common rubber components on a 5.3L Ecotec engine that need regular inspection or replacement are PCV hoses, intake manifold gaskets, and oil cooler lines. These parts can degrade over time due to heat and pressure, leading to leaks, vacuum issues, and performance problems.
Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system components
The PCV system regulates pressure within the engine, and its rubber hoses are a common point of failure.

• PCV valve and hose: This connects the PCV valve (sometimes integrated into the valve cover) to the intake manifold. As a vehicle ages, the rubber can become brittle and crack, causing a vacuum leak.
• Valve cover grommets: These small rubber seals connect the PCV system to the valve cover and can also crack or harden, leading to oil seepage.

Gaskets and seals
The 5.3L Ecotec engine relies on several rubber or rubberized gaskets to prevent oil and air leaks.

• Intake manifold gaskets: These are located between the intake manifold and the cylinder head. A failing gasket can cause a vacuum leak, leading to a rough idle or a check engine light.
• Valve cover gaskets: Made of high-quality rubber, these seal the valve covers to the cylinder heads. If they wear out, they will leak oil into the spark plug wells, causing misfires.
• Oil cooler and oil cooler adapter seals: Located near the oil filter, these gaskets can dry out and fail, causing a significant external oil leak.
• Valley pan gasket: This is a thick rubber gasket that sits under the valley pan cover and can flatten and leak over time.

Fluid-carrying hoses
Rubber hoses are used throughout the cooling and lubrication systems.

• Transmission oil cooler lines: These rubber and metal lines run between the transmission and the radiator to keep the fluid at the correct temperature. The rubber sections can wear out or crack, leading to fluid leaks.
• Coolant hoses: These hoses carry coolant between the radiator, water pump, and engine and can harden or become soft and spongy with age.

 

And what one of these listed will cause an engine failure? I don’t see any warning of such. Maybe an oil leak or rough running.

 

Send some of the oil, (if they kept any,) along with the orange rubbery substance to Blackstone labs for analysis.
Call them or email them and give them the heads up as to what's going on.
Probably should put the substance in an envelope and send it with the sample.

 

Thanks all for the help.

To be honest I can’t remember what brand the filter was. I called the dealership and they said that they cut open the filter and it did have some orange pieces but it looked like a different type of material. I’m hoping they can send the material found in the oil off to a lab and it would be able to tell me definitively if it was from an oil filter or not. Seems like a longshot but it’s the only thing I can think of.

its hard to go after the oil change place without some type of evidence, and I don’t think they would have botched an oil change.

 

Hindsight is 20/20..... but Fram filters?

I only use OEM, WIX, NAPA, (which is WIX,) and Baldwin.

I watch for deals on Ebay ans stock up....

 

Fram Ultra, up until last year, has been considered the best oil filter for the last 15-20 years. Like most things, there's varying levels of quality.....the orange can of death, the silver Tough Guard, and then the gold Ultra or Endurance/Titanium.

Wix has gone downhill in QC the last 1-3 years unfortunately and the Wix XP/NAPA Platinum have horrid efficiency.

Right now, the top filters are Microgard Select (Oreillys), Carquest Premium (AAP), ChampXL, and Pentius XL. Quality, efficiency, etc. are all tops for these. The new Purolator gold 20k filter looks nice and supposedly has way better efficiency than the Purolator Boss (similar to Wix XP/NAPA Plat) but also costs like $16.

 

did you call a different dealer or GMC/ Chevy corp yet ? (this has so little miles on it for any such troubles,...even if poking around 3 years or whatever the powertrain warranty is...and some corporations have given some $$$ leeway around the expiration of such)

sometimes the first dealer is just plain dickx,...and they don't know,..or don't want to get blamed for something.

but the 2nd dealer knows more.

I know a heavy equipment mechanic that took his wife's bmw to the nearest dealer (70 miles south) as it was making metal shavings in the oil. ...1st dealer said it needs a whole engine job / used engine,...customer pays.

2nd dealer 80 miles north. looks at the same car....says that vin has a known bad engine series,...and bmw corp will fix the whole thing on them. (used reman with the fixes built in)..
...and the 2nd dealer reported the 1st dealer for being sofa-king stupid.

 

did you call a different dealer or GMC/ Chevy corp yet ? (this has so little miles on it for any such troubles,...even if poking around 3 years or whatever the powertrain warranty is...and some corporations have given some $$$ leeway around the expiration of such)

sometimes the first dealer is just plain dickx,...and they don't know,..or don't want to get blamed for something.

but the 2nd dealer knows more.

I know a heavy equipment mechanic that took his wife's bmw to the nearest dealer (70 miles south) as it was making metal shavings in the oil. ...1st dealer said it needs a whole engine job / used engine,...customer pays.

2nd dealer 80 miles north. looks at the same car....says that vin has a known bad engine series,...and bmw corp will fix the whole thing on them. (used reman with the fixes built in)..
...and the 2nd dealer reported the 1st dealer for being sofa-king stupid.

This is what baffles me the dealer and mechanic get paid to do that job. I have run into dealers that would not bend on stuff like this. One instance was an ex-gf's VW had catastrophic engine failure. They claimed it would not be a warranty item but that changed with her making one polite simple call to VW. Next day the dealer was calling her saying they would fix it. I also had issues with local dealer here with my Cadillac and a recall for the rear diff. GM as part of the recall replaced the rear diff completely but when I took it to the dealer for the recall they claimed it did not need the replacement. After contacting GM because I was getting no where saying that the recall was not an inspect and replace if but that it was a replace under the recall.

 

couldbe some gasket material
as suggested get a lab to ID it , as if it is gasket material , then it is likely Pre cured eurethane from an OE gasket inside the engine , which would put GM back on the hook
Gonna be tough to prove anything without some evidence to start, and a way to ID if the orange material is GMs or from an aftermarket filter that was not processed correctly

 

I wonder if it is the timing chain/tensioning guides?

 

It’s more like a rubbery orange material than a plastic material. The best I can describe it is like peeled up latex caulk but orange. The field service engineer is going to come take a look and cut into the oil filter to try to figure out if it’s an adhesive from inside of it. it was a pronto filter.

Fingers crossed that we can figure something out

 

The only thing I can really think of that resembles that would be some type of RTV sealant but that's usually not orange....black or gray.

 

Is the truck running? Did the light reset?

If yes, I'd drive it, change it again in 200-500 miles, then see how it ran.

 

First thing we did was change oil and the light immediately came back on. It’s all taken apart now

 

The VLOM gasket has orange precured eurethane as a sealer
Unless you have no clue , then it doesnt

 

That’s a good thought, thanks. I’ll ask about this because it does look similar in the pictures I’ve found

 

and it could be from an inferior oil filter

 

that is the 2 places that I know the orange colored goodie could be from

 

I expect there are a few spots w rtv or something similar, for example where the oil pan mates w the front and rear covers, there's a blob of sealant in those 4 spots to seal between the vertical and horizontal gaskets (at least those spots on an L96).

There may also be plugs that use ptfe or something like that. IDK if the original plug has it applied wet just prior to installation, or if something is pre-applied when the plug is manufactured.

 

From factory, the RTV in those places should be white or gray unless they changed it from previous generations based off of an L83

 

well, you had a 3rd party do the oil change, and who knows what they did - instead of the dealer while under warranty... so yes, GM can deny you any warranty...

 

Nonsense.

 

You don’t have to use the dealer for repairs or maintenance to keep your warranty in effect. In fact, it’s illegal for a dealer to deny your warranty coverage because you had routine maintenance or repairs done by someone else. But if the warranty says that the work will be done for free, the dealer or manufacturer can make you use repair facilities it chooses. And if the warranty says you will get parts for free, the dealer or manufacturer can require you to use parts it chooses.

Auto Warranties and Auto Service Contracts

Explains auto warranties and auto service contracts and their differences. Also describes extended warranty scams and your rights.

consumer.ftc.gov

 

just for asking,

as there was a check engine light, did anyone pull codes on it ?

 

There is something that occurred to me, and this may just be a mindless rambling....like I had nothing else to think of on this beautiful morning driving the convertible into work....

Anyway, I digress....

I know about the Magnuson-Moss act, and I also know that one is permitted to perform work on their own vehicle whether in warranty or not....however, with that "allowance," I believe that there is an expectation that whatever parts/fluids/components you may elect to use, the warranty holder/administrator has the expectation that you are going to use components that are as good as or superior to what is installed by the manufacturer....

Perhaps if the third party did indeed use a really cheap shit oil filter, I can see this coming into play.

This is just a mindless rambling, and my two cents worth.

 

I was just down to a shortblock in my l83 (I know, different generation engine) If gaskets and seals are similar between the two, the only orange rubber type material anywhere on the engine is the sealant/locker they use on the engine side of the flange on the crank balancer bolt. No idea how that would end up inside of the engine though, but it peels, acts and looks very very similar to RTV.

 

Most new vehicles come with free oil changes

Incorrect. GM vehicles come with one (1) free oil change within the first year of being in service, only 1 free oil change.

 

Sounds like you need to begin with the business that changed your oil

 

I would suspect the recent oil change. Orange material from a gasket on the the oil filter? Wrong one installed caused bearing starvation and then they realized it and replaced it?

 

This is why you take your vehicle to the dealership if you are going to let another shop do the oil change! Then they can't claim you or someone else did something wrong. A oil change is about 120.00 at the dealership and about 100.00 at the jiffy lubes of the world. Its not worth saving the 20.00. Had you took this to the dealership this would not be a issue. SPCIDP!!!