JUNK 1.4L Turbo Chevy Cruze / Sonic Bad Engine Teardown. I Would AVOID these.
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- Опубліковано 12 гру 2023
- For parts from this engine or others, email us at Importapartsales@gmail.com or visit www.importapart.com
Today we've got the infamous 1.4L "LUV" Turbo engine found in the early Chevrolet Cruze and Sonic. This is a 138hp 4 cylinder that has earned a pretty bad reputation for frequent and pricey repairs. This is an engine of Daewoo decent, and is offered globally in several different cars we don't get in North America.
This particular engine is from a 2011 Cruze and has a questionable past. Lots of replacement parts were little help in keeping this engine alive. This is a core return from another salvage yard so I don't know mileage or details. We tear this thing all the way down to see what happened to this engine.
Why am I doing this? I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart in the Saint Louis area. Part of our model includes dismantling blown and bad engines to salvage the good parts to resell. We do not rebuild engines, merely supply parts to those who do.
I really hope you enjoyed this video. As always, I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism. Catch you on the next one!
-Eric - Авто та транспорт
One of the easiest ways to tell if a vehicle has been neglected is to pull a spark plug out and if it's an Autolite don't buy it.
Ford 4.6s and 5.4s love autolite APP plugs.
I mean it could just mean they were poor or not knowledgeable. At least they do maintenance. I’ll take one with auto lite plugs over a car with sludgy coolant, black trans fluid, and take5 oil change stickers ANY day of the week and twice on a Saturday
? Maybe a clue but not a fact
Honestly I don't know what's so wrong with Autolite 🤷
Not sure how that says it's been neglected either but people still buy Chevys so I guess I will never understand some people's thought process!
I mean agree, its as bad as seeing a Fram oil filter. But, at least it means they did SOME maintenance. Now, the orange RTV? Thats a run, don't walk, away..
The water pump funeral was very touching.
I’m waiting for the Viking Funeral. Maybe for a Volvo or SAAB 😜
I was waiting for a tombstone for our dear departed water pump.
Lol nevermind, there it is 😂
I cried a little.... :)
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Where can I send flowers?
This isn't the worst 4-cylinder engine GM ever made; that distinction goes to the 2.3 liter engine that was in the Vega from 1971-77. GREAT VIDEO!
Was going to make this comment but you beat me to it!
I dunno, there was the quad 4
😂 came here to remind everyone of the 2.3 Vega engine but you got it out there. Horrible engine.
Lmao okay so it's not just me
@@trm4lifeI was going to say quad 4 lol
We have this Engines in Germany too. But with less problems. Some off this Engines have over 300.000 kilometers on it (~190.000 Meilen!)
In Germany we put in new Oil all 15.000 kilometers (9.000 Meilen). Some off the Engines have problems with the valvecover and needs a new one. Some off them have rattling timing changes and needs a new one. But the most off the Engineproblems are made by the owner. They just drive short trips to the Supermarket but use the hole Power of the Engine or do not the care of the car.
I find really touching, the care you take honoring the lives of these poor mistreated water pumps, who never got the love they deserved during their working lives.
Rest in peace oh valiant warrior! 😂
My condolences to the family.......
*taps* playing
😂
To Valhalla
8:40 Those oil-fed tensioners _don't have ratchets_ and are easily my biggest complaint in GM engines of this era. If oil pressure hiccups for any reason, chain is fried, and you'll be lucky if it doesn't jump time.
holy christ
i hope to god this is a non-interference engine, because if not thats disgraceful engineering
Is this "oil pressure hiccups" a GM issue? I feel like the tensioner not being a ratchet style is the least of your worries if so!
The timing chain in this car is simple and with the guides and spring behind the plunger I doubt it will jump timing with any "hiccups" it may encounter. Might have a second of noise on start up but the spring should be plenty strong to keep decent tension until oil pressurizes.
If oil pressure drops long enough to collapse the tensioner then you're already fucked elsewhere which who cares if it jumps at that point!
And if it fries your chain then I'd be shocked it didn't snap day one!
there aren't non interference engines anymore mate@@fanglies6095
@@commonsenseisdeadin2024oil pressure hiccup say from running low oil
2014 cruze LTZ owner here.. 1.4L turbo.
Bought used with 78k miles on it, now second owner. So far it's a great car.
Now, I will tell you after i bought it. The oil pan was re-sealed. New front crank seal. MSD coil pack. Iridium plugs. And new belt with tensioner. And full maintenance service including transmission
I noticed some oil consumption. Pcv failure in the intake. And the valve cover, which was replaced as well.
Oil was everywhere. Intercooler, intake and charge air piping.
Ordered a catch can and pcv fix from supercruzes (he has a YT channel as well)
Used my borescope and found that the wastegate was cracked around the valve mating surface in the turbine side.
Went to supercruzes again. Ordered a black widow stage 2 turbo with upgraded wastegate. Aftermarket intercooler and new charge air piping.
Then i started having coolant leak issues. one at the thermostat housing side and one on the driver side of the cylinder head. both parts, PLASTIC. i took a gamble and ordered replacement parts on amazon that were aluminum. just an FYI, if you do this. invest in an o ring assortment kit from a local auto parts store. they dont include the right diameter thickness o rings in the kits. and also, red scotchbrite pads are your friend. they will help remove any machining burs and will tell you if your mating surfaces are flat ( flat bar stock and fine grit sandpaper will cure that issue) and lastly, do not use the coolant sensors that comes in the kits either. the ECM doesn't recognize them. either re use your old ones or buy new ones from local auto parts store.
All of this was done before the next service date.
I'm a die hard Mobil 1 oil consumer. And the inside of this engine is a night and day difference internally and mechanically, since all of this work has been done. may seem biased on. but the results speak for themselves.
It purs so smooth at idle and accelerates so nicely over what it was when I bought it.
10k car and put roughly 4k in it.
It's ultimately what you're willing to invest, to make a vehicle last. And keep up with your maintenance
That sounds like a shitload of repairs for a 78k engine
@jugo1944 yes and no.
In the long game. If I continually do the regular service and maintenance throughout the rest of this cars life. It will be well worth it.
Regular maintenance is a small cost to pay vs failure and fortunes to replace major parts. While not 100% guaranteed to eliminate component failure. You're leaps and bounds ahead of the curve and have a whole lot better advantage from facing failures.
Mind you, aside from the turbo replacement and minor cosmetic trimming to fit the aftermarket intercooler. The rest of the work was very minimal labor intensive. Granted if you have the skill and/or the confidence to do it.
78k miles can easily last to 200k plus miles
Junk then
This is a textbook example of sunken cost fallacy. You are 14k into a vehicle that is worth 8k at best. I'm so sorry.
@@jugo1944well he could have just done nothing but oil changes till it blew up at 160k and then got on the internet and said this car sucks like most these people lol 😅
But instead he put 4k$ in it and it'll be running strong and sounding great at 250k.
Thanks for the teardown. I maintained my 2012 cruze 1.4 l till i sold it off with 150k miles. Kept me very busy with 2 turbos, multiple water pumps and valve covers, an intake, two coil packs, thermostats, numerous cooling system parts, oil leaks including a front cover gasket. Glad i'm done.
You should've taken it to the junkyard
Sounds like you would of saved alot more money by just scraping the car after the first few repairs and buying a cheap corolla or civic used but to each their own I guess
Well he thought it was gunna be like my cruze bought for 2k$and just have a lil oil leak and coolant leak easily fixed for 100$ and then no issues for 4 years. But he got unlucky lol 😅@SAMPLETEXT285
@SAMPLETEXT285 I wholeheartedly agree with you. I bought a 13 sonic rs (6 speed mt). Trying my best to track it down the source of leaks (oil and coolant) @ 82k miles.
Use green coolant and marvel mistry oil will keep oil seals soft and swells up rubber oil seals have 2013 sonic 6sp man with 150000 try not rev up until needed think blower blows pressure into lower crank case this when get oil leaks i also have oil stains on moter all seals looks like get little blow by but uses no oil as always at full mark also remove top heat sheil on turbo leave lower half on lets turbo breath and heat rises so think keeping top heat sheild on just cooks oil feed line will restict oil causes turbo fail since i removed and use mystry oil only quart at oil chng have no issues
As a proud owner of one of these engines, ive had to have the turbo replaced due to the impeller bearing failing, the ignition coil shorting out, and also the thermostat housing cracking. Currently working on a mystery coolant loss. Thanks chevy
Check the coolant tank
Pray to the head gasket gods.
Here are some things you can check, next to the oil filter housing there's a coolant junction on the side of the block. Extremely common for the seal/plastic to crack. Also the sensors in the junction o rings can leak. The water pump is also notorious for failing. Not a terrible job, but all the bolts are very tiny and go into aluminum. If I recall they are like 8 ft lbs. I've also had hoses (especially the heater core hoses) rub thru on the brackets ment to hold them. Ironic.
My 2013 sonic 1.4t has always leaked something. Once I fix one thing another leaks.
Mine is leaking from the water pump. I changed 2 of them in 2 years( non OEM). Seems to be an issue with the antifreeze plug(or whatever that round thingy is supposed to do😅). It's pretty strange(or not).
@@mariusgrigoras1655
I always end up using GM genuine, don't get me wrong they are still junk, but the aftermarket parts are exceedingly dubious quality.
As a former owner of a 2011 Cruze.... can confirm the milkshake of death and the $2k spent for a replacement junkyard engine.
Thats why I LOVED my 2012. 1.8 litre big block bro. It was actually faster top end compaired to a 1.4 as well. Too bad it was a base model which didn't include cruise control. A car called the Cruze that doesn't have cruise control!??? How is that even possible when it was only a matter of adding the buttons on the steering wheel and telling the computer to do the thing?
@@dkmorris713 That's when you say, "Fuck off, engineering accountants". Oh no. We can't have the base model upstage the premium model.....let's take away the cruise control, it'll be ironic.
Could be worse. My 2015 Kia 2.0 engine died. Junkyards wanted $5K for pulls... with high mileage and unknown issues. It was crazy. Turns out that they had such a high failure rate that people became desperate for engines.... thus the high price tag.
for my car it's written in the manual that you should change spark plugs every 20k miles and water pump and timing belt every 60k miles plus usually you should change oil with filter every year
@@sangerzonnvolt6712 Change the oil every 3 months or 3000 miles. If you don't, you will be hunting for an engine, too. I was there when they changed the oil change interval in the manual from 3000mi to 5000mi without changing the type of oil to be used. Yearly oil changes = death.
I have been working for a GM dealership for 28 years now. The previous of this engine the X10 and 12XE had chain problems. This engine has coolant leaking issues like the waterpump and waterhousing. But I have NEVER seen an engine fail mechanically! Yes the valve cover might leak after 60k miles, but we NEVER had a chain failure , they don't consume a lot of oil either. These engines were introduced in 2014 IIRC and are still in our dealership every day, NO mechanical problems to speak of. They suffer from coolanat leaks like said in the video but they probabably drove it until until it seized to an halt!
They do consume oil if the one part of the intake fails but its an easy fix
Four generations in our family have given up junk GM and Ford years ago and have been extremely happy with Honda and Toyota. You get what you pay for.
Yep, most failures are because people don't fix coolant leaks and overheat them.
Tell that to the 4 exhaust manifolds that cracked, 2 valve covers, and 2 water pumps that failed in my fiancé's cruze.
Hell, about the only problem it didn't have was a coolant leak.
@gufftroad77 those have nothing to do with the engine. Those are components bolted to the engine. Garrett manifolds do crack.
In Opel classification, it’s A14NET. This engine is installed in Astra J, Mokka, and other models
DID WE JUST GET A MID WEEK TEARDOWN??? Why do I get so excited for engine teardowns??
These things leak coolant from everywhere though. I’ve fixed one, pressure tested, found another one, and repeated about 5 times on one of these cars once. All the plastic coolant passages would just crumble and all the gaskets were flat.
you can replace the rear water coolant near the gearbox with a metal one, the hoses are very few and almost no bends in them and they can be replaced with silicone ones when they fail, pretty much bullet proof cooling system once you replace hoses and modify the thermostat to open at 80 or 90 C instead of 103@@josephchewning919
Because watching Eric tear engines down is equal parts educational, entertainment, and relaxing. I look forward to 7:45 PM (when they usually show up for me) every Saturday. I even set up an auto-clicker to refresh my browser while I go grab a beer if it's close.
i watch them religiously 😂
Maybe it's _The 12 Teardowns of Christmas_ or something.
Can confirm everything said here. Have a 12 cruze because it was an "upgrade" from a 10 corolla. This one had a coolant leak that we thought was the water pump but turned out to be the thermostat (it seriously looked like the coolant was coming from the pump). If only GM had used metal instead of plastic on the cooling system I think a lot of these issues wouldn't be as bad. However, there is no excuse for the location of the oil cooler. You can't tell it from this video but it's located behind the turbo and cat right on the block. Destined to be cooked alive and leak (which they all do).
Going from a Japanese car to an American car is *never* an upgrade.
😂😂😂😂😂😂 once you own a Toyota there is no upgrade only downgrade
@@lka1988 The Corolla was very reliable no argument there, especially compared to the Cruze. But the cruze is actually more fun to drive and has a lot more creature comforts (which you might expect being 2 model year newer). Maybe if the corolla has been a manual it would have been more engaging to drive.
@@lka1988 I guess it depends on which exact cars. Where the Lexus LF-A is a beautifully crafted machine, the Dodge Viper is better at doing burnouts. So there are pros and cons. 😉
Around 2017 I considered to change my 2003 Corolla 1.4 for a more recent Cruze 1.4. My mechanic just said "don't". I stayed with the Corolla until last year with almost 260000km and running on gas and LPG. Changed it for a brand new Mercedes A Class 180D limousine AMG line. In Europe, of course.
I worked on a Buick 1.4 today and was thinking “man these things are just f*****g junk. I hope Idocars does another one of these pieces of s**t soon” and my prayers were answered thank you Eric
How bad was it?
@@FixingWithFriends I can tell you. Their PCV systems are absolute garbage. The cars tend to generate an "underboost" code which is fixed by a new turbocharger. I don't know what was wrong with the old one, but apparently, it demands a check engine light when they don't quite make the turboboost they are supposed to. The thermostat housings are garbage and fail regularly, the oil coolers behind the turbocharger leak all the time, and the latest Cruze I worked on had a failed water pump at something pretty decent like 216,xxx miles. Well, the pump was fine. The O-ring around it shrunk and started leaking. The last Buick Encore I was into was leaking coolant at the banjo fitting at the turbocharger. Heaven forbid they use a copper crush washer instead of a steel washer with a rubber insert which shrunk and started the leak. That was a big deal to get done. 40,xxx miles on that car, and it was a 2018.
The "hard parts" of the engines seem good. No valvetrain issues, no bearing issues, and not an unusual amount of heads cracking or head gaskets failing.
@@paulstandaert5709 People put turbos on them because they are incapable of fixing things. They are tough ass engines.
My 2013 engine has been rock solid, max tuned with all bolt on power mods for 110k miles. M32 manual trans, changed the fluid a lot. I autocross race it and beat on it WOT every drive. I'm the mechanic, tech, calibrator and I do engineering for a living. 130k on the clock, 1 valve cover 1 intake 1 turbo, parts total $350.
❤
Two engine teardowns this week. How nice
Never in a million years did I expect to hear the word Tapioca in this channel, truly a man of culture we're watching here.
I'm one of them that bought new 2011 Chevy Cruze took care of it with oil changes every 5000, Followed manufacturers recommended fluid changes with the exception of the transmission which I drained and refilled every 30,000 miles and I'm happily still driving it with 260,000 miles. I'm also thoroughly impressed With the body on this I don't know what paint Chevy used on this but I live in Michigan and after all that time no rust. My daughter owns a 2014 and my sister a 2016 I maintenance both of those vehicles the same way I did my 2011 Bolt vehicles bought new and over 100,000 miles now trouble free so there is definitely something to be said about correct maintenance on these engines and that 6 speed transmission as well
My daughter had one. It lived in the shop. It kept blowing intake gaskets. And when the gasket blows out, it shuts down the car. It happened 3 times within 60,000 miles. Luckily, someone rear ended it and totalled it. That was the best thing that ever happened to that car.
A midweek review! Much appreciated! And since I'm finally early to one of these videos, just wanted to wish Eric, his family and the whole Importapart team a very happy holiday season and a Merry Christmas! I know others have said the same, but I do want to credit this channel specifically with me finally feeling a bit more comfortable in working (to do basic things) with my car and also to better understand and talk to mechanics when I take my car in for maintenance. Some directly stolen techniques from Eric (using the handle of a hammer to tap out delicate things) have helped me save considerable money on my car by doing things myself.
Thank you and keep up the great work!
That growth from the crank case vent was a rare oil tree from the GMsuctus-alotus family.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I figured someone lost their fake mustache 🥸
I thought it was Baby Groot.
Its the plastic melted from thremstat housing when stuck closed
I work at a used car dealership that has a strong affiliation with my local GM dealers.
The sheer amount of intake manifolds, camshaft covers and water pumps our shop has done on these is insane. 99% of them that even have big problems that we see don’t even have 80,000 miles either.
I rebuilt 5 totaled 1st gen 1.4 Cruzes for my family. Most were purchased wrecked in front for about $3000 at 2 years old with 30,000ish miles and required $800-$2500 in parts to repair. All made it to 100,000 miles, and as you stated at the end they all needed intake manifolds, valve covers, and water outlets. Most needed ignition coils. But the work wasn't too hard and the parts were pretty cheap. GM never updated this engine to fix known issues. All '11-'16's will have the same issues and with enough time/mileage more than once. Driven right the 6-speed manuals Eco models could approach 50 mpg. Changing the in tank fuel limiting vent valve allowed these cars to hold 17 gallons of fuel. 700 miles was the furthest I ever went on one tank. It was the only car I ever need to downshift to accelerate normally at expressway speed.
I do work on the side and have done work on a 2012 Cruze. I always come to your channel to research teardowns and listen to your experience! This specific car has been well maintained and has almost 250K with no significant engine work. Love your videos and always appreciate the work you do! Thank you Eric!
250k miles, what is that in valve covers, I mean PCV valves..... ?
oil vapor that solidified in the valve cover basically@@commonsenseisdeadin2024
@@commonsenseisdeadin2024external PCV for the win. Should be the first thing anybody that owns one of these should do
Aggressive tuning is the killer of ALOT of these newer, Direct Injected TurboCharged engines. Once the head bolt stretch and the cylinder head warps, all kinda stupidity starts to happen.
There are many engines with a bad rap.... it has to do with care and driving habits.... I own a cadillac with a northstar engine.... I take exacting care of the car and have had no issues save (1) and that was fairly easy to repair....
OMG, I just cracked up when I saw the water pump getting buried! That was awesome. This channel has the best "smiles per mile" on YT, thank you! With the skirt wear, this looks like another turbo engine that was regularly not given enough time to warm up before being pushed.
I have 2013 1.4 cruze with 112k miles. No problems at all. I bought it new, followed break-in procedures, and kept up with all maintenance intervals. Still runs like new. However, I did a tune on it and was surprised at how hot the engine runs at 'normal' temps. These engines run at 220 - 230 ℉. Insanely hot! The thermostat is electrically controlled and can be adjusted via a tune. I set mine to 180℉. I guarantee the high engine temps are what destroy these engines.
There was a study that shows higher engine temperatures equals less wear.
@@infosneakr I believe the higher running temperature has more to do with lowering the emissions.
@@infosneakr You're kinda dumb, huh?
@@carstennobody7047 I get 40-45 mpg at 60 mph now that the engine doesn't run hot. Unless the engine is made from some alien metal, then engines run best at 180℉ because of thermal expansion of the current metals that today's engines are made of. The 1.4L was designed to break from the high temp. Hence high failure rate and heat problems. GM knows what they are doing. If their cars lasted forever, no one would buy new cars from them nor could GM rip off customers at the dealership maintenance shops. Its all about scamming people of their money. Get out of your bubble.
Any engine should be able to reach 112k miles no problems with proper maintenance, this doesn't really tell me much.
I had a 2014 chevy sonic with this engine. I owned it from brand new to about 70,000 miles when it was totaled in an accident. I am anal about oil changes (used only amsoil after break in) and had zero trouble with the motor itself...at about 35,000 miles', I got an overheat warning light and pulled over to find coolant pouring out onto the ground. I believe it was a heater hose, on the top backside of the engine, was rubbing on a motor lifting eye and finally wore through. Some engines are overbuilt and can stand neglect; some will last a long time only if very well maintained. My motor never burned a drop of oil, had water pump leaking issues or gave any hint of impending trouble. Despite the low HP numbers, it had great low rpm torque for a tiny four banger
I had one of these in a '12 Cruze. Ran into all the common problems of water pump, thermostat gasket, turbo oil feed leak, and the dreaded pcv failure that's built into the valve cover. Had everything fixed under warranty and did a diy pcv check valve bypass kit and replaced coolant outlet with an aluminum one..everything else ran great for 160k after. Definitely had its flaws but overall cheap fixes that didn't come back if done right.
All the work and only 160k My toy has double and just basic oil changes and such. Tacoma 2005 4.0
@@gersonhay984ok but its still a 90 horsepower toyota that has to rev 4,000 rpm to get over a hill… junk.
Oh yea lol. I had to replace the pcv valve too. Its built in to the intake manifold so you have to replace the whole thing. What an absolutely stupid design. Why would they do this? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
@@keithbellair9508enjoy your GM shitholes buddy😂
PCV bypass kit for the win!
OMG...a master poet, great and amazing recycler. We're all so fortunate to have found you, Eric!
Good, informative video. Your title image asked, "The worst 4 cylinder GM ever made?" The answer is No. Every other GM 4 cylinder can vie for second worst, because the original 4 cylinder Vega engine will hold that title forever.
What about the honda will oil dillution that are toast in 50,000 miles? But becUse it says homda the clowns think its bullet proof
Whoever wants to make a truly informative and well researched "worst GM 4 cylinder engine" video has got his work cut out for him. I can't think of a single good GM 4 cylinder engine ever made. In fact, I can only think of a few good V6 motors (though some of those, like the 4.3) were quite good. To get to a decent GM 4, you either have to go back decades, find one where they "sawed off" part of another one (like the 4.3 was with the 350), or they absorbed it through acquisition like with Opel. Comparing GM's small engines to Toyota's and Honda's is a fools game. The worst of the Japanese motors are light years better than GM's best.
@@scott1564 depends on what you consider good. Hondas and toyotas were always woefully undersized and underpowered. And it made little sense to build a motor that reliable.. the car body was rusted out well before the motor. So whats the point..
@@keithbellair9508 They don't salt the roads in Japan. Unless your chassis is not made of steel the rust belt will attack any car. Toyota engines have adequate power. Usually a lot more specific power in their naturally aspirated engines than anything made in the US. Smoother power delivery, better refinement, more reliable. Way more fuel efficient. Usually 5-10 years ahead technologically. In the case of a Toyota Camry or Corolla their engines are the perfect fit for what those cars are.
@@-BuddyGuy toyta ahead on tech and adequate power 🤣🤣🤣… still doesnt have a turbo i4..
As someone who has commuted with both a 6 speed sonic hatch and auto Cruze with this motor and has grown quite fond of them, your closing statements absolutely hit the nail on the head. As long as you can maintain them they’re a cheap little commuter. The 14’ Cruze I’m running now is loaded with remote start and heated leather and I snagged that for $700. Replacing the thermostat and coolant neck with aluminum replacements will remove two faults from these engines.
Dude
I’ve been looking to get one
What else do you know?
Don't hotdog the crap out of em or drive em like a pissed off redneck...keep good fluids in em, run MotorKote, and almost ALL engines will last a long time...NEVER...EVER....EVER...run them hot!!!!
@@toolwithintention Well, sorry in advance if this ends up reading like I’m rambling lol. Stay a way from 2011 and 2012 model years for multiple reasons but including the fact that on the manual transmission they had smaller bearings for the main shafts that when combined to the small oil capacity and poor heat dissipation abilities of the trans in stock form will eventually fail. My sonic ended up losing 3rd gear and I suspect it was due to a failing bearing causing deflection. Look for low boost codes and cat efficiency codes when you buy them because low boost usually means a cracked turbofold. The cat efficiency code (if it has a cat) can mean that the pistons are cracked between the ring grooves and allowing the boost to pressurize the crank case and blow oil by the rings when you back out of it and the throttle closes. My sonic had this happen after rev limiter runs in the snow so I parked it. These cars say they can run on regular but I later found on the forums that they really need premium and this likely contributed to the failure when combined with running it hard. If you buy one needing a turbo replace all of the lines going to it as they can become restricted and actually cause a turbo failure. Another thing worth mentioning would be the valve cover/ intake pcv setup that is prone to failure which will cause the diaphragm to fail on the valve cover leading to running issues. Lastly, and the reason I got my current Cruze for $700, the bolt that holds the ground for the coil can come loose and cause random stalling/no start issues. I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting but those are some of the core common issues along with what I stated previously.
Shame too because I'm not a GM fan but I always thought these were the best looking small cars GM ever produced.
Ooof i got the 2012 manaul trans and im at 150k lol 😅 everything is seemingly fine tho sometimes when shifting to revers the shifter doesnt quite go all the way in. I recognize this and have never forced it or removed my foot from the clutch, i just move the shifter to nuetral and then it usually goes into reverse just fine.. i do imagine this little issue will become more frequent and difficult eventually tho 🤔@backcountryrider2643
The gen 1 Chevrolet Volt (2011-2015) also uses this 1.4L has a range extending generator. It’s tuned a little different, it never exceeds 4000 RPM and is designed to run in it’s sweet spot most of the time, which is 1400 to 2400 RPM with 80% to 100% throttle opening. The engine in my 2011 has been perfect, but I regularly change the oil and keep it very clean. In the Volt application, it is normally aspirated, uses a normal screw on oil filter mounted on the cast aluminum oil pan. And there’s lots of other differences. Because it redlines at 4000 (or 4800) RPM, it has very mild cams, and soft valve springs. My Volt has over 150,000 miles but the ICE (engine) has probably only 60,000 or 70,000 miles I’m not sure exactly. As long as you keep the oil clean and at the right level, it will run for a long, LONG time. I ALWAYS check the oil level when I add gasoline (which might be every 3-4 months) and sometimes I will just pull the dip stick for the hell of it. I have never NEVER had to add a drop of oil between oil change intervals. And I typically change the oil once a year which is about 3000-4000 miles of ICE operation. Most of my driving in the Volt is under battery EV so the engine is just dead weight going around town hanging out and not doing anything lol.
I'm willing to bet that the volt application also doesn't have the oil cooler setup that the turbo model does. Which is where 90% of the oil/water mix happens when the o-rings fail inside and create milkshake, overheating, all that fun stuff.
it's the almost the same oil cooler with a slight modification for the turbo coolant pipe@@Imapersonv3 , nothing to worry about, just change the gaskets once in a while
I have a 2014 and been having problems with misfires on idle. Tried replacing spark plugs and the coil pack, the damn thing just doesn't wanna idle right. 🤷♀️ I've kind of given up as the engine just doesn't idle much as it will usually just shut off
The Volt's drivetrain includes an Electric water pump for the engine (which allows circulating engine heat even when it's not actively running) so the water pump issue is eliminated
did u clean the little idle hole in the throttle body?@@cridenh2owo257
I worked at autozone for about a year and I had a couple customers who warrantied turbo after turbo for these things
Bought one new in a 2014 Sonic six-speed manual. Just gave it to a relative with 125K and almost no problems (plastic coolant parts and coil/plugs). Changed oil per manufacturer recommendation. Great usable power with manual transmission, never used a drop of oil, 36 mpg. Great engine if you care for it.
Always liked the Sonic, especially manual. Nice to know they're good if you take care of them.
Any particular maintenance regiment that you'd recommend?
Or just change out fluids and filters in a timely manner?
@@tonycj7860 I did the initial oil change on a Cruze Eco and the oil came out black as tar. This was when the 'change oil' warning came on and this owner was a salesman who drove the mountains in PA and Maryland daily...so he was putting lots of hard miles on the car.
He wanted the cheapest oil available but I talked him into the good synthetic which should be used on any turbo...then the best suggestion was to use Premium fuel only. He was shocked because it was more expensive...but he'd kept track of every fuel stop so I challenged him to try the Premium and see if his mileage didn't improve enough to more than cover the additional cost. Next oil change the oil looked a LOT better and he was amazed that using Premium actually DID save him money from the better gas mileage he was getting.
I'd shown him the oil that came out and explained that the knock sensor retards the ignition timing when it detects detonation. Running 87 octane means that the timing is retarded all the time...which makes the exhaust temperature skyrocket which then cooks the oil in the turbo. Using 93 keeps the timing up which keeps the oil temps down and the oil a LOT happier. Also is easier on all the plastic and head gaskets and in 140,000 miles when I left that garage we'd only had to replace one gasket that started leaking on the oil filter housing IIRC.
If you run one of these little turbo motors...please use good synthetic oil and run 93 octane fuel and in the end you'll thank me. :)
@@tonycj7860just keep up on the maintenance and do the PCV fix from the forums. All the coolant lines and components are easy to fix when there's a leak. Mine went 160k miles without much headache.
issue in teardown was it overheated. that aside, the oil cooler broke on removal, but otherwise this video did not make the engine look bad to me. If I owned one, I would get a buzzer for overheat condition added or just really watch for a bad thermostat (after 8-10 years) or failing WP. Many engines can survive a little overheat but apparently not this one.
The worst 1.4T is still more reliable than the best Hyundai 2.4L Theta II GDI.
I hate that you’re right
Repaired a blown head gasket on a non turbo version of this engine here in the UK last year. The budget was tight and the car was going to be sold, so I machined the head to get it flat, 25 thou off it before it cleaned up. Ran OK, dont know if it still is though. The slot in the end of the chain tensioner plunger is for a locking rod which can be inserted through the timing cover access hole.
I wait with anticipation for your videos, because you almost always nail the problem! The knowledge you have and share is great!
We have one of these engines and haven't had any issues with it. 115,000 miles and still running strong.
124,000 miles, and no issues at all. It all comes down to proper maintenance. It's a very smooth engine with plenty of power. Highly recommended!
Any particular maintenance regiment that you'd recommend?
Or just change out fluids and filters in a timely manner?
@@tonycj7860Just change the fluids regularly and use a high end filter. I prefer the Fram filter and full synthetic oil.
@paulhenderson1462 my mother had one, cooling system failed at 30k engine went pop at 60k. Engine went pop at 80k again, then at 120k transmission and engine went pop
@@CJ-mh6ynfram isnt high end use wix they manufacture k&n
The day in age that we are in you also have to take into consideration that these engines are mass produced. They probably don't mic them like they used to do, and the pistons are going to wobble a lot more. Thus the skirt damage. When we would assemble engines, we would mic the cylinders three times up the bore, at every 45 degrees, and at least two times per piston, so unfortunately the things you call wear are just normal today for some manufacturers. As they always say, they just don't make things like they used to do. You could take a brand new car, and completely redo the engine, and it would have better tolerances, and better performance, as long as they followed these practices. Thus a longer life. Love what you are doing here, so please keep doing it for us!
Given that he usually tears down 8 cylinders this was half a teardown and can do a 2nd one this week 😂
Cruze/sonic package
Water pump , thermostat , by pass & coolant lines , valve cover w integrated pcv
With the occasional turbo.
Your commitment to the water pump shenanigans is admirable 😂
Thank you for following through on the straight edge test on the head; I had requested that on the previous overheat tear down.
Hey Eric, thanks for the midweek video! I'm not sure if you guys have one in your shop, but I'd love to see you take a machinist's straight edge to check the level of some of these heads. Along with your oil filter analysis, it'd be another fun "smoking gun hunt."
Keep up the great work and all the water pump gags!
EDIT: I posted this without watching the next minute of the video where you mentioned the straight edge. Dangit! 😅
I think you are psychic!
What's Eric going to do in his next video?
( I think he might take apart another engine, don't tell! 🤐😉)
Hahaha lol 👍
And here I am watching this and owning a 2012 Sonic LTZ with a six speed manual and it just ticked over to 150,000 miles and its still a fun little car to drive.
Thing is though, with the early first models of the Sonic like this, they don't have vitals gauges. At all. The only real 'gauge' is the tachometer, with a digital number speedometer reading because the theme of the car was to be as "motorcycle inspired" as possible, so all the other important gauges that you come to expect like alternator charge and engine temperature are literally reduced to idiot lights on the dashboard and at first I found this kind of neat, but now I've come to find this stylistic choice stupid because what exactly does the light mean?
As far as know its 'off is good, on is bad' for telling conditions of things that shouldn't be judged like that.
In later model years they actually programmed in digital readouts that you can scroll through on the dashboard to know some vitals of your car, but for my early Sonic, I got none of that to go by. Instead I've come to be extremely in tune with my car and just giving glances under the hood for anything amiss; its actually saved me in doing so.
There was one time I was faintly smelling antifreeze when parking in my garage but with nothing obvious underneath I let it go, but then began hearing coolant gurgling through the heater core and knew something was a bit wrong. A T-shaped coolant return fitting had developed a hairline crack and was bleeding the system dry, but never was there any real indicators aside from smell and sound that there was a problem, and had I not fixed this my car would've left me stranded.
Trax, sonic and sparks don't have guages. So far we haven't had problems. We have 2 ea trax and sonic hatches and one spark manual. All bought used low mileage and I monitor the routine maintenance and each driver gets either email or text messages when due.
Own 2011 since new 248k on clock. 10k oil changes . Dosent use a drop of oil. No turbo or head gasket issues. Replace water pump a couple of times and couple of thr plastic water housings parts. And an ignition pack with spark plugs. Still runs like new.
Love these engine autopsies… there are many engines I only see once in a while and it’s really nice finding out beforehand each one’s common weaknesses… really helps streamline diagnostic and repair strategies. Thanks for making these!
One of these days you`ll have to send a waterpump to Kentucky Ballistics. He`ll know what to do with it 😁
Ah ha, my first "New" video. I've only been subscribed for a week or two, and I've been binge watching dozens of your older videos. This is my first current one! I just want to say how much I've been enjoying watching your content, and that I've genuinely learned a lot of things watching them, so thank you very much for that!
He usually gives us a new show on Sat eve.
He's spoiling us with a tues morning show!
@@TheBandit7613 , where are you? It's Wednesday .
@@quicksilver8180 I work the night shift and never know what day it is!
I drove a '13 rental Cruze with this engine and about 100K miles on it for a few months. Sweet little car, very sensitive to the gas though - once filled with 91, the range meter would jump up significantly. I drive in a very economic fashion so was able to extract about 40-45 MPG from it.
Wow, technology has gotten so advanced to the point where a 1.8 liter engine making 138 horsepower is considered "Normal"... I have a Kia Spectra LX making 138 horsepower with the 4 cylinder 2.0 liter engine from 2004 and you can tell that in that time it was fast... Now we are making more horsepower with more little engines and that's just the norm. Truly amazing.
I worked at a dealer that LOVED buying the turbo Cruzes. I've done so many damn Thermostat housings and exhaust housings and timing covers. They were always annoyed at how much work they required to be anything resembling decent, but at the same time they got them for dirt cheap at auctions.
"how much work" - like 300 bucks and an hour or two.
Notice I said they were annoyed. I enjoyed the relatively easy money. For as crappy as they are, they are fairly simple to wrench on.
My estimate for timing cover gasket (found timing cover gasket leaking) $1949.37 CAD. Replace oil cooler (found oil cooler leaking) $1979.88 from last Friday.🤒@@MWilk098
Love midweek teardowns. This was such a contrast to last weekend''s BMW!
your last teardown of one of these was great, rewatched it a ton. Looking forward to this one. I would love to see a mpfi 2.2 ecotec teardown, they are pretty strong but do have chain tensioner issues. When i replaced my tensioner the chain was so loose that it had no resistance to movment at all
Thanks for the mid-week and I gotta say, that's probably your best water pump "goodbye" yet. Have a great holiday, sir!
I think the biggest problem with these (and other similar engines) is that turbo and cheap should never be used to describe the same engine, especially when it is a higher performance engine. I know 138hp doesn’t sound like “higher performance” but you have to remember this is a 1.4L engine that is making 100hp per liter of displacement. That would be the same as a 500hp 5.0 V8. This is NOT a low stress engine, but it’s built to a significantly low budget and put in cheap cars that don’t get maintained well. Even Honda struggled with that same formula.
Coyote g3 tuned, and g4 stock, make 500hp. Happily
I mean.. Honda was making 100hp/liter on their GSR and even the B16 engines NA back in the 90's. We have the technology.
Rapt to have a bonus teardown this week, and yes I managed to convince a friend to get rid of their Cruze before this happened. You're right, they're not always maintained well - but you're also right that there are lots of cars that live that life and they don't give the trouble these give.
Love the headstone by the way. ;)
Love your teardowns Eric! As luck would have it, the LOUDEST Car in my entire town is one of these, I think a Cruze/Sonic with 4 doors and a gigantic turbo complete with pops n bangs tune. It backfires so freakin loud it sounds like someone firing off an AK-47 in the neighborhood. Was pretty shocked the first time I finally identified what the heck was making all that noise only to see a tiny chevy cruze/sonic.
I've watched quite possibly hundreds of hours of your videos (often when I'm half asleep I admit) but here is what I love about the work that you do.
I have a friend in his late 70s who was tempted to buy a car with this engine, and called me to come down and look at the car with him. To be honest I didn't like it, from first look to test drive. I wanted to discourage him but didn't have much information to rely on.
Searching for this engine on UA-cam, sure enough your video came up! Now I can explain more clearly why he should stear clear.
I would say the worst GM 4 cylinder was the Chevrolet 2300 they put in the Vega in the 70’s. It was a die cast aluminum block without liners lol
Before his time 😂 But also, it had flaws, but not the number of flaws he's already mentioned before even starting the teardown, so there's that ...
And the aluminum cylinders without liners was actually a brilliant idea, poorly executed by GM, and later mastered by BMW and Mercedes. The cast iron head was unforgivably stupid, and so was the base model Vega having a half- size radiator. Most owners would've never experienced an overheat if their cars had the optional radiator.
@@jamesengland7461 Not quite! A friend worked at a BMW dealer, and they had problems with their 'sleeveless' aluminum engines too!
I had a 72 Vega , ran great, no issues IF you checked the coolant level frequently, GM fixed the problem by adding a coolant overflow reservoir.
Sounds like they did a briggs & straton, worst power equipment engine ever. They always just blow up due to poor lubrication made worse because they consumed all their oil after an hour or two of use and that was due to the all alloy bore and the hone marks disappearing after the first use. They kinda fixed it with iron lined versions but they still broke often.
In Aus, the worst GM engine which also happen to be a 4 cyl was the Camira engine, they failed often and gave Holden a bad wrap for many years which probably made one of their most successful models of all time the VN commodore not as well selling as it could have been, that had the Buick 3800 LN3 and L27 in it which in my opinion is the most bullet proof engine GM ever made with the the iron LS variants 2nd and then the 3800 II/III in 3rd.
Still would like to see a 1.8 from a 2016 Chevy Sonic, and a 2.4 SRT4 that came in the 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser GT with the aluminum intake.
it's the same engine from opel of early/mid 2000 era
Agree on 1.8 l sonic engine 😅
If that's the same engine as the Neon SRT4 I'd love that too
Had a simliar?/same? 1.8L in my astra. 175K w/ no problems. The 1.4T, cooling issues, but relatively fine then the turbo + engine committed seppuku at 115K. Gave it to brother in law who can fix anything, w/ one exception, this car. He's been painting the town w/ oil.
I have the 1.8L four banger in my sonic. It has 84K on it. Oil changed every year. I actively avoided a 1.4 liter Turbo to dodge all of the old turbo issues. It's slow but it has been a solid performer. Thanks for the video!
Love the way you just whiz those tension guides. RIP water pump. Strange how interesting your vids are.
I've often wondered if GM's mistakes were with DexCool, as like with some Euro coolants, it has a polymer that softens plastic over time, but in typical fashion, it's also very difficult to justify. Some of GM's issues over the years have actually just been running coolant through the intake, and GM engineers not knowing how to seal that connection.
interesting to know does the cycle of changes matter? or is it inevitable
@@marcISagg When it's neglected, it's inevitable. I do think they specify less of it now, but it's still in there.
This engine did have timing issues. The guides are known to fail, especially with engines that are neglected. The timing chain guides fail, and cause the engine to jump timing.
The brown gasket cement reminds me of the old Permatex head gasket sealer, available in a bottle or tube that we used in the 70's. The tube was filled with an extremely thick paste and was hard to use. Much nicer now using RTV.
I still have some in a small can with a brush aplicator. From the 70's for sure or maybe earlier. I'm 75 and it was my dads! Has a nice pine tar smell. I still use it lightly from time to time if I have a gasket that just won't stay in place during installation.
I think you mean Shellac? I use that on diff cases with paper gaskets and it never fails.
@@jasonlouis5498 No, I'm familiar with the shellac. This old stuff is really thick and extremely sticky with a great pine tar smell in a stubby tin can. I don't think plastic tubes were even invented yet when they made this stuff. I don't have it here to get the official name. Regardless, some of that old stuff worked really well. I still have some "Door-Ease. Stainless Stick Lubricant" door latch grease in a thumb size, pre plastic, metal tube. I bought it in the '60's and still works good.
@@ronsereda4242Yeah. I remember that distinctive fragrance. Probably from some long-banned chemical-solvent! 🙂
@@ronsereda4242 Permatex is still available in Australia in a stubby plastic can with a brush attached inside the lid.
Thx forr your teardown Video.
I work since 97 in a Opel Car Shop in Germany and know these Engines.
Till now i've got not much problems with these engines, only waterpump, thermostat or turbos since now.
But never stop learning and say thx 4 the Video. Sry 4 bad english.
Only cosmetic errors and your meaning is 100% clear so you're all good, buddy.
Much better than my German, haha.
In my 3 years working in a Chevy dealer, I think I resealed every part of these engines other than a rear main seal. That includes vacuum leaks, coolant leaks, and combustion leaks. The 1.8 was the better engine to have if you performed regular maintenance. As bad as this engine is, I'd still rather have it than the newer 1.4 that replaced it (replacing cracked pistons at 13,000 miles).
I literally LOL'd the water pump burial.
With the movie "Ford vs. Ferrari" being so successful, Chevy wanted to come out with their own movie starring the Chevy Cruze.
They're calling it "Total Recall".
Fits the entire brand
😂
Mid week revival, the whole family is here.
Thank you!!
There's PCV problems with this engine that can require the valve cover and intake to e replaced. I recommend the Dorman kit - it comes with everything you need, including the corrugated pipe that gets brittle.
Seconded, but I went for ZZP's kit with the catch can. Gotta obviate the PCV scrapping the entire engine somehow!
Water pump in a shallow grave
Just as nature intended
Glad to see a small engine. Keep the small ones coming please.
Love the vids man 👍 lets the rest of us see how good or NOT so good these engines are built
When you look up the phrase "my friend can do it cheaper" this poor water pump is the first image result
Rest in peace
Honestly looks like a nice layout. Too bad the ancillary components are of limited life.
I have a 2014 Cruze. I guess I'm somewhat lucky that in Australia we had the option of the 1.6L turbo A16LET. The original owner was an old guy who kept the servicing up really well, and I've not had any issues with it after 120,000kms. The only issue I've had is with the crappy auto transmission that came with these cars, and I had to flush the trans fluid about 50,000kms earlier than the servicing suggested.
I can attest - I had a brand new 2014 cruze all the way until 110k miles until I smacked a chair on the highway.
I loved my cruze so much and it never game me any issues :( ( I 100% took care of everything on time like my dad taught me too )
That's a pretty good assessment. Cost of ownership is what it boils down to.
Cost of a valve cover every oil change adds up!
@@commonsenseisdeadin2024 or a 10k premium of a comparable car or 13 mpg.
just reroute the PCV and you'll be fine with the valve cover@@commonsenseisdeadin2024
@@Land_Raver you lost me on what you’re referencing and I’m unsure the context.
I took your “that’s a pretty good assessment” was to “I would avoid these” or any other variants of him saying they are pieces of shit and it’s not cheaper to own considering cost of ownership. It’s not mentioned but I think it’s pretty well known that these cars had a massive flaw with the PCV which was incorporated into the valve cover…. Hence my joke.
The last response confuses me because now I’m unsure we were in agreeing like I had thought 😂
@commonsenseisdeadin2023 I was thinking about those folks who only buy toyotas due to reliability but don't consider the running costs associated with them. I'd agree that this is a terrible choice of engine if you were trying to focus on cost of ownership.
My wife has 96k on her 1.4t encore. Valve cover/pcv, turbo coolant lines, coolant reservoir cracked and plastic water neck cracked. You can tell it's a European design haha
Great video as always. So what is a good engine for a basic commuter car?
I actually owned a 2013 chevrolet cruze, bought it with 30k miles, and always did the oil changes at 4.5k every single one and with good sparkplugs, and now my brother in law drives it to college back and forth and 150k miles now and only water pump has been replaced. Never mistreated the engine, and it is still good on gas and engine
I remember working on those under factory warranty. The 2.2/2.4 ecotecs in other applications were way better in my opinion. Did lots of water pumps and thermostat housings under warranty on the cruze. The cooling systems were prone to air locking, so you needed to vacuum fill them. With that said, any small coolant leak allowed air in, which could lead to over heating. Combined with the worthless oil life monitor and lowsy oil filter setup, it became quite the disposable car.
"Turbos are reliable now!"
Nope. Exhibit A:
The GM 3 cyl has taken over for turbo eating. 35k and the wastegate pivots are shot.
worked as a vauxhall master tech for many many years and i love these engines as you are certain for good spanner work with these. they take abuse and just keep going. they rattle, leak and over heat but its better to fix these then just service and mot all day.
The Sonic was made by Daewoo in Korea, and "assembled" in the U.S. I bought a 2013 model with 47,000 miles on it from a family member who bought it new, and no longer needed it. It had received fairly decent maintenance. Within a week I regretted buying it. The check engine light stayed on most of the time. Most of that was caused by the evap system cannister purge system malfunctioning, and the PCV valve failing. Unlike a normal engine, which has a $5-$10 PCV valve, on this engine, the PCV system is built into the PLASTIC cam cover and the PLASTIC intake manifold. I replaced both the cam cover and intake manifold several times, as well as many parts of the evap system. I also replaced a lot of PLASTIC parts in the cooling system. The cooling system was partially plugged up, because it came from the factory with GM DEXKILL in it. I flushed the hell out of it, used about 20 gallons of distilled water, and refilled it with Ford Motorcraft Gold coolant. I had to replace the water pump because it was leaking (yes I did it right, FelPro gasket, no sealant) The oil line to the turbo started leaking. This was a well known issue on a Sonic forum I belonged to. GM had a redesigned oil line to supposedly fix the problem, which I installed. I am a government fleet mechanic with 37 years experience. I've run into lots of similar problems with GM vehicles before, but not to this degree. After working on it almost constantly for 3 years, and spending a ton of money on parts, the cam chain broke at 118,000 miles, finishing off the engine. Could have been a tensioner or plastic guide failure. I didn't bother to find out. I sold the car as junk. I'd had enough. I changed the oil every 3000 miles, and never noticed anything unusual. Stay away from these things, and late model GM vehicles in general. I have been driving Ford/Mercury Panther cars for over 30 years, because of how reliable they are. Other than my 1968 Ford F-250, I will probably never drive anything else. That Sonic was a huge mistake.
I had a 2011 Chevy Cruze with the 1.8L Ecotec, 6spd manual. It is my opinion that the 1.8 naturally aspirated engine is more reliable than the 1.4L turbo, but like you said in your video, depends on if its taken care of well.
That being said, i got that car from California since 85k miles, and maintained it meticulously. Finally died at 195,000 miles by back hit by a salt truck in Illinois.
During that time, it had an issue with the thermostats getting stuck open every couple years, the PCV valve failed around 120 k mi, but the problem with it is that the valve is built into the valve cover, so you can't just replace the PCV valve, you have to go out and get a $200 part from the dealership or your idle will be surging all over the place.
Intake manifold variable length valve, whatever its called, failed at 180k, $2000 with parts and labor. There is a coolant passage running thru the intake manifold, so you have to drop the fluids to replace the manifold, i think thats such an unnecessary design.
Honestly probably because i maintained it really well, that car was amazing to me. Even with a stick, no, no, its not fast 😂 but dang i was gonna run that thing well past 300,000 even on the original clutch (i float the gears so i use the clutch a lot less)
Oh yeah, replaced timing belt at 125k k and changed coolant every two years.
Original radiator, alternator, clutch, valves, and all killed prematurely despite its many miles.
God, i miss that car
So you think thats reliable 🤔 🤣😂
I had 244k miles on my 2014 Impala replaced plugs 2 times. Changed all the fliuids twice and replaced and Egr purge value at a whopping 24 dollars.
Never did half of the crap that 1.8 needed
@@damontroch4765 congratulations. I may have done a lot more than the average person would have done, but I was going to make that car last a million miles if I could. Got totalled in a wreck unfortunately
You may find this to be interesting, the U.S.Navy had a machine that was lubricated with water, because the drive shaft spun at 30,000 rpm
At what pressure? Had to have been a LOT
actually the output of this machine is only 30 psi, but you are forgetting another factor and that is volume@@seymoarsalvage
Owner here of a 2013 Cruze with the 1.4L Ecotec. Owned since new. Oil changed every 3K miles. Now 160K miles. Cracked turbo exhaust manifold? Check. Leaking T-stat housing, check. Leaky oil pump housing? Check. Bad coil pack, yup. That too. Replaced AC compressor, intake manifold and valve cover too. But it still gets 34 MPG hwy and no trouble codes. Only new car I’ve had that was less expensive to maintain was my 82 Tercel.
Thanks for the info! I bought a 2017 Sonic turbo manual hatch used & was a little leery but looked well maintained & has been OK for about 10k miles. I think its a fun little car for the money but MPG not great & wish it at least had a temp gauge. I should prob get one of the OBDII gauge hookup thingies.
Interesting small engine teardown, I'd be interested to know if you've ever taken down a Rover K-series 4 pot engine, these came as 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 litre DOHC units and were fitted to the UK Rover 25, 45 and 75 cars from around 2000 to 2005 when Rover went bust. They were also used by Caterham and a couple of others. A common problem with these was HGF, often due to overheating issues and poor quality parts.
I second this, I had rebuilt one of these and they indeed have different design in places like the super long head bolts going from head to the main bearing carrier. Perhaps not available in US though. I had a rover 400 1.4 and a rover 75 with 1.8, both K-series and I actually rated them high when they worked. 1.4 was very revving and suited well the 400 (honda civic body) and 1.8 was less revvy but more torquey which suited the 75 (both were way underpowered by todays standards)
GM's best 4 cylinder was the 2.5L Iron Duke.
Yet Ironically also the worst.
Slow and noisy
Owner of a 2011 Vectra J 1,4T 140hp. Now 110000miles. Had it sins 40000miles.
Had one issue, leaking coolant pipe to the turbo.
It´s VERY fuel efficiant! Didn´t know about the reputation when i bought it for 8 yeras ago.
The German Opel/Vauxhall versions tend to be a little more reliable. Even if they too have had their Problems. Far better than e.g. VW 1.4 TFSIs.
My ‘12 Cruze 1.4L is the reason I got into automotive repair and am currently enrolled at UTI (wouldn’t recommend the school for it’s curriculum quality [bad] but I’d recommend it for it’s considered a prestige school)
After I paid a shop $800 P&L for a new turbo and they did a shit job. I started doing all the doable jobs myself, which the exception of a trans replacement.
I’ve had to replace (on different points in its life), the valve cover gasket, the valve cover, the coolant reservoir, the water outlet TWICE, the PCV tube assembly, and serpentine belt (I was left stranded for this repair)
Before I started doing it myself: the thermostat, the water pump, and the belt tensioner
I had and liked the Cruze with this engine. It had an issue with PCV but was not expensive to resolve, particularly with some easy to obtain aftermarket parts. Outside of that, these were underrated in my opinion.
Currently own one and while it has had it's issues I find it relatively easy to work on. Currently have a coolant leak around the oil cooler ( no oil and coolant mixing thankfully ) but I am going to be replacing all the seals and o-rings with better quality ones. I think this car will last me a long time in large part due to the fact that I do check under the hood regularly and don't put off any strange sounds or weird behavior until it's too late. Unfortunately I can see people to whom regular and preventative maintenance are an afterthought having constant problems with it. It's a pretty good car that I enjoy driving and it's my first American car ever after only having Toyotas but the amount of issues in less than 70K miles shows how much the work the US car industry still has to do to catch up to Japanese cars in terms of long term reliabililty.
Thanks for the bonus teardown. The thing really drives me nuts is even after they realize it's junk they continue to build them.
2011 was the first year.. what amazes me is it went 12 years , 250,000 miles and people call it junk…
Meanwhile Honda dilutes its oil and toasts the motor in 50,000 Miles and the clowns think its gold becUse it has a Honda badge 🤡
My wife and I have a 2017 Chevy Cruze. In the 172,000 miles we've owned it, I have replaced tires, brakes, rotors, sparks plugs. It has been the most reliable car I have ever owned.
I am a former 4X master tech, and I agree with what you said in the intro. If you take good care of an engine….and if it has a turbo, you don’t put your foot in it very much….then you can probably get some good life out of that engine. The problem with turbos is that they are notorious for shortening the life of any engine. An aircraft engine with a turbo has a smaller number of hours until they reach the basic overhaul mark in their life. This is because a turbo increases the volumetric efficiency of an engine, which means it’s taking the engine into a performance area that it may not be designed well enough to tolerate over the long term.
I beat the living hell out of mine with a tune for years. Granted I bought it new and stayed on top of the maintenance because of the way I drove it. Fun little car that was a HUGE gas saver coming from my A6 before it. The stupid check valve for the PCV did fail but that was the only thing I ever had to fix, but I didn't have it for even 70k miles. I do miss that car, though. Cheap, ran like hell (thanks, ZZP 😁), economical and comfortably fit my 7'1" frame!
Definitely has *all* the Opel fingerprints on that engine design, though!
Anything will last 70k miles, good grief man. Please don’t comment on how well something ran when you only put 70k miles on it. This may confuse folks who are not that mechanically inclined into thinking it’s a good car..which most definitely these vehicles are not. It’s like folks who get on saying but my Jeep Cherokee is such a good car, stop hating, then you ask how many miles they had on it before they sold it and they are proud to announce it had nearly 80k miles…. Please help all of us to stop the insanity and help people buy only solid cars.
@@hokie9910Ooh...found the person that ain't happy unless they have something to be upset about! 😂😂
@@94XJ No, I just know bull shit when I see it.
@@94XJdude has a point. any current engine should be fine up to 100k miles, thats when problems are expected to start.
@@bradhaines3142which is why I left that as a qualifying statement...that I only had it for a few thousand miles. Yall upset because I put the disclaimer that I didn't have it for very long. My sister wound up keeping her Sonic for 6 years and clocked almost 120k on it without any issues. I know that's not that long or many miles to some people...but I guess our family just gets bored of cars fast or something 😊
I will say - 70k miles for a 1.4 running 20 pounds of boost (would sometimes spike to 22 on shifts) with just lightly modded intake manifold (the little tumblers in the runners were removed), better charge pipes and test pipe as well as hooking up an e85 sensor (provisions are already there for it...very easy mod) and some larger injectors, that little engine was pushed WAY harder than it was ever intended to be. For what it endured, I respect the engine and under different circumstances I would have gladly kept the car as a little econobox that rides nicer than my truck (also 40mpg to 14).