Overheated Chevy Cruze / Sonic 1.4 Turbo LUV Engine Teardown. Don't Drink Coolant, It'll Lock You Up
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- For part requests email us at Importapartsales@gmail.com.
Today's Tiny Teardown, a 1.4L Turbocharged 4 cylinder from a Chevrolet Cruze. This LUV/LUJ Engine is found in the Cruze and the Sonic, and is notoriously unreliable. In this video, I tear this overheated engine completely down to find out how bad it really is.
This engine was supplied by Premier Automotive in East Alton, IL!
My name is Eric and I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart located in the Saint Louis MO area. Part of our model is dismantling and selling parts from rare and niche market engines. I don't build or rebuild engines, we simply supply hard parts to those that do!
Want to see a particular engine torn down? I may have already done one! No really, check out my other videos for the engine you'd like to see! I've made over 70 other teardowns from a Cummins to an LS7, and from Rotary to Ram Ecodiesels. You can expect a new teardown every week!
Check them out here • Blown Up Engine Tear D...
As always I appreciate all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism.
What will I tear apart next week? Just wait and see!
-Eric - Авто та транспорт
Absolutely love how the oil feed line wraps around the header before hitting the turbo, to insure the line overheats the oil and clogs.
Probably done to heat the engine oil rapidly from cold because people jump in and go without warning up the engine and the engineers want things lubricated so they don't die early.
@@david929190 Must have been billions of cars started and driven from cold without serious issues or life shortening. In cold climates its rust that determines a car's life.
@Yeah Right As a matter of fact I used to clean my engines out by draining half the oil, adding 2 pints paraffin-kerosine and 2 pints water then driving 30 miles around town.
Took out all the crap and left everything sparkling.
You obviously didn't hear of the Ford no-oil driving test where the two cars ran 70 miles without oil.
@Yeah Right yeah and these days oil pumps build full pressure within a second with oils which will flow well even in freezing conditions.
The problem is with the stupid auto stop feature that car has that you can not turn off so you are cooking the oil at every traffic light.
I have the 1.8L version of the Cruze, about 10 year old by now. I do take care of the maintenance, and so far the car and engine are very good.
i once had the 1.8 version of the sonic and it was my favorite car until i lost her to a jackass who ran a red light
1.8 is a good send compared to the turbo 1.4. having had my Cruze since 2017 I would much rather have the 1.8 over the 1.4
Despite many turbo engines having design problems (companies trying to save money on the wrong places), I feel many of the problems could be avoided if people kept their oil cleaner and wouldn't wait on the drive thrus.
If turbo engines had proper idle bypasses that wouldn't be a problem.
5k Miles oil and Filter changes should be standard on any small turbocharged engine.
Especially with the high fuel dilution from direct injection and questionable piston ring designs.
Turbodiesels can probably handle longer intervals since they are lower RPM engines with less stress on the components usually.
Ive seen eurodiesels run 25k miles without an oil change and nothing bad happened. Just more valvetrain noise and vibration compared to new oil.
Other engines would not take that at all.
This….. Don’t listen to the damned oil life monitor. Change your oil every 5k with good synthetic oil. Oil is cheap.
I own one of these in my sonic 2018 and we love it but I do have to agree 100% with all the statements above we have always done oil every 5k adn should be mandatory but GM says to do it every 10k which is nuts to me on an engine that can run hot because of a turbo but I also hate to say it people tend to drive them like a race car because of it being a turbo car which is also stupid, the thing I find strange is this is the first I have ever heard of anyone not being happy with the 1.4 opel engine and around my parts no one has problems with them
@@johnflynn6140 100% on board with 5k oil changes.
I change my oil every 6 months even if I have not yet reached 5k.
My engine loves it.
With fresh oil the lifters are more quiet and it seems to have less drag aka the engine revs smoother and there seems to be less engine braking while coasting indicating less friction in the engine.
If you drive hard and do many wide open throttle pulls I would even recommend 3k mile oil changes.
Love my 2013 Sonic Rs with this engine. Bought it with 106K miles. Now has 147k miles. I change oil every 4k miles with synthetic. I love the gas mileage and pretty fun for a slow car. (6 speed manual) I have drove to florida and back to NY 6 times with it. Does not drink coolant or burn oil. No check engine light. If you take care of an engine, it usually goes well!
I love mine, only issues i have noticed is the turbo can sometimes loose boost pressure occasionally if driven for long periods of time, and it does develop minor coolant leaks easily. Not drinking coolant, but just leaks in plastic connector parts and what not, and there"s a coolant hose behind the engine that sits against a rather sharp spot on the block. It slowly wears a pin hole in the hose.
Nah. These are garbage. You only have 147. Never make it to 180. Sorry
Love my 2014 Chevy Sonic 1.4 turbo! It had to sit for a year due to unforeseen financial issues. But I had it serviced and with an oil change new battery and spark plugs it runs and drive great! 102k miles
Engine is ok, coolant system is trash
@DapimpBDSD my thoughts exactly, I have no complaints with the engine itself. But the coolant system leaks like a faucet and anytime you fix one leak a new one pops up. It's ridiculous
I have the 1.8 L in my Sonic and I'm glad that I have that engine. It's a very strong and well built engine. I've had no problems with it so far. 10 years of owning it.
I bet a lot of it comes down to maintenance. If you take good care of just about any modern engine it will last.
The 1.8 is an outstanding engine. Good power in a small car like the Sonic and gets outstanding fuel economy, 40 mpg is possible if you drive relatively conservatively.
I have a 1.8 Cruze 2011 150,000km. I believe in the kiss idea. Std, no turbo replaced water pump and coils. But after reading comments I'm lucky, but afraid of long trips now!🤔
I have a 2012 with 200,000 miles. The water pump was replaced at 127,000 under warranty. I replaced the valve cover, pcv valve, at 70,000 myself for about 70 dollars. Shocks and struts at about 140,000. Still runs perfectly. Followed all the factory service recommended intervals. No other issues.
The only issue I have on mine was the cam actuator seals leaking and the pcv valve issue and the water outlet broke. Still a great little engine
You had warranty repair at 127,000 miles? How did that happen?
Problem-free or almost problem-free Cruze owners are the exception, not the rule. Even the most vociferous Cruze defenders will give you a laundry list of things they have had to fix even on well-maintained vehicles.
Warranty was extended on the water pump to 130,000 miles. I have the same thing on a VW, water pump warranty extended to 150,000 or 10 years. Must be from the same supplier.
I just blew my 1.4L up at 290k (it was my own fault tho... poured ambient temp coolant into a hot hot engine) I replaced the valve cover a couple times, coolant neck a couple times, thermostat housing twice. Other than that it ran good up until the main coolant line split.
Thank you so much for this teardown. I have a 2015 Cruze (approx 76,000 miles) that I have had for a year with this engine and I have heard good and bad things about it. To hopefully avoid those bad things, I am going to try to keep this engine maintained to within an inch of its life. The only issue I have had with this car is a faulty negative battery cable that bolts to the chassis. The electrical system would glitch out intermittently (radio turning off and on, wouldn't crank, etc). There apparently was a recall on those, but I went to my O'Reilly's and bought a new cable. Glitchiness resolved.
there was. I believe you might have been able (providing you have a good stealership) to have gotten that replaced for free...maybe.
One of the best investments you can make on these little guys is a good turbo blanket. I got one from PTP for my Malibu which has the same problems, cost like $150 and its kept my turbo going for 150k now. Took all of 10 minutes to install.
Keeping the turbo from heat cycling so fast especially on short trips vastly reduces the rate that the wastegate housing will crack and in turn keeps the coolant and oil inside the turbo where it belongs. Basically, the itty bitty turbo is the achilles heel of this engine, the more stable it is the better.
@@arc00ta a turbo blanket? Hmmm...
@@CaptainSpadaro Yeah, its easier than exhaust wrap by far. Keeps the underhood temps down a lot too.
@@arc00ta PTP makes one for 2.0L EcoBoosts...I'll have to give it some thought (though my car is stock).
Enjoyed this one. I have a 2012 Cruze with 158k on it. Owned it for 50k miles. Leaks oil around the oil cooler and it drips on the exhaust. Coolant leaks from somewhere and spots the garage floor from time to time. Other than the leaks, runs fine.
I have 2012 164kmiles no issues so far
Other than the PCV issues, it's a solid engine. Keep up with the oil changes and it's fine. Had mine for 160k no issues.
Me i'm at 220.000 km 2012 turbo and y love it.y run it only with premium fuel 91.and full synthétique oil change at 6.000 km
@@jean-claudesimard7882You use premium fuel in your Sonic? I’ve thought about doing this.
@@jean-claudesimard7882 My mother had a 2012 Eco 1.4T and it was a great little. Only thing she had replace was the water pump. All of the service that was done on it was at the Dealership.
@@thsarethbreaks y have 230.000 km.your mather wath is the millage
Y run premiym fuel 91 or 94 in québec the price is $2.02
Watched it again. It's amazing what you can find out by tearing an engine down. Great video!
That looks a lot better built than most.
For that much sludge it must have been running extended oil changes.
But comparing it to other engines, I think it’s easy to work on and well built.
Don't buy one from a car rental company, I don't know about all of them but I know Hertz (which is also Dollar and Thrifty) are doing 10,000 mile intervals on their oil changes to save money
GM (actually the EPA) recommends extended oil changes. It's up to the owner to know better.
@@Capydachi they wont have any oil in the engine after 6k .
go buy a Chevy with that engine and see how difficult it actually is to work on it 😂
Do 6,000 mile oil changes. The Chevy computer oil life is wrong.
You gotta love how General Motors appreciates their customers by making them pay for the absolute junk the produce .
General Motors don’t make anyone “pay” for anything! You have choices and it’s up to you to do your homework! If you don’t like it, buy something else! It’s that easy.
"You gotta love how General Motors appreciates their customers by making them pay for the absolute junk the produce"
Right, as if every other car maker made absolutely flawless engines throughout their entire history.
Those cam sensors were actually adjuster magnets. They use a magnet to pull on a feeder tube located in the cam bolt to adjust oil feed to the phasers.
Were the phasers set to stun or kill?
Own 2 of them. 235,000 and 85,000. Valve cover gasket and PVC valve are the weak links, but a very easy (and I'm no mechanic!) driveway replacement. 45+ mpg with the 6 speed manual. I'll be buying another in the upcoming months, great car for the teen.
Yep. Bought my 2012 eco stick new. 170k on it now. Always more than 40 mpg. Blast to drive.
NA versions of this engine were quite common in Opel Corsa/Astra... They are not fast by any means, but they are quite simple and reliable. I own a 2015 Corsa with this engine, and there is not much to say about maintenance... The only thing that failed in 7 years was the coil pack (poor design), but it's a 70-80e part held by two bolts.
Water pump fail at 80K kms but "apart" from that is cool and reliable with 110K kms. Corsa 1.4 90cv NA
These are great engines, used in Vauxhall and Opels in Europe.
I have rebuilt quite a few.
The problems come from the drivers, not the engines.
Most of these cars have a temp warning light and no gauge.
The light comes on (usually due to a failed water pump) and people ignore it and run them till they stop.
You almost always get away with a 5 thou skim of the head.
A very strong engine and will take a lot of abuse.
I don't believe they're the exact same engines. Honda couldn't get their 1.5t eco-turbo i4, can't recall the designation. They had plenty of issues of their own, but nothing quite as heinous as this little gremlin of a powerplant.
That's not the truth at all. My wife stayed up to date with everything on her Cruze. Wouldn't drive it if a light was on, or if it needed something. So basically, she never drove it. No warning lights, but the water pump was leaking. Replaced it, and then had to have it replaced again. Then had to replace the turbo. and then had to replace the turbo again. Supposedly, despite regular maintenance, and taking care of the car, we weren't sitting in it long enough after we parked. The car was terrible.
True, but Europeans have mechanics every 2nd block and at 1/4th the labor rate so they're usually well maintained here.
may be something to do with where they are assembled and the parts they use. i really have not heard that the design is faulty, more the parts used. years ago i had a pinto ( a lot of years ) that had the opel overhead cam engine. that motor made the pinto a pretty great cheap car.
The 1.4 isn't very good. However, I've had zero issues with my 1.8 yet. Other than it's 0-60 time of 3-5 business days.
You took the words right out of my mouth. 😂 #LUWLIFE
Love the little 1.8 (H VIN) in my mother's Cruze. Thing has got the spirit, just not the guts. It does have an odd start issue with a metallic clanging noise (I think it is the starter, or maybe a defective flywheel) and a stuck thermostat. Also, the intake runner adjuster linkage problem, can't forget about that. I'm not even going to talk about the purge valve, that is just a GM car issue in general.
@@wifelikecow I have the same issue on cold starts with the rattle. From what I've gathered, it's just kind of how the 1.8 is. I don't wanna Jynx myself, but I've only replaced the purge valve once so far,
@@wifelikecow Mine does the clanking as well. I have both size clutches, since I'm not sure on which size is in there. I need to pick up on a flywheel, that's what I assume the clanking is from. My clutch hasn't gone out yet, but they put a new one in it in 2016 when I got her. She's a 2012.
@@jay1185 My mother is still on her very tired factory clutch-pack. Poor thing needs replacing.
this is the most common engine to come through our shop. Mostly for turbo issues (internal crack develops between the gate and impeller 98% of the time). doesnt matter which manufacturer (honeywell or garret), they all crack in the same place. Second most common issue we see with them is they tend to bust rods. The 1.8L doesnt appear to have the same issues as the 1.4L.
1.8 has timing belt problems instead. My 1.4 has been bulletproof for 170k so far
Bought mine new in 2013. 185k on my 1.4 luv. It’s done nothing but run great. Been a great little car, I’d definitely buy another. Idk what everyone else is doing to them to destroy them 🤷🏻♂️
NO BRAINS LIKE BAD MOUTHING THINGS THEY REALLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT
I have a Sonic RS with the 1.4 Turbo. Tuned for an additional 40ish hp. Big difference. Put 100,000km on it with the tune. Engine was still mint. Sold it back to dealership cause I mucked the subframe on a piece of concrete that kicked up from a catch basin in a parking lot
The amount of turbos and coolant hoses and valve covers I’ve replaced on this engine is ridiculous they are truly junk
I can relate 6 turbos on mine plus countless other parts it's a money pitt. But can't get rid of it And heard it from my son. Sentimental values I guess
Must be a gm tech too lol tell you one thing it's not a honda engine lmao
@@frankjimenez2337 this makes zero sense to me. I feel like if you can’t drive your cars new turbo at least 50k+ miles your doing something very wrong. I’ve beat the living hell out of my cruze in my ownership and have experience zero mechanical issues. You just treat your equipment like trash and buy shit cheap garret turbo replacements off Amazon’s🥴
I replace three turbos on mine. Other that that it was a fantastic engine. Except for the valve cover.
I got 188k on my sonic with original Garrett and 135k on my Encore with original turbo. When and if they fail I wouldn't put a Ebay replacement on it. It's actually pretty amazing how long a factory turbo can last these days. I remember when first gen turbo cars would start blowing smoke at about 80k because of turbo seal failures. The only bad thing I can say with these vehicles are fixing water leaks, that's what is blowing them all up from overheating.
11:00 duuuuuuuude !!! safety glasses or cover the part up! That spring wanted OUTTA here.
We love your videos and hate to see carnage on YOU, instead of the engines Eric!
"It's not like it's a BMW" as if that was a bad thing. 😂
I had a 2012 cruze turbo 177K on it with no issues(I bought it new) till unfortunately got bad fuel. Motor didn't run right after that. Traded it in on a brand new 2018 cruze rs turbo 67K. No current issues. Both cars 100% dealer maintained. Both cars had no mods.
220,000 miles on my 2017 Cruze RS hatchback. I change the oil on time, use the correct DEXOS oil, follow the recomened maintenance schedule including coolant & transmission fluid changes. More often than not an individuals ego guides them into blaming the car for damages caused by their own complacency.
Working at the dealer, I can honestly say that the engine itself is reliable, we do see a lot of turbo issues, intake manifold and valve covers, and any plastic water outlets. And the occasional head gasket. We see more issues with the 2.2 and 2.4 ecotecs.
What do you think about the 2.0 ecotec turbocharged? Is it any good? I had a 2.2 in my 02 cavalier and it hit 260k miles before I got rid of it.
@@YanilMiami305 it’s a fine engine, so long as it’s been maintained. We occasionally see the need for timing chain and associated components and pistons.
@@stellingbanjodude yeah any VVT engine is going to brake down if if not taken care of it properly. I asked about the 2.0 turbocharged because I was thinking about buying a cadillac ats with that engine I test drove one and was impressed its a peppy little engine it's kinda loud though at higher RPMs
As the owner of a cruze it brings me joy seeing you take one apart, thanks
I have a 2014 with 160,000 miles and its been ok….. The issues I’ve had with it is the oil cooler springing an external leak and the overflow bottle cracking. I’ve also had to replace the intake and valve cover twice. I do all my own work and these parts arent that bad cost wise. In fact i found dealer prices often were cheaper. Its been reliable enough.
Now things that have been great on it. Tire wear is awesome on this little car. I just put my 3rd set of tires on. The OE tires lasted 75,000 miles and the replacements lasted another 75,000. Put the first set of brakes on it at 140,000.
So i guess you win some and lose some.
So excited to grab a cold beer and a slice of pizza to watch the latest episode of malice in the combustion palace!!
I've got a LUV in a 14 Cruze with 316k kms. I change the oil every 7-8k kms. My daily drive is 1 hour long and mostly county roads, so it has it pretty sweet. Problems I've had: water pumps(many) and other external coolant leaks, oil leaks(includes a head gasket), pcv valves that took out my catalyst converter.
They are maintenance princesses, you have to keep on top of them because little things tend to snowball fast with those engines.
So all in all, it hasn't been that good, but it has not been a disaster either.
Those plug boots are always a pain in the backside.
My turbo cruze 2012 have 220.000 km and run great.juste change valve cover.intake water outlet and water pump garanty two time 3 model.
In the modern era of cars, the Big 3 American companies only really do one engine well, and that’s V8’s. Ford has the Coyote, Ram has the 3 Hemi’s, and Chevy has the 5.3/6.2/6.0. I wouldn’t trust any of the small turbo 4 bangers they’ve come out with, they’ve all been so cheap.
I would say the diesels but all the emissions crap chokes them out too much and it’s way harder to delete now.
My early Ecoboost 2.0 liter uses Ford’s version of the Mazda L block, which is a stout closed-deck design. The newer 2.0/2.3 L. Ecoboost motors are an open deck design that Ford came out with because open decks are easier and cheaper to cast. That caused problems with the early Focus RS because of high boost and not enough support for the cylinder tops. Mountune now offers an upper block support system for the 2.3 liter that imitates an actual closed deck design. 10 years of my little ST and I’m happy. Most dependable car I’ve owned in 55 years.
@@charlesjames1442 the focus ST’s seem to be actually a pretty nice platform and fun to drive, I know I’ve seen the 2.0’s get stroked to 2.3 for bigger power EcoBoost builds.
This is not an american engine.
@@sugarnads it’s in a GM, so I don’t trust it either way.
3.5 ecoboost has been a proven good engine. Cam phaser issues but not many major engine failures due to it.
My 1.4 has a set of zzp rods diamond pistons. And a borg 62/58. 37psi 384wheel! 1.5 years old now, 57k miles hundreds of 1/4 mile runs. Still runs like a champ
I've been working on my wife's for 5 years. Never had too serious of issues with it. Oil cooler and oil feed and return lines. It has 170k right now.
I had a friend buy a Cruze with this engine. "It only has 43k miles, it'll be reliable," he said. It blew the motor at 46k.
Lol nice.
Bad News Racing makes performance parts for the 1.4T. I owned a 2016 Chevrolet Trax AWD with the 1.4T from 2400 miles on to 59k miles and I took great care of it. Premium Oil filters, high quality synthetic oil with regular changes, and Premium Fuel. Only issue I ever had was it needed a Catalytic Converter at 54k miles. I'd likely still own it if I hadn't had such a huge need for a pickup truck. Solid car, and as far as I'm concerned, a solid powertrain.
I believe this is the same engine as my Corsa 1.4 turbo, mapped it's about 175bhp, with a few mods they can get into the low 200s, which is fun on such a small car.
Clean oil is everything in the Cruz. Synthetic a must. 205,000 here going strong.
I got a sonic 1.4l turbo. Thank god I haven't had issues yet. This been peppy and fun.
The water pumps are notorious! Great video!🤩🇺🇸👍
By the teared down alone, it seems obvious that the engine died due to poor maintenance and abuse of performance. Thank you for showing the inside of it, and how good it looked regardless of its outcome.
The only thing I like less than external torx is internal torx on larger bolts. I recently disassembled the chassis on my 2006 Impala and from the factory there was a large (14mm shank) bolt anchoring the front control arms with an internal torx head on it. I intend to replace it with an equivalent strength hex head bolt. I don't like to see internal torx on anything larger than a 1/4" or 6mm screw. Torx works better than a Phillips head on screws but on larger bolts the torx tool always twists off and breaks under torque. I put up with them on seat belt bolts because they are used there for a reason but anywhere else I don't like them. Anything with external drive is better in my opinion, even if it's external torx.
Two surprises here for me. I’ve never seen a split block with the bearing shells in the bottom also, surprising how ubiquitous active valve timing is now.
I’ve been driving a 2021 Chevy Equinox with a 1.5L Turbocharged Ecotec engine. Got 35k miles on it and no issues.
Dealership told me to change engine oil every 10k, but I do it in less than half the time just to be on the safe side. These engines are really maintenance sensitive and something that should not be taken light heartedly.
I'm really interested to know if Eric gets any serious part inquiries as the result of these videos. In my mind, these videos are absolutely FANTASTIC promotional videos for his business. generally.
Yet I wonder if anyone ever phones up and says _"Hey, I saw that teardown of the Chev y Cruz 1.4 and I would like to buy the crank and rods"_ .
The engine was updated in 2016, and my 2017 Cruze runs like a champ. 2015 and prior 1.4 Ecotec (LUV and variants) we're known pieces of crap, but I'm sure poor maintenance factors into that.
Second gen is worse. Ring lands break when wrong oil used. First gens just leak oil and coolant. Reseal engines every 60k like a Subaru
my wife just got a 2016 chevy Trax god i hope they fixed a lot of problems ..
It's still a peice of 💩 motor 😂
Stop trying to make yourself feel better for buying a horrible car
even with good maintenance lol
@@Mr_Meowingtons It all depends on maintenance. Use the right oil, I change mine ~5000 miles and my shifts (manual) are mostly under 2500 RPM. Also, let it run for 30 seconds after you park it to get some cooler oil to the turbo. My 2017 Cruze has 95,000 miles on it and it's been reliable so far. You just can't beat the crap out of these little mouse motors and expect them to have any longevity. BTW, I'm getting 38mpg (average) using 89 octane.
The amount of Chevy Cruzes I've seen with smoke coming from the engine bay is insane
Speaking from experience this engine is very very easy to work on it’s easily accessible and very simple it is however a money pit
I worked for Chevy for years, and yes these engines are junk. Cruzes and sonics are not the best cars to begin with but the 1.8 is a "better" engine. The DOD 5.3l likes to eat its own camshaft and lifters, the 6.6 diesel likes to break its crankshaft on startup, thanks to the stupid firing order. The preDOD 5.3l burns oil like crazy. The modern generation of cruze melts its own pistons. And don't even get me started on the dumpster fire that is the traverse.
I have a 1.4L turbo in my Buick Encore and seeing all the sludge in that engine makes the dark oil immediately after changing it make sense. The previous owner only changed the oil 3 times in 60,000 miles so I'm sure its life was shortened. I change mine every 8,000-ish despite the oil life monitor telling me I have 35% life left. And seeing the proximity of the oil filter to the exhaust manifold/turbo I'm thinking of changing it even more frequently.
You don’t want to run oil that long on a turbo motor. The oil will get dirty a lot faster than on a naturally aspirated engine.
I have a 2019 Cruze with this engine. 3 years no problems, I have it serviced at the dealer when it is supposed to be serviced and I don't speed. I wait until the motor is fully warmed up before using the turbo if I use it at all. If I wanted a hotrod I would have bought one. I wanted gas mileage and it delivers.
I've just done a 3000 mile oil change on my Daughter's 1.4t UK Corsa, runs ok, had a minor coolant leak on the heater matrix pipe seal.
Spark plugs worked their way loose last year, sounds like a diesel car, just needed tightening up.
At first I hated this Engine. I hated the valve cover and the trubo. But after Using ZZ Performance to upgrade everything is had been so much better and I haven't had issues. Just had to rebuild it with better parts. lol
This engine was my worst nightmare. Didn’t even make it to 100k before I had a blown head gasket. Went through 2 turbos and needed a third. I wasn’t absolutely militant about maintenance, but did everything on time more or less.
Hey Eric! Where did you get that awesome oil/coolant catch for your engine stand? It looks a lot easier than trying to get multiple pans under an engine, and you still spill shit everywhere! LOL!
He mentioned it several videos back. It is a cleaver design!
I bought the Diesel Cruze to avoid the problems of the gasoline engine. It’s been about $8,000 in warranty work.
I’m glad I got out of a Cruze before it blew up. Mine had lots of coolant issues
A former co-worker of mine bought a Cruze a few years ago. Worst paint job I ever saw. Hood looked like a lake surface, ripples and all. Incredible POS car.
It's interesting to see how you consider the engine unreliable. There's plenty of Opel using this engine here in Europe and they surely dont have major issues.
My car (Opel Adam S) uses this exact same engine but has slightly increased boost pressure and hits 150hp / 220Nm from the factory. None of my peers in the S community have had any major issues with these cars at all.
The same 150HP engine is in the Corsa E GSi and Corsa E 1.4T, neither of which have engine failures.
Something that happens occasionally is the water pump going out, which might lead to overheating but the engine usually reports the failure quickly and it doesn't overheat, at least not too much.
One of our group had a failed pump with the engine temp error. She stopped the car and had the pump replaced under extended warranty, runs absolutely fine.
Some of these engines have tunes on them for 180hp at around 280ish Nm. With an aftermarket intercooler they can reliably hit above 200hp with a tune alone.
Sure they have some design flaws which are probably mostly going back to Opel (which designed this engine) having to save money where at all possible, due to internal mismanagement.
If you dont mind fixing leaks constantly then this is the perfext little engine for you.
It's apparent that he's never disassembled a 1.4 liter GM before. I've had my 2011 cruze for 12 years have 98000 on it no major issues whatsoever just preventive maintenance basically.
I was about to say. My wife has a chevy Sonic 1.4 turbo. great gas mileage, But the biggest issue I have had is when it dose get up to temp never turned the radiator fan on. and it was a 3 speed fan using the resistor, don't understand why you have to buy the hole thing if all you need is a new resistor. but it sill never turned it on. so I rigged it so it just comes on when you turn on the car because it overheated and cracked the thermostat housing like 4 times thats when I found out the fan just never came on. but now it works great and have not had to replace the housing in over 3 years were as before it was at least twice a year.
Sold my 2012 1.4l manual eco after I put 600k miles on it. Original turbo and timing chain. Only issue I had was replacing the valve cover every 50-75k miles.
The biggest issues for this one is 1. Oil Filter housing breaking on removal. 2. Coil pack. 3. Vapor Canister Purge Valve Solenoid. 4. Turbo/exhaust manifold assembly. (These are not resalable! They are disposable.) I own a Trax with the 1.4 2017. Other than these issues, it has been pretty reliable.
There is a chevy Cruze that hit 500,000 miles. Engine was swaped at 400,000 miles. Not sure if it had a different engine, but they can last. Especially the Turbo Diesel ones. Its not the best out there, but not as bad as many think.
Five will get you ten the engine started overheating, the CEL light came on, the driver ignored it ("I have to get home") then a few miles later the damage was done.
That is the old style where the oil filter is placed.
The only thing is to buy a low mileage one to put a catch can on the pcv, so oil is caught in it before going to the intake manifold to stop intake valve build up.
Yes there is a after market with bigger turbos fuel, injectors ect.
Oil change on any turbo motor is a Must!
Dirty oil kills the turbo.
I was surprised to learn that these engines are problematic. I had a 2012 Cruze Eco 6 spd for years that was fantastic, reliable, outstanding fuel economy, but I did have to replace the turbo at 124k miles because the turbine got really loose (but I caught it before it let go, but I did see a couple where the turbine ends up lodged in the catalytic converter when I drove a tow truck). To your point, I think these cars are often treated rough and maintained even worse.
Hi! How much does he eat gasoline per 100km?
The 1.4 T cruze had recalls on the water pump all the way up to 2015 I think. But I think it was a fastener issue but the h2o pumps would fail causing serious overheating.
I'm guessing the head was cracked when you put cold water in a hot overheated engine that's what cracks the head between the valves the crack will usually run between two pistons or continually overheating aluminum will warp the head
I have a Sonic with the 1.4L Turbo. When he said, "I've never heard anyone complain about them" I knew he was trolling. All I have are complaints. I wish I could swap it for something else.
The best Cruze engine was /is the 2.0 LUZ diesel. They easily go 300,000+ miles with tons of torque to boot. The VM Moturi designed and manufactured engine was near unbreakable.
Great video bud but how about some safety? We like seei.g you without a patch over your eye. Ya dig?
You acknowledged the dangerous at one point in video, so let's acknowledge the silliness of not using PPE.
LOVE YOUR VIDZ AND CAN DO ATTITUDE, and want to see you be able to do it as you did on this day with no injuries. Those hands and eyes make your living homey.
Respect
I had a 2011 Cruze Eco 6sp manual with that engine and used the car for my outside sales job. I consistently got 42mpgs and was a blast to drive! Then one day I smelled oil vapor... that car lived at the dealer for the next 8 months off and on. Shortly before 100,000 miles I traded it in on a 2014 Camry. The intake side of the turbo was leaking oil into the intake tract but the dealer kept focusing on the engine and the exhaust side of the turbo, it was a mess. I’ll never own another modern GM
Recently replaced the thermostat on mine. And thought it would make a difference. But no change. I think I have another issue. Running temp seems hot to me. The guy at the parts store told me 220 degrees was operating temperature. All last summer the hottest I ran it was about 212 degrees and that was big hill climbs. Going to do a flush next and see if that helps. Great video by the way.
220 is running temp on these. They have a ECU controlled thermostat that makes them run cooler under high load but allows them to run hotter when cruising for better efficiency.
I've had two 1.4L Turbo Cruzes, both had cracked water pumps and were leaking coolant. There is absolutely no warning for engine overheating. My first Cruze fell victim to nearly total engine failure and blew out the spark plugs, ignition coil, turbo, intake manifold, etc. because it ran on no coolant for months in midwest summer heat and I was none the wiser. Sad thing is I got it all fixed and then lost it in a highway accident a few months later. RIP. My second Cruze I only saved from the same fate cause I caught the coolant leak early. Still had to replace the water pump, surge tank, purge valve, and camshaft seals. Spent nearly as much as both were worth on repairs just to get them running safely. Just cheaply built and unreliable.
one of my coworkers had a Cruze and he said it was the worst car he ever owned, after it was totaled he ended up getting a Corolla and is really happy with it.
I hateTorx bolts, internal and external. my maxima had internal Torx bolts on the flywheel but I ended swapping them out for heavy duty Allen bolts.
ah a chevy cruze engine with 20k miles on it. a rare gem considering just how far it traveled
Had a Cruze with that engine and never had a problem.
The Chevy 1.4 in it’s natural aspirated form is significantly better then the version with the turbo. I drove a Chevy spark rental and noticed it could put power down so much better then a Chevy trax of Cruze!
I believe part of the problem with the LUV is that it runs at 220F or a little higher under normal driving conditions. As opposed to ≈190F like most cars. Things get worn out pretty quickly due to the high temp, and you've got not much margin/time to react to an overheating condition.
The high heat causes extra wear on gaskets and hoses as well especially in the wintertime. When you go from below zero to 220 every morning this cannot be good on the internal parts.
There are several companies making aftermarket parts. There’s a company called zzp that has a 6 sp manual 1.4 stock bottom end making north of 550 on the dyno and runs low 10’s high 9’s in the quarter
Great engine to drive with, the problem is keeping the damn thing running.
Seriously considering a 91 Laser over my 11 Cruze...
Just got a core 1.4 today at my shop. Has 2 massive inspection ports and the turbo was cracked out
I've got 230,000 km on 1.4 litre with a 3rd turbo, slept in the car -30 manitoba walmart parking lot, started just fine throughout the night. Ran it for hours and hours to keep warm 🙂 👌 the only issue on my car is we are on 3rd valve cover, just leaks a little. Never over heated even on the crowsnest and coq highway in the Okanagan during 35c weather with high inclines. But we don't drag race it and owned it since 14000km with regular maintenance done.
That header stack is absolutely why it has no modding potential😂
I have 171k on mine and I have done all the maintenance and critical maintenance. And it’s still running smoothly, but it’s a very preventative maintenance car, is you don’t do it then you will have a yard ornament
All the plastic coolant pipes on these engines are probably to blame for most of them having an overheating failure. My daughters Cruze ran great except for these plastic cooling parts that fail till 120k when we traded it.
Automotive technician here... These engines are cheaper to replace than to fix. And the only people who should turbo charge an engine this small is Porsche.
1.4 engines are not that bad my Chevy Cruze has over 200,000 miles and it is still moving
Chevy has a recall for the water pump, I had to have mine replaced and have still had nothing but problems with it since shortly after I got it, can't wait to be rid of it personally
I heard East Alton and subbed. Love local content creators
I think this is the same engine as on my old chevy trax. I got 106k miles no issues. But other parts of the car were going downhill, so I fixed what I could and traded it in.
In the UK, they’re on Vauxhall’s, they suffer all the problems in the world mainly the water pumps failing, head gaskets are known to fail too, timing chains can slip, the engines on this are very unreliable, oh yeah the oil pump don’t wanna know about longetivity
In Europe we see these engines in Opel cars. Or Vauxhall in the UK. It's true that there's. The Cruze is basically the Opel/Vauxhall Astra. It's true that the 1.4 isn't a very popular tuner's engine but we have a few examples in Europe that make around 170hp without any hardware upgrades other than an air intake and larger downpipe/exhaust.
once again, your channel provides. im curios about the engine/ turbo of my 1.4 cruze engine.
They're actually decent engines
The water pumps fail. Intakes crack very often. Valve covers need replaced because of the built in pcv valve and at some point you'll need a new turbo but it's all pretty easy to do and not super expensive. If you blow it just get a rebuild kit and find a guy who's got engine knowledge. These are easy to build and even when they lock up, the block is usually fine after a light drill hone on the cylinders, and the heads are pretty decent. So the important stuff is not bad. But it will nickel and dime you
My ex-wife had a 2014 Sonic turbo when I met her. I was driving south of Austin on a cool October night and the integrated thermostat and plastic housing quit suddenly and the computer went into limp mode.
Had to drive home at 50 mph. Never did run right after that . Traded it for a diesel gate Passat but that's another comment section.
Love the locked up videos almost as much as the inspection hole ones
I really like the design of this engine. And then i realized why, it's a European design. This design was done by Opel and used in many smaller cars and hot hatches.
i can talk about my chevy cruze and boy that thing was a lemon. replaced all the coolant hoses twice, the thermostat twice, and eventually it overheated again and cracked the block
zzp makes some good power on many of these with out opening them up. they do seem to have a temperature control issue with the stock coolant system. it doesnt help that the car doesnt come with a decent temperature gauge so its usually too late before people realize its too hot
I’ll tell you exactly how it died. Coolant leak. The thermostat housing, and the cyl head coolant outlet/temp sensor housing are both plastic on these engines. They are prone to gasket failure or catastrophic plastic failure. Normally you would think “oh well… ok but that shouldn’t be a detriment to the engine design”. Unfortunately, it is, GM decided they were gunna have these engines run “hot”, my guess is for emissions but I’m not entirely sure. Regardless, the thermostats on these cars don’t open…. until 226F…. so, the moment the cooling system looses pressure… your seconds from overheating. If there is a catastrophic loss of coolant you have between 60-120seconds to shut the thing off or it WILL overheat and the moment they overheat they either warp the cyl head or crack it or both. These are great little engines that can easily get over 200K miles, but ya gotta fix the failure points. You can get aluminum thermostat housings and coolant outlet/temp sensor housings from ZZPerformance or on Amazon/Ebay, they are a must along with replacing the degas bottle EVERY 80K miles or so, they also crack. The engines just run too hot imo, my Cobalt SS thermostat is 172F I believe, to give those who don’t know an idea. The block is most likely fine, it’s the strongest part of these engines being cast iron, check it but I’m sure it’s fine. ZZPerformance and BNR sell a BUNCH of performance parts for these, these engines also have SEVERE issues with the factory PCV system, ZZP sells a high quality (and price) kit that is worth the money and solves that issue. ZZP has pushed this engine (the 1st Gen, non-DI) to over 600whp, they are excellent little engines you just gotta fix the coolant issues I mentioned and the PCV system and they’ll run forever for regular maintenance. There is a TSB/Recall for water pump leaks that covers up to 11yrs/120K miles. Early builds had piston cracking issues (specifically cracked ringlands). The VAST majority of those engines didn’t make it out of warranty before failure. One of our many vehicles (too many) is a 12 Cruze I got the wife back in the day, was her first “new car”. 10K miles into ownership ringlands cracked, covered under powertrain. Got the water pump covered as well, and I’ve bulletproofed everything else I talked about above. Lack of maintenance WILL kill these engines thou, as with most any engine. Only thing I havnt mentioned is that turbo crack. Literally ALL of them have that, most have zero issues, but it CAN cause a low boost code/cel. Usually the turbos will last 150K+…. unless the car is tuned etc. If I could change one thing about ours, I would have bought the 6spd manual and forced the wife to learn to drive stick lol.