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2 accidents 2 days in a row and now I broke down too??

4K views 17 replies 6 participants last post by  alexeilb 
#1 · (Edited)
They say best things come in 3 right? (Perhaps the universe is telling me something)..
I have a 2011 Chevy Cruze LS 91,000 miles, car has been in a shop many times for warranty repairs due to thermostats going out, oil leaks, water pump leaks etc. Recently I was rear ended with minimal damage, then the next day had a guy back up into my rear left quarter panel. Now my car broke down to seems like an unrelated issue, or is it?

I am driving down the road and start to notice a squeal coming from the belts it seems, I immediately turned off my A/C, squealing continued. I then noticed white what appears to be vapor coming out of my vents, understandable since I was using recirculating air and its 80+ outside with high humidity. Then at the light my car was idling very rough and stability track maintenance light came on I pulled over immediately, then the check engine light came on. Since this car has had so many problems I bought a reader and read P0171 code, running too lean. I checked the air box to make sure that air flow mesh looking thing inside was still on, I've had it fall out before and causing the same symptoms. The mesh is intact and the car is still idling rough, I can hear what sounds like a vacuum leak as well as a squeal coming from the belt area. What can this possibly be?

Is my car safe to drive at least to make it to a dealership?

This is all I can find but cant find the actual procedure to fix this thing.
PI0850..........Whistle noise from engine compartment, rough idle and/or DTC P0171 set.

Maybe due to (PVC) Leak on Camshaft cover, anything else?



 
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#2 ·
Was your car parked when hit? Dang I hate this, happened more than several times, no notes, no videos, just screwed. Especially when a new vehicle gets a couple of years old where collision coverage cost more than what the vehicle is worth. Ever see idiots that try to park a Silverado 3500 in a compact car parking area. Have to be darn careful where you park your car.

Kid in his older vehicle was hit by a deer, manage to bring it over, fender was rubbing on a tire. Just put my hand under it and pulled it out to solve this problem, what about your quarter panel? That sure makes a noise.

PO171 code ain't got anything to do with a lean burning engine, deals with the crankcase vacuum dropping well below the that 18"/Hg level. Already had to have my camshaft cover replaced that was the new improved model with another one just like it. Is only around a 40 buck part and about a 30 minute job. PCV valve is located in that cheapass plastic hose, for some reason, want a small fortune for this that can also be leaking. Been around for over 50 years now, used to cost a buck for a new valve. And used a common neoprene hose instead with clamps. Now snap together plastic.
 
#6 ·
First time I was rear ended I was at a light, the dude was driving a Tahoe, needles to say my bumper suffered minor scratch and ding while his Tahoe's bumper was hanging off, we just shook hands and went our ways. The second time the next day I was hit driving through a parking lot, some dude backed out very suddenly as I was coming to stop and just rammed me.

Today I replaced the PCV valve tube that connects the valve cover and throttle body, as my previous one was missing the pin that held it in place. This does not fix the problem, while cold I hear no squeal of any kind. When the car warms up upon deceleration I hear the squeal/whistle. I don't think its the belts as I herd belt squeal before, this is different. I can see it being a vacuum leak of some sort, should my next step be to replace the valve cover, its been done before under warranty about 20k miles ago :|
 
#3 ·
At 90 thousand miles it may be time to change the belt. The belt is supposed to changed at 97,000 miles but yours may have worn a little early. I would have this done (routine maintenance by the way) and then if the squeel is still there go after the noise.

As for being rear ended and backed into, I've had both of those happen to me so while not normally a physical issue for people it certainly is aggravating to have to deal with.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Would that cause trouble codes?

Also just wanted to add, I've had the water pump replaced twice, thermostat that's been stuck open, valve cover, a seal that was leaking oil between bell housing and engine, some plugs that were also leaking, this car has been in and out of the shop.

I saw that you mentioned the serpentine belt being too tight and causing water pumps to fail before. Could that be the issue, lets not forget the trouble code P0171
 
#5 ·
Darn Dang Ding .. and a whole lotta love to boot so here is # 3 for your list .. I traded my 2011 LS in for ahh .. well everybody here already knows , but Sir I am not here to talk about me and as we do agree upon is the timing belt Issue will need to be adressed soon ..could possiblie be a serpentine belt tensioner that has berring issues from road salt .

Spray some WD 40 on the pulleys of the tensioner and idler pulley to soak the internal berrings 1 at a time to diagnose which 1 ..

Good Luck !
 
#11 ·
it may have been mentioned but i know that some were complaining about squealing noises on these cars and the noise was a result of a bad camshaft seal.

as for the vapors i had that happen once while going over the road in a truck, it was hot and humid out and someone ice had formed in the vents( really funny actually) once we turned off the ac the ice melted and "vapors" were coming through he vents and some water.

sucks about the accidents, i recently had someone pull out of a spot but not clear my car... they scratched it but kept going. ( if i find them a screw will be placed on the windshield). okay not really but really pissed about it.
 
#12 ·
I haven't looked closely at one of the 1.8L engines - Can you tell if there are any vacuum lines over by the belts there? It would be unusual for rubber lines to fail already, but what you're describing (and the p0171) does sound like a vacuum leak.

The crankshaft seal leak would be from positive crankcase pressure escaping, and wouldn't result in a code.
 
#14 ·
Hey guys, just went out and checked my car again here's what I found today.

The car started up just fine, sounded just fine.
I took it around the block and it was running just fine.
Once warmed up I can hear the whistle again only when taking my foot of the gas. If I keep accelerating even slightly I hear nothing. Then CEL and service track control came on. Getting same code p0171 running to lean.
Once parked I can kind of hear the whistle, I poped the hood and tried to locate where its coming from, cant find it.
I went back inside my car and gave it very gentle rev to about 2000rpm and hear the whistle along with 3 knocks. I tried it again and didn't hear the knocks this time around.
 
#16 ·
You have a vacuum leak somewhere then. The whistle is the sound of air pressurizing. How hard was the car hit in the second accident? It may have knocked something out of alignment in the engine bay that wasn't detected by the body shop.
 
#15 ·
PCV valve is nothing more than a check valve, and for lack of a better word, deals with recirculating crap, and that nasty stuff that blows by the piston rings, and while doing this picks up engine oil as well. When the check valve gums up will vibrate like a whistle. Fords had this problem and made that PCV next to impossible to even get at. They don't give a darn about maintenance, just design this stuff for ease of assembly in production.

To make matters even worse with these lines, EGR, PVC, fuel, came out with quick couplers, real easy when brand new with the engine sitting on top of your kitchen table. Seal depends on an O-ring that with age and heat, gets baked on and located in such a position where you can't even get to hands on it. Really what's bad is that O-ring that should have never been used in the first place, but cheap and makes production a snap. If on a metal tube, the end of it is already corroded, will never get a good seal.

Watching all this BS on youtube, working with brand new stuff and the make it look easy, nothing to it.

FWD? What about that transaxle completely blocking the block drain plug, more problems, when you have to flush out an engine, need a powerful blow gun in an attempt to get rid of some of that water so you can get a proper mix.

How about a V-6 DOHC engine like used in a 86 Maxima engine for changing a timing belt, six sprockets that have to be precisely aligned. Drawings for the timing belt may be nice and clear, but in the vehicle with that sidewall, can't even see what you are doing. So constantly jumping around from the bottom to the top and using a mirror.

Then only giving you about an inch of clearance from the engine to the sidewall. Ever look at a standard set of box end or open end wrenches? Some dingbat has the weird idea that the smaller the wrench, the shorter it must be. Can't even use a wrench like this to reach those bolts. Have to search for long wrenches. Forget about an open end wrench, really forget about a right angled impact wrench, not enough space. An open end wrench required 60* of rotation and always something in the way blocking you. Box end wrench cuts that in half to 30*, but this is for just removing, bolt will fall to the floor. But try reinstalling that bolt!

This is why they say you either have lower or raise the engine, but what they don't say is all those line, fuel, AC, wiring etc., can be broken when you do this. Should disconnect whatever you can first. On one vehicle with AC, had to remove the compressor first and very carefully wire it up so those lines would break.

Then using a rolled unplated CRS bolt in aluminum, talk about cussing, head breaks off, either have to pull the engine. To avoid all this extra work, used a metal cutting hole saw so I could get at it, but had to patch it when I was finished.

Wish I was kidding, how about trading your vehicle off after the BB warranty expires, this is what they want you to do. This is when you learn with only about a sixth of the life you got out of this thing, get far less than half the value you paid for it.

Can't believe the American public goes along with this. Ha, use to work with Japanese engineers, commented that Americans are stupid, certainly can't argue with this point.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Had my buddy help me out last night to try and pin point where the leak is coming from, he too thinks its a leak. The the car is throwing a P0300 misfire :| He says its not any one cylinder but it could be as a result of the leak, things just aren't working harmoniously. Not sure if the PCV valve is a separate unit on the 1.8L, Gonna try and replace it.


What's the valve cover torque spec?
 
#18 ·
Hey everyone, just wanted to first thank you for all the input, not only was I able to fix my car you guys helped me keep a cool head knowing its nothing major, thank you!!! :)

It did turn out to be a failed PCV, I went ahead and bought a new valve cover and replaced it. Looking back at my paper work, this thing has been replaced before under warranty, after reading the forums it appears its quite common too. What really caught my attention however is that after removing the faulty valve cover, I noticed that the technician that worked on my car before used what appears to be a screw driver to pry the valve cover off. Is this a normal procedure? as it left a very distinctive scratch that he then covered with silicone. (Take a look at the first pic)

Bumper Rust Automotive exterior Auto part Metal
Engine Electronics Auto part Technology Electronic component
Auto part Automotive super charger part Engine Carburetor Vehicle
 
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