[ScotSF]

I FIXED it ! I think I may have won the war with the Cruze cooling system ! 2013 Cruze 1.4 T

Part 1 and Part 2

Part 1.
This has been my son's daily driver for several years. It developed the dreaded RAGING High Speed Fan all the time syndrome months/years ago and he has just lived with it that way.
But then recently, ok several months ago, it started to overheat, boil over , spike the temp gauge to full hot, and warning lights, etc, all of it.

First, Part 1. I pulled the radiator fan assembly, which was a rediculous mess that took forever, and changed the electric fan speed control resistor pack, AND the burnt up plug that wired into the electric harness, too . ( P.S. The colors of the wires on the Amazon plug were exactly opposite wrong, so be sure to mark your wires first + - etc, and don't just blindly believe they wired your new plug correctly. )

After thinking I was a genius, and putting it all back togather , the results were basically the same , Raging Full Speed Fan. UNLESS...

Turn the car off. Disconnect BOTH battery cables . And when they are both loose, up in the sky, not touching the battery at all, get a clippy wire and CONNECT the two battery cables. It was scary and I thought it might blow up, but how could it? So, ok, I did that, to re-set zero the computer .

It worked, sort of. I started it cold and NO fan . ! Warmed it up a little, drove a bit , no fan,
more warm up until almost straight down temp gauge, then Full speed RAGE fan.

Turn car off, wait a while. Turn car back on cold the next day, and it starts cold with Full Speed RAGE fan. This went on for several months in my spare time.

Then I got an OBD 2 scanner . I decided to be a Big Boy, and be all grown up. I got a good one, not the cheap entry level. After learning some , and digging around in the screens and settings, I figured out how to check fan speeds, and that all seemed to be working ok.

I took out and checked each ( ALL ) the three fuses and five relays and checked them all, good.

So, it MUST be the sensors, right ? Of course, I was a genius again.

I changed the engine sensor , over on the driver side at the big crazy plastic diverter assembly, and changed the sensor ON the radiator way down on the passenger side, too. After careful reading, I learned that the sensor that is actually ON the thermostat is just there for extra info, and does not contribte too much to actual enging temp . (?) but ok, we just moved on.

Now, I had my handy dandy OBD 2 reader ! So I hooked it all up, and I could watch , in real time, as each new sensor heated up, so confirmed that they were working.

But still Raging Full Speed Fan, and extreme boil over heating and boil overs .

Now I was beginning to feel Raging, too. I'm sure most of you here can relate.

Then I found this post. Thanks OP Cruise-Cruze , and thought well, that's a good idea.
Let's go OLD SCHOOL and fix this like we always have, and quit fighting the computer.

But first, I wanted to address the Raging Fan.
I took out each fan relay, one at a time, to see what it would take to KILL that raging fan.
I took out one relay, and started the car, then stopped. I took out the next relay and started the car and stopped. Until I had ALL four of the speed relays out and , ha ha, guess what NO Fan !
I won, I killed it . ( Relay #5 is that little one that sends power to the other 4 speed relays )

So I put only ONE relay back in. The second one over, The LOW speed fan only.
Start the car cold, and the fan comes on immediately, but just at the low peaceful speed.
With all the other relays out, I don't care what signals the computer sends, we are only powering up the low speed . On all the time , just like old school mechanical fan on the water pump pulley.

Part 2. This post.
Once I decided to OLD SCHOOL RAGE on this car myself, I liked this post. There is no good reason to have the stock thermostat keep ALL the heat in the engine until it gets to boil over, overheat temperature.

So I did exactly this post.
I bought actual DORMAN thermostats , yes two. Not cheaper imitation knock offs, or fancy metal ones, I had already tried them all, too, a while ago, and they all just failed miserably. I wanted to start with ALL new parts. I got the Cruze thermostat and the Cadillac thermostat, part numbers in the first OP post, just like he told us. ( Thanks, OP ) Then I had to switch the guts. like this:

I got a big socket , 22 mm or so, and while on the bench, pushed down and turned , and released the spring and hat assembly, and took out all the easy parts... and then stared at what was left.

Here is the Big CAUTION part ..
For sure DO NOT TWIST the remaining guts to rip that part out.
The Actual Thermostat Temp sensor has Two Tiny Wires way at the back.
So you must gently wiggle/pull it out. Straight- No Twist !
( That's what she said, but this is a PG post )

Then super easy-peasy, take the Cadillac sensor and put it into the Cruze housing and put all those other springy pieces back on. No sweat, and slap that new assembly back in the car.

When re-filling the coolant. BE SURE to remember the hidden pesky air bleed valve at the top passenger side of the radiator. I learned that, too, the hard way, but got the help from this forum, thanks bros.

And I got the recommended 15 pound cap, too .

The car seems to run VERY cool for now. And the heat works. and the AC finally works better, too.
So cool, that I had not even seen it get up to 176 when the new thermostat should open.

I know the car's temp gauge works, because it moves a little bit.
With my OBD 2 scanner , I can see that the engine temp gets to 135 at the first mark off stone cold.

I drove the car all around town. Totally terrified scared that it might overheat again, but no.
totally cool and drove peacefully cool.

I'm calling this a Win. For now.

I returned the car to my son, and I haven't seen it for a week ! Still gone.
He says it runs great. We'll see how long this lasts. I will check with him to see what temp it typically gets up to . ?

I hope my LONG story here might have some tidbits to help, if you have been fighting your Cruze cooling system, too.

P.S. Haters, you can't do that, etc, Ha ha , Well I did it, and the car is gone, out of my driveway.

 

[Blasirl]

I FIXED it ! I think I may have won the war with the Cruze cooling system ! 2013 Cruze 1.4 T

Part 1 and Part 2

Part 1.
This has been my son's daily driver for several years. It developed the dreaded RAGING High Speed Fan all the time syndrome months/years ago and he has just lived with it that way.
But then recently, ok several months ago, it started to overheat, boil over , spike the temp gauge to full hot, and warning lights, etc, all of it.

First, Part 1. I pulled the radiator fan assembly, which was a rediculous mess that took forever, and changed the electric fan speed control resistor pack, AND the burnt up plug that wired into the electric harness, too . ( P.S. The colors of the wires on the Amazon plug were exactly opposite wrong, so be sure to mark your wires first + - etc, and don't just blindly believe they wired your new plug correctly. )

After thinking I was a genius, and putting it all back togather , the results were basically the same , Raging Full Speed Fan. UNLESS...

Turn the car off. Disconnect BOTH battery cables . And when they are both loose, up in the sky, not touching the battery at all, get a clippy wire and CONNECT the two battery cables. It was scary and I thought it might blow up, but how could it? So, ok, I did that, to re-set zero the computer .

It worked, sort of. I started it cold and NO fan . ! Warmed it up a little, drove a bit , no fan,
more warm up until almost straight down temp gauge, then Full speed RAGE fan.

Turn car off, wait a while. Turn car back on cold the next day, and it starts cold with Full Speed RAGE fan. This went on for several months in my spare time.

Then I got an OBD 2 scanner . I decided to be a Big Boy, and be all grown up. I got a good one, not the cheap entry level. After learning some , and digging around in the screens and settings, I figured out how to check fan speeds, and that all seemed to be working ok.

I took out and checked each ( ALL ) the three fuses and five relays and checked them all, good.

So, it MUST be the sensors, right ? Of course, I was a genius again.

I changed the engine sensor , over on the driver side at the big crazy plastic diverter assembly, and changed the sensor ON the radiator way down on the passenger side, too. After careful reading, I learned that the sensor that is actually ON the thermostat is just there for extra info, and does not contribte too much to actual enging temp . (?) but ok, we just moved on.

Now, I had my handy dandy OBD 2 reader ! So I hooked it all up, and I could watch , in real time, as each new sensor heated up, so confirmed that they were working.

But still Raging Full Speed Fan, and extreme boil over heating and boil overs .

Now I was beginning to feel Raging, too. I'm sure most of you here can relate.

Then I found this post. Thanks OP Cruise-Cruze , and thought well, that's a good idea.
Let's go OLD SCHOOL and fix this like we always have, and quit fighting the computer.

But first, I wanted to address the Raging Fan.
I took out each fan relay, one at a time, to see what it would take to KILL that raging fan.
I took out one relay, and started the car, then stopped. I took out the next relay and started the car and stopped. Until I had ALL four of the speed relays out and , ha ha, guess what NO Fan !
I won, I killed it . ( Relay #5 is that little one that sends power to the other 4 speed relays )

So I put only ONE relay back in. The second one over, The LOW speed fan only.
Start the car cold, and the fan comes on immediately, but just at the low peaceful speed.
With all the other relays out, I don't care what signals the computer sends, we are only powering up the low speed . On all the time , just like old school mechanical fan on the water pump pulley.

Part 2. This post.
Once I decided to OLD SCHOOL RAGE on this car myself, I liked this post. There is no good reason to have the stock thermostat keep ALL the heat in the engine until it gets to boil over, overheat temperature.

So I did exactly this post.
I bought actual DORMAN thermostats , yes two. Not cheaper imitation knock offs, or fancy metal ones, I had already tried them all, too, a while ago, and they all just failed miserably. I wanted to start with ALL new parts. I got the Cruze thermostat and the Cadillac thermostat, part numbers in the first OP post, just like he told us. ( Thanks, OP ) Then I had to switch the guts. like this:

I got a big socket , 22 mm or so, and while on the bench, pushed down and turned , and released the spring and hat assembly, and took out all the easy parts... and then stared at what was left.

Here is the Big CAUTION part ..
For sure DO NOT TWIST the remaining guts to rip that part out.
The Actual Thermostat Temp sensor has Two Tiny Wires way at the back.
So you must gently wiggle/pull it out. Straight- No Twist !
( That's what she said, but this is a PG post )

Then super easy-peasy, take the Cadillac sensor and put it into the Cruze housing and put all those other springy pieces back on. No sweat, and slap that new assembly back in the car.

When re-filling the coolant. BE SURE to remember the hidden pesky air bleed valve at the top passenger side of the radiator. I learned that, too, the hard way, but got the help from this forum, thanks bros.

And I got the recommended 15 pound cap, too .

The car seems to run VERY cool for now. And the heat works. and the AC finally works better, too.
So cool, that I had not even seen it get up to 176 when the new thermostat should open.

I know the car's temp gauge works, because it moves a little bit.
With my OBD 2 scanner , I can see that the engine temp gets to 135 at the first mark off stone cold.

I drove the car all around town. Totally terrified scared that it might overheat again, but no.
totally cool and drove peacefully cool.

I'm calling this a Win. For now.

I returned the car to my son, and I haven't seen it for a week ! Still gone.
He says it runs great. We'll see how long this lasts. I will check with him to see what temp it typically gets up to . ?

I hope my LONG story here might have some tidbits to help, if you have been fighting your Cruze cooling system, too.

P.S. Haters, you can't do that, etc, Ha ha , Well I did it, and the car is gone, out of my driveway.

Welcome Aboard!

Don't forget to introduce yourself and your Cruze here.

 

[Mjordan2186]

OK, let’s start!
I had multiple Cruze cars since 2011, unfortunately I can’t say I have/had one free of issues! Talking about the heating and cooling, I saw different & multiple issues reported by people. I did many changes to my cars during the years and I’m going to share with you a few interesting things about the thermostat, specific for 1.4L turbo (ECO). It can be similar issues for other trims, even for Diesel, but the cars I tested & modified are Cruze ECO 2011-2014.
Based on testing 4 cars, here are my observations:
First, the “input data”:

1. The OE Thermostat on Chevy Cruze ECO (1.4L turbo) from 2011 to 2016, is with a wax thermostatic element that starts opening at 105°C (221°F).
2. The OE Thermostat is also wired and controlled by ECM. Based on different algorithms and program codes, the thermostat can open at any temperature at any time, if the ECM requires that!
3. The water temperature display gauge is… a joke! I monitored it for different cars and compared with data from OBD. The dial moves when the temperatures increases until… until 185°F (85°C) only! Then stays there, right before 6 o’clock, no matter how high is the real water temperature. When I tested this, I changed the coolant concentration, adding much more water into the system and let the engine run until the water started boiling. The gauge was at the same position max position, telling me “everything’s ok!

View attachment 254945

4. The expansion OE tank cap is opening only at 20PSI.

Under all these conditions, the coolant temperatures during normal driving conditions stays around 220°-230°F. I said normal driving conditions because when the engine is overheating, the ECM controls and changes everything. It may open the shutter grille to help cooling down and also it can open the thermostat at any temperatures it “wants”, based on data collection. So, not only that you drive with coolant at high temperature, but also the entire system is at high pressure, since the tank cap opens over 20 PSI. In theory, a higher engine operating temperature helps improving its performances. Well, maintaining a higher temperature for the engine and cooling system requires also better quality system parts. Coolant’s boiling point is way too high under the condition I mentioned so everything is ok until… One small crack into the system will lower the PSI and of course the boiling point of your coolant. Add adding more water into the system and you will lower it even more until the coolant will start boiling time to time, without you notice it I replaced the recovery tank a few times, and many hoses all the time! Many others did the same things on this forum.
Sick of changing parts all year along I decided to change the thermostat and go “old school”. It took me a while until I found something that works but here is what I did. I bought a new thermostat housing 55593035Dorman 902-2080 (GM) that is for Cadillac ELR 2014 Chevy Volt 2011-2014. Do not buy MotoRad, it is a different new model, it will not work! You need the one with the “cage”, see the attachment. The housing is different from the outside, but the internal thermostat is fully compatible with Cruze’s thermostat housing. Push the cage and rotate as in my picture, then take out the spring and “cage”. The thermostat will come out relatively easy. It looks the same as the other one, only the wax inside is different and starts opening at 176°F (80°C). Be careful with the 2 legs, don’t bend them so they can go straight back into the housing.
I’ll not got into details of how to take out the existing thermostat, there are good posts on this forum. Put everything back, and make sure you have enough coolant. Then, old school again, I changed the tank cover with one that is opening at 15 PSI, not 20 PSI (MOTORAD T46 )!
I did this replacement on 6 ECO-s and these cars have between 500 to 3200 miles since. No issues at all! The temperature goes usually up to ~184°F then the thermostat is fully opened so the temperature goes down around 180°F. I didn’t notice any drastic changes to MPG! I have hot air blowing inside the car as I had before the swap.
I did all the changes I mentioned because me and my friends have multiple issues with the cooling system since 2011. If you like the solution and have questions, please let me know. I don’t want to argue with anybody about why GM built the system in the way it is so don’t challenge me!

View attachment 254953 View attachment 254961 View attachment 254969

I just did this change to my car today and, for what it's worth, the 176* thermostat wasn't compatible with the aluminum housing upgrade I have. I used my old housing and so far so good.

 

[916LTZCRZ]

do any of you guys with lower temp thermostats see the temp gauge fluctuate when driving at higher speeds? mine does i have the zzp thermostat installed

 

[Tag]

I recently swapped to the zzp 206 in both my car and my daughters car. They were obviously made by 2 different manufacturers. So my daughters car has wide fluctuations. Yet my car is relatively stable. so yes and no.

 

[Mjordan2186]

do any of you guys with lower temp thermostats see the temp gauge fluctuate when driving at higher speeds? mine does i have the zzp thermostat installed

Mine drops maybe one tick mark when the thermostat opens maybe once or twice in an hour drive, never over th standards mark. It's kind of nice, bc I know it's working and a little cooler than before.

 

[Cruze CTRL]

I recently swapped to the zzp 206 in both my car and my daughters car. They were obviously made by 2 different manufacturers. So my daughters car has wide fluctuations. Yet my car is relatively stable. so yes and no.

Do they have marks on them we can identify the less troublesome one?
Too bad no pics where differences would be apparent or did you take some?

 

[Tag]

yes they looked different.
The one on the left is the more stable of the 2. Also I dont know if they fixed it but I highly recommend not using the gasket they supply.
instead use Felpro seal 35981.
I dont know how you control what thermostat you would get.

It might be hard to tell in the picture but one is just polished on the left while the other has a machined mating surface. Once I had the felpro gasket neither leaked prior to that they both lasted 2 days before leaking.

 

[916LTZCRZ]

interesting thanks for responses, i cant remember if i used the supplied gasket or oem i think i purchased a different brand when i swapped transmissions last october lol

 

[Jedna]

My thermostat says it opens between 217F and 221f. Would you look for a replacement if this was your setup?

From a 45 minute drive, the highest coolant temp it got was 216F =102C. Steady state was around 203F=95C.

Oil temp up to 223F=106C.
This is a 2020 Trax.

 

[Mjordan2186]

I probably wouldn't...ideal is 212f from what I've read. Seems you're right there. What's the pressure rating on your purge tank cap? Mine was 20psi, now is 15psi with the 176* thermostat.

I did have a few leaks from the higher pressure, reseating the hose clamps and lowering the pressure seemed to help. And even with the 176* thermostat I've still had temps above 200, which is fine, again 212 is ideal for emissions.

Unless you're having cooling system issues, I wouldn't change it. Others may disagree. Is your 2020 Trax still under warranty?

Mine was a 2014 Cruze lt.

Just my .02 cents. Good luck.

 

[Jedna]

Yes, a few months left of the 5 year powertrain warranty.

It has a 20psi coolant reservoir cap. I just ordered a 15psi one after reading this thread.

I smell burning coolant once in a while, and lose a tiny bit (100 mL every few weeks). It did have an oil cooler and valve cover replaced under warranty this year that were leaking oil. That’s why I am wondering if extra heat and pressure contributed to those or any future problems.

 

[Blasirl]

Yes, a few months left of the 5 year powertrain warranty.

It has a 20psi coolant reservoir cap. I just ordered a 15psi one after reading this thread.

I smell burning coolant once in a while, and lose a tiny bit (100 mL every few weeks). It did have an oil cooler and valve cover replaced under warranty this year that were leaking oil. That’s why I am wondering if extra heat and pressure contributed to those or any future problems.

If that is the only thing you do, you will just lose more coolant over time as the tank will release sooner.

 

[Jedna]

If that is the only thing you do, you will just lose more coolant over time as the tank will release sooner.

Would that be a good thing? It means that the cap is regulating and preventing other components from seeing 15-20psi?
It’d make sense I should check my coolant levels more often in this case.

 

[Cruze CTRL]

My thermostat says it opens between 217F and 221f. Would you look for a replacement if this was your setup?

From a 45 minute drive, the highest coolant temp it got was 216F =102C. Steady state was around 203F=95C.

Oil temp up to 223F=106C.
This is a 2020 Trax.

Hi Jedna,
If you don't mind me asking what nice APP and OBD-II dongle are you using?
Very nice 1st graphic!
Thank you.

 

[Cruze CTRL]

 

[Jedna]

App: https://www.carscanner.info/ I think it was $8 for the lifetime paid version. Dongle: Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+ Bluetooth OBD II Scanner Wireless Car Diagnostic Scan Tool Check Engine Code Reader for iOS & Android https://a.co/d/fpcqvmX

 

[Jedna]

Hi Jedna,
If you don't mind me asking what nice APP and OBD-II dongle are you using?
Very nice 1st graphic!
Thank you.

App:

https://www.carscanner.info/

I got the paid version of this after using the free version for a few weeks.

Dongle:
Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+ Bluetooth OBD II Scanner Wireless Car Diagnostic Scan Tool Check Engine Code Reader for iOS & Android

Amazon.com: Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+ Bluetooth OBD II Scanner Wireless Car Diagnostic Scan Tool Check Engine Code Reader for iOS & Android : Automotive

Buy Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+ Bluetooth OBD II Scanner Wireless Car Diagnostic Scan Tool Check Engine Code Reader for iOS & Android: Code Readers & Scan Tools - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

a.co

 

[Keep’n It Runnin’]

My take on the thermostat swap.

I have about 1000 miles on the lower temp thermostat and no problems. It rarely gets above 180F unless sitting in traffic. Highest I have seen it so far was 209F in traffic and about 80 degrees outside.

The only downside for me is that my P0420 code (from my aftermarket cat) comes back after only 5 warm-ups like clockwork. I used to get between 9 & 12 warm-ups before needing to reset it. It’s not a huge deal because I keep my OBD reader plugged in all the time. It’s just a small annoyance.

 

[jrullangonzalez]

Hey brother u willing to do the swap for me? Willing to pay. Cant find the parts to do it