[boraz]

There is a bracket supporting the middle of the DPF. Two nuts on the DPF come off easy but the bracket wouldnt allow the DPF past. The second picture shows that. View attachment 292884 View attachment 292885

I couldn't get to the two 13mm nuts on the engine block without removing the engine mount and lifting the engine up just a little. The upper engine mount bolt was accessed through the radiator fan with a Ujoint and long extension.

copy

now i remeber that bracket...but also read your comment wrong , i thought you went THRU the fan like from the outside of the car

when i did mine, i watched the yt video and read the tutorial on here, and didnt have to remove the engine mount though

 

[Snipesy]

copy

now i remeber that bracket...but also read your comment wrong , i thought you went THRU the fan like from the outside of the car

when i did mine, i watched the yt video and read the tutorial on here, and didnt have to remove the engine mount though

You have to bend the pressure pipes a little bit to get it out at all.

In addition the manual has you remove... Quite a lot... From the engine bay. Including the intercooler pipe. None of this really helps the dpf get out but it does give some space for hands.

 

[boraz]

You have to bend the pressure pipes a little bit to get it out at all.

In addition the manual has you remove... Quite a lot... From the engine bay. Including the intercooler pipe. None of this really helps the dpf get out but it does give some space for hands.

been a couple years, for sure never touched intercooler pipe, dont member bending pressure pipes, but i wasnt concerned with damaging it

what i remember is fussing with 10mm? nuts, like on heat shield or something, could only turn them 1/10000th of a turn or stuff was in the way, and rounding off the exhaust stud nuts

 

[Boathook36]

I left the heat shield on and didn't touch any other parts. Once the engine tilted up (only about a half inch past where it could before the engine mount was off) it cleared the bracket and came out. It was already very close to clearing and maybe would have cleared with the heat shield off. If I did it again I'd still pop the three mount bolts before tackling all those heat shield bolts. I didn't remove the bracket off the engine until after the canister was gone.

I initially thought I would have rather left the engine mount alone and popped the radiator fan out of the way. Theres just so many wires in the way and honestly I couldnt even see how the fan is attached. I gave up on that tactic pretty quick.

 

[Boathook36]

The car still has code P0103 "Mass Air Flow Sensor High" despite replacing the MAF. My live data shows that the MAF value is 30.4 lb/min at all times regardless if the new or old sensor is plugged in or even just unplugged. The IAT1 and IAT2 temperatures change as its plugged and unplugged. I've cut the plug off at the only crimp spot I saw a tiny crack in the insulation along the loom. Each pin shows continuity from the plug to the place I cut it at. Of course the sockets could still be loose. I found 5 volts on three of the eight bare wires.

Im not aware of any other sensors incorporated into the unit. Maybe barometric pressure? I thought maybe its a 0V and 5V input then maybe each ouput has a reference pair to account for 8 wires and 3 sensors.

Im assuming there is a bad wire to blame. That seems more likely than a Dead On Arrival sensor. Its probably a variable resistor to ground. If it was a square wave output it would probably not report 30 lb/min while open. I figure on getting the pinout then shorting a ground to various places on the signal wire until I see the live data change to confirm continuity to the ECM.

I have a PDF manual from ebay that is utterly useless. I may try the subscription service next to try to find documentation.

 

[Boathook36]

We currently have 12,000 miles on the car since we got it this past April. The latest problem is a bad harmonic balancer. I haven't found any replacement listed at any of the usual auto parts places. It shakes the belt so bad it slaps the alternator bracket and makes some dreadful noises at low idle. One belt already broke and the next one is about half worn out already.

The two smooth idler pulleys wore out along the way too. The tensioner is taking a beating as the belt slaps around. I ended up pulling both the idler pulleys from a 2008 Chrysler Pacifica with the 4.0L engine. The upper idler pulley now has the better bolt from the Pacifica and it was a big upgrade. The picture shows old versus new. The Pacifica bolt has the shoulder for the bearing integrated into the bolt and its much stronger and wobble free now. Down on the tensioner the outer washer on the lower idler pulley has a shoulder meant to stabilize the bearing. That was wiped out. The identical washer with shoulder was found on the Pacifica. My Cruze now has both Pacifica pulleys swapped in. The slightly larger lower pulley fit on the upper spot so I'm running the same pulley at both without an issue with the change. The upper used to be smaller than the lower pulley but now they are the same (Both Pacifica pulleys were identical to each other and to the lower larger pulley on the Cruze tensioner).

 

[Boathook36]

I used the old washer from the upper idler pulley along with that black plastic in the picture. A 3/8" drill bit and a vise grip was used to enlarge the hole in the black plastic. The third picture shows that enlarged black plastic now in the interior of the opposite bearing it used to live inside of. The old upper washer just has a 3/8" hole so I married that together with the washer that engages the bearing. The second picture shows the two washers married together. The bearing doesn't wobble anymore with both washers working together.

 

[Boathook36]

Looking back, it seems I forgot to update after I fixed the MAP sensor. It was a short in the wiring harness under the fuse box on the way to the Active Grill Shutters. They share the same fuse. Removing the shutter motor didn't help because it was in the harness.

 

[Boathook36]

I've checked every parts store around and came up dry. I can't see a harmonic balancer listed anywhere. I'll try the dealerships on Monday.

 

[Boathook36]

The dealer didn't have a problem getting a "Balance Shaft" along with a new bolt for $115. The parts guy got a laugh out the wierd name and made sure to cross reference a picture to make sure it really was the harmonic balancer.

The part number 55586935 "Vibration Damper" and 55204664 "Balancer Bolt" came up on a GM direct parts wholesaler website along with a nifty picture now that I have the actual part number to search with.

 

[Boathook36]

Since replacing the harmonic balancer I have also replaced the alternator and AC clutch. I used the AC Clutch from a 1.8L gas Cruze and can confirm they are exactly alike.

I had to replace the belt tensioner. I broke the old one open and was surprised to see it uses teflon pads as dry bearing surfaces. Mine wore through them and scored deep into the aluminum. I drilled and tapped a hole for a grease zerk on my replacement unit and pumped it full of grease. Between that and the upgraded thrust washer it is considerably smoother, quieter, and vibration free.

The alternator has a mechanism inside the pulley that I presume acts as a shock absorber. When it failed the front bearing froze. I was able to free up the main shaft and put a solid pulley from a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica Alternator in its place. That worked great and made it much quieter for the 200 miles we drove while a new alternator was being shipped. The day before the part arrived the main shaft froze again and the bad alternator managed to stall the engine and prevent it from starting. I didn't realize it was the starter for a spell because I figured the belt would fail before the engine would stall. I also broke down the day before with a bad negative battery cable. Apparently there is a recall out for those because the crimp joint wasn't done properly. Mine totally separated and pulled apart when I tugged on it. I ran new ground wires and since then I get an annoying condition because the current sensor is bypassed.

We blew past 270K miles already and its been running very well.

 

[Boathook36]

The front tire recently fell off at highway speed. All 5 wheel studs sheared off at once. I found the wheel and the tire was sliced and ruined but the rim survived. There was no signs of being loose. I've seen a couple wheels driven loose and the rim is usually heavily scored and often ruined. This was very different. I figure it had been over-tightened in the past and just gave out after a really bad pothole she hit earlier that day. We had 269K miles at the time.

We now have 16" rims from a 2005 Chevy Equinox in the back. They work in the front too if your tires are smaller. The stock Equinox 16" tires are the same diameter as my oversize 17" tires that are still in the front. They have about a quarter inch difference in backspacing, however, so the Equinox tires have a slight rub against the strut if I use them in the front. A slightly smaller diameter tire would fix the rub. Instead I'll probably put a spacer in the front to fix the difference in backspacing. I noticed the new wheel studs are fully threaded versus the stock studs that don't have threads at the tip. I'll still have the same amount of thread as stock after adding the spacers. I only replaced the studs on the side that broke so far but I'll eventually do the other side as a precaution. I'll eventually find what box I hid the spacers I already own by then. I'll also need to add wheel sensors to those rims too. I'd like to use those tires up first because they have very few miles on them but are about 6 years old. I'd like to wear them bald before they reach 7 years. I also like the 1" increase in sidewall.

I was able to straighten the fender for now. I haven't replaced the rotor yet. Its slightly out of balance now with all the road rash it endured after hitting pavement at 70 mph. Thankfully she was able to control it and the tire didn't hit anything.

 

[Boathook36]

My oil drain plug was overtightened before I got the car. I tried several different methods to try to remove it and the hex head became stripped and totally round. I gave up and carefully drilled a hole in the tapped hole already in the front of the pan without damaging the existing threads. The DEF delete pipe didn't use the old oil pan mounting holes. The bottom one is now my oil drain. I park facing down a steep hill now and it seems to drain fast and thorough. The old M12 mounting bolt is working as my drain bolt thanks to a universal gasket. The gasket is rubber fused to a metal washer. It works great although its meant to be replaced at each oil change. In practice I replace it every other or every third oil change. I don't even need ramps anymore. Its easy to reach the bolt. I just put a jack under the passenger wheel to lift up just enough to fit the oil pan underneath. I also pop that tire off anyway to reach the filter.

 

[Boathook36]

 

[Boathook36]

The new tires are mounted on 16" rims from a 2005 Chevy Equinox. They are the same tire diameter as I upsized the original 17s. They sit a quarter inch back from the originals, which just makes my upsize hit the strut in the front. I'll add a spacer in the front to clear thanks to the extra quarter inch of threads on the new studs. You can see old vs new in this picture because I left it mismatched for now.

A nasty pothole left our brand new tire with the sidewall sliced open. That is instant death and cannot be repaired. Going to a 16" rim both increases the shock absorbtion of the tire but also lets me use E rated LT tires with much stronger sidewalls. Airing at 35 psi on a LT tire limited to 80 psi normally also makes for a very spongy very durable pothole eater. The negligble difference in fuel economy is worth preventing the multiple times she lost a whole days wages on downtime. We've killed several tires over the last 150K miles of full time ridesharing and each time were horrid events with lost wages and disgruntled customers. The difference in ride quality is pretty big, with stock tires feeling very harsh in comparison to our upsized setups.

 

[Boathook36]

The Cruze went into limp mode a bunch of times recently. It was a bad Camshaft Sensor. We're just shy of 276K miles.

When in limp mode it followed the same pattern. At start up the Tach jumps up and down during initialization but then it would rest at zero and stay there. The backup camera would not turn on while in reverse. The trans would stay in 2nd gear and reduced power which limits the speed to about 30 MPH. The first dozen times it happened it would clear and stay out of limp mode with a restart or two. Once clear it would stay out of limp mode and drive fine just as long as you didnt turn the engine off.

The only new code to show up was P0341 "Intake Camshaft Position Sensor Performance". There is a code for a totally bad or unplugged sensor but that never showed up. The bad sensor was trying to work.

Several new ABS specific codes also showed up, which basically points to the ECU picking up wrong camshaft signals and calling it "invalid data." If the camshaft sensor puts out the wrong value at startup the computer just turns off the TCU because GM engineers are jerks. If you make it past the startup pitfall it was driving perfectly.

1). U0101-71 Lost Communication with Transmission Control Module- Invalid Data

2). U0100-71 Lost Communication with Engine Control Module- Invalid Data

3). C0800-03 Control Module Power Circuit- Low Voltage

We were able to go the week waiting for the part by just constantly cycling the starter and quick throwing it in reverse to check it quicker. The backup camera working was a faster positive indicator than the Tach needle. The part itself is really easy to get to. Just two 10mm driven bolts to push a line out of the way and then one 10mm bolt on the sensor itself.

 

[Snipesy]

Several new ABS specific codes also showed up, which basically points to the ECU picking up wrong camshaft signals and calling it "invalid data." If the camshaft sensor puts out the wrong value at startup the computer just turns off the TCU because GM engineers are jerks. If you make it past the startup pitfall it was driving perfectly.

The CPS sensor is critical for the ECM's torque calculation. It's just a 'guess' on what torque the engine is making based on fuel, engine rpm, air, O2, etc....

Without that calculation, the ECM can't service torque requests.

The "TCU" is 90% torque reduction requests. 10% of it is wheel brakes.

 

[Snipesy]

Also don't forget the crankshaft variation relearn. This is very important even if the new sensor seems to work fine.

It's very simple you just command it, and slam on the throttle.

Camshaft doesnt require it. Words are too **** alike.

 

[Boathook36]

It went back into limp mode after replacing the camshaft sensor. A new code showed up. Its P0016 which I think means a lack of corrolation between camshaft and crankshaft sensors. I have a new crank sensor ready to install. How do I command a crankshaft variation relearn? Maybe I should do that before and/or after replacing the CKS along with the CPS?

 

[Boathook36]

Some googling came up with EFI Live instructions to do the Crankshaft Variance Relearn, although it said code P0341 must already be clear to do it. P0016 and P0341 are both there together. It drove about 100 miles on the new camshaft sensor before going back into limp mode. A dead out of box new sensor might be all there is to it.