[BigSkyMontana]

My service manager called and asked if I wanted to stop in and see my old case assembly. I stopped by and looked it over. There was a good amount of grease and it was yellowish in color. They had my new case assembly attached to the frame. Looking over the new case assembly it was apparent that they used less grease on the hinges and around the gear area. The grease on the new assembly was white. Also, on the side of the new case assembly it was annotated "new grease" with some additional info. So, it is good to know that I have a new assembly going in. It is a job. I looked inside my Cruze and the only thing left was the center console shift and the front windshield. Everything else was pulled out. I had the opportunity to meet the technician who was doing the job. I feel confident that the maintenance being done is done carefully and with great care. Everything appears to be going well. It looks like I will have some pics to post later this week. I know I have made the right decision in getting this done ASAP and well within the warranty period.

 

[obermd]

I stopped by my dealership today. My case assembly was reasonably clean which explains why GM took some time to review this issue after this solution was initially found. Here's a picture.

The A/C discharge/charge system was still plugged into the car making it appear my car was on life support. I'm also getting my cabin air filter changed - I didn't see any reason to keep a dirty air filter that had dealt with mold/mildew and glycol odors.

 

[fastdriver]

Your link doesn't seem to be working?

Sorry about that. There were two pictures of the same thing. I deleted one, but they both must have gone.

As for Googling the coolant smell in the Verano, I don't see anything. Just the Cruze. As for my posts with my Cruze, I think it's important to warn people who might be considering a 2011 model to do their homework and find one with a good transmission and no coolant smell. After all, who would have thought that a car that was tested for 4 million miles and was out for two years in, I think, 163 other countries, would have such problems. Buyer beware still holds true no matter what you buy these days in this economy.

 

[Rbk_3]

Does this affect all model years and trims?
I don't think I have the issue with my 12 Eco, but then again I just got it and do not know what antifreeze smells like. For all I know that new car smell I am smelling could be antifreeze. Might have to open the cap and sniff some antfreeze tomorrow

 

[Blue Angel]

All the manufacturers are creating nothing but 'feel good' dashboard info for nitwits.

I don't think anyone could say it much better than that! LOL!

 

[Blue Angel]

I can understand why most people wouldn't want this information, but after you drive a car for a while you'll get a feel for what is "normal" for your car and can then use this information to detect possible abnormal operating conditions.

While I agree 100%, from the OEM's point of view the less information you have the better. If your car detects a condition that's outside of it's predetermined operating parameters IT will tell YOU when to bring it in for service. This approach keeps the customer from pestering the dealership every time they think something isn't operating just perfect.

Something I absolutely LOVE about my Corvette is that it has a full gauge cluster with gauges that display accurate information. If my oil pressure is low I see it accurately. If my coolant temp starts to rise I see it instantly. BOTH of those qualities have been extremely useful in the past as I had an issue with the bypass valve in the oil pump and an issue with air pockets in the cooling system. Without accurate gauges to tell me what was going on I wouldn't have had any idea... until the "idiot light" lit up. WRT oil pressure, by the time that light comes on it's usually too late...

 

[Blue Angel]

I know I have made the right decision in getting this done ASAP and well within the warranty period.

Thanks for another post full of great info!

I agree with you... getting a job of this magnitude done long before your warranty runs out is a good idea. It would be good to have a little time after the new parts go in to make sure that everything is working OK and there aren't any other issues created by having this done. Shouldn't be long now!

 

[Blue Angel]

...who would have thought that a car that was tested for 4 million miles and was out for two years in, I think, 163 other countries, would have such problems.

Agreed. Many of these issues, however, are supplier quality issues and not design/Engineering issues. As for your transmission, it's too bad someone from GM tried to blow smoke up your @$$ instead of admitting there was an issue they could fix. That is, unfortunately, the way some people think issues are to be dealt with. A small group of employees can tarnish the image of the whole company. Generally speaking I am VERY supportive of GM Engineering, but much less so of their service departments.

 

[Blue Angel]

Does this affect all model years and trims?

It could, but please understand that a very small number of people actually have these issues. There are hundreds of thousands of satisfied Cruze owners driving around, and you are probably one of them. Coolant vapors are an irritant - you will know it if you smell them. I wouldn't go looking for problems you likely don't have.

Threads like this are intended to help those owners who actually DO have problems with their cars. If you don't smell anything unpleasant in your Cruze I wouldn't worry about a thing.

 

[BigSkyMontana]

Thanks for another post full of great info!

I agree with you... getting a job of this magnitude done long before your warranty runs out is a good idea. It would be good to have a little time after the new parts go in to make sure that everything is working OK and there aren't any other issues created by having this done. Shouldn't be long now!

Should have the car back later today, if not by early tomorrow. XR wasn't kidding when he posted his update and mentioned that they had everything out down to the very last bolt. After looking around inside my Cruze I think there was more space in the front then in the trunk area with everything out. For those of us with the warranty and have the problem (or even suspect it is an issue) it might be wise to get the job done just in case any bugs happen to creep in later and...... "surprise." I also have made a request through my service manager for some type of extended warranty.

With a job this big, and possibly other Cruzes affected, GM should at least recognize the dealerships that are tackling this issue and making things right. At least I know I am getting it done with a service manager and a team that is determined to get this issue fixed with the resources they have and striving for making customer satisfaction job #1!

 

[obermd]

When I looked at my car yesterday, not only was the dashboard cover off, but the center console all the way back to and including the center glove box was out. The trim on the inside of both front door jams was out. The gear shift looked like a lady holding her skirt up to run. The steering wheel was dangling. The A/C had to be drained. Radio was out. Instrument cluster was sitting on the rear deck. The tech trimmed the spot of white fuzz that that I could see down by the windshield VIN plate.

The box itself sits directly under the dashboard storage unit/front center pioneer speaker, which is why that holder gets so hot when you're running the cabin heater. GM rightly figured that that spot is ok to generate a lot of heat because in the summer that area gets extremely hot while the car is sitting in the sun, even with the windows down. The gears and shutters in the blower system sit right there as well.

Folks - it is major surgery on your car to swap out this box. The size of this job is the reason GM wants to rule out engine compartment leaks seeping into the cabin air intake first. After seeing all the stuff that had to be removed and then seeing the A/C recharge system hoses plugged into the engine bay I had to laugh. It really did look like they had my car on external life support.

 

[BigSkyMontana]

Agree with obermd. The last thing I wanted to do, was to have my HVAC case assembly R/R'd. I had to somehow ensure that I was able to "rule out" any coolant issues in my engine compartment, because if that's where my problem was it was less intrusive then going into the dash. As you know that did not come easy and it just so happened that after successfully sealing my cowl area I "stumbled" across the vapor culprit by replacing my tank and cap. Then, I was able to determine the status of the lube condition in my HVAC case assembly. I still encourage everyone to carefully examine their cowl area for proper sealing. If I had to do this all over again, I would inspect my cowl area (focusing on the seals) and somehow ensuring my tank and cap are serviceable. If needed have the service department assist in trying to "rule out" any additional issue that may be drawing coolant vapors into the air intake or creating the "heavy" coolant smell under the hood. If you can determine that everything is serviceable under the hood, then I would carefully examine the possibility of the problem laying within the HVAC case assembly. I am not an expert, but I can say that the coolant and lube are similar in smell and hard to distinguish between the two. But, if you have the unfortunate opportunity to have both for breakfast, lunch and dinner you become real familiar with both smells and able to distinguish the difference between both.

 

[Robby]

Actually, if you think about it, the cowl sealing would never be necessary if the blinking surge tank operated as designed.

Ultimatly this will become a surge issue, a grease issue, or a combination of the two.

The reseal/vent redirect was a piss poor band aid idea developed by a D minus class engineer in the hopes of covering up a component failure.

My opinion.....but based on rather basic conclusions.
Now I have to wonder what other G.M. models are running around with the lubricant thing waiting for the right set of circumstances for them to display the same problem......I'm sure the Cruze wasn't the only product from G.M. using this stuff.

Rob

 

[zite747]

I can confirm that my 2010 LS+ Cruze suffers from this problem about the coolant smell. It started to smell about a year after I've purchased my car. Then I was thinking that the odor comes from the seats or the floor carpet. I even had my interior detailed with professional tools, but the odor reappeared shortly. Thanks to this forum, I've managed to locate where the problem was/is. I'm from Romania, and I'm afraid that my local Chevrolet service, will not resolve it, and beyond this, I bet they never heard of this problem, and that's a shame!

 

[Blue Angel]

^Feel free to refer your dealership or mechanic to this site if you need help! Good luck with your issue, and let us know if you get it resolved.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[zite747]

I'm going to make an appointment for the next week. Finger crossed! I already think that I will take the car from them, with the exact problem unsolved.... Maybe if I will show them the number stated by GM USA. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the right number regarding the coolant smell? ----> PI0762

 

[obermd]

I'm going to make an appointment for the next week. Finger crossed! I already think that I will take the car from them, with the exact problem unsolved.... Maybe if I will show them the number stated by GM USA. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the right number regarding the coolant smell? ----> PI0762

PI-0740 is for engine bay related coolant smells (Don't let them put the stupid tubing on your surge tank as this hasn't fixed any car yet)
PI-0935 is for the HVAC related coolant smells.

Print the first post from thread http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/25-s...temperature-control-set-high-heat-engine.html to get the text of PI-0935.

 

[zite747]

Thank you very much obermd! I wish they'll resolve this smell/stench problem.

 

[BigSkyMontana]

Received a call from my service manager. Everything is back together and the car is getting detailed and cleaned up at this time. My service manager will drive it tomorrow throughout the day after detailing/cleanup and check for rattles or any other issues that may surface after the HVAC case assembly R/R. Will be ready for pickup tomorrow afternoon if everything checks out well. I will post more info after reviewing the pics and following up with my service manager.

 

[Robby]

:th_dblthumb2:


Rob