[Blasirl]

I really hate the editing interface. I was way deep in creating this post and because of a misdropped photo, it deleted the entire post. 45 minutes down the drain. They really need to create an auto draft saver or something.

AAARRRRRG!

 

[Blasirl]

Or allow a Word file drop in.

 

[Blasirl]

Getting ready to Change my oil.

I also had a few pairs of disposable gloves and a roll of paper towels.

I rolled onto my low profile ramp, jacked up the car and put it on stands. My driveway is sloped towards the street so the rear stands were a bit taller than the front, The drive also leans a bit to the right, so I ended up jacking up the right side a bit to level it left to right. It was a bit wonky as the car was only resting on two of the four stands as well as the jack. As long as I didn't pull or lean on it though, it was fine.

First, I pulled an oil sample

That was messier than I thought it would be.

Prior to changing the oil, I performed an engine flush with Valve Medic. In all honesty, this is the first time I have ever bothered with something that before now, I thought was snake oil. To my tuned ear, it seemed that as time went on, running the engine with the flush in it, it got quieter. Quiet enough to get me thinking about getting a bottle of injector cleaner to see if that also helps with the incessant ticking. So first I brought the engine up to temp and then poured in the Valve Medic. I discovered after the fact that I should have done this the day before. I was reading about the Amsoil Flush and one other and forgot to read about the one I had. They all have different processes and I must have unconsciously chosen a different one. Que Sera Sera!

After about 20 minutes of varying the RPMs, I shut off the engine and pulled the dipstick, the filter and cover and then finally pulled the plug.

Here you can see my shield cutout worked wonderfully. For about 10 seconds the oil started to drip and pull forward for reason even though the car was level, but none spilled on the shield.

I changed oil again - Amsoil Signature Series SAE 5W-30. I am using up my supply of WIX filters, so will change out one in about 7,500 miles.

I'll have to fix/finish this later

 

[Blasirl]

I just posted the results of my first Oil Analysis report.

1.4T Used Oil Analysis Thread

Great to hear! As I was driving home yesterday I was thinking I would go 18K total and change filter at 9K if that was deemed appropriate. Is there a better cartridge filter than the WiX? Other than a bypass setup. I am going to research running the filter longer or a better one. 18K intervals...

www.cruzetalk.com

 

[Blasirl]

I really need to document my progress more often here. It was really difficult for a time as every time I would fix or add something, another problem would rears it head.

Pictures have been taken, but I have no time to upload at the moment. I have to clean up the timeline as well, but...

So off the top of my head ... and possibly after a few edits -- here is what I remember...

Jun19 - Bought a Magnaflow dual exhaust - still not installed: Future Aural Goodness - Magnaflow 15495 Dual Cat Back Exhaust Unboxing
EDIT: Installed at 930050 with UPower dual tips
23OCT19 - cleaned out the intake, cleaned my drop in K&N and re-oiled it. Made a video and it was terrible
27NOV19 - Did a seasonal tire rotation 85404
Replaced the front seal
Repaired a broken bolt for the AC bracket - no idea how it broke - took care of some rather disturbing noises though
Bought the V1 kit, but did not install for some time.
Bought a Trifecta Tune - not yet installed - installed
13DEC19 Inspected brakes, replaced front pads
Installed the V1 kit on a spare intake I acquired this past summer, just in case.
Good thing as I got three codes and a repeat so I installed the intake. I pulled the turbo to intake hose off a bit too hard and lost the plastic ring. I just put it back on with two o-rings and it seemed to stay snugly.
I made an appointment with a local Dyno shop to see what my base line is.
I thought I was good to go as the car ran great ... for a few days, P0420, I think, returned
Bought a new PCV hose just before XR announced his fix kit for that
Installed new hose - back to running great again ... for a few days
I went to get an emissions check on the 16th and failed as I did not do enough drive cycles yet. The next day --
Water outlet I replaced a few years ago split off, spewing antifreeze all over the nice clean engine bay, I wanted to spew too. (the new emoji list blows!)
Bought a lifetime thermostat housing and gasket, Lifetime water outlet, a new reservoir to water outlet hose and some other assorted gaskets to get the free shipping. 12DEC20
Found that only the outlet needed to be replaced. It was dark and I needed to order the parts that moment as we had two out of three vehicles down at the moment and I had to work through the holidays so I went over kill sans correct diagnosis...
Yesterday went to the new Rocket wash and wash her up.
Went for an emissions test today and passed! Yahoo. Running like dream..
Too late to go to the Dyno this year, but will make an appointment next year (week).
The plan is to get a baseline, change to premium fuel, run for about a month or so on that and re-dyno again. Then I will install the tune on a basically stock motor. I'll data log and try to get it right before I go back and dyno again. I then have a few minor mods to install and yep, you guessed it, dyno again.
EDIT:
Dyno Tested again
05JUN20 Replaced my sway bar links 90388
On to fix the Caravan for now though.

Happy New Years all!

milestone

 

[Blasirl]

Windshield Wiper Transmission Replacement

So, 30JAN20 at about 086981 miles on the clock, it appeared that my relatively new wiper transmission took a dump. The wipers stopped midway up the window. It's funny how long it took me to realize they were no longer wiping. Yesterday, I pre-order a new one from Autozone. This is the one:

Dorman Wiper Transmission 602-231

Shop for Dorman Wiper Transmission 602-231 with confidence at AutoZone.com. Parts are just part of what we do. Get yours online today and pick up in store.

www.autozone.com

Today at 087036 miles I decided to replace it. I assembled what tools I thought I would need and I pulled the wipers and then the wiper motor cowl off.

Just to see what was wrong, I reached in and flipped on the wipers. They worked??
I thought, WTF? I suddenly realized I never went back and re-torqued the wiper arm nuts. Since I had already ripped it all apart, I cleaned out the area under the plastic cowl, wiped down the lower portion of the windshield and I installed new gaskets on the cowl before replacing everything. Once all was back together, I tested the wipers - duh - Completion Backwards Principle prevailed. Had to reset them at least a dozen times to get them just right. I should have remembered the last time, but I digress... While staring at the working transmission, I pulled out the new one just to compare it. The new one was very sturdy and it was coated black. Looked and felt pretty nice.

Again I had a WTF moment. They were different! The crank arm was on the left of the new one and in the center of the old one. Good thing the old one wasn't broke (-(although the left pivot seems to wobble a bit).

#1,222

How to: Remove windshield wiper arms and windshield cowl

THE TUBES ~ White Punks On Dope
(The Completion Backward Principle Videos 1981)

at the very end look for Brian V

 

[Blasirl]

Space saver for now - still writing the post

Positive Battery Terminal Cleanup

While I was working on the wiper transmission above, I accidentally flipped the positive battery terminal cover up and saw what looked like a nesting type pathogen or blue mold for those non-medical folks.

Again, WTF! This will be the third and probably last time I do this. If anyone hears about a sale on the 94R (H7) AGM batteries, please let me know. Well, I got out our battery cleaning kit and proceeded to slay the mold. The copper sulfate is fairly easy to get off, but the best thing would be to remove the over-structure / fuse box etc. and give it a bath with vinegar and baking soda. My battery - the original one by the way - has a leak next to the positive terminal that seeps out and eats the copper battery clamp. It is a fairly slow process as this has been happening since 2014 when I bought it.

Cruze Battery Upgrade Options
Holy Famunda Batman! There’s a blue fungus among us!


#1,222
#62

 

[Blasirl]

65000 - initial Amsoil Change (MAR2018)
7500
72500 - second filter change (OCT2018)
7500
80000 - second Amsoil change (actual 80551) (AUG2019)
7500
87500 - second filter change due (actual 88386 15MAR2020)

I think I am going to have it analysed again, so I will pre-order a test kit and probably another batch of oil just to be ready

 

[Blasirl]

I decided to do a baseline dyno test on the stock engine on 87 octane fuel. I will probably post a video of it with the explanation from the operator later on. it took me forever to just get this posted. I will post a better quality copy when I can figure out how to convert a pdf to a png or jpg (EDIT: without piecing it together). I am currently on my second tank of 93 octane fuel. When I get through half of the next tank I plan on returning to the dyno to do another three pulls.

This is your Cruze on 87 Octane...

Picture: What did you do WITH your Cruze today

 

[plano-doug]

I will post a better quality copy when I can figure out how to convert a pdf to a png or jpg.

You can do that if you have access to Illustrator, but it's sort of a niche tool. It can read pdf's and export numerous bitmap formats.

That said, since I no longer have a working copy of Illustrator, what I usually do is do a Print Screen and paste it into Paint (or something similar such as paint.net , then save it as jpg or png.

To get better resolution, you can zoom in on the pdf in Acrobat Reader, and take multiple pics - eg, section it into quarters. Then, with multiple copies of Paint open, paste each shot into Paint, trim off the fat, then copy that into yet another Paint and re-assemble the image.

Needless to say, it's a PITA doing it that way, but my software budget is pretty thin, so sometimes I have to make do like a hack

Doug

.

 

[Blasirl]

You can do that if you have access to Illustrator, but it's sort of a niche tool. It can read pdf's and export numerous bitmap formats.

That said, since I no longer have a working copy of Illustrator, what I usually do is do a Print Screen and paste it into Paint (or something similar such as paint.net , then save it as jpg or png.

To get better resolution, you can zoom in on the pdf in Acrobat Reader, and take multiple pics - eg, section it into quarters. Then, with multiple copies of Paint open, paste each shot into Paint, trim off the fat, then copy that into yet another Paint and re-assemble the image.

Needless to say, it's a PITA doing it that way, but my software budget is pretty thin, so sometimes I have to make do like a hack

Doug

.

I did the shrink in Adobe to get a whole picture in paint and uploaded it. I did not want to painstakingly section it as I have done that many times in the past. Somehow I will find a way to do it though.

 

[Blasirl]

I have finally been able to upload and minimally edit this video. The first four RPM ranges are blurred, but they are 2504, 2853, 3203 and 3902. Again, this is basically a stock 1.4 engine running on 87 Octane fuel.

 

[Blasirl]

Next up...

87581 25FEB2020

 

[Blasirl]

Before the shave (older pic as camera did not cooperate with me)

New Jewelry 24MAR2020

 

[Blasirl]

I was doing some detailing yesterday and I must have left the door open too long or maybe the key in the on position too long, not sure exactly, but since I have been nursing this original battery from 2013, I figured since it was nice out and I was off I would install a new one. I shopped at about nine different sites online and ended up getting a great deal on a new battery from Pep Boys. $147 for an H7/94R.

Big Battery
25MAR2020

 

[Blasirl]

Installed a set of Well Visors I bought long ago.

 

[Blasirl]

This is your Cruze on Premium...

 

[Blasirl]

This is a comparison of the 87 to 93 performance. The lower two darker lines, one of each color, is the 87 pull

 

[Blasirl]

After the drag strip opens and I can do a few runs, I'll move onto the next phase:

.......................................

 

[Thebigzeus]

Interesting, why trifecta if I may ask?