[evilmike198]

Stock 2013 Cruze 1.4 Auto
102,500 miles

Past few months I've been hearing a squeaking coming from under the hood of my car. At first I thought it was the serpentine belt, so I replaced it with no luck. Then I thought it was the serpentine belt tensioner, so I replaced that with no such luck.

While looking about the engine while it was running and squeaking, I noticed that if I removed the oil dipstick or fill cap, the squeak would cease completely, but the engine would stumble and idle really rough but then recover somewhat. There's also a vacuum when I remove the dipstick and oil fill cap, whereby if I loosen the oil fill cap but still leave it on the valve cover, there's noticeable resistance to remove it from the suction. Also, the engine only really makes the squeak when it's up to temperature and I've been driving from some time.

While searching the forum, I came across the PCV valve issue threads so I've since replaced the valve cover thinking it was the PCV valve, but again, the squeak is still there. I then did the PCV valve/Intake manifold mod, and again, it's still squeaking! Also while having the intake removed to do the PCV mod, I also ported the intake manifold.

The squeak seems to get worse when the AC is on -- perhaps because the engine is under a greater load?

Can anyone share some insight as to:
1) Why the engine would squeak;
2) Why there would be so much vacuum in the valve cover to cause the squeak;
3) Why removing dipstick and oil fill cap with stop the squeak;
4) Why the engine would stumble and idle rough when the dipstick and/or fill cap are removed

I'm grateful for any help and insight you may have.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[obermd]

Replace the dipstick. It's about $30. The squeak is the dipstick not sealing properly. I'm going to guess that one or both of the O-rings on the bottom of the dipstick are cracking. If they were broken you'd have oil squirting over the top of your engine.

 

[EcoCruzer]

Loose spark plug(s)?

 

[ChevyGuy]

In short, the crankcase is part of the PCV system which is tied to the air intake. Being under some level of vacuum is normal. I suspect your seals may be worn and are leaking under the strain of the crank case vacuum. Pulling the dipstick or oil cap relieves the pressure, but lets unmetered air into the intake causing rough idle.

Normally I'd say you have a problem in the PCV, but it sounds like you've done all that. So, I'm guessing worn seals. There have been a few others that have had to have them changed for the same problem.

Spark plugs can cause a squeak as well, but wouldn't disappear when you pull the dipstick.

 

[Robby]

OP.....you are describing a dry crankshaft seal. There have been several members that had this experience and seal replacement resolved it.

By design, this engine has a high crankcase vacuum and all seals endure rather high negative pressure. So much so, that a well sealed engine will pull vacuum through the seal lips with a resultant chirp or whistle.
There is a service bulletin for this to help diagnosis, but the seal is only covered by powertrain up to 100k.......so, unless you have any remaining extended warranty in effect this will end up on your dime.

Rob

 

[carbon02]

OP.....you are describing a dry crankshaft seal. There have been several members that had this experience and seal replacement resolved it.

By design, this engine has a high crankcase vacuum and all seals endure rather high negative pressure. So much so, that a well sealed engine will pull vacuum through the seal lips with a resultant chirp or whistle.
There is a service bulletin for this to help diagnosis, but the seal is only covered by powertrain up to 100k.......so, unless you have any remaining extended warranty in effect this will end up on your dime.

Rob

Asking a question trying to learn. Are we talking about the crankshaft seal at the harmonic balancer or the flywheel side? How would someone determine which side it would be on? The serpentine belt side is somewhat serviceable, the flywheel side.. Yikes...

Apparently I missed earlier people with this issue if it was discussed. This engine is starting to have me scared in terms of service when it get's older.

 

[Robby]

Asking a question trying to learn. Are we talking about the crankshaft seal at the harmonic balancer or the flywheel side? How would someone determine which side it would be on? The serpentine belt side is somewhat serviceable, the flywheel side.. Yikes...

Apparently I missed earlier people with this issue if it was discussed. This engine is starting to have me scared in terms of service when it get's older.

Damper side.....that is why you think it could be a belt noise.

I might add, the failure, expressed as a percentage, is very very low.

Rob

 

[evilmike198]

OP.....you are describing a dry crankshaft seal. There have been several members that had this experience and seal replacement resolved it.

By design, this engine has a high crankcase vacuum and all seals endure rather high negative pressure. So much so, that a well sealed engine will pull vacuum through the seal lips with a resultant chirp or whistle.
There is a service bulletin for this to help diagnosis, but the seal is only covered by powertrain up to 100k.......so, unless you have any remaining extended warranty in effect this will end up on your dime.

Rob

Hi, Rob. You're wiser beyond your years; I'm much obliged for the insight and helpful advise.

Sadly though, I do not have an extended warranty on the car so I'll be doing this repair out of pocket -- most likely myself as I'm always eager to expand my knowledge base.

I replaced the spark plugs last year, if I recall correctly, and just as an added piece of mind, I did check them earlier today and they're snug, so I feel confident they're not the culprit.

I already have the replacement front seal and bolt on order and will update this thread with the results.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[evilmike198]

UPDATE: Fixed

I finally got a chance to replace the crankshaft seal this weekend. I ordered a new seal (GM #25193519), a new harmonic balancer bolt (GM #9129242), and a new harmonic balancer, because it was cheap and figured since I was already in there... (GM #55574771).

Honestly, the most difficult part of this entire job was trying to remove the belt from the harmonic balancer because the new GM belt tensioner I installed had a stripped bolt where you pivot the tensioner, so every time I tried to relieve tension on the belt, all I would do was spin the bolt in the stripped hole. Thankfully, though, I was able to use a long prybar and wedge it between the body of the tensioner and the tensioner pulley and pivot the whole thing on itself so relieve tension.

Once that was surmounted, removing the fasteners holding the wheel well liner in place was a cinch, and also removing the harmonic balancer was even easier. Initially I tried using an electric impact gun I already had, but that was hopeless. I then used a long 1/2" breaker bar, but that too wasn't able to do it. So I had to purchase a cheap Harbor Freight pneumatic impact gun (p/n 68424) and that buzzed the harmonic balancer bolt right out.

At that point, the balancer slipped out incredibly easy without any fuss and popped the seal out without issue either. The inner lip of the offending seal was still pliable and didn't appear worn. I installed the new seal and lubed up the inside of the seal with grease to help with sealing, installed the new balancer, reinstalled the belt, buttoned up the wheel well liner and started the car and... No more squeak.

While under the hood, I also looked at the dipstick o-rings as one commenter mentioned. They did appear to be flattened, but also still provided a noticeable detent when removing/inserting the dipstick. I have an o-ring replacement kit, but none of them were an exact match for the old ones, so I just lubed up the o-rings on the dipstick with a bit of grease until I purchase a new one.

If I were to do this again, the one thing I would do differently is: The old seal did not have any RTV or sealant on the outside and because of that it popped right out, but when installing the new seal I put a very light film of black RTV on the outside diameter to help in sealing. My thinking was that this would help, but only after I had finished did I wonder if it was necessary, since the original lasted 103k miles without sealant and it was fine. So were I to do this again, I'd probably forgo the RTV.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and help!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Robby]

UPDATE: Fixed

I finally got a chance to replace the crankshaft seal this weekend. I ordered a new seal (GM #25193519), a new harmonic balancer bolt (GM #9129242), and a new harmonic balancer, because it was cheap and figured since I was already in there... (GM #55574771).

Honestly, the most difficult part of this entire job was trying to remove the belt from the harmonic balancer because the new GM belt tensioner I installed had a stripped bolt where you pivot the tensioner, so every time I tried to relieve tension on the belt, all I would do was spin the bolt in the stripped hole. Thankfully, though, I was able to use a long prybar and wedge it between the body of the tensioner and the tensioner pulley and pivot the whole thing on itself so relieve tension.

Once that was surmounted, removing the fasteners holding the wheel well liner in place was a cinch, and also removing the harmonic balancer was even easier. Initially I tried using an electric impact gun I already had, but that was hopeless. I then used a long 1/2" breaker bar, but that too wasn't able to do it. So I had to purchase a cheap Harbor Freight pneumatic impact gun (p/n 68424) and that buzzed the harmonic balancer bolt right out.

At that point, the balancer slipped out incredibly easy without any fuss and popped the seal out without issue either. The inner lip of the offending seal was still pliable and didn't appear worn. I installed the new seal and lubed up the inside of the seal with grease to help with sealing, installed the new balancer, reinstalled the belt, buttoned up the wheel well liner and started the car and... No more squeak.

While under the hood, I also looked at the dipstick o-rings as one commenter mentioned. They did appear to be flattened, but also still provided a noticeable detent when removing/inserting the dipstick. I have an o-ring replacement kit, but none of them were an exact match for the old ones, so I just lubed up the o-rings on the dipstick with a bit of grease until I purchase a new one.

If I were to do this again, the one thing I would do differently is: The old seal did not have any RTV or sealant on the outside and because of that it popped right out, but when installing the new seal I put a very light film of black RTV on the outside diameter to help in sealing. My thinking was that this would help, but only after I had finished did I wonder if it was necessary, since the original lasted 103k miles without sealant and it was fine. So were I to do this again, I'd probably forgo the RTV.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and help!

Thanks,
Mike

Thanks for the follow up Mike!

Rob

 

[carbon02]

Thanks for the update! This kind of repair is still a little advanced for what I may take on, but do you just pick the old seal out with a pick, and install the new one with a seal driver or a large socket?

I recently checked my factory brake pads and rotors. Many hate the factory designed parts for rust and corrosion, but I was amazed how easily things came apart. I'm in the rust belt, and get plenty of salt on the roads as well.

After working on a cabin air filter on an Altima, I'm happier every day that the Cruze seems to be well laid out from a maintenance perspective. That filter is one that you have to squash a 9 inch tall filter through a 4" door, while standing on your head. The trap door is at the firewall center console.

 

[evilmike198]

Thanks for the update! This kind of repair is still a little advanced for what I may take on, but do you just pick the old seal out with a pick, and install the new one with a seal driver or a large socket?

I recently checked my factory brake pads and rotors. Many hate the factory designed parts for rust and corrosion, but I was amazed how easily things came apart. I'm in the rust belt, and get plenty of salt on the roads as well.

After working on a cabin air filter on an Altima, I'm happier every day that the Cruze seems to be well laid out from a maintenance perspective. That filter is one that you have to squash a 9 inch tall filter through a 4" door, while standing on your head. The trap door is at the firewall center console.

As far as engine repair/maintenance goes, this is actually a fairly easy job. If you've changed brakes before, this is only mildly more involved than that. Honestly, it's quite easy.

I have a seal puller that I used to remove the seal, but a long screwdriver would work as well. Though take care when removing the seal because you don't want the tip of whatever you're using to score the sealing surface the seal resides in.

In terms of installing the seal, you can use a seal driver, though I didn't have one. You can also use a large socket, but I ended up using a large mallet to drive the seal home with light blows to get it seated flush with the engine cover.

I've replaced the cabin filter on my car a few times already and it's quite the chore because I'm 6'2" and trying to shoehorn myself into the glovebox and under the dash is always a comedy of errors.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[MikeT]

Mike, Help I am experiencing the exact same problems. I replaced the PCV (Valve Cover) and the squeaking/squealing got terrible. Like you, it would subside when removing the dipstick. I replaced the o-rings on the dipstick...didn't work. What was the final problem and how did you fix it?
Thanks,
Another Mike with a 2014 Chevy Cruze

 

[BrownHP800]

I know this thread is a bit old, but we have a 2014 Cruze with 66K miles and there is that noticeable squeak. I was thinking it was the water pump or the belt but after reading threads on here, I pull the dipstick and the squeak is gone so I am guessing it is the front crank seal. Ours should still be under warranty until 100K. I am very leery of taking it back to the local Chevy dealer here. We took it to them twice for warranty work, once to replace the valve cover pcv unit and once to replace the turbo. Both times when we got the car back it over heated. Apparently they do not know how to bleed air out of the system. So I am pretty sure they are going to want to replace the water pump, belt, pulley, etc before they narrow it down to the seal. Any tips on how to get them to check that seal before they try and sell me stuff I don't need?

The next closest dealer is like 30 miles away from me.

 

[Josevh11]

My 2012 Chevy Cruze us doing the squealing noise. I seen some comments that say that removing the dipstick the squealing stops. How ever in my case is the other way around. The squealing gets louder when I remove the dipstick. any Ideas??

 

[Blasirl]

My 2012 Chevy Cruze us doing the squealing noise. I seen some comments that say that removing the dipstick the squealing stops. How ever in my case is the other way around. The squealing gets louder when I remove the dipstick. any Ideas??

Welcome Aboard!

2011-2016 Cruze 1.4 PCV Valve Cover/Intake Manifold Issues

2011-2016 Cruze Limited 1.4L PCV System Explained

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

 

[ChevyGuy]

My 2012 Chevy Cruze us doing the squealing noise. I seen some comments that say that removing the dipstick the squealing stops. How ever in my case is the other way around. The squealing gets louder when I remove the dipstick. any Ideas??

Check to see if your sparkplugs are loose. They can cause a chirp.

 

[PUDLGUT]

Hi Robby

I’m just wondering as I just changed my rockercover/pvc as it was leaking and now I have the sqeek sound when I take out the dipstick/oil cap and it goes rough idle amd it dies. In my video is the sound your referring to which means I need a new crank seal?

any help on my issue would be highly appreciated

cheers Barry from Aus

OP.....you are describing a dry crankshaft seal. There have been several members that had this experience and seal replacement resolved it.

By design, this engine has a high crankcase vacuum and all seals endure rather high negative pressure. So much so, that a well sealed engine will pull vacuum through the seal lips with a resultant chirp or whistle.
There is a service bulletin for this to help diagnosis, but the seal is only covered by powertrain up to 100k.......so, unless you have any remaining extended warranty in effect this will end up on your dime.

Rob

 

[Johnrenaud]

Stock 2013 Cruze 1.4 Auto
102,500 miles

Past few months I've been hearing a squeaking coming from under the hood of my car. At first I thought it was the serpentine belt, so I replaced it with no luck. Then I thought it was the serpentine belt tensioner, so I replaced that with no such luck.

While looking about the engine while it was running and squeaking, I noticed that if I removed the oil dipstick or fill cap, the squeak would cease completely, but the engine would stumble and idle really rough but then recover somewhat. There's also a vacuum when I remove the dipstick and oil fill cap, whereby if I loosen the oil fill cap but still leave it on the valve cover, there's noticeable resistance to remove it from the suction. Also, the engine only really makes the squeak when it's up to temperature and I've been driving from some time.

While searching the forum, I came across the PCV valve issue threads so I've since replaced the valve cover thinking it was the PCV valve, but again, the squeak is still there. I then did the PCV valve/Intake manifold mod, and again, it's still squeaking! Also while having the intake removed to do the PCV mod, I also ported the intake manifold.

The squeak seems to get worse when the AC is on -- perhaps because the engine is under a greater load?

Can anyone share some insight as to:
1) Why the engine would squeak;
2) Why there would be so much vacuum in the valve cover to cause the squeak;
3) Why removing dipstick and oil fill cap with stop the squeak;
4) Why the engine would stumble and idle rough when the dipstick and/or fill cap are removed

I'm grateful for any help and insight you may have.

Thanks,
Mike

Like it's a front crankshaft seal even if it isn't leaking oil it is sucking air. When the vehicle gets completely heated pull the dipstick in the noise will go away I just had mine fixed the other day by a local mechanic and charged me $110 car runs fine now..

 

[Johnrenaud]

Replace the dipstick. It's about $30. The squeak is the dipstick not sealing properly. I'm going to guess that one or both of the O-rings on the bottom of the dipstick are cracking. If they were broken you'd have oil squirting over the top of your engine.