[Chevy Customer Care]

It will run properly for awhile but like when I really noticed it I passed a car & then let out off the gas & then went to push it back down & then it start bucking up & then RPMs dropped & start hearing the rattling & then blue cloud of smoke came out the back covering the other car behind me. It was awful I had to just let it do whatever it did & then just push the gas slightly & then it jerks really hard & then the RPMs jump & off I go again & the it just repeats all the time.

But what really blows my mind - is I have had nothing but issues w/ this engine - the turbo has been replaced 3 times, the PCV valve once, all in a matter of 62,000+ miles which is crazy!! But oh well hopefully they will put a new engine or rebuild this one but I am kinda shy about having a rebuild engine they are never the same ( my opinion );

Hello Joshua,

Glad to hear you have been working with the dealership, but I can understand how frustrating this may seem. If you should need any additional assistance, we would be happy to look into this more. Feel free to send me over a private message along with your VIN, current mileage, contact information and preferred dealership if you need us! Looking forward to your updates.

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[joshuab]

Thanks Patsy, I have already reached out to GM & they are aware of my situation.

Update : I have finally got my car towed to the dealership, & must wait til tomorrow when the dealership is opened to confirm they received it, also I wanted to know would it be possible for the oil to be past through the turbo & though the inner cooler & then burned up? is this possible? also was 2 & 1/2 quarts low after topping the oil off I said I am not driving this there & just had it towed.

So thoughts on that assuming its passing through the turbo ?

 

[chevrasaki]

Thanks Patsy, I have already reached out to GM & they are aware of my situation.

Update : I have finally got my car towed to the dealership, & must wait til tomorrow when the dealership is opened to confirm they received it, also I wanted to know would it be possible for the oil to be past through the turbo & though the inner cooler & then burned up? is this possible? also was 2 & 1/2 quarts low after topping the oil off I said I am not driving this there & just had it towed.

So thoughts on that assuming its passing through the turbo ?

I do not suspect that oil is leaking into the turbo and going all the way to the intake. I believe you may have bad piston rings, or cracked pistons. That would cause a loss in power and blue smoke as you have described.

It's not impossible for the turbo to fail and leak oil/coolant, as the turbo is fed coolant and oil. But I would think a failed turbo would cause more symptoms. This is just my speculation, I don't have any personal experience with either issue to know for sure. It's also very difficult to diagnose without actually inspecting or driving it. You've made all the correct moves so far, nothing to do now but wait for a proper diagnosis.

 

[joshuab]

Well I do know its a bit different because I have experienced blown turbos a few times, this time its weird as can be. It will run good & pick up power & then all at once you push the gas & it start jerking RPMs dropping & rattling - but again at times this car runs & picks up speed quickly; but the faster you take it & then let up & then try to repush the gas it will act up just about instantly.

So I am lost here on the issue & hopefully they will do me right this time; as I love this dealership they have always done me fair so lets hope that greed doesn't get into there way on this as I know warranty work isn't as high as coming out of my own pocket. So we shall see & I'll keep everyone updated once I am given some further information.

 

[chevrasaki]

Well I do know its a bit different because I have experienced blown turbos a few times, this time its weird as can be. It will run good & pick up power & then all at once you push the gas & it start jerking RPMs dropping & rattling - but again at times this car runs & picks up speed quickly; but the faster you take it & then let up & then try to repush the gas it will act up just about instantly.

So I am lost here on the issue & hopefully they will do me right this time; as I love this dealership they have always done me fair so lets hope that greed doesn't get into there way on this as I know warranty work isn't as high as coming out of my own pocket. So we shall see & I'll keep everyone updated once I am given some further information.

The spontaneous nature of it running great then not great leads me to believe it's an issue with some sensor or something the computer is doing. But the computer wouldn't tell the car to burp blue smoke. Something is wrong, just need to fix whatever it is then it should be great again! Very interested to see what the dealer has to say, keep us updated for sure.

 

[joshuab]

Yeah its very weird, if it was the turbo which it failed it wouldn't have no power it doesn't act this way at all. This time it jerks & RPM floats between 1,100 to 1,200 RPMs & jerks & then rattles abit & blue smoke & then it will jump to 4,000 RPMs after a hard jerk & off I go again quickly.

& when I had a blown PCV valve I had oil in the driveway wasn't much but it was some, so another thing I am trying to figure out is where did 2 1/2 quarts of oil go in under 24/hrs which needles to say if nothing on the ground its being consumed in the engine ( burned up ); so in any event I am sick of this engine & I am hoping in good faith that GM will just put a new engine in my car due to all the concerns & issue's that I have experienced w/ this car. Most can go through these threads & see the issue I have had

But in any event I love my Cruze & wouldn't trade it for nothing I am die hard Cruze fan all the way guy/gals!!!

 

[obermd]

At 1,100 to 1,200 RPM the turbo isn't even engaged. I'm not sure it's even spinning. This points to the engine block.

 

[mjspiess]

I'd bet money you have at least 1 cracked piston & I'm not a betting man. My car did the exact same thing... would run totally fine for a while & then run terribly with puffs of blue smoke & rattling. I don't know exactly why, but mine had misfire code too, so I'm guessing when too much oil got through the rings, the misfire would cause all those poor symptoms. Combined with low compression, you're basically driving on 3 cylinders which will cause the loss of power & speed. Good news is, you'll be in a loaner for 8+ days with free XM radio

 

[Chevy Customer Care]

Thanks Patsy, I have already reached out to GM & they are aware of my situation.

Update : I have finally got my car towed to the dealership, & must wait til tomorrow when the dealership is opened to confirm they received it, also I wanted to know would it be possible for the oil to be past through the turbo & though the inner cooler & then burned up? is this possible? also was 2 & 1/2 quarts low after topping the oil off I said I am not driving this there & just had it towed.

So thoughts on that assuming its passing through the turbo ?

Not a problem, Joshua. I hope to hear more about your situation today, and if you should need my assistance, I'm only a private message away .

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[chevrasaki]

At 1,100 to 1,200 RPM the turbo isn't even engaged. I'm not sure it's even spinning. This points to the engine block.

I'm not so sure that's true. Even with the waste gate fully open, a small amount of exhaust still spins the turbine wheel which is connected to the compressor wheel. The tiny turbo spools up pretty quickly and reaches max boost in the automatic at 1850 RPM. Depending on the engine load, (IE foot down) the turbo would still provide a decent amount of boost even at only 1,100ish rpm. Even off engine load, it may not be providing any boost, but I bet it's still free spinning.

 

[obermd]

I'm not so sure that's true. Even with the waste gate fully open, a small amount of exhaust still spins the turbine wheel which is connected to the compressor wheel. The tiny turbo spools up pretty quickly and reaches max boost in the automatic at 1850 RPM. Depending on the engine load, (IE foot down) the turbo would still provide a decent amount of boost even at only 1,100ish rpm. Even off engine load, it may not be providing any boost, but I bet it's still free spinning.

The turbo in my ECO MT doesn't start spooling until 1400 RPM. I can see the fuel economy drop right as it starts to spool. It may be free spinning but it's not providing any boost.

 

[chevrasaki]

The turbo in my ECO MT doesn't start spooling until 1400 RPM. I can see the fuel economy drop right as it starts to spool. It may be free spinning but it's not providing any boost.

For some reason, I believe it has to do with the torque converter in the autos, the manual models do not get their full boost and torque until 2,500 RPMS rather than the auto's 1850 RPMS.

Note: Here is the specs of the auto vs manual. (Look under torque for the 1.4L)
http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/vehicles/cruze/2013.tab1.html?id=1455039768675

 

[joshuab]

Update : Well I got a call from the dealership that my car is now ready for pickup, it seems that it had a blown PCV valve & it was replaced. Now am I totally satisfied w/ this I am not quite sure actually as I have a blown PCV valve & it didn't consume that much oil.

So I am really not sure at this point but I must accept it as I don't know what else to do?

 

[Tomko]

I hate to say it broh, but you have to at least give it a try and road test it.

 

[joshuab]

Oh of course, I won't expect nothing more. But it just seems nothing is working but fingers crossed all is wrong w/ it was a PCV valve then all good & fine - but w/ the level of confidence I have in that car is very low.

So lets hope this fixed it huh? I'll keep everyone updated & in the loop how all this plays out.

 

[mjspiess]

Where are you from? Out of curiosity, you should at least check your spark plugs and while you're at it your compression. Spark plugs are likely coated in oil if PCV valve is puking oil back into your intake. And having spark plugs out would be a good time to check compression. You can get a cheap engine compression kit at Harbor Freight. Surely you could find someone to check those things for you if you can't yourself. Good compression (200 psi) = good pistons and peace of mind that maybe all it was was a bad PCV valve.

 

[BradSt]

For some reason, I believe it has to do with the torque converter in the autos, the manual models do not get their full boost and torque until 2,500 RPMS rather than the auto's 1850 RPMS.

Note: Here is the specs of the auto vs manual. (Look under torque for the 1.4L)
Chevrolet Pressroom - United States - Cruze

The turbo is spinning whenever the engine is running, even when it isn't providing any boost. It always has exhaust gas going through it.

The manual has a different tune, that keeps the waste gate from fully closing, until 2500 rpm. This prevents excessive cylinder pressure at low RPM. An auto will never be able to run at full load at 1850 RPM, so the tune can be a bit more aggressive.

 

[joshuab]

Update : Well I went picked my car up this afternoon, they repaired the PCV cover & shinned my car & cleaned my engine bay. The car seem to run really nice responded & picked up quickly & done really nice. Plus had a oil change even tho I had 50% left on oil life - while it was there I decided to do it.

Well a couple hours into the drive & I pull into my driveway - I smell oil - so I popped the hood & to my surprise I see oil all over the side of the engine all over the alternator air filter housing & on top of the EcoTech cover & all down on the bottom of the ground big puddle all new clean oil all over the place!!

So now its gotta be towed right back to the dealership tomorrow - any thoughts on what this can be?

 

[ChevyGuy]

Well a couple hours into the drive & I pull into my driveway - I smell oil - so I popped the hood & to my surprise I see oil all over the side of the engine all over the alternator air filter housing & on top of the EcoTech cover & all down on the bottom of the ground big puddle all new clean oil all over the place!!

So now its gotta be towed right back to the dealership tomorrow - any thoughts on what this can be?

I'll bet they didn't get the valve cover sealed right.

 

[joshuab]

That is what I thought as well, so that maybe the problem.