I would guess that when you replaced the valve cover you ended up breaking/cracking the ignition coil.

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During the last valve cover replacement I also replace the original coil pack with another standard coil pack as well as spark plugs so could it be that the coil pack I had purchased may have been faulty. Or is there anything else that can cause failure to a coil pack that I should check

 

My name is Michael Roffeis. I own a 2011 Chevy Cruze LT 1.4 L Turbo and have recently been having some major issues with my car. I've been dealing with the PCV system and it damaging valve covers intake manifolds but about three days ago I developed a new problem with my Chevy Cruze.

It began to run extremely rough stall when I came to a stop and not want to accelerate at all then I noticed allowed clicking sound in my engine bay while my engine was running and it took me about 15 minutes to notice that my ignition coil was arcing to the cylinder head and the performance of my vehicle has been going downhill ever since and it has only been 3 days. I was going to replace the ignition coil and spark plugs but before I do so I wanted to seek some information on what may be causing my ignition coil to suddenly fail because I had replaced it about 14 months ago.

I would like some information on what I should check before replacing the ignition coil and what are some well known causes for this to happen. It is my first Chevy vehicle that I have ever owned and I am finding it extremely difficult to keep up with all the constant problems. So I would really appreciate any information that can be given towards this subject.

Welcome Aboard!

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

Tips to ensure no misfires occur because of changing the coil pack:

Remove the coil pack. If the boots are stuck on, use a small screwdriver or pick with some dielectric grease on it to go around the outside of the boot and then possibly the inside of the boot to help aid in removal.

Remember to (p)re-gap your plugs to .028,

Set gap with the black portion of this tool.

Measure the gap with feeler gauges.

Throw this away.

Torque to 18 ft-lbs with no anti-seize on the threads of a stock type plug.

Ensure the boots have no rips/tears or holes in them,and make sure the resister springs are clean and not caught up in the boots when you install them. Lightly coat the boots and springs with dielectric/silicone grease.

I recommend the MSD coil pack

If the plugs look bad, consider these:

-BKR8EIX-2668 (iridium plugs), ~$25, expect ~10-15k regaps on these, ~40-50k overall life.
-BKR7E-4644 (nickel/copper plugs), ~$8, expect 15-25K out of these plugs, with a regap or two required at 5-8k intervals on stock tune.

Read Hesitation Gone! for more info on the plugs.

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

 

 

So ended up getting the ignition coil off to find out where the boot connects to the coil for cylinder number 1( the arcing burned a hole in the coil pack where the boot would connect to) I'm not exactly sure if this means I have an open secondary or what the cause would be for this to happen but anyways all 4 boots are stuck so I will definitely take up advice given about using Dielectric grease and picks to try and free the boots. I really appreciate your guys advice you guys have been helpful

 

My boots also stuck to the engine. I had to use nose hair pliers to pull them out, unfortunately in pieces. They sell replacement boots at O'Reilly's.

 

I have had the same problem with my Cruze a few years back. The taking would come and go, it would accelerate with the speed of the engine, the gas mileage was horrible and the car would have poor acceleration. People would diagnose it with anywhere from an engine knock to bad lifters. One day I was fooling around with the coil pack with the car running. I hadn't screwed it down to the engine yet and it was slightly raised from the engine. I pressed one side of the pack down and the ticking noise got louder and it turned into a popping noise. That's when I realized that the coil pack had to be adjusted. The sound went away and the gas mileage improved by about 100mpg. However, today, about 2 years later, I noticed that the sound is coming back. I noticed it when I start the car there's a loud squeak, when the car is idle, or when the car is in reverse. I'll be checking the coil pack again.