[plano-doug]

I decided to change the plugs in my 2012 Cruze (2LS, 1.8L LUW) since I had recently done it on my 2013 Cruze after fixing a misfire due to an oil leak.

After removing the cover and ignition coil module, I saw the #3 plug well had oil in it - same place I found oil leaking on my 2013 - so the plug change job just grew to include a new valve cover gasket, too.

(That makes me wonder if there's something about the head and gasket that make that spot vulnerable on the 1.8L/LUW engines.)

While I was working on the valve cover, I noticed there was coolant pooling at the junction of the water outlet and the head.

I had hoped maybe it was only a gasket leaking, but once I got the water outlet off the engine, it was clear the outlet was damaged and that a new one was needed. (See pics.)

Add a new water outlet to the list.

If there had been a football ref nearby, he would surely have thrown a flag for piling on.

While removing the water outlet, I also noticed the grommet was missing from the end of the shifter cable below. The only thing keeping it attached was gravity.

Add that to the list, too.

Furthermore, once disconnected from the water outlet, I found the oil cooler pipe to be sloppy loose where it connects under the exhaust manifold. And the seal looked shot at the other end, too.

Since I'm afraid these will leak, add them to the list, too.

Poking around the GM parts websites, I came up with two part numbers for the seals for the pipe and called it a night.

First thing Monday, I headed to my Chevy dealer. They didn't have the seals by themselves, but they did have the pipe with the seals on it, GM p/n: 25194218. It was 50 bucks, a little more than I would have preferred, but it was in stock, which is the best kind of replacement part

And they also had a replacement end for the shifter cable, p/n: 22847616, about 3 dollars. Hoorah!

A couple hours later I was finishing things up. I couldn't find reliable data on torque specs for some things, so I went by feel on a few. For sure, 71 inch-pounds seemed excessive for the four fine thread bolts holding the outlet on the head, so I settled for 50 instead.

While I was at it, I removed and washed the air filter housing and installed a new filter. Also, having had the valve cover off, I went ahead and changed the oil and filter. I checked the tires, too, and added 15 pounds to the spare.

That 20 minute spark plug project only took two days and nearly 300 bucks.

Doug

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[Cruzen18]

That 20 minute spark plug project only took two days and nearly 300 bucks.

Funny how that works, isn't it?!?

 

[obermd]

This is how it develops:I decide to water my garden.As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mailbox earlier.I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox, when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only 1 check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered.I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day:----the car isn't washed,
----the bills aren't paid,
----there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter,
----the flowers don't have enough water,
----there is still only 1 check in my check book,
----I can't find the remote,
----I can't find my glasses,
----and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
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Sounds to me like your car is developing age activated attention deficit disorder.
​

 

[snowwy66]

Looks like the 1.8 runs the same very hot thermostat the 1.4 runs.

You can contribute that to your problems. 220 degrees is a lot of heat for anything to last