1.4 maintenance.

[dbratboy92]

So working at the dealer I see allot of common problems that could of been avoided with proper maintenance. Disclaimer some of these I see on other GM engines such as the 2.4 and 3.6 but regardless due to similar designs I feel I will start seeing them on 1.4s as higher mileage ones start coming in.


I'm curious if any one here follows their oil life monitor. On my sonic my maintenance light has never turned on in the 50k I have put on the car I change my oil every 3000. With a 5000 max if I am lazy. But I'm curious how often you guys change your oil. I'm also curious if you guys let your cars idle before shutting of after running hard,if so for how long. I realize we have water cooled turbos but at the same time that means we have oil and coolant to cook in our turbos at shutdown. I replace allot of turbos at the dealership for two reasons but the avoidable reason is clogged oil feed lines, due to lack of maintenance. Not so much on 1.4s but on other engines we replace allot of engines we replace allot of camshaft solenoids, actuators and timing chains, at rather low miles and always on customers that seem to follow their oil life monitors. We just started seeing pistons go on the 1.4s so I don't have any data on that but with the mileage on mine I suspect that issue may be maintenance related as well. As from talking to other dealer techs it seems to usually happen shortly after a turbo replacement. So what do you guys do to maintain your vehicles, how many miles are on them and have you needed to do any internal repairs?


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[Tormach]

So working at the dealer I see allot of common problems that could of been avoided with proper maintenance. Disclaimer some of these I see on other GM engines such as the 2.4 and 3.6 but regardless due to similar designs I feel I will start seeing them on 1.4s as higher mileage ones start coming in.


I'm curious if any one here follows their oil life monitor. On my sonic my maintenance light has never turned on in the 50k I have put on the car I change my oil every 3000. With a 5000 max if I am lazy. But I'm curious how often you guys change your oil. I'm also curious if you guys let your cars idle before shutting of after running hard,if so for how long. I realize we have water cooled turbos but at the same time that means we have oil and coolant to cook in our turbos at shutdown. I replace allot of turbos at the dealership for two reasons but the avoidable reason is clogged oil feed lines, due to lack of maintenance. Not so much on 1.4s but on other engines we replace allot of engines we replace allot of camshaft solenoids, actuators and timing chains, at rather low miles and always on customers that seem to follow their oil life monitors. We just started seeing pistons go on the 1.4s so I don't have any data on that but with the mileage on mine I suspect that issue may be maintenance related as well. As from talking to other dealer techs it seems to usually happen shortly after a turbo replacement. So what do you guys do to maintain your vehicles, how many miles are on them and have you needed to do any internal repairs?


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Currently sitting at 66k miles. I bought the her with 38k and records showed the water pump was replaced.

I change the oil every 3k miles and a couple times at 5k regularly. During every change I inspect my charge pipe to throttle body and clean it if there is any oil blow by ( I have been finding less and less everytime I check it, so I am hoping it will eventually be gone when I inspect the intercooler), intake at the turbo for any blow by at the pcv line in, and also my catch can setup (installed this about a year ago after I first saw blow by in the turbo but the dmg was done from the failed intake manifold and it has been doing a good job keeping the new turbo clear) and inspect the pcv port in the intake manifold for the orange check valve (if it fails probly doing the Cruze fix). I also inspect all these items every two weeks plus oil and coolant level, hoses and connections.

At about 45k the cam cover was replaced do to the orange diaphragm failed.

53-55k replaced the pcv line with custom catch can setup. Did this after I found blow by in the turbo but also the pcv line was getting brittle and was clogged. CC eliminated the blow by.

53-55k replaced the coil pack and plugs, started to get a misfire. Was only going to do plugs but cylinder 4 connection was corroded and broken on the coil pack. This was probly from the cam cover, the vent hole goes right to that cylinder.

63-64k the turbo was replaced and also the intake manifold after I inspected it and the orange check valve was gone ( I suspect it had been missing sense the cam cover failed and I didn't know at the time about the orange chk valve or much about the engine yet).

I am blaming the intake manifold and coil pack on the caddy/Buick dealership (bought the car from them) that replaced the can cover for not inspecting everything and just swapping the bad cover for new. The Chevy dealer did a better job with the turbo ( they also replaced the primary cat because the bolts broke during the removal of the turbo) and the follow up for the intake manifold and will be going to them for now on.

Changing the trans fluid in two weeks (6M)

Next spring I also plan to take out intercooler and piping and inspect and clean it. If I feel it's to fouled up from the oil blow by, I will more then like be replacing with MPFabs intercooler setup.

I'm probly being a bit obsessive but I plan to keep her for along time, really like the Sonic. Also have a list of items I plan to upgrade next year plus add a couple more gauges to go along with my boost gauge and Ultragauge to monitor the vitals.

No, my oil life monitor and warning light never go off. I also let her idle for a bit when I get my destination everytime, i never just turn her off once I'm parked.

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[Ameyejesus]

So far I've had to change my Coil pack due to a misfire. Cylinder 4 on the coil pack was corroded. Seem there has been several other that had the same problem. On my new one I put dielectric grease on the rubber boot to help seal out moisture. Other then that nothing but oil changes. I have just about 74k on my car. I go a little longer on oil changes. Usually use royal purple, which I use in my r53 mini cooper and bmw recommended every 15k oil changes which seemed to be fine. If your curious about the condition of the oil or engine you can always capture a oil sample and sent if off your analysis.

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[dbratboy92]

We replace allot of 1.4 coil packs at the dealership. It's always #4 that is corodes I don't know why but it is definitely a common problem.


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[Tormach]

We replace allot of 1.4 coil packs at the dealership. It's always #4 that is corodes I don't know why but it is definitely a common problem.


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I have a feeling it is related to the vent hole location for the orange diaphragm in the cam cover (pressure regulator? The guys in the Cruze forum have been digging into what it is) that points right at cylinder 4.

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[dbratboy92]

I have a feeling it is related to the vent hole location for the orange diaphragm in the cam cover (pressure regulator? The guys in the Cruze forum have been digging into what it is) that points right at cylinder 4.

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It's not supposed to vent it is a sacrificial diaphragm designed to break to relieve vacuum directly into the crankcase from the little orange check valve going bad. I'm not sure what the pcv system is like on the 2.0ts in the Buick Regals but they work fine and aren't prone to any of the 1.4 problems I don't know why GM didn't use a similar system


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[Tormach]

Then that leaves open the question.. what is causing the excess moister to get into plug area of cylinder 4 and take out the coilpack?

But I digress, back to your original post.

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[dbratboy92]

Then that leaves open the question.. what is causing the excess moister to get into plug area of cylinder 4 and take out the coilpack?

But I digress, back to your original post.

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I don't know. But it is also a problem with the encores, and as you said cruzes so it's not sonic specific. I just don't see that vent causing it as even if it does go bad the only thing it would release would be fuel air mix and blow by gases. And only under boost any other time it would be a vacuum leak. I don't see oil being sprayed on metal a cause for corrosion.


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[dbratboy92]

I don't know. But it is also a problem with the encores, and as you said cruzes so it's not sonic specific. I just don't see that vent causing it as even if it does go bad the only thing it would release would be fuel air mix and blow by gases. And only under boost any other time it would be a vacuum leak. I don't see oil being sprayed on metal a cause for corrosion.


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I think more than likely it is just the first cylinder in line to get water in it during an engine cleaning. I know my cat threw up on my hood, I washed it off runoff made its way to my engine bay, so I cleaned that. In my drive way with a garden hose. I had a misfire for the next day what I assumed would go away because I figured it was water in my ignition system. Sure enough about a day later it completely cleared up. A month or so later I had to replace my cool pack due to corrosion on the #4 cylinder. I chalked it up to moisture from the day I cleaned my engine bay. I have replaced more with the same problem but I generally just assumed it's the easiest cylinder to get water intrusion. Never thought too much into it. Sometimes even simple problems are simpler than they seem. And sometimes it's not the manufacturers fault. Don't we have enough design flaws with the 1.4 to complain about? Do we really need to fabricate more? Lol


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[Tormach]

I think more than likely it is just the first cylinder in line to get water in it during an engine cleaning. I know my cat threw up on my hood, I washed it off runoff made its way to my engine bay, so I cleaned that. In my drive way with a garden hose. I had a misfire for the next day what I assumed would go away because I figured it was water in my ignition system. Sure enough about a day later it completely cleared up. A month or so later I had to replace my cool pack due to corrosion on the #4 cylinder. I chalked it up to moisture from the day I cleaned my engine bay. I have replaced more with the same problem but I generally just assumed it's the easiest cylinder to get water intrusion. Never thought too much into it. Sometimes even simple problems are simpler than they seem. And sometimes it's not the manufacturers fault. Don't we have enough design flaws with the 1.4 to complain about? Do we really need to fabricate more? Lol


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Haha, good point. The simplest is usually the right answer and it does make sense. I looked at it this morning and could def see that happening.

Not trying to find more flaws, I like the little 1.4.

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[Ameyejesus]

Really, I can't complain. This car has been great so far. Only have to replace the coil pack, it did suck that it was like 200 bucks though.

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[Tormach]

Ya, not the cheapest part.. but if you have to get it from the dealer parts counter, I was able to haggle it down to 115 from 180 (always great when the parts guy works with you knowing you can get it else where for 90 with free shipping).

 

[Ameyejesus]

Ya, not the cheapest part.. but if you have to get it from the dealer parts counter, I was able to haggle it down to 115 from 180 (always great when the parts guy works with you knowing you can get it else where for 90 with free shipping).

That's awesome they came down. I'll have to try that next time I go in there. I saw some for sale as low as 60 but didn't want to take a chance on some no name crap.

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[Blue Moon Sonic]

I think I've gone through 2 coil packs, 2 valve covers, 1 turbo from a cracked wastegate port and 3 sets of spark plugs over 70,000 miles. 1 set was to try the copper plugs, 2 sets were badly fouled from the intake manifold PCV valve which I suspect also took out the turbo and 2 valve covers. The coil packs are just weak and trash. Swapped out for the BNR LS7 coil pack kit (will be reviewing later today) and I change my oil every 5000-7500 miles. Still waiting for cooling system failures and I'm not always easy on the baby turbo.
I guess I forgot about the swaybar endlinks and wastgate actuator too... Been running ZZP or Moog ones since it had 20,000 miless. The BNR WGA just saved me from possibly having to replace my turbo for a second time.

 

[Gimpster]

I knew when we started to see more turbocharged cars, it was going to be trouble to some extent in the US. When I was into early turbocharged offerings (Eclipse, etc.) many years ago, you would also see a lot of coked up turbo oil inlet and turbine housings due to lack of maintenance and/or quality lubricants at the time.

It also doesn't help that manufacturers keep pushing out OR eliminating the routine maintenance to achieve lower 'total cost of ownership' scores. BMW is a top case study on that... 25k mile oil changes on direct injected turbocharged engines? "Lifetime" fills on transmission (both MT and AT) fluids. Please.

If by lifetime they mean the end of the warranty period or typical 24-36mo lease, then yes it will do it. The sad fact is a lot of people do very little maintenance to their vehicles.

Kinda like the LNF/LHU, the flaws of the 1.4T are fairly well understood now. If you take care of them with quality lubricants in sane intervals & monitor and/or improve the PCV system, they should stand up. I would say the biggest iffy things you can't do much about, short of fabricating custom, are the somewhat failure prone plastic cooling bits. They are cheap enough you could consider it more/less routine maintenance though.

Just my opinion on these cars

 

[Ameyejesus]

I knew when we started to see more turbocharged cars, it was going to be trouble to some extent in the US. When I was into early turbocharged offerings (Eclipse, etc.) many years ago, you would also see a lot of coked up turbo oil inlet and turbine housings due to lack of maintenance and/or quality lubricants at the time.

It also doesn't help that manufacturers keep pushing out OR eliminating the routine maintenance to achieve lower 'total cost of ownership' scores. BMW is a top case study on that... 25k mile oil changes on direct injected turbocharged engines? "Lifetime" fills on transmission (both MT and AT) fluids. Please.

If by lifetime they mean the end of the warranty period or typical 24-36mo lease, then yes it will do it. The sad fact is a lot of people do very little maintenance to their vehicles.

Kinda like the LNF/LHU, the flaws of the 1.4T are fairly well understood now. If you take care of them with quality lubricants in sane intervals & monitor and/or improve the PCV system, they should stand up. I would say the biggest iffy things you can't do much about, short of fabricating custom, are the somewhat failure prone plastic cooling bits. They are cheap enough you could consider it more/less routine maintenance though.

Just my opinion on these cars

I totally agree, regular maintenance regardless of what manufactures say is the best way to keep **** some breaking. Every oil change I look over key component and check for leaks in other areas. Because even if a small seemingly insignificant part fails that cause other parts to fail. And before you know if you have a big mess in your hands

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[Blue Moon Sonic]

This is why car enthusiasts generally have the nicer cars that last longer. It's the enthusiasts that keep these cars running decades later because it is the enthusiast who's willing to solve the manufacturers flaws to keep the car running forever because they love their car.

 

[Gimpster]

What kills me is how bad the manufacturers have handled PCV system design in recent history. The LUV, which I get is a European engine, tries to solve a really simple issue with an overly complex AND annoying to fix (assuming you wanted to keep the car OEM) design. I mean no offense to my European friends, but that has always been my experience with products from the Old Country in general

Like and going further, so... I owned a trio of LNF powered cars. The whole approach GM (and honestly, basically every major auto manufacturer) to PCV system design on Gas Direct Injected cars is 100% wrong. They are basically setting the engines up for failure from the word go, unless you take steps to fix it yourself.

This is stuff we had figured out for 50+ years, we're not launching the shuttle here. A $1.59 check valve that I can replace in the field will suffice just fine, thanks. This can't be done by accident, I smell conspiracy

Sorry, I am a ranting old man.

 

[Blue Moon Sonic]

Your fine lol. I've been complaining about this same very thing for a while. It's definitely irritating, but every manufacturer has it's problems.

 

[suitcasejefferson]

I have been a fleet services mechanic for 38 years (same job) We work on GM, Ford, and Chrysler vehicles for the most part. I used to do a lot of work on the side. I have seen the results of a lack of maintenance.

I change my oil every 3000 miles without fail. I use Walmart full synthetic in the Sonic. I bought the car used with 51,000 miles on it, and it had been abused and neglected. It still looked great, but the previous owner did not believe in maintenance. I changed the oil seven times in the first 5000 miles, till it finally started staying clean.

I change coolant every 2 years/24,000 miles. This car still had the Dexkill in it and it was a mess. It took me 2 weeks and about 30 gallons of distilled water to get the Dexkill out. I also had to replace the water outlet pipe, which had a pinhole leak. IMO, the best thing you can do for your GM car is to get the Dexkill out of it. The facts speak for themselves. No other car manufacturer has had coolant issues. Virtually all GM cars do.

I also change the automatic transmission fluid every 2 years/24,000 miles. I have changed it 3 times in 5,000 on this car, and it seems to be staying clean a lot longer. I have now switched to a full synthetic Dexron VI.

I have an '06 Mercury Grand Marquis, and the book recommends the above maintenance schedule. I have no idea why GM does not recommend the proper maintenance. It's like they actually want their cars to break down as quickly as possible.

On the Sonic, the 3 biggest maintenance related issues IMO are engine oil, transmission fluid, and coolant. Change all three often, and get rid of the Dexkill, and your engine should last a long time.

I don't let my car idle before shutting it off, but I don't drive it hard (no full throttle acceleration and a 65 mph top cruising speed) but I do let it run for several minutes before taking off. One of the absolute worst things you can do for an engine is to start it up and take off (I am a former private pilot) Cold metal is brittle, and prone to excessive wear and breaking. Also the clearances are only correct at operating temperature. This has always been an issue, but it is far more important with aluminum engines.

During it's first 51,000 miles, my car was used mostly for short distance low speed stop and go commuting, without being warmed up and with very little in the way of maintenance. It also had Dexkill in it. I have no idea just how much damage all that caused, but it is now being treated and maintained properly, and I am still hoping for to get some decent mileage out of it.