Engine Failed

[fkrivitz]

Not a happy camper!!! I have a 2012 Sonic LTZ hatchback with a 1.8L I'm original owner from day 1. Car just turned over 78,000 and 7 months out of warranty. Routine oil changes every 5-7000 miles with synthetic oil.
Check engine light comes on flashing along with low oil pressure light and lots of chiming. Pulled over to check oil which reads well over the full mark and notice the radiator reservoir tank is empty. Taken to dealer and was informed the head maybe warped and with antifreeze in oil pan the main bearing maybe contaminated. Would cost $2200 to start tear down to diagnose problem. $5500 to replace motor. Now what? Any suggestions??

 

[FWSRT4]

I would contact GM relations and explain your situation. With it being not far out of warranty and under 100K, I would hope they'll make it right. Please keep us posted.
CUSTOMER RELATIONS CENTER
(for Chevrolet owners)
800-222-1020
Mon-Sat, 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. (EST)
Sun, closed

 

[skurtov]

Not a happy camper!!! I have a 2012 Sonic LTZ hatchback with a 1.8L I'm original owner from day 1. Car just turned over 78,000 and 7 months out of warranty. Routine oil changes every 5-7000 miles with synthetic oil.
Check engine light comes on flashing along with low oil pressure light and lots of chiming. Pulled over to check oil which reads well over the full mark and notice the radiator reservoir tank is empty. Taken to dealer and was informed the head maybe warped and with antifreeze in oil pan the main bearing maybe contaminated. Would cost $2200 to start tear down to diagnose problem. $5500 to replace motor. Now what? Any suggestions??

They might make a concession if you're the original owner and cover it under warranty. Worst case scenario would be to buy a crate motor and have a local shop swap one in. These cars are dead simple to work on and an engine swap shouldn't be a huge deal. I'm finding engines in Ohio for around $600.... $1000 to swap in a new one in terms of labor. $1600 is a lot cheaper than $2200 just to diagnose

 

[suitcasejefferson]

I would go with a new crate engine, and have it installed by someone besides a dealer. I would also change the oil every 3000 miles. I just bought a 2013 1.4L turbo hatch, with 51,000 miles on it, and it had not been maintained properly. The oil, or whatever it had become, was thick and black, and had sludge in it. The new oil I just put in 1300 miles ago now looks the same. I'm going to change the oil every 1000 miles for the next 10,000 miles (yes, that's 10 oil changes in 10,000 miles, but it's a LOT cheaper than a new engine) As a fleet services mechanic with 36 years experience on the same job, I firmly believe that changing the oil often is the key to long engine life. And in the case of GM vehicles, either getting rid of the DEXCOOL coolant, or replacing it at least every 2 years is very important. It turns into a nasty brown waxy substance that will plug up the entire cooling system, including the water jackets in the block.

 

[fkrivitz]

Update; Chevy Customer Service is now involved. However the dealer now wants $1350. to break down motor to inspect and inform Chevy if motor been neglected or not. Chevy is willing to help but it sounds like not a full cost replacement. It's still looking to be a $2500 to $3000 fix.

 

[Llia]

But if the dealer installs the new engine does it help get a better warranty?


on a side note I've noticed my oil filter looking like it's collapsing. Could be oil passages clogging but I change my oil 3-5k. That was with a K&N oil filter. I now use a Hengst and before those AcDelco.

 

[suitcasejefferson]

I absolutely do not recommend K&N air filters, because they don't filter out much of anything other than small pebbles and larger. But I have never had a problem with their oil filters. I use Wix oil filters, that's what we use where I work.

The OP's problem was likely caused by DEXCOOL. It probably plugged up the cooling system, leading to severe overheating, which is what caused the aluminum head to warp. I have never worked on a Sonic, the only GM cars my department uses are Impalas. They all get their cooling systems flushed, and the coolant replaced with Ford Motorcraft Gold. DEXCOOL is an engine killer. If it is what destroyed the engine, it likely also destroyed the radiator, heater core, coolant reservoir, and all the radiator and heater hoses.

I am currently looking for the proper procedure to drain the coolant on a 2013 Sonic 1.4 turbo. There are no third party manuals out yet, and the factory service manual costs $200.

 

[carsNskis]

Are you confusing the older blend of dexcool? The current (red) is 100k rated and turns pink when it begins to get contaminated. I haven't witnessed this waxy motor killer effect you speak of in any of these modern ecotec.

I would look at the water pump, not the coolant. They're covered to 100k with a special condition from GM for a reason

[emoji593][emoji809][emoji472]

 

[squirrel642]

I had my Engine replaced at 47,000 miles for the same reason. Started with coolant in the spark plug well which shorted a coil. The dealer replaced the head gasket. I was still losing coolant. At first they claimed it was just an air bubble in the system and advised me to put more coolant in. Shortly after I lost all coolant into the oil. The head still tested good cold. Once they let it get warm it lost all pressure. They concluded that the Block was cracked. GM sent a new engine and they covered it all under warranty. I was about 3 months away from the end of that warranty.
About 2 days after the warranty ended the Transmission decided to vomit all over the highway. Luckily I bought a year of the extended warranty. The same dealer found 4 leaks in the transmission and had to replace seals and do a flush.
Just yesterday I had to replace the blower motor for the heating/cooling system due to the wheel cracking and coming off of the shaft.
Anyway.....(sorry to drift lol) I hope they do help you. This seems to be a problem that i have read about more than just a few times.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Not a happy camper!!! I have a 2012 Sonic LTZ hatchback with a 1.8L I'm original owner from day 1. Car just turned over 78,000 and 7 months out of warranty. Routine oil changes every 5-7000 miles with synthetic oil.
Check engine light comes on flashing along with low oil pressure light and lots of chiming. Pulled over to check oil which reads well over the full mark and notice the radiator reservoir tank is empty. Taken to dealer and was informed the head maybe warped and with antifreeze in oil pan the main bearing maybe contaminated. Would cost $2200 to start tear down to diagnose problem. $5500 to replace motor. Now what? Any suggestions??

As others have stated, and you seem to have updated, get GM involved. Tell them that a car with 78k shouldn't need an engine.

As I posted on other areas of the forum, I had to fight to get GM to give me a CAC letter which covers all components up to 2021 or 110.5k. By then the car will be nearly 10 years old and I will be gone with it.

I'd fight for as close to zero on the cost for your end as I could, or perhaps a minimal deductible. Also, hopefully you have the receipts for your oil and filter purchases so you can prove what you bought and used.

 

[waderain]

My 2012 Sonic LTZ turbo died as well a few days ago at 66,000 miles without warning. I kept up on all the routine oil changes and check ups. I called the dealer I bought it from and they said there's nothing they can really do, it's past the warranty. I was talking to the head mechanic getting prices to fix it (which I will never be able to afford) he had mentioned that my model had a water pump recall a few years ago. He told me that if the water pump failed then the engine would probably fail do to overheating. So I checked it, I never noticed any leaking before but it does have some corrosion under the water pump. My question is if it was the recalled water pump that failed and killed the engine does GM have the responsibility to fix the whole engine? I called the local dealer where I'm at but they don't seem to excited to get back to me on it.

 

[cuartz7o]

Bump.. to help some folks out in need

 

[carsNskis]

You have to first initiate a concern with GM customer service, pay a dealership to diag and have them confirm cause of failure, and if they can attribute the failure to the water pump they'll go over your options from there.

Sorry to say this but warranties are in place to protect the mfg from lawsuits, not help the consumer

[emoji593][emoji809][emoji472]

 

[waderain]

You have to first initiate a concern with GM customer service, pay a dealership to diag and have them confirm cause of failure, and if they can attribute the failure to the water pump they'll go over your options from there.

Sorry to say this but warranties are in place to protect the mfg from lawsuits, not help the consumer

[emoji593][emoji809][emoji472]

I've already put two calls to Chevy so far. To check the water pump is only $130 but to check everything else can be between $600 to $1000. They did say this a pretty common problem with these cars and GM is willing to help depending on why the engine died but still they are saying it could be up around $2500 even with GM's help. I'll keep posting on what happens.

 

[dbratboy92]

Are you confusing the older blend of dexcool? The current (red) is 100k rated and turns pink when it begins to get contaminated. I haven't witnessed this waxy motor killer effect you speak of in any of these modern ecotec.

I would look at the water pump, not the coolant. They're covered to 100k with a special condition from GM for a reason

[emoji593][emoji809][emoji472]

I've been wondering where this deck cool hate is from as well. I see it allot. Originally dex cool was advertised by GM as being lifetime coolant. That turned out to obviously not be true and they adjusted the formula and cut the advertised lifespan. Yes I have seen dex cool coagulate and block heater codes and such, I work at the dealer. But usually it is in older people's cars that never get driven and the fluids never reach temp. Sitting is the worst thing you can do to a car. But I usually don't see dex cool issues. The 1.4 and 1.8 however have horrible cooling systems every seal leaks and every piece of plastic and rubber gets brittle and cracks prematurely. But I wouldn't blame dex cool. At the dealership we don't see these problems with any of our other engines. There poorly designed engines made with inferior materials. It's not the coolant.


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[waderain]

I've been wondering where this deck cool hate is from as well. I see it allot. Originally dex cool was advertised by GM as being lifetime coolant. That turned out to obviously not be true and they adjusted the formula and cut the advertised lifespan. Yes I have seen dex cool coagulate and block heater codes and such, I work at the dealer. But usually it is in older people's cars that never get driven and the fluids never reach temp. Sitting is the worst thing you can do to a car. But I usually don't see dex cool issues. The 1.4 and 1.8 however have horrible cooling systems every seal leaks and every piece of plastic and rubber gets brittle and cracks prematurely. But I wouldn't blame dex cool. At the dealership we don't see these problems with any of our other engines. There poorly designed engines made with inferior materials. It's not the coolant.


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My only other experience with a Dexcool car is I had a 90's Camero that I was fixing up. Everybody kept telling me it needed Dexcool in it or it wouldn't perform well. So its what I used. It always ran a little hot and every morning white smoke would puff out the exhaust. So I thought eventually I would have to change the head gaskets. About a year after I had it the water pump stopped working. My mechanic friend and me was fixing it and he noticed the radiator was swelling and cracking. So we drained the system and ending up changing the radiator and all the hoses. I went to buy Dexcool and he said no, it was horrible for any engine and we bought regular Prestone 50/50. The car temp ran fine and it never had the white morning smoke after that. When my new car died the first thing I thought of was the Dexcool coolant that I had just replaced about a month ago.

 

[Gimpster]

Ran Dexcool without issues for many years in both my old '96 Z28, '04 GTO and three Cobalt SS/Turbo's. The GTO never got many miles on it before I sold it, but I daily commuted the Z28 and SS/TC's into literal dirt/junkyard status.

That said, my wife loves VW/Audi products and people say similar things about G12/G13 (a similar coolant) and I've never had an issue with it either... and some of her VW's we've kept around a long time.

The cars I MOSTLY saw with issues either directly or indirectly were older W-Body cars with head gasket issues. When one would let go, yah... that stuff got chunky. It also should go without saying that if you mix Dexcool, G12/13 etc. with standard antifreeze, you WILL have issues.

I do believe, like any coolant, it needs regular inspection and replacement.

So I don't know.... I'm not saying Dexcool is good OR bad, I just would like to see more concrete data than "it feels bad man"? I've had nothing but success with it.

 

[dbratboy92]

Ran Dexcool without issues for many years in both my old '96 Z28, '04 GTO and three Cobalt SS/Turbo's. The GTO never got many miles on it before I sold it, but I daily commuted the Z28 and SS/TC's into literal dirt/junkyard status.

That said, my wife loves VW/Audi products and people say similar things about G12/G13 (a similar coolant) and I've never had an issue with it either... and some of her VW's we've kept around a long time.

The cars I MOSTLY saw with issues either directly or indirectly were older W-Body cars with head gasket issues. When one would let go, yah... that stuff got chunky. It also should go without saying that if you mix Dexcool, G12/13 etc. with standard antifreeze, you WILL have issues.

I do believe, like any coolant, it needs regular inspection and replacement.

So I don't know.... I'm not saying Dexcool is good OR bad, I just would like to see more concrete data than "it feels bad man"? I've had nothing but success with it.

I don't have any concrete evidence either way but from experience working at the dealer we have allot of older high mileage vehicles we service with no coolant system issues. I am a ford guy but every gm I have owned has had dex cool in it, because I believe in factory spec fluids. The only car I have ever owned with cooling system issues is my sonic that just blew up because of a coolant outlet failure. But that has never had the same coolant in it for more than 20k miles. Because every time I turn around I'm replacing a mother component in the cooling system. So far I have replaced the coolant surge tank, most of the hoses, water pump, coolant outlet t-stat housing and head gasket. I wouldn't blame dex cool I blame the poor materials used to build the 1.4 and 1.8 liters. The 3.6 no cooling issues, 2.4 no cooling issues, 5.3, 6.0, 2.5, 2.0t. You guessed no cooling system issues. If any o e has some evidence either way, because on top of not actually seeing any evidence myself, I also know the original background behind the stigma. Including the lawsuit that GM lost in the 90 when they stopped calling it lifetime coolant


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[Gimpster]

Thought folks who had been chiming in would be interested in this. As I've gone through my new-used car, I've been doing all the fluids. Today I did the coolant, it looked original to me. Here is new (on the right) vs. original Dexcool 50/50 after 5 years and 60k miles.

I'd say it was time...

 

[dbratboy92]

Thought folks who had been chiming in would be interested in this. As I've gone through my new-used car, I've been doing all the fluids. Today I did the coolant, it looked original to me. Here is new (on the right) vs. original Dexcool 50/50 after 5 years and 60k miles.

I'd say it was time...

That's interesting it was in there for 5 years you say. Still looks like coolant not the coagulated and judging by the clarity it isn't filled with broken down parts of your engine.


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