Oil leak 2012 Chevy Cruze 1.4 turbo

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So my first issue popped up with the new cruze already. It's not huge but it's something I noticed. There's a damp spot on an oil line next to the oil fill cap. It's not dripping or anything but it's wet all around and when I tried to fuss with the metal clip that looked loose it made it lose a drop of oil so I'm guessing the clip is all the way in. Any thoughts on how to proceed?
 
If i remember thats the coolant line that has a really common leak. Check out cruzetalk they have all the info you would need and then some.
 
I have posted a thread already on the cruze talk but didn't get any replies yet, so I thought I'd try here as well and compare the responses.
 
The one part I've had to replace on my '13 with 110K is the coolant outlet which is rght below that - and I replaced that hose (which is coolant, BTW) at the same time. I hope you educated yourself on the maintenance needs and common failures of the turbo Cruze before buying one. I love mine but they will not tolerate the neglect most vehicles see from the average owner.
 
That's the coolant outlet/water neck.

Buy a new overflow hose and outlet. I usually keep 3 of each in stock. People who just buy one always come back for the other. The new outlet comes with seal, bolts, and sensor. It's not that expensive, but I can't remember the current price off the top of my head. The whole job should be less than $100 in parts and coolant though.
 
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
The one part I've had to replace on my '13 with 110K is the coolant outlet which is rght below that - and I replaced that hose (which is coolant, BTW) at the same time. I hope you educated yourself on the maintenance needs and common failures of the turbo Cruze before buying one. I love mine but they will not tolerate the neglect most vehicles see from the average owner.



No I didn't do enough research before I bought it, I just saw that they needed transmission service regularly as well as good motor oil. Do you have any tips?
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
The one part I've had to replace on my '13 with 110K is the coolant outlet which is rght below that - and I replaced that hose (which is coolant, BTW) at the same time. I hope you educated yourself on the maintenance needs and common failures of the turbo Cruze before buying one. I love mine but they will not tolerate the neglect most vehicles see from the average owner.



No I didn't do enough research before I bought it, I just saw that they needed transmission service regularly as well as good motor oil. Do you have any tips?

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4560504/2012_Cruze_1.4T_Turbo_Replacem

Common weak points include:
- Water pump (common, but covered under a warranty extension)
- Various cooling system hoses and components
- Turbo (less common, but not uncommon)
- Check valve inside the intake manifold (requires new manifold with injectors)
- Valve cover diaphragm failure which results in a lean condition. Usually caused by a failed check valve inside the manifold.
- Front Crank Seal failure and Lower Oil Pan leakage.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
That's the coolant outlet/water neck.

Buy a new overflow hose and outlet. I usually keep 3 of each in stock. People who just buy one always come back for the other. The new outlet comes with seal, bolts, and sensor. It's not that expensive, but I can't remember the current price off the top of my head. The whole job should be less than $100 in parts and coolant though.


I don't see any of those parts at Rockauto. You said coolant? I thought it looks like an oil line, I seen oil or some dark fluid come out of it when I messed with it.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic

- Valve cover diaphragm failure which results in a lean condition. Usually caused by a failed check valve inside the manifold.


The gen 1 Chevy Volt, which does not have a turbo, has the same valve cover, but I have not heard of any failures on the Volt.

If the check valve inside the manifold on the Cruze fails, does it allow the crankcase to get pressurized when the intake manifold pressure is in boost?

If so that could contribute to:

Quote:

Front Crank Seal failure and Lower Oil Pan leakage.


I ran across a mod for the Cruze which uses an external check valve. The internal check valve in the manifold is plugged, and the external check valve is plumbed between the throttle body and the intake manifold.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
That's the coolant outlet/water neck.

Buy a new overflow hose and outlet. I usually keep 3 of each in stock. People who just buy one always come back for the other. The new outlet comes with seal, bolts, and sensor. It's not that expensive, but I can't remember the current price off the top of my head. The whole job should be less than $100 in parts and coolant though.


I don't see any of those parts at Rockauto. You said coolant? I thought it looks like an oil line, I seen oil or some dark fluid come out of it when I messed with it.


Yes, that part is a coolant outlet. They don't sell the plastic fitting the hose connects to by itself, even though you can remove it from the outlet. The current GM part # for the outlet is 25193922 and list is $44.11. It has changed numbers a bunch of times.

It is listed on Rock Auto under "Thermostat Housing/Water Outlet"...
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6755172&cc=1501801&jsn=438

The outlet doesn't house the thermostat, that's on the other side of the engine on the water pump, it's just listed in the same section of the catalog.

For whatever reason Rock Auto doesn't list the hose, but the part number on it is 13251447. GM list is $19.94.

Pretty much any Chevy dealer should have both in stock.
 
You can try, just be prepared to replace both. A lot of times the nipple on the hose breaks off inside of the fitting that is part of the outlet. You may or may not be able to dig it out.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
That's the coolant outlet/water neck.

Buy a new overflow hose and outlet. I usually keep 3 of each in stock. People who just buy one always come back for the other. The new outlet comes with seal, bolts, and sensor. It's not that expensive, but I can't remember the current price off the top of my head. The whole job should be less than $100 in parts and coolant though.


I don't see any of those parts at Rockauto. You said coolant? I thought it looks like an oil line, I seen oil or some dark fluid come out of it when I messed with it.


Yes, that part is a coolant outlet. They don't sell the plastic fitting the hose connects to by itself, even though you can remove it from the outlet. The current GM part # for the outlet is 25193922 and list is $44.11. It has changed numbers a bunch of times.

It is listed on Rock Auto under "Thermostat Housing/Water Outlet"...
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6755172&cc=1501801&jsn=438

The outlet doesn't house the thermostat, that's on the other side of the engine on the water pump, it's just listed in the same section of the catalog.

For whatever reason Rock Auto doesn't list the hose, but the part number on it is 13251447. GM list is $19.94.

Pretty much any Chevy dealer should have both in stock.

Got one off eBay and plan to change at 100k here shortly just as PM …
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
You can try, just be prepared to replace both. A lot of times the nipple on the hose breaks off inside of the fitting that is part of the outlet. You may or may not be able to dig it out.


That housing looks like it's got a lot to it,do you know if it's a big job?
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
No I didn't do enough research before I bought it, I just saw that they needed transmission service regularly as well as good motor oil. Do you have any tips?


Yes, the automatics don't respond well to poor fluid, which gets that way fairly quick. (30K?) Part of the Cruze's bad reputation and "teething problems" was due to the OLM on the '11 and '12's being calibrated for 10K intervals on syn blend Dexos1 oil which just isn't adequate for a turbocharged engine of that power density. Mine's a '13 so it has the updated OLM calibration, turbo oil feed line, etc., but I got it new and changed the oil at 2K, 6K, and every 5K afterward (mostly on Synpower 5w30, but a little Mobil1 and Schaeffer's) and have had none of the failures the cars are known for. Original battery, water pump, PCV valve, turbo, clutch, etc. Air filters every 40K, plugs every 60K, Seafoam in the tank every 10K, tire rotations every 7,500. If you're doing pure highway driving 7,500 OCI's shouldn't be a problem on a name brand synthetic, but mine has rarely seen a full interval of highway driving so I just keep it @ 5K to keep the numbers round. Also, some people report the 1.4T running best on premium fuel; in mine I can't tell the difference between premium and 89, but the consensus is they run like dukie on regular.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
You can try, just be prepared to replace both. A lot of times the nipple on the hose breaks off inside of the fitting that is part of the outlet. You may or may not be able to dig it out.


That housing looks like it's got a lot to it,do you know if it's a big job?


I got mine (plus the hose to the reservoir) off Amazon and it took about an hour and 1/2 gallon of (Dexcool) antifreeze. The plastic just gets soft and it cracks>seeps - it's not a real hard job, just don't tear into it and the hoses/wiring harnesses around it like a coyote after a varmint gone underground. After you're finished, refill with 50/50 antifreeze and distilled water then let the engine sit and idle with the cap off until warm, topping off as needed. Then put the cap on and drive it, making sure the temp doesn't come up higher than normal. I've heard plenty of stories of people doing cooling system work on these, then getting a bubble in the system that causes them to overheat.
 





FWIW I don't remember actually draining the cooling system - I think I just cracked the outlet loose and let it drain as far down as it needed to, then proceeded with disassembly.
 
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