Chevy Trax 1.4 Turbo low oil...

[mkskud]

my 2014 Trax 1.4T, has an issue with the turbo... pending fault code is "turbo under-boost"... i noticed i had no passing power the other day on the highway, so it's going in for that... i also peeked around the engine bay and smelled some burning oil, checked the oil, the dipstick was dry

[censored]... so i ended up adding just over 1 litre, maybe 1.25 litres tops, to bring the dipstick back up to the full mark... it's a 4.0 litre capacity engine.

i get under the vehicle to take a look, and i can see there is definitely an oil leak near and around the turbo, but can't tell exactly where... it's a big mess, likely from my recent ride down the highway when i noticed the lack of passing power problem... i haven't seen any oil on the ground under the vehicle.

this morning i checked the oil again, it's fine, despite the leak... i drove pretty gingerly this morning and halfway to work, i stopped and checked again, still fine. i'm going to go check again right way... So there is obviously a problem with the turbo and an oil leak, but what the consensus of being just over a litre down on oil, for who knows how long, due to the leak? i had no idiot lights or anything, and myself, i think it's "ok" but wanted to see what the consensus was from the fine folks here...

 

[StevieC]

A litre low although not ideal will not do any long term damage especially in today's larger sumps. I've seen cars 2-3 litres low on older lower capacity sumps.
At 1 litre you are just at the end of the dipstick where you have just crossed out of the "safe margin" zone they give you for regular consumption. It doesn't mean the engine was starving for oil as soon as you ended up here.

My aunt would regularly drive her van until the lifters made noise telling her they weren't getting enough oil at which point she would add 2-3 litres of oil the van lived a long life of 300K KM (180K miles) before she retired it.

 

[WyrTwister]

Please update this thread when you find out about the turbo & leak .

Best of luck to you ,

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted by mkskud
my 2014 Trax 1.4T, has an issue with the turbo... .....So there is obviously a problem with the turbo and an oil leak, but what the consensus of being just over a litre down on oil, for who knows how long, due to the leak? ..
The oil pickup sits very low in the sump. Means it can scoop up oil with about 1/3 of the sump filled. You're fine. The turbo itself is water-cooled, not relying completely on oil cooling here.
I've got a latter cousin of your engine ('18 Equinox 1.5T) and I hope the oil seal doesn't rupture as yours probably has.
---- Maybe its not too expensive to replace the plumbing up there since it sits on top for easy access. I do hate GM's short warranties compared to Kia, Hyundai, and the 6-year VW one these days.

 

[mkskud]

Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Originally Posted by mkskud
my 2014 Trax 1.4T, has an issue with the turbo... .....So there is obviously a problem with the turbo and an oil leak, but what the consensus of being just over a litre down on oil, for who knows how long, due to the leak? ..
The oil pickup sits very low in the sump. Means it can scoop up oil with about 1/3 of the sump filled. You're fine. The turbo itself is water-cooled, not relying completely on oil cooling here.
I've got a latter cousin of your engine ('18 Equinox 1.5T) and I hope the oil seal doesn't rupture as yours probably has.
---- Maybe its not too expensive to replace the plumbing up there since it sits on top for easy access. I do hate GM's short warranties compared to Kia, Hyundai, and the 6-year VW one these days.


Thanks for the detailed info! I have extended warranty, so we'll see what the deal is when I take it in...

 

[The Critic]

Turbo failures are not uncommon on the 1.4T. Most likely, you need a new turbo assembly (exhaust manifold is built into it) and the oil lines going to the turbo.

 

[gregk24]

About a year ago I saw a Chevy Cruze equipped with the 1.4 sitting on the side of the road pluming smoke, I assume the turbo seal failed.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted by The Critic
____________failures are not uncommon on the 1.4T with Chevrolet. Most likely, you need a new turbo assembly oil specification to fix the problem (exhaust manifold is built into it) and the oil lines going to the turbo.


Introducing Dexos1 Gen3 with more Turbo Seal protection. Get your license fees ready!

There fixed it for you...

J/K

 

[mkskud]

Originally Posted by WyrTwister
Please update this thread when you find out about the turbo & leak .

Best of luck to you ,



Ok, few things were going on. The leaking oil was coming from the internal oil cooler assembly, which also contains the filter unit. they replaced that whole unit, the lines/pipes were replaced with new updated better sealed turbo oil lines, gaskets and seals etc. the turbo was fine, but the underboost code was due to a known issue with the intercooler and pcv icing up from cold weather. they replaced it with a new updated charge air cooler, as well as an update pvc intake air heater assembly. the turbo charger itself was fine, no issues there. lastly, i noticed i was low on coolant, they investigated and found a small leak at the waterpump, so a new updated pump kit was installed. fresh oil change, new dexcool filled and bled, and i picked up my chevy and was on my way

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by StevieC
A litre low although not ideal will not do any long term damage especially in today's larger sumps. I've seen cars 2-3 litres low on older lower capacity sumps.
At 1 litre you are just at the end of the dipstick where you have just crossed out of the "safe margin" zone they give you for regular consumption. It doesn't mean the engine was starving for oil as soon as you ended up here.

My aunt would regularly drive her van until the lifters made noise telling her they weren't getting enough oil at which point she would add 2-3 litres of oil the van lived a long life of 300K KM (180K miles) before she retired it.
No oil on the dipstick would make me so anxious, especially on a 4qt sump. Last year, my Dad ran his 04 Sierra 5.3 low enough on oil that it knocked, and then drove it to Florida and back to Toronto a month later

. The trans lines leaked earlier this year and he was not so lucky that time and smoked the trans.

 

[StevieC]

It bother me as well when I see conditions like that but I shouldn't because of the oil changes I did on customer cars at my dad's shop and friends/family I've seen some scary readings on the dipstick before the oil change. (Procedure to pull the dipstick before touching anything so a customer doesn't come back and blame you for engine damage). Anyway... Regularly we would see barely anything on the dipstick or none at all and we would advise the customer to monitor for consumption but they never did. Now I know why idiot lights exist.

 

[WyrTwister]

Idiot lites exist because the world is , unfortunate , full of idiots . :-(

Mot to say , we have all messed up at one time or other . When , when you keep making the same mistake ........

Glad the OP got it sorted out .

 

[benjy]

thank god for extended $$$$ warranties! be sure to trade before warranty runs out!!!

 

[wemay]

Misdiagnosis of Returned Turbochargers – TechLink

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