2014 Chevy Cruze 1.4t trans advice

[64bawagon]

I recently picked up a 2014 Cruze 1.4t with 104,000 miles on it. One of the biggest reasons I bought this particular car was because the owner claimed they had changed the oil regularly and after checking the car over it appeared it was fairly well maintained. It appears the coolant had been serviced at some point and I have replaced the brake fluid and bled the system. after changing the oil I also drained the trans and replaced the 4 qts with Valvoline Maxlife. It does not appear to have a serviceable filter on the trans ? I noticed that the trans fluid was mostly a beige/brown color and lacked the red. I have heard that this is common with Dex6 ATF and I have seen it before on some Allison trans that I have serviced. Anyways, I am planning on draining the trans again in the fall and using Maxlife to refill, just making sure I am on the right track since I have zero experience with the 6 spd sideways trans.

Thanks

 

[71Chevyguy]

The trans is just drain and fill, pretty much all you can do. Maxlife is a good choice and should treat you well. Probably good to replace it once in a while till the fluid looks decent overall. Just not too quickly in case the tranny doesn't want its fluid changed. Sometimes a shock to the system with new fluid can create issues.

The issue on those was usually plastic coolant parts that break. Keep an eye on your coolant level and take a peek at the plastic parts to see if there is any evidence of leaks or traces of dried coolant. There is a tee by the belt, the thermostat housing and I believe a manifold on the driver's side of the cylinder head, all plastic, all known to crack and leak. That engine is very hard on oil and runs better on premium fuel.

 

[JohnnyG]

Has the timing belt been replaced?

 

[nascarnation]

I owned two Cruzes, the first one a 2011 had quite a bit of warranty work including coolant and transmission leaks but I loved the car and traded on a 2014 which was perfect through the warranty period. I'm not up to date on high mileage experience of the 6T40 trans, but sounds like you're doing everything you can do.

 

[nascarnation]

Has the timing belt been replaced?

The 1.4 is a chain drive cam, the 1.8 is a belt.

 

[64bawagon]

The trans is just drain and fill, pretty much all you can do. Maxlife is a good choice and should treat you well. Probably good to replace it once in a while till the fluid looks decent overall. Just not too quickly in case the tranny doesn't want its fluid changed. Sometimes a shock to the system with new fluid can create issues.

The issue on those was usually plastic coolant parts that break. Keep an eye on your coolant level and take a peek at the plastic parts to see if there is any evidence of leaks or traces of dried coolant. There is a tee by the belt, the thermostat housing and I believe a manifold on the driver's side of the cylinder head, all plastic, all known to crack and leak. That engine is very hard on oil and runs better on premium fuel.

The top cover had been replaced at the local dealer about a month before I bought it so the engine and underhood area were pretty grungy when I bought it. I cleaned it up real well so I can keep track of these sorts of things plus it feeds my OCD
It runs great on regular gas (Costco mostly) and hasnt used a drop of oil in 1200 miles since I changed it using Pennzoil platinum 5W30.
Its a little harder to get my large frame into than my 3500HD Silverado but it gets almost 3 times the MPG.

 

[4WD]

I owned two Cruzes, the first one a 2011 had quite a bit of warranty work including coolant and transmission leaks but I loved the car and traded on a 2014 which was perfect through the warranty period. I'm not up to date on high mileage experience of the 6T40 trans, but sounds like you're doing everything you can do.

Yeah, we put close to 150k on a 2013 1.4T … some planned and unplanned plastic changed … but the transmission was solid despite being driven hard. The ATF at 40k looked horrible so started doing a gallon every 20k … so easy to do anyway

 

[4WD]

I recently picked up a 2014 Cruze 1.4t with 104,000 miles on it. One of the biggest reasons I bought this particular car was because the owner claimed they had changed the oil regularly and after checking the car over it appeared it was fairly well maintained. It appears the coolant had been serviced at some point and I have replaced the brake fluid and bled the system. after changing the oil I also drained the trans and replaced the 4 qts with Valvoline Maxlife. It does not appear to have a serviceable filter on the trans ? I noticed that the trans fluid was mostly a beige/brown color and lacked the red. I have heard that this is common with Dex6 ATF and I have seen it before on some Allison trans that I have serviced. Anyways, I am planning on draining the trans again in the fall and using Maxlife to refill, just making sure I am on the right track since I have zero experience with the 6 spd sideways trans.

Thanks

Likely a 10mm flanged on oil … famous for rounding off … 11 mm NPT for Dex VI
You should use six point wrenches …

 

[daves87rs]

Seems like if the early Cruzes are cared for ( with the 1.4) they seem to do okay. My neighbor has a 15- and has only needed service stuff so far. He keeps up on everything it needs. I’ve actually considered one of these for a winter beater once the Cobalt needs to go....