Piston slap? Cruze 1.4T

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Originally Posted By: jblackburn
Originally Posted By: CrawfishTails
IF its slap you're hearing: ..... I'm curious as to if using a 0w-40 (any at Walmart, for example) would coat the piston skirts and cylinder walls a bit better and close up the clearance just enough to avoid slap.
Decent cold-start performance in a 0w-40, and they are premium oils in that grade. Sure they say use a 0w30 or 5w30, but I've never heard of a swithing to a 0w-40 as doing anything detrimental.


I would be curious as well - but that's far enough outside the 5w30 Dexos-1 specs that I'm not sure I want to try it while I still have a powertrain warranty.


You are already using a non-dexos1 oil, so forget warranty issues. Believe me, the higher-peforming Mobil 1 0w-40 meets even more stringent specs than dexos1. In fact, dexos1 actually uses some (not all) of the same Euro ACEA specs that 0w-40 does.
 
jblackburn,

The oil you are using hasn't done any harm to your Cruze. Your are using a top shelf synthetic... and no the turbo hasn't "overheated" the oil. Most cars make some sort of noise on start up after getting some miles on the odometer. If the noise stops after the motor has warmed up then all is well. I would however recommend that you use a Dexos 5w30 while in warranty and especially during the winter.

BTW, I don't think that changing to a 5w30 would stop that noise at all.
 
Originally Posted By: Gilitar
jblackburn,

The oil you are using hasn't done any harm to your Cruze. Your are using a top shelf synthetic... and no the turbo hasn't "overheated" the oil. Most cars make some sort of noise on start up after getting some miles on the odometer. If the noise stops after the motor has warmed up then all is well. I would however recommend that you use a Dexos 5w30 while in warranty and especially during the winter.

BTW, I don't think that changing to a 5w30 would stop that noise at all.


Copy that. Yes, completely stops within a minute, maybe less. Supposed to be relatively mild the next week or two, but I will make the change and wait for it to get cold again.

Thanks.

Quote:
and no the turbo hasn't "overheated" the oil.

Yeah, I laughed at that one too.
 
Laugh again...

Early turbos failed because the ran very hot, and when the car was turned off, the oil remaining in the turbo (bearings) would cook.
The result was turbo failure...

Today's turbos solve this problem by cooling the turbo after the car is off, by circulating coolant, I believe.
 
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
Laugh again...

Early turbos failed because the ran very hot, and when the car was turned off, the oil remaining in the turbo (bearings) would cook.
The result was turbo failure...

Today's turbos solve this problem by cooling the turbo after the car is off, by circulating coolant, I believe.


Water-cooled and oil-cooled turbos are very different. As are today's synthetic oils vs the stuff back in the 80's. My last t/c'ed car has over 230K miles and 15 years on the original turbocharger and still almost no play in the shaft.

Also, the Cruze uses a thermo-siphon effect to pass coolant through the turbo after the motor is switched off, and will run the engine cooling fan to cool it down if it is shut down after a long turbo pull (I don't run my car hard and then shut it off).

I guarantee you that using a 10w30 over a 5w30 didn't coke the oil inside my turbo or turbo return line - at temperature, both are a 30-weight oil. And I guarantee you that this noise is NOT coming from the turbo.
 
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Before you shut off a turbo engine, let it idle and wait a minute or two...
 
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That sounds like the timing chain tensioner is bad....

My Dad's sounds nothing like that, just a burble after starting...
AC Delco 5w30 semi-synthetic Dexos (because the dealer is giving him free oil changes)
 
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I just bought a 2014 1.4T Cruze & have the Owner Manual right here....mine says "Do not use other viscosity grade oils such as SAE 10w30,"....etc.

Your OM have something different?
 
Originally Posted By: stevejones
I just bought a 2014 1.4T Cruze & have the Owner Manual right here....mine says "Do not use other viscosity grade oils such as SAE 10w30,"....etc.

Your OM have something different?


The call for a 5w30 just to make things simple. If a 5w30 works so would a 10w30 as long as it doesn't get too cold.
 
Originally Posted By: Gilitar
Originally Posted By: stevejones
I just bought a 2014 1.4T Cruze & have the Owner Manual right here....mine says "Do not use other viscosity grade oils such as SAE 10w30,"....etc.

Your OM have something different?


The call for a 5w30 just to make things simple.

Not simple enough, evidently....
 
It sounds like every car I have ever started when it is 17 degrees out. I don't hear piston slap, I don't hear anything wrong with it.
 
Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
Ditch that 10w30 for more reasons then one.

A good Dexos1 5w30 (Pennzoil Platinum is dead cheap at Walmart), and a Genuine filter should help quiet it down.


Yes!! This car should have nothing but Dexos 1 5w30. PP would work nicely.
 
Originally Posted By: jblackburn


Decent cold-start performance in a 0w-40, and they are premium oils in that grade...

I would be curious as well - but that's far enough outside the 5w30 Dexos-1 specs that I'm not sure I want to try it while I still have a powertrain warranty.


A typical 0w40 is closer to a 5w30 than you might think...

Mobil 1 0w40 is barely a 40 grade at operating temps, and works well in cold temps... and passes some of the most stringent manufacturere requirements out there.
 
I would be replacing timing chain, timing chain tensioner, and timing chain sprockets...
(I wonder if Spacely Sprockets is the manufacturer...)

Should be under warranty, so long as you do not mention that your using a non-Dexos oil in a non approved viscosity...
 
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
I would be replacing timing chain, timing chain tensioner, and timing chain sprockets...
(I wonder if Spacely Sprockets is the manufacturer...)

Should be under warranty, so long as you do not mention that your using a non-Dexos oil in a non approved viscosity...


...Why
confused.gif

What's your justification for randomly throwing a timing set at this engine?
Second, why would you say this, Car's still under factory Powertrain?
 
Originally Posted By: jblackburn
Copy that. Yes, completely stops within a minute, maybe less.
Yes, quite audible but if it stops so soon it's a non-issue IMO.
 
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
I would be replacing timing chain, timing chain tensioner, and timing chain sprockets...
(I wonder if Spacely Sprockets is the manufacturer...)

Should be under warranty, so long as you do not mention that your using a non-Dexos oil in a non approved viscosity...


It would be the first Cruze EVER to have timing chain problems. It's not a 2.2 Ecotec.

Guys, calm down. Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 is going in tomorrow morning.

Ran into a "neighbor" a few buildings down that has a 2011 Cruze 1.4T. Showed him the video - says "yeah, my car sounds a bit like a diesel for a few seconds on a real cold startup." 63,000 miles; he uses Mobil 1 5w30.

A bit less concerned now.
 
I can't speak to the cruze. I never noticed any odd noises from mine when I had it. It has very noisy injectors though, especially for a PFI engine.

My Focus sounds a bit like a diesel after starting, but that's because the exhaust manifold is thinner than on most older engines, and the timing is retarded quite a bit when cold to warm up the cat faster.
 
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