Part 1 of 2 - How to remove pistons and replace rings on a 1.4 Turbo (Chevy Cruze, Sonic, Encore)
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- Another Chevrolet Cruze in the shop today for the same deal - bad head gasket. After replacing the gasket, I found that it was low on compression. In today's video, I will show you how I tested the compression and discovered it was low, and what I did to fix it.
This is part 1 of a 2 part series. In the first part, I will cover disassembly - taking out the pistons and getting them on the bench.
Part 2 (which will be released on 12/10/22) will cover reassembly. I will put new rings on and completely reassemble the engine so that it is running again.
Link to Part 2: • Part 2 of 2 - Assembly...
Once I completed this project, my compression came back up to within spec, and the engine is finally running perfectly again!
The Cruze that I'm working on today is a 2013 (I think I call it a 2012 in the video), but the procedure is identical for the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. I believe the engine changed slightly for 2014 and newer. It is also the same engine that is used in the Chevy Spark and Buick Encore.
Thank you so much for watching. I really appreciate every viewer and every subscriber. If this video helped you out in any way, consider clicking the "Thanks" button!
This video is for entertainment only. You should never take apart your engine. Tinkering with your engine can cause irreversible and catastrophic damage, and will void any warranty. Only have your vehicle serviced by the dealership or licensed repair facility. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Thank you for doing these videos man, it helped me out when I was struggling.
Glad you found them helpful. Thank you for watching!
Thank you so much, bro! Your videos have helped me a lot since I got this car. I can't thank you enough 💙💙
Happy to help! Thank you for watching!
I have piston problem we change it
I still see a misfire cylinder number one
@@khernyjanvier7563 Have you replaced the coil pack? Cleaned injectors?
@@GadGetHackss i will check thanks
Keep up the good work there
Thank you! I am surprised at how many people have watched these videos, especially the head gasket one. That's a pretty big failure rate! I'm glad the videos are helping people.
Hey Great video. I’m sure I’ll need to replace piston rings in cylinder two. Do you think I can get by with just replacing this one? Or should I do all 4? Should I go ahead and replace the piston as well?
I would do all 4. Unless the piston is cracked or has damage, it can be reused. I reused the pistons in this motor and it is still running like a champ! Thanks for watching!
How do you rotate the engine with all the timing pins in place? First time doing this, gawt damn thank you for these videos.
You can pull the crank pin to spin the engine. Once the head is out of there, you can move the crank around. Just be sure to put it back in when you put the head back on. When you turn the crank, the timing chain will turn, so I did a little at a time making sure the chain didn't bind up. Glad you're finding the videos helpful! Thanks for watching!
How do you turn the crankshaft with the chain loose without messing up timing?
You'll be setting the timing during final assembly, so it doesn't matter if it's out of time right now. You'll need the timing kit to put it back together. Here's the link to the one I used in the video. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VGCR3GV
@ I was just worried about it jumping a tooth on the crank since there’s no tensioner on it
How do you get the cam gears to stay in place?
You don't. They will move around. Once you take the bolt out of the cam to remove the head, you'll have to set the timing anyway. Just be sure you have the timing kit, which uses a crank pin, a bracket, and a plate to set the timing when you're done. Check out my other video: "Part 2 of 2 - Chevy Cruze - Bad Head Gasket" where I go over how to set the timing.
I have a 2017 Cruze LT RS with the super slow turbo 1.4L which has 80k miles and I still have extended warranty. Mine has cracked pistons as per the Chevrolet dealer...at first the extended warranty company was telling me NOT TO TEAR DOWN ENGINE (Warranty expires in 200 miles) and that they will pay for a new throttle body which will fix it. They were saying if I did tear it down I would be responsible for the bill if there was nothing wrong. I called Chevy dealer back and told them to go ahead and tear it down and they did and found 2 pistons cracked and several other defects not caused by lack of maintenance. Chevy has no rebuilt engines available so a brand new factory engine is being sent and they flushed my tranny for free since they have had the car a month now. Now I understand why warranty company was telling me not to have it torn down as they are picking up the 8k+ repair bill now...lol We also have a 2017 Focus Sedan Titanium 2.0 TiVCT or whatever and although it has had a new transmission installed it is a much more reliable car and its quicker than the turbo Cruze like more than just a little quicker..lol
Oh my, that's awful! Yeah, sounds like they were trying to get away with something there. I'm so glad you caught it in time! I've never found a cracked piston in one of these engines, so something terrible must have gone inside of there! Sorry to hear it is taking them so long, but at least you're getting a brand new engine out of the deal! Thanks for watching!
I'm doing the same thing here too on Chevy Sonic 1.4 turbo engine
Sorry to hear that. These engines.... easy to work on, but they are not very reliable. Hopefully you're able to get it up and running again!
Leak down test failed. Head worked new lifters, ringsvand pistons, among other new parts. Any ideas?
Since you had the valves out, were they lapped and sealing correctly now? Cylinder set to TDC? A brand new engine can have a little leak down, as the rings haven't set yet. You can test that theory by putting a little oil down in the cylinder. If all of them are doing it by about the same, that could be it. If just one cylinder has a big leak and the others are OK, turn the engine, try again, and if it's still happening, try the oil test. If it improves, you're looking at pistons/rings. If not, you're looking at valves/head/head gasket. Hopefully that helps!
called local machine shop and machinist said he has done over 400 of these 1.4 turbo heads and the problem is the valves only have .005 thou clearance from the factory. when the wear into the seats the no longer close all the way. i am taking .020 off of all of my valve lengths (he advized .010, but i also ground the seats and lapped in the valves). not one of my valves was sealing when i removed the head and inspected it initially. they all resonated in a vibration and wore the seats to and oval shape because they wernt closing completly.
Great pointer! Definitely a good idea to have them checked while it is at the machine shop. A good machine shop will know to check those as well. Fortunately mine were OK on this engine and it was just the rings/cylinders. Thanks for the comment and for watching!
What were the symptoms? I have a Sonic with a possible coolant leak at the back end of the head (still investigating) and a huge amount of oil consumption. I've done the PCV fix kit, but the PCV system is quite dirty. So, kinda wondering if the head gasket could be the cause of both problems, or I have 2 separate issues. One could be something with that coolant housing, but I just did that, with the aluiminum one from ZZPerformance. Let me know. Thanks!
This car had a misfire, low compression, and of course, overheating from the head gasket. I did the head gasket job and found it was still misfiring and still had low compression. The misfiring was very slight - I couldn't really feel it, but the CEL kept coming on for a misfire and I think it was whining about knock as well. New rings and honing the cylinder fixed all of that. Upon closer inspection of the cylinders, I found that they were glazed over big time. Probably could have caught that during the head gasket job, but I missed it and had to do it twice! Hope that helps!
Going to try to do some investigating this weekend. I'll try to let you know! Thanks!
what's the part # for the piston rings? Thanks you the man.
Sorry, I don't have the part number for that one. I went down to my local Chevy dealer and told them what I needed. They got them for me. Actually, they had them in stock, along with everything else I needed for the job, which tells you just how common this issue is! Thanks for watching!
@@3DayWeekendhow much did you end up spending to do this piston job.
I had exactly the same issue 😔
Sorry to hear that. These engines can be trouble! Hopefully you were able to get it running again. Thank you for watching!
Hi, been watching yours videos and I’m tempted to start pulling mine apart but I’m in two minds. Either over 3k for a new reconditioned engine or have a go myself.
I have had a complete nightmare. I have a Vauxhall mokka 1.4 B14NET My turbo went and all the pcv valves went too, Changed the turbo and oil feed pipes , rocker cover, exhaust down pipe and bolts as they snapped, spark plugs, oil ect. Was running like a dream for a couple of days until I got loss of power and misfiring codes. Notice there was water coming out of a split pipe on the water coolant return pipe on the turbo. Got it recovered home and changed the pipe the next day.
The car wouldn’t start and also the engine will get stuck like it’s catching on a broken shaft then start cranking. You think if I take the shafts and pistons out and replace them where needed it could be worth it or a recondition engine?
Man, it's really hard to say. The fact that it is catching on something is very alarming. First thing I would look at is the timing chain. A broken chain would prevent it from starting, but would allow a valve to hang down and strike a piston. Easy way out is to get a reconditioned engine, but if it were mine, I would absolutely start taking it apart to see where the failure is. Once you get the head off, you should be able to see what's happening. That truly sounds like a nightmare.... Hopefully it isn't too bad. Best of luck to you!
@@3DayWeekend thanks for the reply
ended up getting a reconditioned engine and paying for someone to fit it. Hasn’t been on the road until today as the pcv vavle in the manifold has gone so I made a kit the same as Cruzekits 3.4 and made it myself. Idles fine and drives fine but seems noisier then my old engine considering this engine it’s from a newer car.
Noticed today there is an oil leak coming from the timing chain gasket 😤😫😫 it’s had a timing chain kit fitted from who supplied me the engine so it doesn’t need a new chain ect but can I change the gasket without the timing chain kit that holds everything in place just to change the gasket? As I wouldn’t be taking the chain off?
Wow 100 is great I have one outside that is 50 PSI
Oof. 50 is rough! Hopefully you're able to get that fixed. Thanks for watching!
10:38 of filler, doesn't show how the piston is removed. Wasted the time of 14,000 people.
Um.... It does show it? Remove the two rod bolts from underneath (after marking everything, of course), then push the piston up from the bottom and it comes right out. Maybe give it one more watch, start to finish.