Rebuilding a 2014 Chevy Cruze with engine damage for cheap, maybe?

This 2014 Chevrolet Cruze LT/RS was listed with engine damage. Today we will dig into it and see how far the damage goes. Turbos and valve covers are regular maintenance on these so I know we will be going at least that far.
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#chevrolet

[@davidmcouch7453]

I cannot wait for you to get you a new shop and start doing rebuilds again!

[@dave_n8pu]

My thoughts too.

[@vehcor]

It takes time. I might have to build one at this point.

[@timothykraus7654]

I would love to see your own shop ! Even if its smaller and make more videos !

[@pauledmundson8132]

@@vehcor I'd love to watch a video of a shop build. (Just sayin'.)

[@johnhufnagel]

@@vehcor I smell a video series if you do.

[@shawnbarr8572]

WuHan war whistle is now my new phrase for turbos! 😂

[@garycurry4600]

Right? 😂 I recently had bypass surgery, so it hurts when Scott mades comments like that unexpectedly! Fortunately, I have my chest pillow now at the ready 😂😂😂

[@jimwiskus8862]

Agreed! Old Scott’s got the good ones for sure. 😊

[@paulsullivan6392]

Yes indeed...I am still chuckling over the Wuhan War Whistle moniker. Good one Scott....good one.

[@64CadDeville]

lololol

[@Onewheelordeal]

Only refers to the cheap China internet ones, a Garrett/Precision is no Wuhan War Whistler

[@Onewheelordeal]

Funny I was literally typing this comment that a $300 China turbo might be an upgrade from whatever China turbo GM used right as you said it

[@rosieclark3661]

Bought one off Facebook marketplace $500 bucks young girl gave up on it after chunking parts at it lol 😂

[@rosieclark3661]

Bought my turbo for my $500 dollar 2014 off eBay made in China great quality and it’s working no problems and a $45 starter that cranks the engine way better than the one I bought from autozone which I took back lol 😂

[@johnperez93640]

Its like GM started making cars like those machines u put a quarter in and turn the handle and a bubble with a toy drops down and once that toy breaks its game over, throw it away. Like a one time use car. But what really stumps me, is every once in a while, like 1 in 40, wont have any problems at all. Everything still factory parts on it, no warning lights on the dash, drives great, over 200k miles, and never had an oil leak, and it just amazes me.

[@GusMahn]

That car is clean as heck under the hood. Plenty of things go wrong with the Chevy Cruze, but they are cheap to DIY repair and actually drive pretty nice.

[@MrTonyman4575]

I'm glad to hear. Cuz I just bought my wife one lol

[@Onewheelordeal]

​@@MrTonyman4575You def be taking advantage of it being cheap and easy to fix cuz you'll be fixing it constantly. You'll be intimately familiar with all of the engine plastics if you keep it around for more than 30-40k miles. It'll get your wife around town for cheap but they are def budget cars. The bit about riding well is ridiculous though unless your wife has literally never driven anything besides econo-boxes to compare it to.

[@brianp6965]

@@Onewheelordeal My 2014 Cruze Diesel has 205k on it; I bought it new in '14. A couple of Diesel emissions issues but nothing else has failed on that car. I've spent less than $1000 in 10 years on repairs. It rides nice, zero squeaks or rattles, no electrical issues. Average 42mpg. Must have been built on a Wednesday.

[@E_Legal_Alien]

⁠what year?

[@MrTonyman4575]

@@E_Legal_Alien 2014

[@garycurry4600]

Oh how I’ve missed the scream!! 😂

[@burtbacarach5034]

SCOTT'S BACK! Man I've always kinda liked these cars,and this one is CLEAN.Someone got a great deal.Good to see you back,it's been a minute.

[@johnperez93640]

Ahhh the chevy cruze. Ive made soo much money fixing the same problems. I even buy the parts in bulk. Soo easy to work on, even blindfolded.

[@rosieclark3661]

Yes they are very easy to work on bought my white 2014 LT from Facebook marketplace for $500 bucks the young lady gave up on it she let it sit in the garage for a year and half before I bought it she just wanted it gone I got all my parts from eBay and it’s back in top condition again

[@johnperez93640]

@@rosieclark3661 $500 was a great deal. Especially if ur able to repair everything urself without needing to pay labor to anyone. Its a great car once all the flaws are fixed and or modifications are done to the engine to prevent all the usual problems that WILL eventually happen to it. Keep on wrenchin'.

[@JohnSmith-eq5el]

I had forgot how much I enjoy these videos....

[@johnmehaffey9953]

You’re a breath of fresh air on KZbin scott, I’ve missed you repairing auto’s, nice post 😊

[@edwarddickson7532]

matching mittens and valve cover! beautiful!

[@vehcor]

😂

[@StevenShaw-yv3cg]

No degrading remarks about women....

[@repro7780]

Interesting repair. I just had to have my oil supply tube on my rear turbo in my 2014 Ford Explorer Sport replaced. $130 tube, 8 hours labor @ $170/hr. Oh, and the outlet tube broke off at the oil pan, so that was another expense. Thanks, Ford!

[@vehcor]

Lately Ford and GM both suck for high cost repairs that are become routine. The cost of ownership is getting close to European cars.

[@JasonMuellermrgoodtune]

I do love that you still scream when you back things off the trailer! Thank you for that! :)

[@MrRandybut]

I enjoyed your video on that. I have a 2012 Cruze, bought brand new with 147,000, with its original turbo. The things I've change were the coil ( twice ) the thermostat housing and the head gasket. I love this car and I'm going to do a preventative maintenance and buy a new turbo. I change the oil when it calls for it and it probably will outlast me. thank you for the inspiration.

[@akgogo3]

You forgot to address the biggest problem with the 1.4L... the PCV system! Should definitely look into putting on a PCV fix kit or a new intake manifold, otherwise the crankcase oil seals will continue to leak oil. When the PCV valve integral to the intake manifold fails, boost pressure from the intake manifold goes straight into the crankcase, causing oil to be pushed out of every seal on the engine.

[@MazichMusic]

Same pcv problem as the 2.4L engine?

[@brianfairchild7819]

thats the factory built in rust inhibitor system

[@MRosati5000]

Thanks..

[@johnt.848]

I thought the PCV was built into the valve cover, not the intake manifold. If it is, that problem is fixed with the new red valve cover.

[@Onewheelordeal]

The ubiquity of these 100% confirms the fact that most ppl are clueless about what car is a good idea to get

[@Vex-zz7br]

These cars can be pretty reliable aside from their turbos they may or may not have and are cheap to fix. The cobalt is also decently popular and has its issues. Both are cheaper to fix and buy than their foreign counterparts.

[@No-one91910]

People just regurgitate what they hear, and car guys are the literal worst for this

[@johnt.848]

@@Vex-zz7br Turbo and PCV which is built into the rocker cover I believe.

[@technogeek1219]

I have been watching your videos for quite some time without subscribing, today after watching this video I made it official and subscribed, I love your sense of humor and all of your work. You are phenomenal at what you do. Keep up the fantastic work.

[@nimas.1415]

My father had a 2013 turbo Cruze, I actually really enjoyed driving it. The oil leaks and broken cooling fittings were real issues. He sold it, but the mechanic told him the oil cooler behind the turbo was likely leaking. Seem to be a common issue, we replaced the oil feed with the upgraded design.

[@markrichie897]

Another great video ! I love your sarcasm. Thank you Scott

[@GrnArrow092]

I never knew that aluminum valve covers were available for the Chevy Cruze. I used to have a 2014 Cruze a few years ago that started leaking oil. The valve cover was the issue. I wish I knew that the aluminum ones existed at the time. I would have ordered one and put it on just to fix that leaky valve cover and prevent it from having to be replaced again. It does remind me of the time I had to have $1700 in repairs done to my engine 3 years ago. It needed a new valve cover, a new cooling fan, a new water pump and a new vacuum hose. Thankfully, parts and labor were covered under warranty.

[@BWGPEI]

You make this old boy smile, and confirm that I really hate turbos. Happy days to you!

[@carguy4658]

So good to see @ 31:30 that the shop manager is still watching over your shoulders ... 🐶

[@jamespn]

Nice work, easy flip, a car most people can afford.

[@vehcor]

It sure is!

[@veronicaramirez2646]

We are happy to see your videos. I hope you are doing well.

[@denniscarreno5882]

Missing your videos….welcome back

[@steveoh9838]

That engine is actually a Opel german design with stout forged crank and rods along with a main bearing girdle, really beefy. The problem is all the cheap ass plastic fittings so they puke oil and water, as you discovered, as they age just like BMW's People just beat on them and there is no oil pressure. guage. Can't take the abuse like Honda's and Toyotas but when running good they drive WAY better and handle amazing for what they are. The wife has one, a 2014, and its been great so far with 180K miles. I did the valve cover and crank seal to get rid of the bird chirp 5 years ago...lol. Cheap and easy to work on for sure.

[@goclunker]

I thought its a Daewoo Engine.

[@steveoh9838]

@@goclunker A modern collaboration of world wide manufacturer's each contributing and sold world wide in different markets. The engine no, I believe Daewoo contributed chassis engineering. The 6 speed trans is GM.

[@Jeff-sp7bg]

Ive never been in a chevy that drove better than a toyota or honda. Toyota avalon,landcruiser, lexus, honda pilot, ? Youre telling me a 2014 chevy cruze has a bettee ride? Ridiculous

[@steveoh9838]

@@Jeff-sp7bg Compared to a 2014 Corrolla, Sentra, Civic, Focus etc as a direct competitor the Cruze wins hands down on ride quality and handling as well as interior refinement. During that time period the competition was plastic and felt tinny. I have driven all frequently as rental cars for years almost monthly for business. I always requested a Cruze if available and they were. Not at all biased, they just drove better. GM sold well over 500K Cruze per year for several years back then, arguably a successful little economy car.

[@ro9967]

I just love the dry (cynical) humor and professional work of this channel!

[@GadGetHackss]

The reason your old valve cover leaked is because it wasn’t an OEM part. OEM valve covers can last over 150,000 miles. However, it's important to address the PCV issue this engine is famous for, as high crankcase pressure can lead to leaks in multiple places.

[@823Labs]

Glad you’re back up and working

[@bobbyserchion]

Hi vechor it's so good to see you back in action 😂😅😊

[@larryk9966]

My middle son and I laughed our asses off at the “Wuhan War Whistle” comment. Thank you!!!

[@vehcor]

😂👍🏻

[@ronthompson3525]

Well I own 2 of these cars and thankfully they are easy to work on.

[@diablofocker1]

My favorite car to flip is a chevy cruze. They're nice, efficient, super easy to work on, very cheap to fix (unless bottom end engine) mostly reliable. But the best part is they sell so fast, within days. I wanna see more chevy cruze action haha

[@gustavodelamora3676]

I leased one for my daughter's mom years back to replace a used PT Cruiser she bought that kept giving her problems. I was surprised how nice it was, I see them all the time cheap, for "engine" problems, but maybe it's something like this. May pick one up to fix as a beater and put it on Turo. What else is an easy fix that often goes wrong on these?

[@diablofocker1]

@@gustavodelamora3676 Moooost of the time the bottom ends are no good. Do to having alot of super common oil leaks, in combination with being turbocharged and naturally burning oil, AND GM telling everyone to change their oil every 10k miles which is bull. Take all those things, you get engines having oil depravation problems, premature bearing wear and failure. Super common on these engines. Everyone i sell i tell the people to change the oil every 2500 miles, and check it every other fillup.

[@bazilwreckerloughead]

I don't mind working on Chevy Cruzes, they are quite popular cars.

[@vehcor]

I don’t mind it either when someone else is paying the bill. 😂

[@howardlaunius7484]

There has to be a super hot room in hell for engineers who design engines that require this much work to replace one part.

[@OtisFlint]

Lol, try working on German cars. This POS is gravy

[@GOLD_FEVER]

@@OtisFlint Exactly. If you think THIS is difficult... then you have prob never worked on cars before... It's a TURBO REPLACEMENT , i have to jack my motor up from its mount in order to get mine out! Try that for "difficult"

[@jordanmotorscompany9843]

Those are good looking cars. I don’t care if it’s a pos…I like them.

[@vehcor]

They certainly look better than the Cobalt they replaced!

[@cheapme1850]

@@vehcorI’ve actually had both. The Cobalt was MUCH more reliable and easy to fix, and the couple was a pretty nice looking car.

[@tonypritchard1013]

Nice to see you back

[@thadmachia9873]

Amazing I had a 2013 Chevrolet Cruz with 123,000 with a 50/50 chance of it breaking I got rid of it. Still ran like new when I got rid if it.

[@bearing_aficionado]

Happy Friday, Scott!🍻

[@vehcor]

Same to you!

[@RealAlLePage]

And so, Scott's Ecotec and Ecoboost Emporium begins....

[@vehcor]

I don’t know if I will be able to keep those engines in stock! 😂

[@WarPhotographer1974]

Very nice repair!

[@vehcor]

Thanks

[@1223manofgod]

I've had 2 2015 model brand new cruzes with no issues had over 200k on both so I've all was changed oil before time.

[@vehcor]

Usually I blame lack of maintenance but I have seen lots of failures on these from people who are good about maintaining vehicles.

[@motheolebelo]

Good job on the turbo, oil return and valve cover. Thumbs up

[@nobodyspecial6436]

Got a 13 …non turbo… bought it brand new and put 280 thousand kilometres ( Canadian here) on it with little to no trouble whatsoever… just the regular consumables… still runs like a swiss watch but unfortunately the cars here rust probably worse than they do in Illinois…

[@BrucePierson]

I saw on TV a while back where a diesel truck had blown seals in the turbo and the engine would not shut down, as the oil from the turbo was feeding it.

[@ReijoRitari]

That's what happens when engine runs on you. Manual you can still kill by putting on highest gear and dumping clutch when applying brakes. But with automatics? Nah propably nothing to do.

[@GusMahn]

It’s called a runaway

[@mackboss2189]

You have to pull the air filter and block off the air supply. only way to kill a runaway.

[@ronvan1362]

Great video Scott.

[@vehcor]

Thanks!

[@chuckgladfelter]

I love those cars. I maintained two in the family (both bought new in 2012 and 2015) and they were both excellent cars. I changed the oil every 3,000-3,500 miles and used Rotella 10W-30 truck oil. Turbos need maintenance.

[@cal4625]

Gloves and a torque wrench? What's next? Maybe a rainbow T shirt?

[@rotaryperfection]

Thermostat mod is an absolute MUST on these 1.4 engines. Really relieves the stress of the coolant system and head gasket since the factory stat doesn't open till 230degrees. That temp and pressure blows up the radiator and coolant reservoir over time.

[@marcravey4621]

SMA in New York State had the same 14 Cruze to fix a Turbo. Both of you did the same kind work. Saving an engine is always better than buying a new one.

[@josephking6515]

Why do they make critical pieces of plastic and then put them next to the, oh I don't know..... *far king hot* spinny exhaust gas thing? *Thank you* for the video Scott. 👍👍 I really hope things are going well for you and the pizza girl.

[@vehcor]

So they prematurely fail, duh! 😂 You can’t sell customers new cars if the old ones are still running!

[@abdul-kabiralegbe5660]

Pizza girl?

[@weefatbobicus]

Ahhhhh Natural order resumed. Woke up to the video this morning...Saturday saved!

[@BrucePierson]

It's not engine damage. The last owner was a spy and forgot to turn off the smoke screen before parting with the car, or did he part company with us all together?

[@vehcor]

Looks like they capped 007’s expense account. No more Astons, Cruzes from here on out. 😂

[@SPD_driver]

​@vehcor isn't it the car from Dpuhunter? Beware of the red weapons van....

[@ericbarnett6771]

I bought the silver valve cover before watching this video. Man, do I feel duped.

[@vehcor]

😂

[@alextipple8650]

thanks Scott also for the e manual tip .. I got one for my 2003 Bravada :)

[@vehcor]

Glad it helped

[@jameslovitt994]

My little brother loves these damn things, especially the diesel ones.

[@burtbacarach5034]

Our Pastor ahs a diesel Cruze,can't keep the diesel particulate system working.Looks like he's gonna junk it.

[@richmann3095]

Scott, Glad to see you back for a repair... hopefully you can get back to body repairs soon too.. i know you had mentioned in another video, any collaborations in the pipeline??

[@OldManBadly]

Given the equipment level on the car, it was certainly worth a try to get it back on the road. Thankfully nothing so major. Good repair and I am sure a nice profit.

[@eaglebrink]

It's even more luxurious in the back, as the spare is laying in a blanket!!😮😮

[@TheMessiah91]

Just got done with updating timing belt pulleys and updating complete coolant system to new hose, gasket components and valve cover gasket.

[@andrewbetschman3175]

@vehcor I hope you are doing well.

[@vehcor]

Thanks, you too! 🥇

[@David-yh5po]

The junkyard is in need of junk like that.

[@rcartekmecanica]

Amazing restoration

[@muskokamike127]

30:51 put the valve cover cover on. Now you've done it! Some engineer is going to design an engine with a valve cover cover cover.

[@vehcor]

Valve coverception!

[@fooledman]

Take 5 takes a lot of pride in that they are so fast; the oil is changed before the car is finished going into the shop.

[@bdlii]

I like them. Good looking and harken back to LTZ days of Berrettas in the 80s. We got. 2013 for my 18 y/o daughter a few years ago and it’s has its issues but she really likes it. We found a well cared for LTZ RS for $8750 3 years ago 91k miles. That was a fun video.

[@muskokamike127]

28:55 that engine looks surprisingly easy to work on.

[@vehcor]

Extra room is a benefit of installing a lawnmower engine in a car. 😂

[@ajfurnari2448]

Can't say I miss the Extended Life Coolant Baptisms

[@GusMahn]

There’s no extended coolant life on a Cruze. They leak coolant so often from 3-5 different failures, that the coolant gets changed every 2-3 years.

[@braxtonnelson5375]

I realized how much I've missed your channel (along with your wit) when this video popped up on my feed. It's like an old friend dropped by for a visit... and you know how annoying that can be. All kidding aside (well, most of the kidding anyway), I'm glad to see you again, and I hope everything is going according to plan for you. Maybe you could post a short "update" video once in a while so we don't forget our favorite body guy. Or you, whichever comes first.

[@gregholmes3661]

That’s quite a job to change that turbo. I’m thinking that when and if mine goes in my wife’s Civic I’m going to go find a deer to hit

[@Hellcat71782]

Just park in Chicago

[@ILOVEBACONBOY2018]

Love the videos man!

[@garysimonson9593]

good to see you wrenching again, Scott!

[@KB-cu1kj]

Nice quick video. 60 thousand pound feet of torque. LOL. Jiffy Lube will soon sponsor you 😂

[@joepeanut6827]

I'm surprised you didn't take the dealers name of the deck lid. ( ARNIE BAUER ) Enjoyed the video, Scott.

[@vehcor]

Detailing gnome must be getting kickbacks from Arnie. 😂

[@joepeanut6827]

@@vehcor

[@tomswindler64]

Never fail to impress.great job,might take a while to get that oil out of the system,great video as always.just keep on doing what you do best.be safe 😎😎😎👍👍👍

[@bigjimmy2225]

Before even watching the video. The Little plastic tube on the turbo return feed melted and the turbo is soon to grenade.

[@bernielewandowski4583]

The gloves made me nervous. 😂

[@MrJawady]

I still miss that pair of gloves they got destroyed on the mustang rebuild that we need an update on it 💔

[@rogerhadley2763]

great to see you back working on cars

[@JD-lz4ct]

What if I just paint my valve cover red? Maybe 175 additional HP?

[@arnemalmkvist8553]

😂

[@vehcor]

185 if you use high temp paint! 😂

[@jimmyaber5920]

The noise from loose spark plug is a coil fart. The new valve boosts HP and reduces several foot-pints of oil leak.

[@BrucePierson]

I see you finally got a flare nut wrench, or as we call it here in Australia, a brake pipe spanner.

[@shanekauffman8649]

Missed the car work!

[@anthonycadiou8367]

YES! WELCOME BACK THE "SCREAM"😲

[@dave3156]

Multiple pairs and colors of bitch mittens and a torque wrench! Wow the only thing missing was the supervisor. Thx

[@riaanlouw1874]

Naw, the other thing we were missing, was cleaning all the oil spray off with some brakleen. (It looks like the cleaning gnome cleaned the top of the engine, but didn't get to see if the bottom was cleaned). After that, we will have Scott converted.

[@simondekoning3484]

Nice to see you back. Always fun to watch😂

[@chrisj8822]

Merch idea: work gloves that say "bitch mittens" on them.

[@johnl3230]

Always have loved how the first generation Cruz looks, too bad they are built cheaply. Had a 2008 Cobalt 2.2 that i had for 10 years and 150k miles, other than normal maintenance i spent less than $250 (front struts because the rears were fine and dry, sway bar endlinks, and valve cover gaskets in that 10 year's). Miss it honestly, but moved on to a Corolla hatchback haha.

[@crumplezone1]

Great Job Bob

[@BBDragon66]

Should last another 20k before some more "regular maintenance" is required!!

[@vehcor]

Sad but true

[@wdpayne1958]

The plastic coolant outlet can also break on this engine. It broke on my 2015 Buick Encore - no heat light or warning until head was warped - fixing that was a job, especially since there is more room under the Cruze hood than the Encore. This engine is probably OK if you maintain it and ditch the crap plastic parts.

[@grantmyers7593]

The engines on those are pretty good, most issues are turbo, water pump and that plastic coolant pipe out the back of the engine and other minor issues.

[@kenrice3154]

love the cruze fr i got a 2011 and i mean i spent a shit load of money on it just got new speakers last week its a good ass car love my cruze

[@frankm8533]

I just looked at a 2015 really clean car 138k miles my stste inspected one owner for $5,500

[@richardthomas1743]

Heck that is a really nice car , especially for a 16 year old! I have to laugh at the Afternoon crew trailer unloading scream! I miss AC I hope that she is doing good! Thanks for taking us along Scott and thumbs UP!

[@bobcoats2708]

16 years old? Wut?

[@richardthomas1743]

@@bobcoats2708 The car was bought for a 16 year old driver.

[@bobcoats2708]

@@richardthomas1743 Ah! Got it. 😂

[@stephenlyon511]

Another Great video keep the good fight against the haters

[@juliansteward2593]

Is pink coolant strawberry flavored?

[@vehcor]

No, pink lemonade. 😋

[@whteman2]

I am actually shocked you knew about the metal covers. I used to own a Cruze before. I rebuilt it from Copart, it hit a deer. Thankfully mine never had any issues. But I saw other people had issues with that plastic valve cover.

[@Shododaan]

Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Great video Scott welcome back to your forte'.

[@vehcor]

This Cruze had ‘em! 😂

[@ewanstewart8011]

Kudos on the video time 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍🏻

[@geowo6061]

Glad to see you back in the shop. Did enjoy the scammer videos, hope you keep doing them.

[@pokeman260]

Since it’s a GM, this vehicle probably only had 35k miles before it started having engine problems

[@SPIN_89]

Truth