# Sticky  Gen 2 Used Oil Analysis



## Farmerboy (Sep 2, 2012)

Didn’t find a thread dedicated to Gen 2 Uoa so here goes. 
I am way out of warranty so that is no concern of mine. Also southern climate so few low temps. I consider Amsoil 10W30 the best option for my driving conditions.


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## Taxman (Aug 10, 2017)

I take it fuel dilution is an extra cost option?
It'd be interesting to see how much gas gets in the oil after 15kmi.


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## Farmerboy (Sep 2, 2012)

Yes this was a value kit. Mostly for tbn and wear. Full kit has all the rest.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Taxman said:


> I take it fuel dilution is an extra cost option?
> It'd be interesting to see how much gas gets in the oil after 15kmi.


I'll be running soon ~ 10K.

But here's the Dexos-1 oil ~5500 mi.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Here's a ~9200 mile run of Amsoil SS 5W-30.

6000 miles of this was spent on the highway in a 2 week timeframe; most of the rest was short trip in town driving with a few other longer highway trips thrown in here and there.


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## CRUZE-66 (May 4, 2019)

Here's my first UOA and the timeline on this oil is November to early April. My '17 had about 2,100 miles at the November oil change and about 4,200 when I sampled it. I specifically sampled at the end of the cold season to see where I was on fuel dilution. This oil is still in the car. As I have noted in a previous thread it has a AC UPF64R oil filter


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## Taxman (Aug 10, 2017)

First analysis on my 2016. M1 0W20 EP, M1-113A filter. 5k on oil, 20k on car. December-September on this oil.
Was not expecting "estimated" on fuel, nor was I expecting 30ppm on silicon (but I see it matches JBlackburn's 17k sample).
Checked factory installed air filter, looked more like 10k than 20k, no damage and correctly installed. Wondering if I contaminated the sample. Will sample again in 5k after very carefully cleaning the outside of the oil pan.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Taxman said:


> First analysis on my 2016. M1 0W20 EP, M1-113A filter.
> Was not expecting "estimated" on fuel, nor was I expecting 30ppm on silicon (but I see it matches JBlackburn's 17k sample).
> Checked factory installed air filter, looked more like 10k than 20k, no damage and correctly installed. Wondering if I contaminated the sample. Will sample again in 5k after very carefully cleaning the outside of the oil pan.
> 
> ...


Interesting; silicon was flagged on one of mine too. I'd busted the intercooler at the time though.


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

Don't most engine gaskets and sealants contain silicon now?


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## Taxman (Aug 10, 2017)

TDCruze said:


> Don't most engine gaskets and sealants contain silicon now?


Yes, it might still be from that at 20,000 miles.
I took comfort in JB's 17kmi silicon being identical until he said he had a busted FMIC. 
Maybe it's time to pull the bumper off and carefully inspect the plumbing.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Taxman said:


> Yes, it might still be from that at 20,000 miles.
> I took comfort in JB's 17kmi silicon being identical until he said he had a busted FMIC.
> Maybe it's time to pull the bumper off and carefully inspect the plumbing.


It may NOT have contributed anything, but that was my initial thought. The thought of gaskets/sealants hadn't even occurred to me. I'd hit a raccoon and limped it 100 miles back home with a boost leak.


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## Taxman (Aug 10, 2017)

When I first saw the silicon I was worried about Nikasil/Alusil in the cylinders, but that would have caused high aluminum too. It looks like several of us have medium/high silicon, but not all of us.
Does @XtremeRevolution care to comment on our results?
Many of us have significant iron, is that because of the timing chain? 
Where is wearable iron in the LE2, piston rings, timing drive, valve train?


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

Taxman said:


> Many of us have significant iron, is that because of the timing chain?
> Where is wearable iron in the LE2, piston rings, timing drive, valve train?


Each engine model will have its own common OA "normal" numbers. I am not sure what is normal on the LE2. 

Sources of iron are possibly: Piston rings and cylinder bores, timing chain/gears, camshaft lobes, rockers and valve stems. Crankshaft, main and rod journals, oil pump, turbo. Most likely wear location is the cylinder bores. 

I would not be worried about it at all right now. It is still under warranty. Keep monitoring it and see how it progresses.


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## Taxman (Aug 10, 2017)

TDCruze said:


> Sources of iron are possibly: Piston rings and cylinder bores, timing chain/gears, camshaft lobes, rockers and valve stems. Crankshaft, main and rod journals, oil pump, turbo. Most likely wear location is the cylinder bores.


I thought the LE2 was an unlined aluminum block with some kind of silicon/aluminum oxide surface treatment. 
And the crank journals, probably the cam journals, are hard coated to prevent startup wear with the start-stop technology.


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

Taxman said:


> I thought the LE2 was an unlined aluminum block with some kind of silicon/aluminum oxide surface treatment.
> And the crank journals, probably the cam journals, are hard coated to prevent startup wear with the start-stop technology.


https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm...ovation/powertrain/0624-cruze-powertrain.html

According to this GM information the cylinder bores are iron.

"For structural stiffness, the block has cast-in-place iron cylinder liners. The bedplate bulkheads also contain cast-in, nodular iron inserts for localized structural stiffness. A die-cast aluminum oil pan contributes additional structural strength."


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## CRUZE-66 (May 4, 2019)

Here's the after-the-summer test on the last UOA from April. Both samples are the same oil but I did drain out about a quart over the 5200 mile interval just so I could use what remained of the 5 quart jug of Mobil 1 0w-20AP.
I changed it on Nov. 6th, so there really wasn't too much cold weather on this final sampling. Overall, for the way I drive, etc., it doesn't look like summer or winter really matter. One thing I was really looking for is if the oil smelled gassy. It didn't even a little and looking at the viscosity, if there's any fuel dilution, it's not much at all.
The biggest change is iron and that trended up with miles like they say it does. And hopefully the silicon will trend down with future oil changes. I'm sticking with the AC UPF64R filter too.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

Taxman said:


> When I first saw the silicon I was worried about Nikasil/Alusil in the cylinders


Do these engines have Nikasil or Alusil lining in the cylinders? That seems pretty high-tech for one of GM's cheapest cars.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Barry Allen said:


> Do these engines have Nikasil or Alusil lining in the cylinders? That seems pretty high-tech for one of GM's cheapest cars.


The Gen 1 1.4T did have some kinda anti-friction coating that wore off ~40-50k. I did not see a high silicon content on analyses on that one, though. 

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere on the Gen 2 powertrain documentation, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have it.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

jblackburn said:


> I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere on the Gen 2 powertrain documentation, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have it.


I drive a diesel and that engine comes with cast iron cylinder liners. I was under the impression that the gasoline engines had the same thing. GM uses a precision casting technique where I believe the liners are in the engine block cores as they are cast with aluminium, and then maybe after that the iron liners are bored and honed.

Maybe Nikasil or Alusil is great, but I previously owned Subarus with the EJ engine. Those engines last FOREVER with their cast iron cylinder liners.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Barry Allen said:


> I drive a diesel and that engine comes with cast iron cylinder liners. I was under the impression that the gasoline engines had the same thing. GM uses a precision casting technique where I believe the liners are in the engine block cores as they are cast with aluminium, and then maybe after that the iron liners are bored and honed.
> 
> Maybe Nikasil or Alusil is great, but I previously owned Subarus with the EJ engine. Those engines last FOREVER with their cast iron cylinder liners.


Yeah, looks like cast iron inserts on the LE2. The Gen 1 was iron block.









2016 Chevrolet Cruze Features New Ecotec Engines


The 2016 Chevrolet Cruze in North America is offered with a new Ecotec 1.4L turbocharged engine that features direct injection to help offer an EPA-estimated 42 mpg on the highway with an available six-speed automatic transmission. Standard stop/start technology contributes to efficiency in...




media.gm.com





I'll keep my Subaru comments in check, but I wouldn't say the EJ25 is known for reliability.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

jblackburn said:


> I'll keep my Subaru comments in check, but I wouldn't say the EJ25 is known for reliability.


My family had three Subaru Legacy sedans with the EJ22 engine, including a rare wagon with the EJ22T. All of them made it past 300,000 miles with no engine troubles other than a couple fuel injectors replaced over the years.


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## nathanroe72 (Nov 25, 2016)

Just turned over 60k miles on the car. Figured it was time to get an oil sample to see how well the engine has been faring. The engine has been hooked on the sauce (Amsoil Signature Series 5w30) for about 30k miles now. This sample was taken with 9300 miles on the oil. I got to say, I'm impressed with this little four-banger. It has held up really well even with a BNR tune and mods, unlike the old Cobalt I had. The most impressive part? The engine hasn't used a single drop of oil. Can't say the same about any other GM powerplant I've ever owned.


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## 93bandit (Mar 2, 2020)

nathanroe72 said:


> Just turned over 60k miles on the car. Figured it was time to get an oil sample to see how well the engine has been faring. The engine has been hooked on the sauce (Amsoil Signature Series 5w30) for about 30k miles now. This sample was taken with 9300 miles on the oil. I got to say, I'm impressed with this little four-banger. It has held up really well even with a BNR tune and mods, unlike the old Cobalt I had. The most impressive part? The engine hasn't used a single drop of oil. Can't say the same about any other GM powerplant I've ever owned.
> 
> View attachment 288368


The score at the top says 2 abnormal. Is that how it's shown since you started taking samples?

How do I get a sample done on mine? Do you have a link to where I can get the supplies needed to send a sample in? What does a sample like this cost? I'm 100 miles away from 50k and would like to see how my LE2 has been doing.


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## Thebigzeus (Dec 2, 2018)

93bandit said:


> The score at the top says 2 abnormal. Is that how it's shown since you started taking samples?
> 
> How do I get a sample done on mine? Do you have a link to where I can get the supplies needed to send a sample in? What does a sample like this cost? I'm 100 miles away from 50k and would like to see how my LE2 has been doing.


I get mine from here and enjoy the results, but there may be other more recommended places. Free Test Kits | Blackstone Laboratories


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## nathanroe72 (Nov 25, 2016)

93bandit said:


> The score at the top says 2 abnormal. Is that how it's shown since you started taking samples?
> 
> How do I get a sample done on mine? Do you have a link to where I can get the supplies needed to send a sample in? What does a sample like this cost? I'm 100 miles away from 50k and would like to see how my LE2 has been doing.


Compared to all the samples in this thread, it appears to be 'normal' for this engine. Sure the numbers might a bit different for everyone, but there are too many individual factors to take into consideration (oil, grade, change interval, weather, fuel, driving habits, idle time, etc). Nothing appears to be out of whack, but there are some things to monitor as the engine gets more miles racked up. 

I got my test kit from Amsoil with the last order that I placed. $30 bucks give or a take with prepaid shipping. There are other test kits out there, I don't think you can wrong with any of them.


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