# Rough Idle/Surging & Hard start after fill-up



## cruze1234 (Mar 13, 2017)

Needing some help on this one. 2015 Cruze, 45K miles 1.4L, auto, bone stock. The first symptoms were the car would start idling rough, surging when stopped, and noticed the RPM's would dip lower than normal. Seemed to be worse when engine was cold. No CEL at this point. The problem gradually got more consistent over the next couple weeks, and finally threw a P0171 code. Cleaned the mass airflow sensor as the "cheap/unlikely" solution, but no difference was made. Cleared the code, and it has not come back on since, but symptoms remain. To top it off, the last two fill-ups were followed by extremely hard starts. Long crank, spit/sputter, die, repeat several times before it would finally level off. Once it's on the road, there are zero issues. Do I have a combo of issues going on, or is there something common that will cause all of this? PCV & vapor solenoid, or?? I hate to start just throwing parts at it, or spending major money at the dealership. Any advice/help is greatly appreciated.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Sounds like a PCV valve ruptured. That's a weak point in the first Gen Cruze. It's part of the valve cover and it's covered by powertrain warranty, so I'd suggest taking it to the dealer.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

cruze1234 said:


> Needing some help on this one. 2015 Cruze, 45K miles 1.4L, auto, bone stock. The first symptoms were the car would start idling rough, surging when stopped, and noticed the RPM's would dip lower than normal. Seemed to be worse when engine was cold. No CEL at this point. The problem gradually got more consistent over the next couple weeks, and finally threw a P0171 code. Cleaned the mass airflow sensor as the "cheap/unlikely" solution, but no difference was made. Cleared the code, and it has not come back on since, but symptoms remain. To top it off, the last two fill-ups were followed by extremely hard starts. Long crank, spit/sputter, die, repeat several times before it would finally level off. Once it's on the road, there are zero issues. Do I have a combo of issues going on, or is there something common that will cause all of this? PCV & vapor solenoid, or?? I hate to start just throwing parts at it, or spending major money at the dealership. Any advice/help is greatly appreciated.


Hey cruze1234, 

I’d be glad to help connect you with your local certified Chevrolet dealership to have them diagnose your vehicle and provide you with a recommended resolution. If this is of interest to you, please send us a private message with your full contact information, VIN, current mileage, and the name of your preferred Chevrolet dealership. Feel free to include in your message any message you may have. I’m always glad to assist. 
To learn more about GM's privacy policy, please visit Privacy Statement | GM.com

Best, 
Cecil J. 
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## StormShepherd (Jan 29, 2017)

cruze1234 said:


> Needing some help on this one. 2015 Cruze, 45K miles 1.4L, auto, bone stock. The first symptoms were the car would start idling rough, surging when stopped, and noticed the RPM's would dip lower than normal. Seemed to be worse when engine was cold. No CEL at this point. The problem gradually got more consistent over the next couple weeks, and finally threw a P0171 code. Cleaned the mass airflow sensor as the "cheap/unlikely" solution, but no difference was made. Cleared the code, and it has not come back on since, but symptoms remain. To top it off, the last two fill-ups were followed by extremely hard starts. Long crank, spit/sputter, die, repeat several times before it would finally level off. Once it's on the road, there are zero issues. Do I have a combo of issues going on, or is there something common that will cause all of this? PCV & vapor solenoid, or?? I hate to start just throwing parts at it, or spending major money at the dealership. Any advice/help is greatly appreciated.


Open your hood, and pull up the plastic cover that covers the ignition coil pack. It's held on by 4 plastic clips that just release when pulled on. Listen for a hiss from the disc on the right, top side of the camshaft cover, and put your thumb over the vent. If you feel pressure there, like it's pissing air out, you have the torn burst disc, and need a camshaft cover. Make sure your dealership pulls up the corrugated line that runs from the turbo to the intake manifold, and checks for a missing one-way valve. If they argue, tell them there's a PIP on it.


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## santiagoe7 (11 mo ago)

cruze1234 said:


> Needing some help on this one. 2015 Cruze, 45K miles 1.4L, auto, bone stock. The first symptoms were the car would start idling rough, surging when stopped, and noticed the RPM's would dip lower than normal. Seemed to be worse when engine was cold. No CEL at this point. The problem gradually got more consistent over the next couple weeks, and finally threw a P0171 code. Cleaned the mass airflow sensor as the "cheap/unlikely" solution, but no difference was made. Cleared the code, and it has not come back on since, but symptoms remain. To top it off, the last two fill-ups were followed by extremely hard starts. Long crank, spit/sputter, die, repeat several times before it would finally level off. Once it's on the road, there are zero issues. Do I have a combo of issues going on, or is there something common that will cause all of this? PCV & vapor solenoid, or?? I hate to start just throwing parts at it, or spending major money at the dealership. Any advice/help is greatly appreciated.





cruze1234 said:


> Needing some help on this one. 2015 Cruze, 45K miles 1.4L, auto, bone stock. The first symptoms were the car would start idling rough, surging when stopped, and noticed the RPM's would dip lower than normal. Seemed to be worse when engine was cold. No CEL at this point. The problem gradually got more consistent over the next couple weeks, and finally threw a P0171 code. Cleaned the mass airflow sensor as the "cheap/unlikely" solution, but no difference was made. Cleared the code, and it has not come back on since, but symptoms remain. To top it off, the last two fill-ups were followed by extremely hard starts. Long crank, spit/sputter, die, repeat several times before it would finally level off. Once it's on the road, there are zero issues. Do I have a combo of issues going on, or is there something common that will cause all of this? PCV & vapor solenoid, or?? I hate to start just throwing parts at it, or spending major money at the dealership. Any advice/help is greatly appreciated.




Did you ever find out the issue? i see this is from 2017 and I have the same issue!


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