# 2011 Cruze ECO engine issue



## Telcomfaust (Apr 26, 2011)

Hello

I bought my cruze new and have not had too many issues with it. RecentlyI have been having issues when the car is warmed up.

I have a 2011 ECO 1.4 with the Manual trans. I have around 124,000 milesand have had regular service done on the car.

My problem is when my car warms up, usually about after running for about 15minon the highway, I start getting a hesitation/stutter from the engine when I accelerate,no loss of power or rpms and no noticeable loss of gas mileage. When I amjust traveling with no acceleration or when the engine is cold I do not noticeany problems at all. Brought it into the dealer and there were nocodes coming up and before I started to throw money into the problem for themto try and figure it out figured I would ask on here to see if anyone else hadthis issue or could point me in a direction to start looking or fixing.

Thanks in advance


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

When was the last time the spark plugs were replaced and what where they replaced with?

The other question is what grade of fuel are you running? (Regular/Mid/Premium) And is it hotter now than usual?


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## Telcomfaust (Apr 26, 2011)

Had the plugs replaced at about 100,000 miles (not sure ofthe brand was done by the dealer), and run regular gas. The Engine temp seems to be at about the samemark on the dash gauge, or of you meant outside temp, it happens at all timesof day or night so could probably rule out atmospheric conditions


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Depending on the spark plugs your dealership put in it could still be the spark plugs, especially if the tech assumed they were gapped properly and didn't check/regap to spec.


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## Telcomfaust (Apr 26, 2011)

Will check the plugs andreplace them, that seems easy enough to do on my own. Also checked with my uncle he used to workfor GM and suggested it might be a fuel issue, and to try some k100 treatment,said that there might be some water in the system


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## Telcomfaust (Apr 26, 2011)

Telcomfaust said:


> Will check the plugs andreplace them, that seems easy enough to do on my own. Also checked with my uncle he used to workfor GM and suggested it might be a fuel issue, and to try some k100 treatment,said that there might be some water in the system


will try the treatment first run with that for a little while to see if there is any difference before I change the plugs just to rule out and doubt with doing both at the same time


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Telcomfaust said:


> Hello
> 
> I bought my cruze new and have not had too many issues with it. RecentlyI have been having issues when the car is warmed up.
> 
> ...


Hello Telcomfaust, 

We're sorry to hear about these engine concerns you're experiencing with your Cruze. I understand you're looking for advice from fellow members, however, if you take it back to the dealership for a diagnosis and would like additional assistance on our end, please let us know and we would be happy to help. 

Have a great day, 

Chelsea D.
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## Telcomfaust (Apr 26, 2011)

Chevy Customer Care said:


> Hello Telcomfaust,
> 
> We're sorry to hear about these engine concerns you're experiencing with your Cruze. I understand you're looking for advice from fellow members, however, if you take it back to the dealership for a diagnosis and would like additional assistance on our end, please let us know and we would be happy to help.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much, I generally go right to the dealer with any issues, it was in when it first happened and they could not figure out the issue, and I did not want to just start throwing money at it to try and rule issues out. 


today I added some K-100 gas treatment and did notice a little improvement but not enough. When I got home I went to check and replace the plugs, they were just barely finger tight, removed and replaced all four, 3 out of the 4 saw no issues, the one from cylinder 2 was shot. after installing the new plugs ran it for a while and all the issues were gone back to running 100%!! Drove down to my local Chevy Dealer and was able to speak with one of the older techs and explained all the issues I was having and went to show him the plugs, he said I already know what the issue was and checked my plugs out. He said he has been noticing this more and more, with this engine, the plugs are starting to back themselves out and that is causing the combustion issues. He said just keep and eye on it but shouldnt have any more issues, and if it starts again to first check the plugs. 

When I got back home I talked to my uncle (retired from GM) and he suggested that I call he son (my cousin) who is an Engineer for GM based in Upstate Ny, he checked his system and did not see any bulletins concerning my issue but he would pass it along, but also suggested that since this was not the factory set of plugs that it couldve just been human error that the plugs were loose when installed, but could not rule out pure mechanical error as well. 

for now Im back to being a happy Cruze owner


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

I've seen one user here suggest using an extra half foot-pound of torque when tightening plugs. There have been others that have found their engines "chirping" that was traced to loose plugs. I think yours may be the first with performance problems. But this engine is plug sensitive, so worn out plugs will do it.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

For new plugs that have an unused crush washer in you need to torque them to 18 ft-lbs. If they have been pulled out and put back in you need about 20 ft-lbs because the crush washer won't keep the plug in place. When they are too loose two things happen - one is plug chirping. The other is poor electrical contact with the ground, which causes a weak spark resulting in a very quickly fouled plug. It sounds to me like you had one plug that fouled because your plugs weren't installed properly. If a Chevy service advisor is saying this is common I would shy away from that dealership. It's a sign the techs there don't torque the plugs properly.


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