# 2012 front engine cover oil leak



## sdjonedge (Aug 23, 2011)

Hey All, I have a 2012 Cruze LT RS with about 15,000 miles on it. I bought in last August. Love the car and the milage. Noticed oil underneath the car while servicing it. Look like it was coming from a seal around a shaft of some kind behind the engine. Took to dealer on 6/20/12. Said they had to order " complete motor cover behind engine". Part came in and they got my car on 6/26/12. Called and said car was done today 6/27/12 at 10:30am. Pick up car at 1:00pm 6/27/12, drive about 5 miles and the check engine light comes on. Drive back to dealer, they plug in the scanner and then come and get me. They show me under the hood the valve cover gasket blew and is spewing oil everywhere. The mechanic told me he replaced the cover that covers the timing chain. He tells me that the "relief valve" went and blew the valve cover gasket. Is this crazy or just me. So, back in a rental car I am... 
Any thought??

Scott


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Hopefully your dealership is paying for the rental. It's part of the GM warranty. It also sounds like they may have mis-diagnosed the problem the first time.


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## 20126spdRS (Dec 27, 2011)

you must have drove around on low blinker fluid for too long... i hear that blows gaskets out of the valve cover! ha


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

The relief valve in the oil pump?

I'm beginning to wonder where they're getting some parts from...those almost NEVER fail even on cars with 200,000+ miles on the oil pump.


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## sdjonedge (Aug 23, 2011)

The dealer mechanic never metioned the words "oil pump". He just said the INTERANAL RELIEF VALVE BLEW THE VALVE COVER GASKET. I told him I know about pressures and relief valves. So, something cause this.. High pressure of some kind.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Sounds like they bunged up the PCV valve or plumbing. Closed PCV = lots of crankcase pressure = blown-out gaskets. 

I bet that's what the CEL was, too. PCV is emissions-related, and GM cars watch all the emissions systems like hawks.


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## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

Now an oil pressure gauge would be nice to have on the Cruze like the Camaro has. We can see the battery voltage thru the inner screen so perhaps one day soon the Cruze may have the oil pressure gauge as well.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Bohdan said:


> Now an oil pressure gauge would be nice to have on the Cruze like the Camaro has. We can see the battery voltage thru the inner screen so perhaps one day soon the Cruze may have the oil pressure gauge as well.


Unfortunately with the dumbing down of the American driver I doubt it. I was actually pleasantly surprised that the Cruze has both digital temp and battery charge voltage.


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## Bohdan (Apr 28, 2012)

It is a shame. Its great to have the volt gauge to check it and see what is going on with the charging system before the red light comes on and the same for the digital temp to make sure all is well. Just to rely on that red light is not well because once it comes on like in this oil problem all is lost. If it was there you could see the pressure going up and stop the engine before it blew all.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

sdjonedge said:


> Hey All, I have a 2012 Cruze LT RS with about 15,000 miles on it. I bought in last August. Love the car and the milage. Noticed oil underneath the car while servicing it. Look like it was coming from a seal around a shaft of some kind behind the engine. Took to dealer on 6/20/12. Said they had to order " complete motor cover behind engine". Part came in and they got my car on 6/26/12. Called and said car was done today 6/27/12 at 10:30am. Pick up car at 1:00pm 6/27/12, drive about 5 miles and the check engine light comes on. Drive back to dealer, they plug in the scanner and then come and get me. They show me under the hood the valve cover gasket blew and is spewing oil everywhere. The mechanic told me he replaced the cover that covers the timing chain. He tells me that the "relief valve" went and blew the valve cover gasket. Is this crazy or just me. So, back in a rental car I am...
> Any thought??
> 
> Scott




Scott,
I would like to apologize for the issues that you have experienced with your Cruze. I understand that dealing with these issues can be frustrating. I would like to look into this further for you. Can you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage and the name of your dealer? I look forward to hearing back from you as well as assisting you.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## sdjonedge (Aug 23, 2011)

I got my car back today (6/28/12). They replaced the valve cover and gasket.

All is good in my cruze world. I really like my dealer...

Scott


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

sdjonedge said:


> I got my car back today (6/28/12). They replaced the valve cover and gasket.
> 
> All is good in my cruze world. I really like my dealer...
> 
> Scott



Scott,
I am very happy to hear that you have had your Cruze fixed! I am also happy to hear that you really like your dealer! Thank you for the feedback. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## bchicojax (Jul 9, 2012)

My daughter bought her chevy cruze two months ago. In fact made her first payment, Took it in to the shop because of a bad, bad front rattle and the TSB about the oil pan. The dealership cut away the oil pan so the dripping oil would not catch fire (acccording to directions fromt he TSB) did not fix the rattle (even though they said they did) and did not catch the oil leak that had been there for a while. Not too thrilled with with GM right about now. About ready to call this car a lemon and be done with it.


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## AutumnCruzeRS (Sep 10, 2012)

So what are the chances a cam cover gasket starts leaking due to higher boost? Mine is seeping oil and was considering just doing it myself but Im wondering what caused it to start seeping?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

AutumnCruzeRS said:


> So what are the chances a cam cover gasket starts leaking due to higher boost? Mine is seeping oil and was considering just doing it myself but Im wondering what caused it to start seeping?


Zero chance that it is due to boost.

However, a clogged PCV valve will do it.

Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## AutumnCruzeRS (Sep 10, 2012)

Thanks XR. Is there any way a clogged pcv valve can be cleaned and unclogged that you know of? From what ive heard you have to replace whole intake.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

The PCV valve probably isn't clogged with such a new car. Usually this take a crummy oil, lots of mileage, and many short-trip drives to clog up.

The PCV valve in the valve cover gasket on the 1.4T looks to be a weak design that was superseded by a redesigned part. The tuned cars actually do look to be blowing through them in high numbers.

The whole valve cover usually does have to be replaced, and you'll see the oil leaking before you start feeling/hearing the effects of a vacuum leak.


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## tonii65 (Nov 11, 2013)

I have a 2011 Chevy cruze with 24 000 miles and I will be replacing the oil gasket. Just had it fixed in Sept, a month after I bought it. I'm trading this pile of junk in after two years and never buying a gm vehicle again. Should have kept my Benz, so busy trying tosave ended up with cheap crap!


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

tonii65, 

I am sorry to hear you are having this concern. I can certainly look into this further for you. Please private message me your name, VIN, phone number, address, and dealership. 

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## rab (Aug 16, 2015)

hi there
I have a 2012 cruze with 21000 miles on clock
the engine has started to leak oil round the oil sump (silicon gaskets)breaking up.
taken car to chevrolet dealer and they are charging 266euro for repair.
the vehicle is 2 months out of warranty, which i think is ridicules for a vehicle with this mileage
the car is in SPAIN. can anything be done about this problem?
REGARDS Muir


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

rab said:


> I have a 2012 cruze with 21000 miles on clock
> the engine has started to leak oil round the oil sump (silicon gaskets)breaking up.
> taken car to chevrolet dealer and they are charging 266euro for repair.
> the vehicle is 2 months out of warranty, which i think is ridicules for a vehicle with this mileage
> the car is in SPAIN. can anything be done about this problem?


Has any work been done before this? There have been reports that service people have supported the engine from underneath instead of properly supporting the engine for certain service procedures. That results in leaking gaskets down the road.


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## jbooty96 (Apr 13, 2018)

the pcv valve in the valve cover?


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## Ryans9960 (Apr 19, 2018)

Yes you have to replace the whole cover. I am waiting for mine to come in right now


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## Codybee (Jul 13, 2019)

Chevy Customer Care said:


> Scott,
> I would like to apologize for the issues that you have experienced with your Cruze. I understand that dealing with these issues can be frustrating. I would like to look into this further for you. Can you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage and the name of your dealer? I look forward to hearing back from you as well as assisting you.
> Thank you,
> Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## Codybee (Jul 13, 2019)

I have a 2012 cruze 1.4 turbo. I replaced the turbo and now have white smoke coming from exhaust. Seems to be leaking oil from under the radiator too. Any ideas?


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