# Heat Is Causing A Bad Oil Smell?



## johnclark12 (May 19, 2017)

Hey guys,

I was hoping I could get some help with this issue I have been having as far as what the cost or fix would be. Anytime I turn the heat on, no matter what vent I use or how strong the heat is, I get a massively disgusting burning oil smell in my car. However, when I turn off the heat, it goes away and everything is fine. The car does not have any change in the amount of oil because everytime we check the oil it is on full still. It is also changed regularly on schedule.

There are no noticeable differences in the way the car drives and I have probably put 3000+ miles on it since it started, still with no issues. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Car has 112k miles on it and it is a 2011 Cruze LT.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Sniff around the engine bay with it running. Is the COOLANT level low?

The cabin air intake is directly above the coolant tank and can suck in oil vapors from a leaking oil filter/cooler area as well. I even smelled coolant from it when my water pump started leaking, which is completely on the other side of the engine bay.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

The early Cruze used a type of grease in the HVAC system that smelled like anti-freeze when heated. Removing/replacing it is not going to be easy.


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## WiseManWhite (Aug 10, 2013)

jblackburn said:


> Sniff around the engine bay with it running. Is the COOLANT level low?
> 
> The cabin air intake is directly above the coolant tank and can suck in oil vapors from a leaking oil filter/cooler area as well. I even smelled coolant from it when my water pump started leaking, which is completely on the other side of the engine bay.


Ah, that explains a lot. I've had issues with my coolant tank and water pump along with a smell that is only present when I turn the heat on. It isn't as strong as the O.P.'s though.


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## sreidsma (Oct 23, 2018)

It is probably the Oil Cooler. I have the same problem with my 2014 and am at 70,000 miles. It is a known problem with the Cruzes. Once GM realized these were problems, they removed it from the Powertrain warranty after 2013, so I am SOL. This is how they treat their customers by just removing the known problem from their warranty. It was under the powertrain up to 2013, but since it is over 5 years old, you are also out of luck. Its $1000+ to fix through the dealership. I am hating on GM right now.


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## Diamond193 (Jul 28, 2019)

sreidsma said:


> It is probably the Oil Cooler. I have the same problem with my 2014 and am at 70,000 miles. It is a known problem with the Cruzes. Once GM realized these were problems, they removed it from the Powertrain warranty after 2013, so I am SOL. This is how they treat their customers by just removing the known problem from their warranty. It was under the powertrain up to 2013, but since it is over 5 years old, you are also out of luck. Its $1000+ to fix through the dealership. I am hating on GM right now.


How can I tell of its leaking or the turbo oil feed line . I cant even describe the smell buts unbearable its to the point where I cant even use the defrost it smells that bad. Its really only the defroster that has the odor. The regular vents work great


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