# brand new 2014 cruze lt grinding noise at start up (cold temp)



## ehuntsch (Dec 16, 2014)

Hello,

I have a brand new 2014 cruze 1lt automatic. Today I started it up and there was a very loud grinding for just 1 or 2 seconds when it started and I didn't hear it again. Honestly it sounded like if I had tried to turn it on a second time after it was on or oil was low. The car has 500 miles on it. Temp was ~5 deg F in VT this morning.

Also, when I bought the car they "fixed" the coolant recall but how would they know if there was any problem with only 6 miles on it when I bought it. Should I keep a careful watch on this issue and bring it back in? Is there anything I need to watch / smell for to tell me if the coolant leak recall on the 1.4L Turbo wasn't properly fixed?


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

When its below 10F outside, my 2012 always makes a 1 second grind sound right after start up. It sounds to me exactly like the starter was engaged a split second too long. It did this with the dealer fill dexos blend and Mobil 1, so I'm gonna say its probably not oil related.



EDIT: I wanted to add this is much easier to hear when you remote start the car, can hear it from 50ft away.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

Or just the abs check


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

iKermit said:


> Or just the abs check


Correct, if your driving at around 12mph. This occurs idling, right after you start the engine.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> When its below 10F outside, my 2012 always makes a 1 second grind sound right after start up. It sounds to me exactly like the starter was engaged a split second too long. It did this with the dealer fill dexos blend and Mobil 1, so I'm gonna say its probably not oil related.
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT: I wanted to add this is much easier to hear when you remote start the car, can hear it from 50ft away.


Mine does exactly this whenever it's cold too. It was 19 F this morning.

It is definitely the starter staying engaged a little too long. Maybe the bendix solenoid is slow in the cold.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

jblackburn said:


> Mine does exactly this whenever it's cold too. It was 19 F this morning.
> 
> It is definitely the starter staying engaged a little too long. Maybe the bendix solenoid is slow in the cold.


Right, its a pretty distinctive sound if you have ever made the mistake(or heard someone else) hit the starter when the car is already running.


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## BowtieGuy (Jan 4, 2013)

Odd, mine doesn't do this. Even at below zero starts I haven't had this occur.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

BowtieGuy said:


> Odd, mine doesn't do this. Even at below zero starts I haven't had this occur.


I think it's only the automatics which makes me think it's not the starter. We share the same starter.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

obermd said:


> I think it's only the automatics which makes me think it's not the starter. We share the same starter.


Nope, not auto here.

I did notice that the 2013s have a different sounding starter than my car.


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## ehuntsch (Dec 16, 2014)

I guess I should've added that my car is an automatic - so it sounds like I shouldn't be worried but it is odd that others are not experiencing this.


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## Freddy2009 (Oct 6, 2014)

I got a manual transmission and at cold start i can hear the 1-2 secondes sound.But this morning i have plug the oil pan heater,cold night -20 to -25 degre celcius and no sound at the start.I hate the fact that the oil pan heater only start to work under -18 degre celcius.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

ehuntsch said:


> Hello,
> 
> I have a brand new 2014 cruze 1lt automatic. Today I started it up and there was a very loud grinding for just 1 or 2 seconds when it started and I didn't hear it again. Honestly it sounded like if I had tried to turn it on a second time after it was on or oil was low. The car has 500 miles on it. Temp was ~5 deg F in VT this morning.
> 
> Also, when I bought the car they "fixed" the coolant recall but how would they know if there was any problem with only 6 miles on it when I bought it. Should I keep a careful watch on this issue and bring it back in? Is there anything I need to watch / smell for to tell me if the coolant leak recall on the 1.4L Turbo wasn't properly fixed?


Hi there,

Very sorry for this! If you need any additional assistance into the dealership to possibly look into this further, we would be happy to reach out to them. Feel free to send us a private message along with your VIN, current mileage, contact information and a preferred dealership. Looking forward to any updates you may have. 

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

You can hear the starter grind just after the engine fires. Same noise y'all are hearing?


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Same sound, though yours seems louder than mine. Guess most of the time though mines started from 50-100ft away when this occurs(remote start).


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## ehuntsch (Dec 16, 2014)

Same sound and I also have a whining noise for the first minute of operation when it is about to shift...


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## ehuntsch (Dec 16, 2014)

took my car in to be safe. It is the air conditioning compressor coming on when I have defroster on


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

ehuntsch said:


> took my car in to be safe. It is the air conditioning compressor coming on when I have defroster on


That same grind that my car made? It's definitely not the compressor, and my HVAC is always off when I start the car.

It also only happens once per day, so maybe the service dept didn't hear it at all.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

ehuntsch said:


> took my car in to be safe. It is the air conditioning compressor coming on when I have defroster on


That's normal when it's above freezing out, but it shouldn't make a grinding noise.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Freddy2009 said:


> I got a manual transmission and at cold start i can hear the 1-2 secondes sound.But this morning i have plug the oil pan heater,cold night -20 to -25 degre celcius and no sound at the start.I hate the fact that the oil pan heater only start to work under -18 degre celcius.


Check out my post on the oil pan heater cord:

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/129-...22-diy-oil-pan-heater-thermostat-removal.html


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## cody6989 (Jan 24, 2015)

obermd said:


> I think it's only the automatics which makes me think it's not the starter. We share the same starter.


I have a manual and they had to replace my starter it just started doing it again, but dosnt seem to hinder anything.


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## ehuntsch (Dec 16, 2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dhrl1NDFx4&feature=youtu.be

dealership said they heard this noise and it was air compressor... not sure


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## Addicted2Saab (Jul 22, 2014)

Have the same problem on my manual 2014 Cruze. Open the hood while starting the noise seems to come from the engine itself though its hard to pinpoint... any other insight on what the problem is ? Cannot be the AC compressor as I tried starting the car with HVAC off to make sure it wasn't related. Grinding noise is still there.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Since mine only ever does this below 20F outside I never bothered to look much deeper. 3/4 the year and hundreds of starts it doesn't do it, just when cold outside. It only does this on the first start up after sitting for 6-8hours, never if the car has been driven recently.


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## Addicted2Saab (Jul 22, 2014)

Same conditions here. The car must sit in cold temperatures for a few hours, the colder and longer between starts the more I can hear the sound. It's definitly not a normal sound, especially for a new car !!


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Addicted2Saab said:


> Same conditions here. The car must sit in cold temperatures for a few hours, the colder and longer between starts the more I can hear the sound. It's definitly not a normal sound, especially for a new car !!


That would certainly play into the idea that it's the starter being slow to disengage.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

If it is the starter not disengaging properly it should be fixed. Long term it will probably damage the starter, maybe even the teeth in the flywheel/flexplate.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Addicted2Saab said:


> Have the same problem on my manual 2014 Cruze. Open the hood while starting the noise seems to come from the engine itself though its hard to pinpoint... any other insight on what the problem is ? Cannot be the AC compressor as I tried starting the car with HVAC off to make sure it wasn't related. Grinding noise is still there.


Hey Addicted,

Very sorry for these concerns occurring in your Cruze. If you do need any additional assistance with anything, please let us know! We are always happy to help the best way possible. 

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## ehuntsch (Dec 16, 2014)

Chevy Customer Care said:


> Hey Addicted,
> 
> Very sorry for these concerns occurring in your Cruze. If you do need any additional assistance with anything, please let us know! We are always happy to help the best way possible.
> 
> ...


With so many of us experiencing this problem why can't Chevy look into it for us. It seems pretty widespread... We want it resolved!


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## trevforever (Feb 20, 2014)

Mine also does it every morning. I believe it due to the cold.


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## Addicted2Saab (Jul 22, 2014)

Of course it's due to the cold but it's not a normal sound. Try starting the car with the hood open you'll see it's even worse. It seems a lot of Cruzes are affected now GM should step up and offer a solution to these known issues. Don't get me wrong the Cruze is a good car but too many issues stay unresolved and it seems GM can't give us enough support. So GM please listen to us and try finding solutions so we can enjoy our Cruze even more !! Anyone thinks the way I do ?


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## ehuntsch (Dec 16, 2014)

I agree with you. This needs to be escalated and solved.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

First time I'm reading about this issue. Interesting. Anyone get a head count of how many people reported it? I can send this over to my contact at Powertrain to see if they are aware of it.


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## Addicted2Saab (Jul 22, 2014)

XtremeRevolution this would be a good place to start !! Dunno how many cars are affected but since the cold weather has started, many of us are experiencing this grinding sound at cold startup


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## Addicted2Saab (Jul 22, 2014)

Anything new concerning this issue ?


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## rjmc11 (Nov 26, 2013)

I have (hopefully had) the same issue. It's not cold temps on my end as I heard it intermittently through the summer in Florida. When I brought it to the dealership yesterday I finally remembered to tell them and they're keeping it to put a new starter in. The gentleman told me that there's a bulletin about the starter on (at least my) Cruze- 2014.


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## In Signia (11 mo ago)

Hello, please don't look at my English, it's not my first language ! I up this subject because I try to solve the same mistakes, I dig in threads but don't found the one, do you have found the solution ¿? My clues for the moment was the lifter for timing chain or I have see some questions about the non return valve in the oil filter case.

That make sense ?

Thanks for the reply !

Envoyé de mon SM-A226B en utilisant Tapatalk


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