# Does ECM update help resolve engine problems?



## wtsheff (Jun 26, 2021)

Does anyone know if the most recent ecm update will help prevent the cracked piston issue that affected the 2016 and 2017 models? Also I cannot find accurate information on what percentage of the cars ended up needing this repair. My 2017 with 3300, yes 3300, miles had a hesitation problem that the dealership advised I have the ECM updated so I paid them $300 for the service. It did help resolve the hesitation issue but I am still concerned that I may have to deal with engine issues prematurely. From my research I believe this is related to the low speed pre ignition,lspi, phenomenon common with these cars. Any information or advice would be appreciated.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Use a good grade oil and 91 octane fuel. 
And don't worry about it. 

The majority of cracked pistons were dealer oil changes. 

I tried the dealer freebie and got rid of it the following weekend.


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## Johnny B (Jun 4, 2019)

snowwy66 said:


> Use a good grade oil and 91 octane fuel.


Doing those two things will prevent LSPI. As snowwy hinted at, the biggest factor in LSPI is the oil. Using Dexos Gen 2 oil and premium fuel will prevent LSPI. Engine tuning won't get you there.


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## wtsheff (Jun 26, 2021)

Thanks for your responses. 
I will be using nothing but the good Dexos gen 2 oil and mostly premium gas from now on.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

I wouldn't sweat the $300.

I'd gladly pay that over $3500 for a new engine. Or whatever the going rate is these days.


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## CRUZE-66 (May 4, 2019)

I have a '17 and never had any updates until 2021. After the updates this year one of the things I noticed in general was the car is less buggy. That's a big plus since it's a much better feeling that your car isn't designed by a half-bit company. 

The next thing is it seemed like when I was fairly deep in the throttle, getting the revs and boost up, after I let off the throttle the revs would hang for about what seemed about 2 seconds. It was annoying because any time you got on the throttle, you had the 2 second delay afterwards waiting for the car to do its thing bringing the revs down. It's just my guess but if that wasn't a bug, I figure they were clearing the cylinders out of fuel for emmisions and/or LSPI prevention. Sort of like the hang that's known between shifts on manual transmission cars.

The last major thing I noticed after the update, is when I'd start tipping into or jab the throttle to get the power up a bit, it almost always quickly downshifts the revs right to 3,000rpm. And I mean exactly 3,000rpm and everytime. Before it might take a while until it finally decides to downshift. Or when it did downshift would only be one gear and say take it to say 1,800rpm. The behavior we all know and loathe. Now it's jab the throttle and bam - 3000rpm.

I've explained in pasts posts how using higher octane made it run more like a properly designed car. With the updates and the 93+ octane it really does drive almost like you'd expect a car should run, Before those 2 things it really didn't at all.

Besides that, tests done on LSPI shows it mostly occurs in a small window of conditions and I'd bet the farm that the later updates by GM and other carmakers tried to minimize or eliminate the conditions that most LSPI instances occur. So like snowwy66 said, $300 in prevention is a lot better than shelling out $3,500 for a new engine.


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## wtsheff (Jun 26, 2021)

Thanks Cruze-66 for elaborating what your experiences have been with the car and the updates.


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