Alright, the Cruze. The Chevy Cruze with the 1.4 liter turbo, made from about 2011 through 2019, sold by the boatload because GM priced it cheap and the EPA numbers looked good on paper. I got news for you. The engine in this thing — the LUJ, sometimes called the LUV in later years — has problems. Multiple problems. And they all kinda feed into each other.
I see Cruzes in my shop all the time. Customer comes in saying, “It’s burning oil and overheating.” I’m thinking yeah, no kidding. Lemme list what’s wrong.
Problem one: the PCV valve in the valve cover
The PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) on the LUJ is built right into the valve cover. Whole valve cover assembly is plastic, with the PCV diaphragm molded into the back of it. The diaphragm fails. When it fails, the engine sucks oil straight out of the crankcase and burns it, and you get a really aggressive vacuum leak that throws codes and runs the engine lean.
You’ll see codes P0171 (system lean), P0507 (idle high), sometimes P2270. The car runs rough at idle. Oil consumption goes from normal to “I’m putting a quart in every two weeks.” Customer thinks the engine’s blown when really it’s a $40 valve cover with a bad diaphragm.
Fix: replace the valve cover. Whole assembly comes as one piece. $80-150 for the part, $150-250 labor at a shop, hour of work DIY if you got hands.
Problem two: the water pump
The water pump on the LUJ is a plastic-housing unit driven off the timing belt. It fails. Often. By 80,000 miles half the Cruzes I see have either had it done or need it. Coolant leak from the front of the engine, sometimes a whining noise, sometimes just a slow drip onto the belt that ruins the belt and tensioner too.
When the water pump fails on a turbo engine and you keep driving, you cook the head. Fast. Aluminum head, low coolant capacity, turbo dumping heat, the math goes ugly real quick.
Fix: water pump replacement. Done with a timing belt service, which on this engine is the smart play because the belt’s right there. $400-700 at a shop including the belt service, $200 in parts DIY plus a long afternoon. Don’t cheap out on the water pump itself — get the GM part or a name-brand aftermarket like Gates. The cheap eBay specials fail in a year.
Problem three: the head gasket
If you ignored the PCV problem and the water pump problem long enough, you’ve now got a head gasket problem. Or your head gasket failed for its own reasons — the LUJ has aluminum head, iron block, and the gasket between them isn’t great even on a healthy engine.
White smoke at startup, coolant level dropping, oil-coolant mixing in the overflow tank, sweet smell from the tailpipe. By the time you hit head gasket failure on a Cruze you’re often looking at a warped head too because the engine ran hot before the failure showed up.
Fix: head gasket replacement, head resurfacing, fresh coolant, new water pump, new belts, new whatever else got cooked. $2,200-3,500 at an independent. $3,500-4,500 at a dealer. On a $4,000 car, the math gets real questionable.
Other Cruze stuff
While we’re here:
- Manual transmissions: Clutch master cylinder fails repeatedly. GM extended warranty on it. Check campaign coverage.
- Automatics: The 6T40 on these is mediocre. Fluid changes every 30,000 miles. Don’t trust the “lifetime fill” baloney.
- Turbo wastegate actuator: Fails around 100,000 miles. Bouncy idle, boost issues. $200 part, $300 labor.
- Electrical gremlins: Body control module issues, especially the early 2011-2012 cars. Random warnings, intermittent stuff. Sometimes a software flash fixes it. Sometimes doesn’t.
What you’ll see and hear
- Oil consumption — quart every 1,000-2,000 miles is the early sign of PCV failure
- Rough idle, especially when warm
- Codes P0171, P0507
- Coolant smell from the engine bay
- Coolant drop in the overflow with no visible leak underneath
- White smoke at cold start that takes more than a minute to clear
- Whining or grinding from the front of the engine
- Engine temp gauge climbing in stop-and-go traffic
Should you buy a Cruze?
Eh. Honestly? The price has to be really right. A 2014 Cruze with 80,000 miles in good shape goes for $5,000-6,500. If you find one for $3,000-4,000 and the seller’s documented the work — PCV done, water pump done recently, no head gasket history — it’s a usable commuter car. If you’re paying $6,000+, you can do better in this price range.
Hard pass on:
- Any Cruze with white smoke at startup
- Any Cruze with documented overheating history
- Any Cruze with the dealer never having addressed the PCV valve cover
If you already own one:
- Get the valve cover done at the first sign of oil consumption, codes, or rough idle. It’s cheap insurance.
- Water pump done preemptively at 90,000 miles, with the timing belt. Don’t wait for failure.
- Synthetic 5W-30 (the proper Dexos1 spec), every 5,000 miles. The factory recommendation of 7,500 is too long.
- Coolant flush every 60,000 with proper Dex-Cool. Nothing else.
The Cruze ain’t a great car. It’s a bottom-tier commuter with above-average problems. Go in eyes open or don’t go in.
