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Chevrolet Aveo Engine Problems

299 messages,  Last post on May 16, 2013 at 6:16 AM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Aveo, Engine, Hatchback, Sedan

    
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Messages Page 11 of 31

#93 of 299 coolant leaking white smoke by atwitsend

Apr 23, 2012 (3:51 pm)

I have a 2008 Chevy Aveo I bought new. A couple of months ago it started blowing white smoke from the exhaust when the engine(44000 miles still under warranty) was cold. Only a small amount at first,but after longer trips of an hour or so after sitting over night it would fill the garage with a white smoke that had a pungent sweet smell.This was just starting the car up and backing straight out. The car had never overheated .I checked the coolant and the reservoir was low.I filled the coolant and decided to check the oil to see if there was coolant in it. I changed the oil and found nothing wrong.I called the local Chevy dealership because it was closer they said it would be 3 weeks to get it in so I called the dealer i bought the car from and had my wife take it .
   I told the dealership
  1. It was loosing coolant but i couldn't see any leaks and that I had refilled it a day before.
  2. I had just changed the oil and found no coolant
  3. I had no warning lights.
  4. The engine only smoked when it was cold and after long trips and it set over night without restarting it. I explained how to duplicate the problem to see the smoke
This is what they told us after taking it in right after my wife got to the dealership
  1. The coolant reservoir was full(I had just filled it)
  2. There was no coolant in the oil and was not low(I had just changed it)
  3. There were no warning lights or errors(Nothing i didn't already know )
  4. The engine showed no visible smoke from the exhaust(The engine was already warm just the opposite of how i told them to see the smoke)
  5. They did a pressure test at 19 PST for a few minutes and it was fine they couldn't do anything and charged my wife $50 for diagnostics.
I was ticked they totally ignored me and pretty much charged $50 to blow me off
I complained on the Chevy website And promptly received a phone call from a rep.I explained the situation and that i was loosing coolant slowly.They set me up to take the car in again.The mechanics manager was very nice .He explained if we made the hour trip right then to the garage he would check it himself and give us a loaner so he could keep the car over night.
This is what he said they would do
   1. Leave the car sit over night to duplicated the smoke in the morning when he got in.
   2. After seeing the smoke to verify it he would have die put in the coolant and leave pressure on it till the next day t see where the coolant was going.
   3. If it was the head leaking which is what he thought i was describing he would have the whole head changed instead of just a gasket.
As i drove home I was happy and sure the problem would be fixed.The next day He tells me this
   1. He started the car and moved it after i left didn't notice any smoke(not what he said he was going to do)
   2. Started the car the next morning with no smoke but after it warmed up it started smoking(I had never and still have not saw the car smoke when warm it's been almost 2 months since)
   3. After he saw the dark smoke when warm he knew exactly what was wrong and removed the valve pan cover to see sludge(even sent me a picture of the sludge which was small and from a cell phone)He also said the valve pan cover was black with sludge and worse but the picture didn't come out good.DUH the inside of the valve pan cover is black you couldn't see sludge from the distance he was taking the pictures anyway)
   4. Engine had black death syndrome from no oil change or too long between oil changes.(I told him i change the oil regularly with the recommended 5w/30w .He said i should have used synthetic. At this point There was no use arguing with him.He was telling me I needed to replace the whole engine or trade it in to them(for a low trade in value of course) for another car
I retrieved my car the next day he was nice enough not to charge me again.When i got home I noticed the black oil streak on my floor mat,the dirt all over my seat, after further inspection later found 3 loose bolts on the valve pan cover,and both hose clamps from the hose on the pcv valve were gone and I never got an answer about a possible leaking head gasket.I guess they were mad about me contacting Chevy
The Chevy rep continued to call and promise to talk to her supervisor .After talking to several mechanics I found leaking coolant can sludge up an engine. A small leak wont show up noticeably in the oil if changed frequently.I probably have a bad head or gasket.I told this to the rep as well as about the loose bolts ect...
After over a week i got my answer.The supervisor agrees with the garages findings and they can't help me.
I have a 2002 cavalier with 216k miles i drive to work 50 miles one way every day .I do most of my own maintenance .If not me then my father-in-law who is a mechanic takes care of it .I think I know when and how to change oil in my car.
I would not advise buying a Chevy from Washington Chevy in PA .The mechanics manager flat out lied about the smoke and now I have to deal with a car that looses 1/4 inch of coolant from the reservoir in a months time and still smokes.As far as Chevy is concerned there's nothing wrong.I am lost as what to do

#94 of 299 Re: 2008 chevy aveo [jtscheu] by atwitsend

Apr 23, 2012 (4:01 pm)

Replying to: jtscheu (Apr 06, 2010 7:26 pm)
I'm glad you had some luck.I have the same problem .44k miles on a 2008 Aveo .White smoke with a sweet pungent smell at cold start.Loosing coolant about 1/4 inch of the reservoir bottle a month.My dealership found sludge and said it was from improper oil or too long between changes.They did one test my first trip in and didn't bother checking where the coolant was going once the saw some sludge. I have a cavalier with 216k miles i drive 100 miles a day 6 days a week for work.I think i know when and how to properly maintain a vehicle.Hopefully more people post about this problem .I can show this to a Chevy rep and get mine fixed

#95 of 299 Re: ODB Code P0303 Misfire Cylinder #3 [ecotec2009] by suzy89r

May 07, 2012 (12:10 pm)

Replying to: ecotec2009 (Feb 23, 2011 2:54 pm)
YUP! ive had my 09 Aveo5 LT for 3 years now, had 4 miles on it when i drove it off the lot, was in college and working fulltime raking up the miles. now after just under 3 years and 80k miles later, and changing spark plugs 4 times, i now know, my coil pack is defective, 2 of the coils inside the pack have NEVER got hot enough to spark the plugs for 1st gear and overdrive. Now that i know this which i learned this past saturday, i did find a coil pack at Autozone and Advanced Auto Parts for 139.99. not bad. but am i going to have this same problem with a new one? Im so tired of dropping money into my car. Ive probably put just as much into it as i have paid for it so far. This car should definately be a lemon-law claim type of deal.

#96 of 299 Re: ODB Code P0303 Misfire Cylinder #3 [bstover] by meshell55

May 19, 2012 (5:32 am)

Replying to: bstover (Feb 06, 2012 2:14 pm)
I just got a letter yesterday from Chevrolet on an emissions recall for all 2009 Chevy Aveos with a 1.6L engine. They are going to replace the spark plugs and boots with new ones with different numbers and gaps. I hope it fixes my car as it just yesterday had the check engine light come on. For the past 1-2 weeks it's been jerky going into different gears and acts like it's got a governer on it by not letting it pick up speed when I give it the gas... I hope this fixes the problem....

#98 of 299 Re: ODB Code P0303 Misfire Cylinder #3 [meshell55] by gmcustsvcsarah

May 21, 2012 (11:20 am)

Replying to: meshell55 (May 19, 2012 5:32 am)
meshell55,
 
I hope that the recall work improves your ride for you as well! Looking forward to an update on how everything goes for you with the repair.
 
If we can look into anything, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us at socialmediagm.com (include the last 8 digits of your VIN).
 
All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

#99 of 299 Re: ODB Code P0303 Misfire Cylinder #3 [gmcustsvcsarah] by sparky101

May 25, 2012 (5:06 pm)

Replying to: gmcustsvcsarah (May 21, 2012 11:20 am)
I started getting a PO304 last week. A first it was just a few skips that wouldn't throw a code, but it steadily got worse. I use a Scan Gauge to help improve MPG, and it can show and can clear codes. I cleared it to see if it would come on again. It did. Now my 2009 Aveo will hardly pull a hill.
 
Is there really a recall, or is it only a service bulletin on 2009 Aveos? Just recently went over 31,000 miles, and purchased this used from a dealer.

#100 of 299 May 2012- 2009 Chevy Aveo Vountary Emission Recall by meshell55

May 25, 2012 (6:29 pm)

I got a letter from Chevrolet about 2 weeks AFTER my car started acting rough, sluggish and like it wasn't getting any gas. It's a voluntary Emission Recall for all 2009 Aveos with a 1.6L gas engine. It has to do with the spark plugs and spark plug boots degrading. The dealer I took it to is in a small town and he did 8 recalls when I got to him. Mine was the only one that ACTUALLY had cracked spark plugs... My car has 37,000 miles on it.
I have to keep this info for future reference: New spark plug # 25186682 and the gap is: 0.031-0.035 inch (0.8-0.9mm). Replacement interval is every 25,000 miles. Apparently it's been occurring after 30,000- 33,000 miles to others. Hopefully this will help others...

#101 of 299 Re: May 2012- 2009 Chevy Aveo Vountary Emission Recall [meshell55] by slh727

May 28, 2012 (8:56 am)

Replying to: meshell55 (May 25, 2012 6:29 pm)
I got the same recall notice. I also got the engine light and performance problem on Friday. Mine is a 2009 with 22,000 miles on it that I bought new. I also went to Advance Auto and it's coding a misfire on cylinder #4. I called the dealership and he scheduled me for this Thursday. But his comment was the recall shouldn't cause the engoine light to come on. After reading this Forum it's obvious it's been a problem for a couple of years. But after readind all of this it seems I better not drive it until Thursday..

#102 of 299 2009 chevy aveo hatchback by chulichu

May 30, 2012 (9:49 am)

My husband and I purchased a 2009 chevy aveo Lt hatchback just a little less than a month ago. Yesterday I noticed that one of the brake lights was not working. He took the car to the dealer where we purchased it, since we are still under the 30 day time frame. My husband wanted to make sure it is not an electrical problem. It turns out that the car has a recall on the spark plugs. Is that serious? My husband is thinking of returning the car. The seller apologized because during the negotiations of the car he didn't realize it had a recall. Is that going to be a constant issue? Will it affect other areas? Someone please advice, thank you!!!! My husband and I are happy that we caught the problem just days before the 30 day time frame the dealer gave us, maybe God is keeping us from more problems later on.
I'll be waiting for suggestions and your advice!

Messages Page 11 of 31

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