Valve cover cracked. 1.4t 25k miles

[HollywoodTurbo]

Just wanted to give y'all a heads up in case this happens to one of you. Car started to idle horrible, surging from 400-800 rpm at idle and lacked enough power that shifting was hard to do( between shifts the RPMs would drop too fast making it hard to shift smooth). Brought it in, threw a code that it was running lean. They replaced the valve cover only to find the new one leaked as well. So they put another one on and it's working good. Figured it has something to do with poor manufacturing of valve cover part if even a brand new one is broken. And why would they keep so many valve covers in stock? Hopefully a recall comes soon.

 

[Eric Smit]

haven't had an issue on my modified 1.4 with 32k miles, and hope I don't. yikes!

 

[HollywoodTurbo]

Just wanted to give y'all a heads up in case this happens to one of you. Car started to idle horrible, surging from 400-800 rpm at idle and lacked enough power that shifting was hard to do( between shifts the RPMs would drop too fast making it hard to shift smooth). Brought it in, through a code that it was running lean. They replaced the valve cover only to find the new one leaked as well. So they put another one on and it's working good. Figured it has something to do with poor manufacturing of valve cover part if even a brand new one is broken. And why would they keep so many valve covers in stock? Hopefully a recall comes soon.

On a side note, I actually missed the sonic while it was in the shop. Fun little car to drive around!

 

[sx sonic]

Strange. Glad you got it all fixed up!

 

[GeneralZod]

Pics of the crack?!

 

[HollywoodTurbo]

Pics of the crack?!

I don't have a picture. The dealer took the part. Nice now because all the dust is gone around the valve cover bolts! LoL. They also mentioned something about high crank pressure causing the baffle to open.? I don't know what all that means but they just told me it was cracked so ill just stick to that.

 

[SciroccoTDI]

I don't have a picture. The dealer took the part. Nice now because all the dust is gone around the valve cover bolts! LoL. They also mentioned something about high crank pressure causing the baffle to open.? I don't know what all that means but they just told me it was cracked so ill just stick to that.

What? High crank case pressure means blowby on rings or blown headgasket or clogged crank case breather, etc etc....I would not let this just sit with a replacement valve cover, the high crank case pressure cause MUST be investigated.

This is like your doctor saying, oh, you had a brain hemorrhage from high blood pressure, we fixed the hemorrhage, you are good to go...have a nice life. AKA, wrong wrong wrong, root cause of that high pressure needs to be investigated.

 

[ChrisJ]

What? High crank case pressure means blowby on rings or blown headgasket or clogged crank case breather, etc etc....I would not let this just sit with a replacement valve cover, the high crank case pressure cause MUST be investigated.

This is like your doctor saying, oh, you had a brain hemorrhage from high blood pressure, we fixed the hemorrhage, you are good to go...have a nice life. AKA, wrong wrong wrong, root cause of that high pressure needs to be investigated.

We don't know thats what the guy said

"high crank pressure" is an incomplete statement. Is it crank case pressure, is it crank pressure, is it cranking pressure (starting?). I think its bad to go on the assumption that it means crank case pressure and even if it did this could be as you said simply from a clogged vent would hopefully would have been repaired during the valve cover replacement.


Another thought I had was you said the first replacement cover leaked. Keep in mind this very well could have been due to them installing it incorrectly and doesn't necessarily mean the cover was bad out of the box regardless of what the mechanic claims. This wouldn't mean they don't know what they are doing, it just happens and it sucks when it does, at least for the guy doing it. You overtighten one bolt and squeeze the gasket out or crack the cover. This means you get to do the whole thing over again, hopefully realizing what your previous mistake was.

 

[ahtoxa]

Digging up this post from last year.

I just had the same exact symptoms as the OP. Bad idle, jumpy revs and stalling at idle. Dealer found a cracked valve cover.

Replaced under the drivetrain warranty. 38k miles, 1.4T.

 

[Chrish051873]

Digging up this post from last year.

I just had the same exact symptoms as the OP. Bad idle, jumpy revs and stalling at idle. Dealer found a cracked valve cover.

Replaced under the drivetrain warranty. 38k miles, 1.4T.

Glad you got it fixed, going on a trip right ?

 

[ahtoxa]

Glad you got it fixed, going on a trip right ?

Yeah, I am. Leaving at 4am. T minus 6 hours 13 minutes.

 

[Italianjoe1]

I don't think it's "cracked" covers. They have a bypass vent that opens if the PCV system fails, it looks like the cover is just leaking oil and air but it's a designed in failure point from my understanding to prevent more serious issues, like a safety disc in a pressurized bottle.

Either way, it's odd to see them going out so early. I guess that 100K powertrain warranty will come in handy.

 

[ChrisJ]

I'm willing to bet Joe is right and ahtoxa is going to have a repeat of the same problem in the very near future.

Then ahtoxa will bash GM (rightfully so) because the dealer didn't take the time to properly diagnose the problem and it will have to go back.

 

[sonic_braaappp]

would i be correct in saying the valve covers are plastic? looks plastic. if its plastic, who the F*** thought that was a good idea? just wondering, seems pretty dumb to me if it is indeed plastic...

 

[ChrisJ]

would i be correct in saying the valve covers are plastic? looks plastic. if its plastic, who the F*** thought that was a good idea? just wondering, seems pretty dumb to me if it is indeed plastic...

Before I answer first tell us why plastic is a dumb idea for a cam cover.

 

[sonic_braaappp]

because plastic fluctuates much quicker and easier than a metal cover would... more chance of messing up...

 

[ChrisJ]

because plastic fluctuates much quicker and easier than a metal cover would... more chance of messing up...

What do you mean by fluctuate?
If you mean expansion and contraction from temperature changes I have a feeling you're wrong especially when compared to aluminum.

Composite valve covers have been available for a very long time and often were very expensive for a set back when they were only available as an aftermarket performance part. My memory may be off but I seem to recall a set for a SBC costing around $500-600 in the 1990s.

Also, composite valve covers usually are far less likely to leak than stamped steel which used to be common.


If you read through the thread you will find the covers probably aren't cracking but a pressure release is popping, likely due to a PCV problem.

 

[Italianjoe1]

Composite covers are lighter and more temperature stable than any metal cover, that's not the problem. The issue is a PCV/vent system being overtaxed for whatever reason and failing. Not the actual covers.

 

[attrapereves]

Every time I read about major engine problems like this with the 1.4T, I feel kinda glad that I bought 1.8Ls.

 

[Maddmatts]

GM hasn't had a good history with plastic valve covers, especially with V6's. I seem to recall a number of 3800's having fires due to oil leaking onto exhaust manifolds.