Holden Problems

The answer to this isn’t as simple as you might think, as there were four engines sold in this model Cruze, some of which have different capacities. So let’s start with the 1.4 litre turbocharged petrol engine which holds four litres of oil. The 1.6-litre and 1.8-litre petrol engines hold 4.5 litres, as does the 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine.

For the record, the correct Holden Cruze oil type (grade) is a 5W30 fully synthetic. That’s for either the 1.8-litre, 1.4-litre turbo or the 1.6-litre turbo engine. The exception is the two-litre turbo-diesel Cruze engine which requires 5W40 grade oil. And if you’re doing an oil change at home, those figures should include enough to fill the new oil filter, but definitely check the level on the dipstick to be sure.

Burnt transmission fluid can definitely cause the problems you’re having. If it’s burnt or contaminated, it might be black or very dark red, rather than the nice, clear, bright red it should be. It’s off the to transmission specialist for this one, as the lack of drive could be caused by many things. An experienced mechanic will know this transmission and should be able to diagnose it swiftly.

The bad news is that you might have avoided serious damage if you’d had the transmission inspected when it first started to behave erratically. But continuing to drive it with a problem can often cause further and more serious damage. You may now find that the cost of repairs is greater than the value of the vehicle.

Here’s how the owner’s manual describes the process:

• Press the Menu button on the steering wheel (or the indictor stalk depending on your car).
• Scroll down to the Toolbox or Settings icon.
• Press and hold the Enter or Set/Reset button.
• Hit the Language icon and press Enter.
• Select English and press Enter again.

That should do the trick, but you can also switch from Korean to English from the infotainment screen via the same process, starting with the Settings menu.

Is the engine turning but not starting, slow to start or not turning over at all? The answer to this question will determine where you look first. Hitting something lying on the road is more common than you might think. And it can cause absolute chaos, even causing enough damage to write the vehicle off in some cases.

If the car won’t turn over at all, your suspicions should first turn to the starter motor and its wiring. The wiring is pretty easily dislodged after an impact, so it could be something as simple as reconnecting that wiring.

If the engine is slow to turn you could have damaged the charging system that has allowed the car’s electrical system to stop charging properly, gradually flattening the battery which now struggles to turn the engine over. And if the engine turns over but won’t start, you could have any combination of wiring or mechanical damage that is preventing the thing firing.

The best advice is to get the vehicle on a hoist where you can safely and easily examine its underside with a torch. Look for any freshly exposed metal (which could indicate where the impact occurred) and take note of any oil, fuel or coolant leaks. From above, check the battery connections and other wiring and see if there’s anything loose, dented or smashed that could be cutting off the supply of fuel. Even a smashed-in or crushed exhaust system that is preventing the flow of gasses can cause problems like this. The problem could even be something as simple as a high-tension lead or crank-angle sensor wire that has come adrift from its proper attachment point as a result of the impact.

The brakes shouldn’t be applied at all if you’re trying to accelerate. What’s probably happening is that the brakes (likely the front calipers) are not releasing as you stop and take your foot off the brake pedal. Then, when you try to take off, the brakes are still applied somewhat and only break free once you hit the accelerator and convince the car to move.

Rebuilding the calipers should do the trick, but you may also have brake pads that are worn beyond their serviceable limit and need to be replaced. You should also check the rear brakes and the parking brake for poor adjustment and dragging.

This is important stuff, too, as driving with dragging or sticking brakes can overheat (and actually boil) the brake fluid, leaving you with no brakes when you need them most. And this sort of problem will only get worse over time, not better.

In most cars, a red dashboard light suggests a serious problem that needs addressing now. An orange light, meanwhile, is trying to tell you that something slightly less important is going on. But something that still needs attention sooner rather than later. In a Barina, the orange light could be indicating anything from a check-engine warning to low fuel level.

The blue light, meanwhile, is more likely to be indicating that the coolant temperature is still low and you should drive gently until it is warmed up.

Any excess smoke from a diesel engine can mean a too-rich mixture. So are you certain the injectors are the correct ones for that engine? Has a sensor been bumped during the replacement process that is not sending the right signal to the computer that controls the injection on a modern turbo-diesel?

Also, cold-start problems in an engine like this are often traced to the glow-plugs. These are crucial to warming up the cold engine internals so that combustion will take place. So perhaps a check of the glow-plug wiring is in order as this could have been disturbed while the injectors were being replaced.

Has anything else been changed or replaced as part of this process? Has the engine been sitting for an extended time (allowing the fuel to go stale)?

This could be down to a number of things, but a lot of mechanics would begin by looking at the engine’s fuel supply (pressure and flow) as well as the condition of things like the fuel filter (which can slow flow if it’s dirty or clogged).

It’s also entirely possible that a problem like this is being caused by a faulty temperature sensor which is not telling the engine’s computer the truth about the current temperature. In colder weather and cold starts, an engine needs a richer fuel:air mixture (more fuel, less air) to run smoothly. If the sensor isn’t accurately conveying the temperature to the computer, the mixture could be way off. Poor starting and rough running is definitely a possibility at that point.

An electronic scan of the car should be your first move as this may pinpoint the problem straight away, rather than spending hours of checking things that aren’t the problem.

Rather than continuing to replace expensive bits and pieces that aren’t – so far – curing the problem, have the vehicle electronically scanned to see what fault codes are being logged by the on-board computer.

If you’ve completely replaced the ignition system, then you might need to start looking at the fuel system. The V6 engine was a direct-injection unit which means it can start to be affected by a build-up of carbon in the intake system. That alone could be enough to cause your problem.

But don’t rule out a dud injector or failing fuel pump, either, as both these things can an allow the engine to idle properly, but develop a case of the staggers when you put the engine under load. Even a dirty fuel filter can cause this sort of mayhem, but until you interrogate the computer, you’re flying blind.

The two holes near the bottom of the dipstick are your Low and Full markers. If the oil is below the Low marker (the bottom-most hole) then you need to add oil. If the oil level is above the Full marker hole, then the engine has too much oil in it.

It’s pretty important to keep the oil level between the two holes. If you do that, you’ll be doing the engine a big favour. Too little oil can damage internal components, while too much oil can blow seals, contaminate the engine’s intake system or create oil leaks.