Holden Problems

Modern common-rail diesel engines with their sophisticated, multi-pump fuel systems and high-pressure injectors can stop in their tracks for any number of reasons, not all of them electrical. You could start by checking the battery and the charge-rate from the alternator (if the engine will restart). But you also really need to be checking the fuel system and the obvious stuff such as a dud ignition barrel that’s shutting everything down. A simple fuse or relay that controls the fuel pump system could have failed, too, with similar results.

The absolute best advice is to have the vehicle electronically scanned at a workshop with this type of diagnostic gear. By having the vehicle tell you what’s wrong with it, you’ll save a whole lot of time and money replacing random bits and pieces, hoping that you’ve identified the culprit.

Your problem could well be torque converter-related, but it could also be something else inside the transmission. The fact that the transmission will not shift back out of sixth gear even going uphill, suggests that there’s – in theory least – a problem with the electronics or hydraulics that control the shifting patterns. That the transmission is also shuddering is either a symptom caused by the same problem, or a result of a second fault in the unit.

It always raises suspicions when a problem crops up just after a vehicle has been serviced, and sometimes that suspicion is well placed. Have you double-checked the level of fluid in the transmission since it was flushed and refilled? Incorrect fluid levels can cause the sorts of problems you’re seeing. So can the incorrect grade of type of fluid used. You should check both these things first and move on from there if they check out okay.

A lot of modern cars don’t feature a drain-plug for the fuel tank. That’s a bit annoying to old-school mechanics, but it does make for a stronger, more leak-proof tank in the case of a modern plastic fuel tank as fitted to so many cars these days.

Most mechanics faced with this will either remove the tank and tip it upside-down to remove the offending contents, but there is a simpler way if you know what you’re doing. That is to disconnect the fuel feed line from the tank to the engine at the engine end, and then simply turn on the ignition and have the electric fuel pump empty the contents into a safe container. This will take several minutes, depending on how full the tank is to start with.

DPF additives are real thing right now as consumers run scared over the thought of their car’s DPF needing replacement. These additives use a catalyst that claims to help clean out the DPF and regenerate it, usually by lowering the temperature at which the soot will be burned off in the filter.

Perhaps some do, but just as surely some of these will be snake oil. Choose a known brand and be prepared for the experiment to be a complete dud. Expect to pay about $30 for a bottle of additive, too, so it’s not a cheap experiment.

You can try either the type of additive that is simply poured into the fuel tank when you refuel next, or the type that is sprayed into the air intake system with the engine running. Either way, these are probably best regarded as a preventative measure and the servicing industry seems pretty doubtful about the additives’ ability to clean a DPF that is already blocked.

Some owners have, indeed noted power-steering problems in this model Commodore. That said, this is a very common model, so some problems are to be expected as they with most other makes and models.

The most common problem seems to be a squealing noise when the wheel is turned. That’s often due to low power-steering fluid level (check the dipstick at the top of the reservoir under the bonnet). If the level is low, you need to start looking for a leak as this is a sealed system and shouldn’t need topping up over time. Leaks can occur in the pump itself, the steering rack or the plumbing that joins them.

A vibration through the wheel or a fluttering sensation can often be caused by air trapped in the system. With the engine running and the car in Park, turn the wheel slowly from lock to lock a couple of times., That’s often enough to purge the air and return the steering to a nice smooth feel.

Some owners have reported an improvement in their power-steering by draining and flushing the system and adding new fluid.

As second-hand buys go, the Holden Captiva is a no-go zone. These were not reliable cars when they were new and the years and kilometres since have only made that situation worse. The V6 petrol engine is prone to stretched timing chains which is a huge and expensive job to fix and the automatic transmission is also a turkey. The Captiva was also home to many an oil leak and electrical problems are common.

These are now cheap cars, but for a very good reason. But even a car that is cheap to buy can wind up costing you lots if you need to constantly repair it. There are plenty of far better alternatives.

Yes, it could be something to do with the way the transmission is behaving. But it could also very easily be any one of a hundred other things. A faulty transmission can cause a car to surge while stopped, but so can a fault with the fuel, ignition and any number other systems found on a modern car.

But work backwards for a moment. Did this new problem occur immediately after the plugs and coil-packs were changed? Or was there a full week of normal driving before the new problem set in? I’d be checking the connections on those new plugs and coils and making sure that nothing has been left loose. A poor earth connection can be the source of many problems that seem like something else initially. From there, I think an electronic scan is probably the best advice as this will help pin-point what’s going wrong. The car’s own computer should have a very good idea of what’s amiss and can alert you to it quickly.

Vibrations through a car at varying speeds or throttle position can be an indication of wheel imbalance, poor wheel alignment, worn suspension parts, a damaged tyre, bent wheel rim, a driveshaft or CV joint problem, engine misfire, gearbox of differential issue, over-tight brake, worn brake drum or rotor and perhaps a million other things.

If the problem is worse since the new engine was fitted, I’d be looking at things like engine mounts which can wear and even fail, leading to a vibration or wobble throughout the whole car.

But if the bull-bar is wobbling in sympathy, don’t rule out a loose bolt(s) in the bull-bar mounts which are allowing it to flop about and send a shiver through the rest of the car. Even a blob of mud stuck in the inside of a wheel rim can be enough to imbalance that wheel and produce the same effect when the particular harmonics of slowing down enter the equation.

You could start with the engine mounts and work your way backwards along the driveline, looking for worn couplings, U-bolts and universal joints. If you have a Go-Pro camera, maybe mounting that under the car and reviewing the footage afterward might give you a clue as to what’s causing the wobble. Having the wheels and tyres balanced would be another relatively inexpensive way of ruling out one possibility.

Although it was a reasonably popular car when it was brand-new, it’s fair to say Holden’s Cruze hasn’t aged terribly gracefully. In fact, there has been an ever-growing list of potential problems including (but not limited to) cracked cylinder heads, broken driveshafts, various oil and coolant leaks, not to mention the Takata air-bag recall fiasco. And, as you have discovered, the automatic transmission was a problem-child, too.

Holden actually extended the warranty of the six-speed automatic to five years or 150,000km, but your vehicle is well outside those parameters. Which means, as you’ve pointed out, you decision now comes down to repair or replace the car.

This model Cruze varies enormously in price, and your car could be worth anything from $5000 (at which point you’d be over-capitalising with a new gearbox) to $15,000 which would mean it’s worth fixing. Based purely on the kilometres your car has travelled, I’d say its second-hand value is somewhere right about the middle of those two numbers, which muddies the waters ever further.

Perhaps you should have the rest of the car checked out by a specialist who might be able to give you a more concrete idea of where you stand. Obviously, throwing several thousand dollars at a car that’s about to break somewhere else makes no sense. Remember, too, that selling the car with a broken gearbox means it’ll be worth almost nothing.

The 17 X 7-inch rim was one of the upgrades Holden gave the Cruze in CDX trim to distinguish it from cheaper models. But since no changes were made to the suspension or bodywork as part of that upgrade, the CDX rim and tyre should fit on the CD model with no problems.

The only catch might be that you’re then slightly limited in what tyres you can use. Because the 17-inch rim has a one-inch (and wheel and tyre measurements are still universally in inches, rather than metric) larger diameter, you can’t always fit that rim with a high-profile tyre as that might cause clearance problems.

The best advice would be to stick with the standard tyre specification for the 17-inch wheels. You may find, though, that the lower-profile tyre on the 17-inch Cruze rim might cost you a little in ride comfort terms as the low-profile tyre won’t have the same, softer sidewall and may transmit more movement into the cabin.