Holden Problems

A problem like this could be caused by any number of things, James. Electronically interrogating the on-board computer is a wise first step, as the error codes that will result will possibly lead you straight to the offending component.

In cars like yours with electronic fuel-injection and engine management, there’s an array of sensors that need to send the correct signal to the car’s on-bord brain for everything to function properly. Replacing these sensors one by one until you fix the problem is a very time and cash consuming way of proceeding. Have the car scanned instead and see what fault codes show up.

Meantime, if I had to venture a guess, I’s say the problem sounds ignition related. An engine will often idle properly with no load on it, but when you select a gear, there’s suddenly load applied and, if the ignition system is not spot on, the engine can suddenly do all sorts of crazy things, including dropping cylinders. The other thing that occurs to me is that your battery might be low on charge. Injected engines absolutely do not like a lack of volts.

I’d love to know what a “certain distance” is. That would give me a much better chance of offering a sensible answer. If we’re talking 100km before the car loses drive, I’d be thinking that it’s something electrical perhaps or something to do with the on-board computer.

But if the loss of drive happens within the first 10 kilometres or so of each drive, then I’d be suspecting the transmission itself. Have you checked the level of the transmission fluid? Too much or not enough fluid in the gearbox can cause it to run hot enough to lose drive. Perhaps it’s the transmission cooler not behaving properly and maintaining things at the correct temperature.

Automatic gearboxes hate high temperatures and if you continue to drive it like this, there’s a good chance you’ll cook something.

Since both variants of Colorado here use essentially the same engine, I’m not sure what sensors would be different and require changing. That said, the MY17 Colorado got recalibrated hill-descent and hill-start functions, so maybe there are some differences there.

The major mechanical difference that I can see between a 2014 and a 2017 Colorado is probably the power-steering. In late 2016, the vehicle switched to an electrically-assisted system in place of the previous hydraulic set-up. So the later engine would probably lack the pulleys and mounting hardware for the hydraulic power-steering pump that your vehicle requires. Perhaps they can be removed from the old engine and fitted to the later one.

Perhaps an easier solution would be to return the engine originally supplied and ask for the correct version for your car. If the engine supplied originally was not fit for purpose, then you’ve every right to ask for a replacement unit that is.

I believe that General Motors in the US did, in fact, issue a technical service bulletin (like a recall, but not a safety related issue) for a batch of Cruzes with dud negative battery terminals. Apparently, the cables were poorly made and could, over time, stop conducting electrons to the point where major systems, including the radio, could go to lunch. But it sounds like you’ve already replaced that component. The thing is, if the cable was replaced with one from the same batch, it could conceivably also give problems. The fact that your radio worked for some months before going on the fritz again, makes me wonder if that’s not the case here.

If the unit itself is at fault, you’re either stuck with finding a specialist who can repair it or replacing it. The good news is that you don’t have to buy a genuine Holden replacement. There are oodles of aftermarket replacement units out there that cost a fraction of the $2000 you’ve been quoted and can upgrade the Cruze to include Bluetooth connectivity, Android and Apple CarPlay and even add a reversing camera for extra safety. That’s the way I’d be going. Especially since Holden is very unlikely to cover the cost of a replacement unit in a car almost a decade old.

If you’re referring to the little light in the shape of an engine, or a `check-engine’ light, then you have at least one problem that the computer is identifying and warning you about. It’s the vehicle’s way of letting you know that something needs to be attended to.

But what exactly? Well, the best way to find out what’s wrong is to have the vehicle scanned electronically, at which point the computer should give up all the car’s dirty little secrets. Sometimes the fix will be very simple, at other times it can be a result of a major system failures. Either way, it needs to be checked before the damage becomes more extensive and/or the car becomes unroadworthy.

The recommended service interval for this vehicle is every 10,000km. Roughly speaking, every second service is a bit more involved, so that suggests it’s more of a `major’ service. Either way, skipped services on a vehicle like this will be false economy in the longer term.

On the timing belt front, there’s good news and bad. The good news is that both the turbo-diesel and petrol V6 versions of the Colorado both use timing chains, so there’s no need to change a timing belt. The bad news is that the petrol version uses the Alloytech V6 which is renowned for its ability to stretch its own timing chain to the point where it needs costly replacement. This is a known fault with this engine.

Car alarms have a really bad habit of draining batteries. Aftermarket ones are the worst, but even the factory alarm can cause a run of flat batteries if it’s not working properly. The faster flashing red light on your dashboard is the clue that something has altered in the alarm or its settings.

An auto electrician can be your best friend in these cases. By the way, not all scanners are created equal and some of the cheaper, online versions don’t cover all the functions of a modern car. A Holden workshop will have the proper scanning tools to make a coherent diagnosis.
 

As a rule of thumb, white smoke from a diesel engine suggests the fuel is not burning properly. If your engine only blew smoke when you first started it up each morning, I’d suggest the glow-plugs weren’t working properly and heating up the combustion chambers to gain a complete burn of the fuel.

But since it’s blowing smoke all the time, I think you could be looking at a fuel-injection problem. The injectors themselves could be bad (and it only takes one dud to make gales of smoke) or the system is mis-timed and not injecting the fuel precisely when it should be. These engines self-analyse themselves as you drive and it seems the car knows it has a problem, because it has turned on the check-engine light as a warning to you that something is amiss. Your first move should be to have the injectors checked as well as the injection timing