Holden Sedan Range

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 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.

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.