Not sure yet on build date because it's at the shop at the time. 2014 certified pre-owned ATS with 22,222 miles. Spun mains and holes in 2 pistons. Oil was mysteriously disappearing. Had it since May 13, 2017.

 

I might be buying a 2013 2.0T with 38K miles on it, should I be worried? Seems it was a lease vehicle for all that time.

 

I also am worried - I was gonna try and pick up a 2013 2.0 T Premium with less than 30k but this has me second guessing.

 

Quick question. Is there a year this issue is more common on? I have a 2014 2.0T CPO with about 47k miles on it. Wondering
If this will be something to worry about in the future.

Also saw something on a past page that I accidentally closed before zi could really reading suggesting a catch can as a preventive measure, any info on this, its efficacy and how it effects warranties?

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Quick question. Is there a year this issue is more common on? I have a 2014 2.0T CPO with about 47k miles on it. Wondering
If this will be something to worry about in the future.

Also saw something on a past page that I accidentally closed before zi could really reading suggesting a catch can as a preventive measure, any info on this, its efficacy and how it effects warranties?

I agree with the above and we really don't know the failure rate but I think it is very low. I also don't see a catch can helping with this problem.

While I have no proof of it my opinion is adding boost with a tune only increases the odds of it happening (I don't know how much but I can't see a tune decreasing the problem). Then with your's being a CPO I think you still have a couple of years of time or 23k miles to decide?

 

It's mostly 2013/2014 cars. Don't let that scare you though. I, personally, don't think a catch can would make the least bit of difference when it comes to the piston issue. It would be a good idea to run one just to keep the crap out of the intake and intake side of the head. Mishimoto makes the best catch can setup, but they are really proud of their catch cans, as evidenced by the price. If you could duplicate their design for much less than the $500 they want, then do it!

 

What would be interesting to know is if and when the GM "fix" was implemented on these latest vehicles. I believe the fix was a new tune and colder plugs.

 

2014s got the fix from the factory. 2013s got a recall for this.

 

deleted

 

So, if you were looking at buying a 13/14, should you budget for new pistons and rings right off the bat before even getting a tune?
I want to buy a "toy' that will also be a daily driver. I want to have it for at least five years, and maybe up to ten, trying to improve the performance, handling and braking all the way along, as time and money permit.

Would this be the right car for that plan?

Thanks for any input.

Shane D

 

Personally, I think no. It would not be dependable as a daily if you mod it, especially not for 10 years. And it has nothing to do with model year, pistons still fail in 2017 cars. What would your goal be? Honestly, if you got the trim that comes with MRC, you wouldn't need to touch a thing braking or suspension wise! This current generation of MRC is just short of being magical, and the ATS comes with Brembo brakes from the factory. I guess you could get a pad upgrade for the brakes, but I love my stock setup. Factory ATS pads barely emit any brake dust, whereas the factory pads on my Brembo equipped Chevy SS Sedan will turn the wheels black in no time.

 

So, in your opinion, a tune just makes it more likely to have a piston problem? Better to just go with the 3.6?
I found a nice red 3.6/AWD, but they want TOP dollar.
Beautiful 2.0/RWD is $5,000.00 cheaper with much lower mileage.

 

Since you live in Canuckistan, I would think you'd want to go AWD. How are the winters there in Halifax? Do you think you could get by with a RWD car? Personally, I greatly prefer my AWD and wouldn't buy another car without it unless I move back to Vegas.

If you want 5-10 trouble free years out of it, yes, buy a 3.6. Yes, any tune will probably contribute to piston issues. Every tune turns up the boost in the 2.0t. This piston problem is caused by tight factory ring gaps. So adding more pressure to the combustion chamber is only going to blow the ringland sooner.

As far as what is available RIGHT NOW in your area, are you in a big rush? It's always worthwhile to wait for the best deal, once you figure out what trim and options you want!

 

I figure here is as good of a place as any to ask about my compression test results. Ive been trying to figure out if I'll be joining the bad pistons club since I have a bit of a rough idle.
But my compression test came back better than expected. My results were:

_____Cylinder 1____Cylinder 2____Cylinder 3____Cylinder 4
Test 1___149_________145________149_________151
Test 2___150_________145________149_________151
Test 3_______________146


Cylinder 2 was a bit low every time but all cylinders were still well within a 10% variance. I'm just wondering if the 5psi difference on cylinder 2 is something I should be worried about. Test #3 I let it crank longer and it still only got to 146.

 

I figure here is as good of a place as any to ask about my compression test results. Ive been trying to figure out if I'll be joining the bad pistons club since I have a bit of a rough idle.
But my compression test came back better than expected. My results were:

Cylinder 1 Cylinder 2 Cylinder 3 Cylinder 4
Test 1 149 145 149 151
Test 2 150 145 149 151
Test 3 146


Cylinder 2 was a bit low every time but all cylinders were still well within a 10% variance. I'm just wondering if the 5psi difference on cylinder 2 is something I should be worried about. Test #3 I let it crank longer and it still only got to 146.

Rerun the test and put a squirt of oil in each cylinder before the test to see if the numbers change.

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So I got a misfire in cylinder 4 last night and I'm kinda freaking out. I really REALLY don't want to have to deal with the dealership. Long story short, I'm a disabled vet that has a well documented anxiety issue and they give me the stank eye every time I walk in. Plus I'm sure they're gonna turn me away if I try to go the warranty route anyways.

My hands were tied last night, I just parked it. I drove it work this morning, no issues. "Maybe it's just a spark plug" is what I keep telling myself, maybe it's an intake leak, maybe its the coils, but I'm pretty worried it's this dreaded piston issue. SO! What should I do?

I intended to change the spark plugs just to ease my anxiety a little but I'm wondering if there is any legitimate preventative measures I can take? I read a pretty convincing argument that a catch can will prevent this so I'm wondering if there are any documented cases of this happening even after a catch can was installed. The latest posts on this thread seem to suggest it won't make a difference. What if I spring for JE forged pistons? A combination of both, perhaps?

Also wondering if I'm going to have to go to the dealer for a compression test. Do I absolutely need them to at the very least look at this so they can tell me what's actually going on? Will they charge me for that? Are they the only ones with the equipment required to figure this out or do they typically have that kinda stuff at chain or privately owned auto repair places?

Please help!

 

Jay, man, where are you located? Hopefully someone local to you can lend a hand, or an ear.

How do you know you got a misfire in cyl #4? Were you using some kind of scan tool? Did the check engine light come on?

If you don't have a check engine light, and only saw a random misfire on a scanner, then there is nothing to worry about. Misfires happen all the time for various reasons, and it doesn't mean you engine is going to blow up!

If you did get a check engine light, and used a scan tool to identify the code, what codes were present? It would probably be P0300 and P0304. Even with an illuminated check engine light, that doesn't necessarily mean your engine is trashed.

If you had a flashing check engine light, then that's an issue. I'm not going to needlessly worry you, and I think you would have given that information if it had happened.

Don't get so worked up just yet! It's probably nothing. You'd KNOW if you were having a bad issue that required mechanical intervention! Hopefully that assuages your concerns a bit for now! Once I have a better idea about what happened, I can get you pointed in the right direction. If we can't get someone local to help you out, I don't mind providing help via phone/txt/whatever! As far as the catch can goes, I don't think it solves any problems. Piston issues aren't being caused by crank case blow by, so a catch can wouldn't help in the slightest. Also, don't start buying spark plugs and other parts yet until the issue is identified. You don't want to just throw money away! Any chain and most privately owned repair shops should be able to perform a compression test. It's not anything specific to Cadillac, so a dealer visit wouldn't be required.

 

Any idea about the shaking problem？My 2.0 ATS drives good，but shakes when idle. LTFT is +15~+22 when idle，goes up when push the throttle，but goes down quickly （＜+8）in positive boost.

 

；
Run compression test today，this was the results
Cylinder 2/3/4 142psi all 3 times
Cylinder 1 130psi all 3 times，but 150psi after putting some oil in
Is that means the piston 1# bad ？

 

New Guy here,

Just bought a 2017 2.0T RWD. Since this is a really long post and I am really lazy, is the majority of engine failures on the 13, 14 & some 15 model years? Basically, did GM fix the problem or do I wait for the "Big BOOM" to happen?

Thanks,
BK

 

I'm in exactly the same boat as you. From what I've read since the ATS was first released, the issue was addressed in an engine revision before GM starting putting the 2.0T in the new 2016 Camaro. As far as bad pistons go, we should be fine with our 2017 models. Not so sure about the cracking CUE screens though.

 

2013 ATS 2.0 turbo.. 65k miles.. towed to dealer as CEL was blinking.. blowing white smoke out of exhaust.. dealer states #1 was cracked and blow head gasket.. my question is what does that mean?? new motor or what.. he didn't state that the piston was cracked he just stated cylinder #1 cracked.. He didn't act like it was a new motor" he mentioned just replacing that cylinder.. (which makes me think piston).. couldn't really talk when he called... i have a call into him to get more details.. anyone have any thoughts on what would need to be replaced? thx

 

You're lucky. You were 5k miles away from having to pay for that. At least now you get 1 year / 12k mile warranty on it.

 

^^^ It's kinda hard to help, since you don't have specifics or pictures to look at. If the piston cracked but did not shatter, there is a good chance the cylinder and the head are fine. Under best case scenario, they replace the piston and rings, clean up the head and the other 3 pistons since the motor is apart, and put it back together. Under another scenario, pieces of the piston got smashed into the head ruining it, the cylinder liner was damaged, and the rod bent.

Let us know what you learn.

 

Don't know build date, but...

2014 ATS 2.0 AWD 27,500 miles. Purchase date April 2014. Car was approximately 4 months sitting on lot before I bought it. Used Diablo Sport tune and was unable to restore it to original tune. Stabilitrak and Traction lights intermittent for about two weeks. Same day I made appointment for repair, service engine light came on. #4 piston cracked, cylinder scored with a lot of metal in pan. Repair order says replaced engine and injector seals. I wonder how much is new? Is it a newer engine with greater torque? Or same 2014 engine?

 

That's tough. Glad nothing was said of the tune. Torque difference was part of tune for 2015s+. Was majority of your driving normal, spirit, or pushing its limits.

I'm just curious, I do alot of spirited driving even in my daily commute and my 2 ats haven't had this issue. Others normally say they were just driving economically.

 

2014 6mt 45k miles

Apparent engine failure last night on the highway. Towing to dealer, so I may be added to this list

 

Mods? Tune?

 

2.0T Bad Pistons - Roll Call & Build Dates

So is it just the 2013s and some 2014s that crack pistons on a not modified 2.0T engine? And then any 2.0T engine that has been tuned or modified is probably going to crack pistons?

 

I dont mind hitting the accelerator once in a while, the car does have a bit of pep. All in all, i’d say my driving is pretty conservative though. I just wish i could get my ecm chip back to stock so i could monkey with the tune a bit more. Even thpugh the tuner ssys it sees the tune I put in, the car just seems to be missing some of the pep it had pre blown engine.

 

2014 2.0 AWD cracked #3 at 46k dealer replaced all 4 pistons.

 

2014 cts 2.0t bought it with 38k miles at 39k miles replaced full piston set 42k miles now still at the dealer full engine replacement new turbo new intake manifold new injectors new high pressure sensor and pump new knock sensors they get this all finished up car is pinging they tell me now and still working on it everyone's scratching their heads now waiting for a engineer from Houston to go see why the car is pinging ... been sitting at the dealer since 5/6/18 ......the engine decided to let go on 5/5/18 on the free way and it was like I was driving a diesel smoke every where cars swerving it was bad I could of hurt someone ....piston 4 melted to the block I want this car bought back or lemoned out I've only had this car for 2 months made my payments with my car in my possession it's terrible

 

4 new pistons at 46K cracked #3 .........new engine at 50K cracked #4...WTF

 

Damn. New pistons only lasted 4k miles. Sheesh

 

I believe this to just happened to my 2013 ATS. Worst part at 83k miles so no more warranty.

 

How do you update from 13-14 tune to 2015 tune?

 

You don't. GM is not going to do it for you. if you are going to change the tune, do a full tune and enjoy a lot more than just a small bump in TQ. Otherwise, leave it alone.

 

2013 ATS 2.0T with 59k, use regular gas, premium when I race at Track Night in America. Run the car very hard. Purrs like a Kitten. Bought the car at 28k miles, don't know if plugs were changed out previously. So far so good.