Checking and replacing accessory drive belts on the Chevrolet Cobalt engine

The Chevrolet Cobalt debuted at the Moscow Motor Show in 2012, and sales began in early 2013. Since 2021, the car has been supplied to Russia under the name Ravon R4.

Cobalt was developed by the Brazilian division of GM on the Gamma II platform - the one that underlies the Chevrolet Aveo T300. The model was assembled in Uzbekistan, Brazil and Colombia.

The car was offered only as a 4-door sedan. Unlike other models of the brand, Cobalt cannot boast of an attractive appearance. But the interior turned out to be quite roomy. And the practical trunk received a record 545 liters.

Basic versions are equipped with front electric windows, audio preparation, central locking, heated front seats and a driver's airbag. Air conditioning, ABS and front passenger airbag were only available at extra cost.

Model overview

The Chevrolet Cobalt was first shown at the Moscow Motor Show in 2012. Implementation began in 2013. Production ceased in 2015, but a completely similar car called the Ravon R4 is produced at a plant in Uzbekistan.

The model was offered only in the T250 body. Its main difference is its large internal volume. This allows for comfortable seating for the driver and passengers. The Chevrolet Cobalt also has an impressive trunk for a sedan; its volume is 545 liters, which is practically a record for this class.

In general, three modifications of the model were proposed. They all have the same motor, the main difference is in the additional options. Also, two versions use an automatic transmission. Here is a list of modifications.

All versions are equipped with the L2C engine; the differences are only in the gearbox and interior trim. It is worth paying attention to the automatic transmission; competitors use no more than four gears; here there is a full-fledged gearbox with 6 gears. Also, the maximum finish has a number of features, primarily related to safety. In particular, a full set of airbags is installed all around.

Engine characteristics

As already mentioned, only one engine model was provided for the model - L2C. In the table you can find out all the features of this unit.

Together with a high-quality gearbox, the engine provides optimal driving dynamics. There are no problems with acceleration here; the car honestly reaches the first hundred in 11.7 seconds. This is a very good indicator for the class of budget sedans.

Drivers often wonder where the power unit number is located. The fact is that the car was produced after the mandatory marking of the power unit was abolished. Therefore, the manufacturer does not have any specifications regarding the placement of the number. It is usually engraved on the cylinder block near the oil filter.

Chevrolet Cobalt Coupe 2.0 i 16V SS

The modern SS model in 2013 is represented by the Chevrolet Cobalt Coupe 2.0 i 16V SS (205 Hp). This model has everything that the previous one lacks. This is a more impressive top speed of 180 km/h, which is only recommended on good roads. Acceleration time is reduced to seconds. At high acceleration speeds, the engine speed does not drop.

Service

Routine maintenance is performed every 15 thousand kilometers. Basic maintenance includes changing the engine oil and filter, as well as computer diagnostics of the internal combustion engine. This will keep the engine in optimal technical condition. If faults are identified during diagnostics, repairs are carried out.

In general, the engine allows you to minimize maintenance costs. First of all, you won’t need to spend a long time selecting consumables. Instead of the original oil filter, you can use parts from the following models:

• Chevrolet Aveo sedan III (T300);
• Chevrolet Aveo hatchback III (T300);
• Chevrolet Cruze station wagon (J308);
• Chevrolet Cruze sedan (J300);
• Chevrolet Cruze hatchback (J305);
• Chevrolet Malibu sedan IV (V300);
• Chevrolet Orlando (J309).

To replace, you will need a little less than 4 liters of oil, or more precisely 3.75 liters. The manufacturer recommends using GM Dexos2 5W-30 synthetic lubricant. But, in general, any oil with a similar viscosity can be used. In the summer, you can also use semi-synthetics, especially if the engine does not operate at high speeds.

At every second maintenance, the timing chain must be inspected. This will allow you to notice wear in a timely manner. According to the regulations, the chain is replaced at a mileage of 90 thousand. But a lot depends on the characteristics of the operation; in some cases, such a need arises after 60-70 thousand kilometers.

It is also recommended to flush the fuel system every 30 thousand kilometers. This will increase the reliability of the motor.

When to change the chain?

It must be replaced when the engine noise increases and a rumble appears in the area of ​​the engine compartment when the power unit picks up speed. If the chain is not tensioned in time, then it will then have to be completely changed .

If there is increased noise, the timing chain should be replaced.

Typical faults

It is worth considering what problems may await the driver of a Chevrolet Cobalt. Despite sufficient reliability, the engine can throw up very unpleasant problems. Let's look at the most common faults.

• Leaks through gaskets. The engine was developed by GM, they always had a problem with the quality of the gaskets. As a result, drivers often observe lubricant leaks from under the valve cover or pan.
• The fuel system is sensitive to the quality of gasoline. Injectors get clogged quickly, so it’s not for nothing that washing is included in the list of regular car maintenance tasks.
• Quite often the thermostat fails. Its failure is dangerous for the engine. Overheating can lead to the need for major repairs, and in some cases, complete replacement of the engine.
• Sensors in some cases show errors for no reason. A similar problem is typical for all Chevrolets.

But overall the engine is quite reliable for a budget car. All major malfunctions usually occur when the engine is simply not monitored.

Life situations

Often, stolen cars cannot be verified by the VIN of the body, which is broken up in settling tanks. Many car enthusiasts, when buying a vehicle secondhand, do not even suspect that the car has been stolen. To determine the authenticity of the body marking, you need to find the engine identifier. Today, according to statistics, Lada Priora is one of the most stolen vehicles for committing crimes.

As practice shows, after committing crimes, the vehicle is burned to remove fingerprints and identification data. And only by the engine number, which does not burn out, can you determine which car it is, as well as the owner. Many times, murderers and other criminals have been identified thanks to the surviving engine ID.

Also, it is worth noting that if a stolen vehicle ends up in an international database, then it is no longer possible to deregister it in another country. This made life quite difficult for criminals. But in a number of CIS countries, such as Ukraine, cars have not been identified by engine markings for several years now.

Tuning

The simplest option is chip tuning. With its help, you can get an increase in power of up to 15%, and you can customize almost all parameters to suit your preferences. Here you need to take into account that before flashing the control unit, it is necessary to diagnose the motor, as well as analyze the engine parameters. During operation, the power unit wears out, and it is not always able to cope with the new settings.

If you want to get a more powerful unit, you can almost completely rebuild the engine. In this case, install the following details:

• sports shafts;
• split timing drive sprockets;
• shortened connecting rods;
• install modified intake and exhaust manifolds.

Please note that the cylinders are not bored; technically this is not possible on a Chevrolet Cobalt.

As a result, it is possible to increase the engine power to 140-150 hp. At the same time, acceleration to 100 km/h is reduced by a second. The cost of such a modification is quite acceptable; the cost of the kit usually ranges from 35-45 thousand rubles.

One of the types of tuning that car owners often use is engine replacement. Naturally, there are options for similar work on the Chevrolet Cobalt. But there is a nuance here. First of all, we are talking about the features of the model; although it is made on a common platform, it has a fairly large number of differences. Also, the engine is quite powerful, and some of the options available for installation simply disappear due to lower power.

The simplest option would be to use the B15D2 engine. It is used on Ravon Gentra, and is essentially a modified version of L2C. The installation will not provide a large increase in power, but there will be no problems with installation. You will also be able to save significantly on fuel.

More interesting, but difficult, will be the installation of the B207R. This power unit is used in Saab. It produces 210 hp. During the installation process you will have to tinker a little, since the standard fasteners will not fit. You will also need to replace the gearbox; the original one from the Chevrolet Cobalt will not withstand the load.

Timing chain selection

Before carrying out work on replacing the chain, it is worth choosing it correctly. It's easy to do. Since the engine does not have many modifications, there is no need to carefully select such a part. At the market or in a store, you can choose only one chain for Cobalt.

However, some rules should be followed when purchasing. Among them are: :

1. You should only buy from time-tested sellers.
2. You should not purchase chains from an unknown manufacturer.

These rules are basic, and therefore they should be followed so as not to create additional problems for yourself. Also, repair kits should be purchased only original ones. They can also be contractual.

When replacing the chain, it is worth changing all the sprockets. Such parts are also subject to wear. In order for the parts to fit well, they must be purchased as a set.

When replacing the timing chain, the sprockets should also be replaced.

Chevrolet Cobalt modifications

As already mentioned, three modifications of the Chevrolet Cobalt were produced. In practice, version 1.5 MT LT turned out to be the most popular among us. The reason is the minimum cost of the car; for domestic consumers this is an important parameter. At the same time, there are complaints about the level of comfort.

But, according to the survey results, the best modification was the 1.5 AT LT. This car combines the optimal ratio of price and additional options, but at the same time it is practically out of the budget price category. Therefore, it can be seen less often on the roads.

Source

Conclusion

Having independently replaced the timing chain on a Chevrolet Cobalt, you can understand that this is quite problematic, so most motorists turn to an authorized service center and pay a lot of money. At the same time, many people install the chain themselves in their garage, because they are very well versed in the design of the car.

The Chevrolet Cobalt model has become very common and popular among car enthusiasts. This is explained by the fact that the performance characteristics of the car are at a high level. The machine is durable, and therefore has almost no problems with repairs.

If you need a truly reliable car, then you should pay attention to Cobalt. One of the features of this vehicle is that it has a timing chain installed in it.

Engine Chevrolet Cobalt 1.5 liters

Our modification of the budget Cobalt sedan is equipped with one single engine. This is a relatively simple unit with a cast iron block and multipoint fuel injection. One of the advantages here is a reliable timing chain drive with a service life of over 200 - 250 thousand km. The downside is the lack of hydraulic compensators; the valves will have to be adjusted periodically.

This motor is very reliable, and its few problems can be solved simply and inexpensively:

- sources of oil leakage are the front crankshaft oil seal and sometimes the valve cover

— the main culprit of floating speed at idle is throttle contamination

— due to the short hose, the plastic fitting of the expansion tank periodically leaks

Engine Chevrolet B15D2

The 1.5-liter Chevrolet B15D2 or L2C engine has been produced at the Korean plant since 2012 and is installed on a number of budget models of the company, such as Cobalt and Spin. This engine is known in our automobile market primarily for the Daewoo Gentra sedan.

The B series also includes internal combustion engines: B10S1, B10D1, B12S1 and B12D1.

Owner reviews about engine life

In order to evaluate how the Chevrolet Cobalt engine behaves, we suggest that you read reviews from owners about actual operation.

Igor. Chevrolet Cobalt 1.5 2014 95,000 km

After I saw it at a car dealership, at first I didn’t like the car at all. But when I looked inside and sat in the cabin, interest arose. After the test drive there was no doubt at all that I would buy it. I consider the price-quality ratio to be the most optimal on the market at that time. During operation I was only convinced of this. Everything seems modest, but executed at a good level. You don’t feel deprived in any way.

The engine is beyond praise for me. It pulls well, and is simple and reliable. Apart from changing the oil and filters, I never got into it again. In fact, I didn’t even change other consumables. Front brake pads only. The suspension is simply unkillable. Once every few months I check at the station, and the original parts still continue to work. There are, of course, minor shortcomings, but these are forgivable for an economy class car.

Technical characteristics of the Chevrolet B15D2 1.5 S-TEC III engine

You can find a good selection of manuals for this engine on Gentra-Club

ARTICLE
Life tests of a car with this engine were recently conducted by AutoReview magazine

ARTICLE
The procedure for replacing accessory drive belts is perfectly shown here

FEATURES OF CHAIN ​​REPLACEMENT

In most engines of older car models, chains with roller links were used to transmit torque, often the components were in two or three rows, this made the timing chain a very reliable, almost eternal mechanism that does not require constant maintenance. Often the car traveled up to 300,000 km. and the chain of the mechanism received only lateral play, and the worst thing that could happen to the gas distribution mechanism was the links jumping; breaks were extremely rare.

Over time, production price, efficiency, environmental friendliness and the weight of the car engine, which affects its power, have become trends in the creation of cars. Under these conditions, manufacturers began to strive to replace the timing chain with a lighter, cheaper and easier to maintain timing belt. And those motors whose design retained chains and roller components were replaced with lightweight plate links, more reliable than timing belts, but still not as strong as roller chains.

The Chevrolet Cobalt timing chain has a number of features that fundamentally distinguish it from the timing belt. 1. The chain is a durable mechanism; it wears out much longer than the timing belt; breaks do occur, but much less frequently than in belt-driven engines.

2. A break in the timing chain occurs quite rarely, which means engine breakdowns requiring expensive overhauls do not occur often. 3. Timing chains are quite noisy, but with the modern level of car noise insulation, this parameter becomes not very important.

4. When the chain wears out, its play and lateral runout occur, this indicates the need to replace the old chain with a new one. Since the metal part sagging and lateral runout is accompanied by strong noise, it is simply impossible not to notice and not to attach significance to it. A noise under the hood will be the first “bell” indicating the need for vehicle maintenance.

5. The main disadvantage of replacing the Chevrolet Cobalt timing chain is that it is located inside the cylinder block and it is quite difficult to assess its condition without training and experience. In addition, dismantling and replacement, with such a device, is a long and labor-intensive process, and therefore expensive.

6. The operation of the timing chain involves tensioners and dampers - these are consumable parts that wear out quickly and require more frequent replacements than the timing chain itself.