The Chevy Cruze has a GM 1.4 Turbo engine, and this P0299 error is quite common with these engines and cars.
If your car starts to lose power or experience mechanical noises and the ‘check engine light comes on, you may find the cause is the P0299 error – but what does this mean?
The P0299 error code on a Chevy Cruze indicates an under-boost error with the turbo or supercharger and can be caused by a faulty turbo, low oil pressure, or faulty boost sensor. The car may suddenly lose power, and the vehicle may go into ‘limp’ mode to protect it from further damage.
Let’s get under the hood and learn more about this error, what causes it, what the fixes are, and if there are any risks to the engine if the error is left unattended.
What Does The P0299 Error On A Chevy Cruze Mean?
The Chevy Cruze’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU) is the engine’s brain, and it monitors all the various pressures and sensors in the engine to ensure all are operating properly.
The ECU has default pressure settings, and when it detects an under boost in the turbo or supercharger, this triggers the warning light on the dashboard, and the car may go into limp mode.
However, you should know that the ECU does allow a certain degree of variation in pressure, so to trigger a P0299 error, the ECU would have to detect an under-boost pressure below the variable thresholds.
What Is Limp Mode On A Chevy Cruze?
Limp mode is an automatically induced protective state that reduces the number of RPMs the engine can generate so that there is a reduced risk of damage if there is a major component failure. You will experience this as a loss of power and acceleration.
If this happens, you should immediately go and get diagnostics done so you can determine the underlying cause of the error, and where the error code is P0299, then you know that a lower boost pressure causes this.
What Are The Causes Of The P0299 Error In A Chevy Cruze?
While we now know this is an under boost error, let’s look at the possible causes, the diagnostic process involved in isolating the cause, and what is required to fix the problem.
The P0299 code can be caused by the following:
- A faulty boost pressure sensor
- Low oil pressure in the engine
- A restriction or leak in the air intake
- A fault in the Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve or EGR system
- A faulty turbocharger
What Is The Diagnostic Process With A P0299 Error Code?
It’s important to remember that if your Chevy Cruze suddenly starts to exhibit the symptoms of the under-boost error, it’s better not to drive the car where possible or, if the vehicle is still driveable, to get it to the nearest mechanic for diagnosis.
If the turbo is damaged, this can result in parts of the turbo being sucked into the engine, resulting in potentially serious engine damage. Once you have it at the mechanic, they will connect it to the car’s OBD-II port and run electronic diagnostics.
If any error codes are present, the technician will note the freeze frame data, giving them the status of the current conditions when the error code was triggered.
The codes will then be cleared, and the technician will perform a test drive to ascertain performance issues. After the test drive, the mechanic should carry out a visual inspection of the relevant components.
They would check the intake system, turbocharger, and EGR and then apply the boost pressure test using scan tools.
Once this is completed, the mechanical systems will be checked, including the oil pressure system, and check for leaks or restrictions in the intake systems and connections between the manifold and the turbo.
Because there are multiple points where leaks can occur and trigger the P0299 error, a visual and diagnostic check would be required to narrow down the actual cause and eliminate false positives.
Once the cause of the P0299 error on the Chevy Cruze is confirmed, the technician will advise on the repairs required.
How To Fix P0299 Error On A Chevy Cruze
Where the cause of this error is a faulty turbo, and there are wastegate cracks, or the wastegate arm has worn out, for example, the turbo would be replaced and then tested to ensure that the boost pressure threshold required by the ECM is being met during the engine’s operation.
Where leaks or blockages in the intake systems are identified, the pipes and connections would be checked and cleaned to leave them clear of debris or re-sealed if possible to eliminate the leaks. Because there is a high degree of pressure, the technician may advise you to replace the hoses or pipes.
If the boost sensor has failed, the actual boost pressure is fine, but the sensor itself is faulty, and here, the sensor would be replaced, and then the system would be tested to ensure the sensor is reading the boost pressure correctly.
Where the EGR is at fault, this does not indicate a deeper problem with the boost pressure, only that the valve has failed or is dying and would be replaced. As with the boost sensor, the system would then be tested to ensure the P0299 error is resolved.
Where a low engine oil pressure is identified as the cause of the P0299 error, the technician would check the oil levels and the oil filter and ensure that the oil drain filter check valve is working properly.
If all checks out, they would assess whether the oil pressure sensor is faulty and replace it if necessary.
Conclusion
Whenever your engine warning light comes on, this should not be ignored. Where the car moves into limp mode, this requires urgent attention as risking unnecessary major engine damage by ignoring the warning is not recommended.
The P0299 error is fairly common with the Chevy Cruze, and following the correct diagnostic process will ensure that the root cause of the problem can be identified and corrected and get you up and driving again in no time.
Another common error code on the Chevy Cruze is the P1101, you can read the common causes and fixes in this post.
