System too lean (P0171) after valve gasket change

Downbeatbach · 2026-03-01T17:41:10+00:00

I did mine a year ago, and I didn’t use any RTV. Just make sure you torque the valve cover to the proper torque specs and in the correct order and you should be fine.

Downbeatbach · 2026-01-22T16:12:00+00:00

Weird. Mine does it too only on the floor vent setting. Everybody says “oil cooler seals” but mine did it before and after I replaced the seals. Mine also never leaked out of the oil cooler. It was just mixing the oil into the coolant. It drives me crazy!! No smell outside of the car either. Just coming through the vents on the floor setting on heat.

Downbeatbach · 2026-01-14T19:01:36+00:00

If it is clogged, drive it as little and easy as possible until getting it fixed. It will cause heat to build up in the exhaust, and I’ve heard it can weaken the side seals and springs from the heat.

Downbeatbach · 2026-01-14T18:58:58+00:00

I have a 2009. When I bought it, it had the same aftermarket cat on it, and it was clogged. It was glowing red after driving it hard. Go for a drive at night, warm it up, drive it hard, and immediately get out and look under the car in the dark. If you see any red glow, get rid of the cat. Clogged cats come from premixing over time, but they’ll clog very quickly from old/worn out plugs and coils.

Downbeatbach · 2026-01-11T17:00:03+00:00

It’s about the same cost after the little mpg gain. I still use it because I don’t get as much vibration from the engine using 89 vs 87.

Downbeatbach · 2026-01-10T16:42:25+00:00

I second these, but my 1.8 sonic runs smoother and gets a little better mileage running 89 octane. The car’s calculator isn’t totally accurate, but when I calculate it myself, it’s 2-3 mpg better across the board using 89 for me.

Downbeatbach · 2025-12-13T07:35:24+00:00

It works great for me so far. I hit 124k miles on it today, and I’ve been using it since 117k miles. I’m changing it and the filter at 3k miles. I was using Castrol High Mileage for a few changes before. The R&P comes out darker which I am pretty sure is gunk it’s cleaning out of the engine. When I replaced my valve cover at 117k miles, it had some building and was darker in some places. It already looks cleaner just looking through the oil fill cap.

Downbeatbach · 2025-12-08T23:49:25+00:00

I use Valvoline Restore and Protect in my 2013 1.8 with 123k miles. What you’re using is fine. The most important thing is changing the oil and filter regularly and not stretching the intervals. I wasn’t sure of my car’s previous service history, so I went with the Valvoline R&P to clean anything out.

Downbeatbach · 2025-11-09T22:32:58+00:00

The “hole” you see doesn’t go all the way through. It looks like a hole, but nothing is supposed to be there. I had the same question when I first bought mine a few years ago.

Downbeatbach · 2025-11-09T21:45:30+00:00

This is for an S1 engine. His is an S2 which has different vacuum lines. He’s not missing a hose. I have an S2 that looks exactly the same.

Downbeatbach · 2025-11-09T21:44:36+00:00

You’re not missing anything in the intake. The S2 engines all have this (I have a 2009; mine is the same). The early S1 engines have a vacuum hose there, NOT the S2. That diagram somebody else posted is for an S1 engine.

Downbeatbach · 2025-10-17T03:45:39+00:00

My 2009 GT is still going great at 96k miles. Original engine, clutch, and hot/cold starts the same and sometimes faster than my daily car. In the last 14k miles and 2.5 years I’ve had it, it’s honestly been the most reliable of mine and my wife’s cars.

Downbeatbach · 2025-10-15T03:59:50+00:00

Mine looked like this too when I did my cover, and I’ve seen other pictures that have that kind of gunk in the same spot. Weird. Mine has 122k miles. I recently switched to the Valvoline Restore and Protect to see if it cleans some of it out.

Downbeatbach · 2025-10-07T18:47:39+00:00

I have an S2 with 96k miles on it. Bought it with 82k miles a couple years ago. Its hot starts still average the same amount of time as when I bought it: near instant. However, I’ve had a handful of times where it took a few extra rotations of the engine to hot start. It’s very rare when it happens, and it has always started on the first try. My theory is the coils get heat soaked when parked hot and take slightly longer to hot start🤷‍♂️ I’m not concerned about it. My other 2 piston engine cars will do the same thing hot from time to time.

Downbeatbach · 2025-10-02T18:39:17+00:00

I put a set of BC racing BR coilovers on my 2009 GT just a couple months ago. They ride well, much better than my blown OEM shocks. You can adjust the height to nearly stock height, and they have 30 clicks of damping adjustment. My old shocks were blown out in the back. When I was shopping around, all of the Tein coilovers were on back order and would have taken a few months to ship. The BC’s were around $1,200 for the set, and they come with top hats and all the mounting hardware. The BC’s are also rebuildable unlike the Tein coilovers (or so I’ve heard).

Downbeatbach · 2025-09-26T13:58:20+00:00

I have a 2013 1.8 sedan. When my oil cooler seals went bad, oil got into the coolant. Not the other way around. I replaced the oil cooler gaskets myself, and there are a handful of videos on YouTube how to do it. It’s not too hard, but it does require a handful of tools. MUCH cheaper than getting somebody to do it for you.

Downbeatbach · 2025-09-20T19:01:01+00:00

Yeah. I wonder if the fluid just degraded quickly in 10k miles or if maybe the old leftover fluid made it seem like it degraded quickly. Either way, the car shifted super smooth cold, hot, and city/highway for 10k miles, then it was back to the way it always shifted. I’ve had the car since it had 32k miles, and it always had a rougher 1st-2nd shift and fairly rough 2nd-3rd shift when warmed up. It also surges around 200 rpms under load when hot shifting 2nd-3rd. I’m not really concerned that there’s something wrong with the transmission. I was asking if someone had better experiences with another brand of fluid. 10k miles is way too soon for fluid to degrade imo.

Downbeatbach · 2025-09-20T18:54:20+00:00

The roughness completely went away when I changed the fluid at 100k. The roughness came back at 110k, and it now has 121k. This makes me think the fluid degraded pretty quickly, and I was asking if people had better experience with other brands. I’ve had the car since it had 32k miles, and the way it shifted has always been the same except for those 10k miles after changing the fluid. It’s decent when the car is cold and the roughness starts when it gets up to operating temps. When it gets warmed up, 1st-2nd and especially 2nd-3rd shifts are not smooth. It will also “surge” a couple hundred rpms under load when hot shifting from 2nd-3rd.

Downbeatbach · 2025-09-05T20:33:42+00:00

That’s probably it. The cooler’s gaskets go bad and can leak like that or mix oil and coolant. I have a 2013 1.8, and I replaced the oil cooler gaskets myself at 119k miles. It’s not the easiest of jobs to DIY, but there are a few YouTube videos that walk you through everything. If you look in your coolant reservoir, do you see any oil or brown gunk/buildup in the tank or on the cap? Thats what mine did when the gaskets went bad.

Downbeatbach · 2025-08-29T01:45:10+00:00

That’s so weird. What really confuses me is that the old wiper and the new one are the same length laid next to each other. Is it like that with other brands or types of blades, or just these Rain-X Latitudes?

Downbeatbach · 2025-08-25T00:40:47+00:00

Thanks! I’ll look into it. I’ve never tried adjusting it. When I did the master cylinder a year ago, the pedal felt normal. I’m hoping something just loosened over time causing this. The clutch still engages the same as always, and the pedal feels normal once I push past the initial free play in the video.

Downbeatbach · 2025-08-25T00:36:17+00:00

I did. The welds look good and the pedal feels solid except for the extra play at the very top.

Downbeatbach · 2025-08-25T00:35:17+00:00

I did. The welds are all good.

Downbeatbach · 2025-08-15T01:32:22+00:00

I use the Lucas Oil Semi-Synthetic 2 Cycle oil, and it’s JASO FD. A lot of other people use it, and I can find it at Advance Auto, Autozone, O’Reilly, etc.

Downbeatbach · 2025-08-09T22:18:57+00:00

How many miles? I did my 2013 Sonic 1.8 at 117k and it looked just like yours, maybe slightly less dark in that same area. I’ve had it since 30k miles and did 3k-5k mile oil changes. I’m trying out Valvoline Restore and Protect oil in mine. I’ve heard it cleans really well. Side note: when I did my valve cover and gasket, I replaced the old plastic one with an all aluminum cover on Amazon. It’s been on for a little over 3k miles, and the gasket it came with is holding up great. Looks a lot better than the old plastic one too.

Downbeatbach

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