Transmission leak?

[MikeDabrowski2017]

I got in my garage service pit last Friday and removed
The bottom covers to get a look at the drive system on my 4 week old Bolt
Saw some red coolant drips on the bottom cover as well as the bottom of the motor/transaxle
Made an appointment to get it looked at.

Just came from the dealer service dept
They were told by Chevy to take photos and wait for directions, From them before disassembling further
They offered me a truck as a loaner but I have
A Prius and Honda Insight to drive while waiting.
Not feeling very happy about my purchase
Right now, but love the car and hope it is something simple?
If I had not looked under there I would not have seen any outward signs of the leak as the large cover hides everything.

Will share what they find
I have photos but not sure how to post them
?

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

Dealer says this was the first reported case of this issue
They indicated that it was transmission fluid not coolant
They Traced it to the seal on one of the 3 phase wires as it enters the transmission
Ordered a new seal
Hope that fixes it.
Thing that worries me is that had I not been curious and removed the cover to look at the motor
It is unlikely anyone else would be looking under there as there is no scheduled maintenance
The motor/ transmission fluid does not have a visible
Level indicator.
Does it have a sensor?
Could it have dropped in level with no indication?

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

Just heard that the dealer will be replacing the transaxle and HV cables with new ones and will be sending the old one back for evaluation.
they can't give me any time frame but said the parts are on the way.
The car has 2200 miles on it and is not quite one month old.
They won't give me a Bolt as a loaner so I'm driving my 2006 Prius
Needless to say I am more than concerned .
What are my options??

 

[GernBlanston]

Needless to say I am more than concerned .
What are my options??

Concerned? Your car has a problem; they're fixing it under warranty.
This isn't a common problem, it's just a hiccup.
Options?? Relax and wait for your car to be fixed.
If this is the worst thing that happens to you all month, you're doing OK.

 

[IMAdolt]

It sucks you can't get a more appropriate loaner but it seems like a pretty rare issue and they're taking care of it, eventually, as dealers do.

You would assume there's a sensor of some sort the ECU monitors and a trouble light would have come on, maybe even a direct flashing window on the big screen saying "transaxle fluid level low" or something like when you're tire pressure is low etc.

Now a big assumption but I got to guess there's at least a couple litres of fluid in there and any serious leak you would have seen the fluid make it's way down past your skid plate and onto the pavement after a few ounces or so leaked out.

I'm really surprised they can't loan you a Volt or something.



/\/\ what he said, as far as life's big problems go this to me rates at about the scale of having to much dip and not enough chips, or vice versa, but interesting.

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

My concern is that the whole drive system is going to be replaced at a dealer which has no real experience with that level of repair on a new vehicle
Alignment
Fluid replacement
Test
A factory built car would have those components assembled and go through a QC process at the factory with technicians that have assembled hundreds of them
Can I expect the dealer to have familiarity of that level
Not likely
Will it matter?
Only time will tell ?

 

[IMAdolt]

My concern is that the whole drive system is going to be replaced at a dealer which has no real experience with that level of repair on a new vehicle
Alignment
Fluid replacement
Test
A factory built car would have those components assembled and go through a QC process at the factory with technicians that have assembled hundreds of them
Can I expect the dealer to have familiarity of that level
Not likely
Will it matter?
Only time will tell ?

You could say that about any factory defective vehicle, gas or electric. I would think an electric mechanical component, while new and different. would be a vastly simpler repair then a comparable ICE or hybrid, lets also remember that this isn't the first electrically propelled car they've made.

But it's your new car and I can't fault you for being worried or angry about it.

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

True enough
Will see what happens.
Since the dealer is only 12 miles away, I can run down and hopefully watch through a window while they
Do the work?

 

[LectricBill]

While I'd be concerned, I wouldn't worry too much about the replacement. It actually looks fairly simple down there and they are dealing with an unbolt-and-bolt, unplug-and-plug repair, not trying to trace some intermittent electronic glitch.

Also, on Bolt service jobs, I've read elsewhere that local mechanics have phone access with factory technicians to assist with procedures unfamiliar to the local guy.

For the sake of the community, I sure hope you are able to get an answer to your question: Is their some sort of indicator to warn the driver of a low motor/gearbox fluid level?

Faulty seals have been a fact of cars ever since the beginning. I'm sure this was a fluke, since if it were a design flaw, we would have been hearing of a lot of burnt-out motors. Maybe the seal-application robot took a beer break?

 

[SeanNelson]

My concern is that the whole drive system is going to be replaced at a dealer which has no real experience with that level of repair on a new vehicle

They may not have experience on a Bolt in particular, but dealer service departments are all trained, they have the right tools for the job and they have the proper manuals that describe how to do the work. They're not building the drivetrain, they're just replacing it - and it'll probably be a simpler job than it would be on a conventional gas-powered vehicle. It's not something I'd be particularly concerned about, especially since the results will continued to be covered by the original vehicle warranty.

 

[GernBlanston]

Faulty seals have been a fact of cars ever since the beginning. I'm sure this was a fluke, since if it were a design flaw, we would have been hearing of a lot of burnt-out motors. Maybe the seal-application robot took a beer break?

This^^^

They're not building the drivetrain, they're just replacing it - and it'll probably be a simpler job than it would be on a conventional gas-powered vehicle. It's not something I'd be particularly concerned about, especially since the results will continued to be covered by the original vehicle warranty.

and This^^^
You'll be fine, other than not having your Bolt for a few days. Enjoy!

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

No warning light for this, so no sensor. Small leaks may go undetected for a long time.

How much fluid would you say you observed?

Vs how much does that housing hold?

GM will probably check a sample of vehicles to gauge how widespread it is and recall if needed before they incur too many repairs.

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

Not very much fluid , would estimate a teaspoon
Seems the spinning motor/ gears splashed fluid on one of the 3 phase inlet wires that had a bad seal
The wires feed into the top side of the drive so it may not leak unless the drive is spinning?
Lots of assumptions until the drive is removed and they can get a better look at it.
The drive is supposed to never need fluid replacement so it is not clear if it has a low fluid sensor?
Will try to get a look at the service data which it seems is electronic not a paper manual.

 

[oilerlord]

The car has 2200 miles on it and is not quite one month old.

Do you own the car or lease it?

Own: Give them a reasonable amount of time to fix it (I'd say 1-2 weeks) . If that doesn't happen, make an attempt at lemon law.
Lease: Let the next owner worry about it...that is, if there really is something to worry about.

 

[flamaest]

Do you have a picture which can show where the leak was approx? I would also like to look from above the engine bay to review mine without taking my car apart, if possible.

 

[SeanNelson]

The drive is supposed to never need fluid replacement so it is not clear if it has a low fluid sensor?

It seems very unlikely that they would have a fluid level sensor for a unit that's supposed to be sealed. None of my cars with a sealed manual transmission had a transmission oil level sensor.

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

http://99mpg.com/blog/finally-i-have-an-electric-car-chevy-bolt/

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

The leak is not visible from the top, but there was a wet area on the bottom cover that was where the fluid dripped out .
Replacement drive motor is already at the dealers waiting for the HV cables and seals .
Their going to call me so I can take pictures.
Will put up a couple more photos of the leak

 

[oilerlord]

Hey Mike,

Cool blog! Off topic, but I have solar too and experience some of this too:

"Since the 48V solar battery bank charging needs to be highest priority , and the sun output is a variable, the best system would automatically adjust the EV charge rate to take max advantage of available solar output without exceeding it which would have to draw from the solar batteries."

I don't have solar batteries, but it would be awesome if our EV's (or I suppose the EVSE's) would be able to adjust charging output to coincide with variable input from our solar arrays.

I apologize for the thread hijack, it's only that I think a lot of members here would be interested in how your solar PV system is put together. Perhaps if you have time, you can start a new thread about it. Here's a little about mine:

http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4944

 

[MikeDabrowski2017]

http://99mpg.com/blog/pluggingintothesun/
My solar story
Warning
Off topic and very detailed