u/arjoreich

TL;DR: do you think I can pull this one bolt, throw a ground wire lug under it and put it back in without taking the belt off?

Based on what I've seen of people pulling this part online, they all had to pry it loose at the bottom after both bolts were out.

For me this would be ideal because I'm just doing a Big 3 and I only need that bolt out for less than 10 seconds and it appears the belt tension would actually help keep it in place during that time.

I'm hoping the worst case would be that I might need to rachet on the tensioner a little until the bolt was properly threaded torqued back down.

Critiques? Reality checks?

2015 Chevy Sonic 1.8L, Engine: LUW, Trans: 6T30

When I pulled the seal, I swear there was a garter spring around outer flange but since I was trying to race an incoming storm, if there was one, it got washed away in the rain. Heck, I'm pretty sure I even got a screenshot of it when recording for my project log.

BUT... when I pulled open the box for the SKF #13015A there was no garter spring around it (pictured). Pressed for time and willing to redo the project two weeks later, I installed it without the garter spring and told myself that I just need to keep it off the highway until the new part comes in.

Whelp, today the GM GENUINE 24288436 arrived and...there is still no garter spring.

Am I losing my mind? Are they not required to keep tension on the outer rubber flange in order to keep it from deforming under high drive shaft rotation and transmission oil pressure? (readas: highway travel)

Also, for anyone who reads this far, you have to invent a tool that tool allow you to hit the seal press and only deliver force to the out metal shield of the seal. I found that a hose coupler for my wet/dry vac fit perfectly. And since it was plastic, it's less likely to damage the seal.

TL;DR: Replace what you Take still applies even if it's over the typical 5qts, right?

So, I just replaced both CV Axles and decided to pull the trans drain plug while the passenger side was on jack stands and I measured by volume (and verified by weight because I'm a geek) that I collected 6.33 quarts of trans fluid.

2015 Chevy Sonic 1.8L, Engine LUW, Trans 6T30

2015 Chevy Sonic 1.8L, Engine: LUW, Trans: 6T30

Obviously banging on the inner flange seems like a recipe for failure and the outer diameter is like 69mm and my largest socket is 36mm.

Pictured: Right Output Seal, SKF #13015A

This is the correct one if your ordering from RockAuto and they still don't have pictures of them.

TL;DR: I yoinked this seal - and destroyed it in the process - thinking I had it's replacement in a box. It, in fact, is not a replacement.

2015 Chevy Sonic 1.8L Flex w/ 6T30 trans

I ordered the TIMKEN SL260364 b/c it was literally the only Right Output Seal offered on RockAuto...and there were no pictures of it. But RockAuto has been solid in the past at "knowing better than I do" so I rolled with it.

Driver's side seemed simple enough yesterday so I just went to repeat the process this morning on the passenger side and...nope, I done effed up. I pulled the seal before shoving my head under there to visually compare them first.

For a hot minute, I thought it was just some metal shielded seal or something and the TIMKEN would just be a cheaper replacement. Nope, not even by a long shot.

---

So now it's raining out and thunderstorms are rolling in.

Before it started raining I dry-fitted the new axle into the trans sans seal, just enough to make it so water can't get in and then bagged and taped off the disassembled wheel well.

I hope the shipping is cheaper than the HOA fine for leaving my car in jack stands for however long it takes to get here...

I'm guessing the guy who fixed my fender bender 8 years ago put dye in the a/c system because I went looking for yellow coolant dye and found green a/c dye instead.

I don't suppose there's a viable fix for a pinhole leak like this that doesn't involve pumping it all out first?

Coolant leak is still a mystery as well, I put it on ramps and let it run for an hour while looking for it. I can visually see that the level in the reservoir has gone down over the course of that last hour too but it's nowhere to be found. It's not getting in the oil, it's not dripping from the water pump or the thermostat housing. Literally no yellow dye trace marks.

TL;DR: example question, should I put both sides on stands or can I support the side I'm working on? I swear I saw a comment somewhere that is easier to yoink it free when the car is supported on both sides but I cannot find that citation now.

2015 Chevy Sonic 1.8L LT, LUW engine, 6T30 trans.

I got two new cv axles from RockAuto sitting in my office and I scoured YouTube watching people do it, read through the comments on each one, but I'm hoping you guys might have some pro-tips those videos glossed over or are just hard to glean just watching.

So far I've learned/noticed that I should...

#1 Replace the output seals at the same time. Someone recommended buying two of each side in case I fist the first one while attempting to seat it. Obviously this is after I already paid a stupid amount on shipping for only one of each. Buuut, I will be using an actual race and seal tool so hopefully it will fine.

#2 Orienting the c-ring axle-lock at 12:00 o'clock makes it goes in easier. Some people recommend floating in it a smidge of bearing grease, others say a drop of clean trans fluid is fine with the excess being used to lube the splines.

#3 It's easier to free the axle from the wheel bearing before you remove the knuckle. This is personal observation but the ones that didn't ended up talking a punch and a steel mallet to the axle to free it. The ones that used a dead blow or the purse did it while the knuckle was attached.

What else.....???

2015 Chevy Sonic 1.8L (Engine Model: LUW)

I could hear clicking when I was turning on the road so I went into a parking lot and drove in circles while recording.

I chose this snippet because I realized if the radius is tight enough I can hear it on both sides. Ugh...

😂 You could hear my rear window vibrating that's how bad it was, lol... 😂

I should have posted a video of it rattling in the bracket with Will Ferrell in the background screaming "More Cowbell!!!" - that's how busted it is

I don't know if any of you also have ADHD but I might have gotten a little hyper fixated...

In quasi related news, I knew a decade ago that the first 7,500 miles of this car was as a rental but damn was ever there a lot of soaked in coffee, sweet tea and coke in the carpet under passenger seat.

I haven't even had a chance to clean the actual seats yet. That's literally just from the passenger side.