Topic: My Rear is VENTING?!?! - FIXED

[DaveOC]

I do not feel like losing Lindsey for a day just to replace a small vent part and a 14" piece of hosing that is tied off to the top of the gas tank.  I told them to order the vent and hose clamps and when they got them in I would pick them up and perform the TSB myself, at my convenience.

I don't know why you would even consider doing this yourself.  The dealer should be doing this under warranty.  By doing it yourself, you open the way for the dealer to later claim that it was done wrong, and thus void the warranty on the differential should it get worse.

My differential started out doing the same thing as yours, they replaced the vent, it got worse, they replaced the vent again, it got worse yet, and they did something else to it.  It ended up with all the seals, pinion and both axles and the vent leaking. Differential completely replaced as a result, under warranty, no cost to me.  A differential replacement at the dealer is about a $3000 job between parts and labor, if it's not covered by warranty.

Make them fix it!

[Brad Kenny]

Thanks DaveOC and MomSol, definitely will have them replace the vent once they get the parts in. Should be interesting, I did not realize this is the first indication of a completely failing rear diff. I definitely will keep an eye on it.

Dealer cleaned it all up per the TSB, we will have to wait and see how long before it is coated in oil/grime again.

[JimVonBaden]

Jeremy,

I might take you up on your offer of a top off, if needed, at the mod meet. I am curious if mine, an 08 RL, needs work. It has the slightest of oil film on it.




Jim

[DaveOC]

Should be interesting, I did not realize this is the first indication of a completely failing rear diff. I definitely will keep an eye on it.

It can be the first sign, but most of the time it's nothing more than a leak. Mine liked to overheat itself as there was some misalignment of the gears which resulted in overheating, the seals melting and it developed a bad whine before crapping out.

By the way, since the replacement I've had 35,000 miles without a drop of leakage.

[MomsSol]

BTW .... 'topping off' is not as easy as you may think ... you cannot SEE the fill line and overfilling will cause the vent to    oil on your differential .... and sometimes cause 'puddling' on your garage floor or drive ... causing you to PANIC thinking you have 'blown' the differential ... again adding my 

Tried to find my picture of the 'old' differential vs new differential so you could see the 'fill' hole ... can't find it. 

But, having assisted two GM engineers (friends) when my diff was replaced (after months of hassle w dealer) I became up close and personal with the ins and outs of the differential!

[Uranium-238]

Technically they can't just up and void the warranty because you worked on the car. However, letting them do it would eliminate the possibility of a hassle later.

If I was in your shoes my choice would depend entirely on my relationship with the dealership.

[MomsSol]

Technically they can't just up and void the warranty because you worked on the car. However, letting them do it would eliminate the possibility of a hassle later.

If I was in your shoes my choice would depend entirely on my relationship with the dealership.

Doing maintenance work on your car is not cause to 'void' or not honor a warranty, but doing a TSB repair is surely 'pushing the envelop'

[Uranium-238]

They would have to prove what you did directly caused the failure, so as long as it's done competently it shouldn't be an issue.

But like I said, the only way to guarantee no hassle is to let them do it.

[Brad Kenny]

Agreed. I will work it out with the dealership once all the parts come in and re-talk with them about the options for installing the TSB for the vent line extension.

Thanks all for the food for thought. Have a topless and warm spring night.

[Graywolf]

Its interesting that a dealership implied someone was racing their cars around high speed corners. In the Solstice Performace book they show how to install a diff cooler for the GXP in SCCA road racing. Now we know that your rear end can get hot. The real fix is to install the cooler and void your warranty.

[Aspenrose]

I'd have them do the vent, mine vented, leaked, seeped, and in the end I ended up still paying for the real solution, a new diff, in July of 2009, out of warranty, of course. At that time it was $2800. not a leak, drip, spew, since.

[Brad Kenny]

Thanks Graywolf and Rose,

I plan on using them for the work to the fullest. I just need to wait a few months for the parts to come in (national backorder) and then I will have them install it.

See new thread below:

http://www.kappaperformance.com/forum/index.php/topic,6549.msg94664.html#msg94664