Traverse 2009 - First round of repairs!

[ChevMali99]

Two months into the vehicle and already facing front end & back end work. Can't say it's due to bad engineering or anything beyond the normal nature of maintenance but I can say it is going to be expensive!

Full break job (breaks & rotors $175 x wheel + labor) on all four wheels + balancing, front shocks & struts ($260 a pop + labor)... $1750.

Withing the next couple of months I will HAVE TO replace the thermostat, belt, harmonic balancer (ie dampener pulley), water pump, & power steering pump for good measure. Haven't priced any of these yet but it aint going to be $500.

And for good measure, congratulations to GM for their awesomeness in reinventing a more complicated wheel / mouse-trap, I have to replace burned head lamps. The fun I'm going to have in removing or turning the wheels left or right, clear the plastic covers to access the offending light bulbs.

[ChevMali99]

Today, the second round of repairs was completed. Replaced the thermostat, water pump, and harmonic balancer - parts were $190, labor $400. The last one seemed to clear up an annoying hiss that was audible while accelerating. Also replaced the head lamp bulbs.

In spite of all the work done on this car, one pesky problem remains... a problem that seems to plague ALL GM cars; leaky anti-freeze. I thought the problem would have been solved by replacing the water pump - it wasn't.

The leak seems to come from worn gaskets (not sure if they are manifold gaskets) from the back engine passenger side and it rides to the front of the engine giving one the impression the leak is in the front of the engine.

So far repairs are totaling 1750+590 = 2340

[ChevMali99]

Level of difficulty: Any ideas?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU1D...ature=youtu.be

[bernteck]

The leak show in the video is 99% surely a water pump leak. The pump must have been installed incorrectly. When install a new water pump on the 3.6L engine do not any abrasive disc, I use a razor blade and being careful not to cut into the aluminum front cover of the engine. The new pump will need (must have) new bolts and torqued to spec

[ChevMali99]

The leak comes from the bolts at the bottom of the engine behind/below the harmonic balancer but cannot rule out perhaps a faulty water pump installation. I will look further into it in the days to come.

[ChevMali99]

Today was a day to further examine the so called leak I've been enduring for the past three months. Placed the car on ramps, made sure everything was safe & secure... Actually just let the car sit on the ramp for 30mins, before going under there, just to make sure. Turned the car on, went under it and waited; no leaks. The bolts I described above didn't leak after 15 to 20 minutes. There was, however, fresh dexcool dripping from the bottom of reservoir.

After much observation, a water pump leak was dismissed and focused solely on the anti freeze reservoir. I discovered I was overfilling it way beyond the full cold line, how could I not! The stupid line is way below the intuitive visual line. In other words, the full cold line is down at the bottom of the reservoir!

Fine, I proceeded to remove the excess dex-cool and began to notice dex-cool gunk, but this gunk was unlike any dex-cool gunk I've ever seen. This gunk was pink and pasty with glittery particles. I removed the reservoir and emptied the vile liquid and what was at its bottom was just the thing that sooner or later would've stranded me on the highway.

The evidence can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakWMOyawYo

and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZJVO8nGJvg

[Blue Bowtie]

While the reservoir was out for cleaning, did you happen to darken the embossed lettering and lines with a permanent marker or paint? I've had the same scenario on other vehicles, and the markings are a lot clearer that way.

Incidentally, we're waiting for the second verse on the "Shiny" song...

[bernteck]

This video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakWMOyawYo time 4:29 appears to still have an old water pump and old bolts with stains from water pump leaking coolant.

[ChevMali99]

I'm happy to report that the fully loaded Traverse just returned from its first long distance trip with the family & friends (9 passengers). Tacked on 300 miles and the car performed very well. While moving or stuck in traffic, the temperature needle never passed the mid point, no leaks were found or left behind as evidence.

Overall - I can trust this vehicle.

PS that's the only verse I know of shiny :-)