6-speed MT dropped out of gear and won't shift back

[Natesriv]

it's a little tight, but yes, they are treating you horribly. Once you get your car I'd call and ask to speak to the Dealership Manager, I'd also call and get an address and name and write a letter...hand written explaining the process you went through and how you will recommend to everyone you know NOT to go there for any reason. Be polite, professional and firm...

And if GM calls you to survey you or you get an email..RIP THEM A NEW ONE!

Patience my friend...patience... Drive the Kia like it's stolen

 

[SmoothSonic]

Once you get your car I'd call and ask to speak to the Dealership Manager, I'd also call and get an address and name and write a letter...hand written explaining the process you went through and how you will recommend to everyone you know NOT to go there for any reason. Be polite, professional and firm...

Good idea. Today, I decided to have another live chat with a chevrolet.com agent explaining the recent events since the last time I had a chat with one of them. This girl has decided to handle the case under her name, so any new issues will go back to her. I had her contact the dealership on my behalf to find out exactly when my car will be fixed. They said this afternoon, then they'll test it and call me tomorrow morning (like I really believe they'll call). The agent said to contact her if there are problems and then she said she will call me and the dealership on Thursday to be sure I have the car.

You know, I was telling a friend of mine about this bad master cylinder and the bad water pump that I'll replace sometime this year. He was shocked saying that these components never used to break down at 16,000 miles. My old chevy celebrity wagon's water pump broke down around 100,000 miles and that was the only major part to break. As far as my Sonic, I wonder what's the next thing to break. I can now sort of see why we have OnStar and roadside assistance. I bought a chevy because I thought it was a reliable brand. Now, I'm questioning that decision.

 

[Natesriv]

Hopefully she helps... guess you have to wait until tomorrow.

Seems the biggest two things on this car are the waterpump and the tranny... hopfully the replacements are better quality. I've had my waterpump replaced, no problems since. My tranny does whine in 4th gear, so that'll be a near end of warranty thing...it's just a high pitched squeal you barely hear, but it's there.

The master cylinder thing sounds like a total fluke, that's the first I've seen of it on here...

Two things I do which I hope help makes my car last longer..

#1, when starting cold, I don't drive until the engine idle RPM drops. On a cold start it'll be high for about 30 seconds, then it falls to the normal level.

#2, when I've been driving with some spirit, and I'm ready to turn it off, I'll just sit in it for about 30 seconds at idle. Some MODs guys have done this where the car automatically runs then shuts off a little later...called a turbo timer or something...basically it keeps the engine running for a bit after driving to let the excess turbo heat dissapate a bit more...keeps from cooking bearings... I try to do that often, since I have a lead foot.

Anyhoo I'm off subject. Get your car back, look it over FULLY before driving. I'd even see if one of the shop "techs" wants to take a ride with you before you accept delivery... Otherwise, don't drive off the lot if possible, do a quick drive around the lot....

Good luck amigo!

 

[SmoothSonic]

That's an interesting mod, maybe I'll look into that some time.

Update:
of course they didn't call this morning so I called the manager again. It turns out that my car is still not fixed. You'd think that when they disassembled my car, they'd find all of the problems. Well, they replaced the master cylinder yesterday because it leaked out all of the fluid. The manager said it's still not quite right. He is thinking that the slave cylinder was damaged from the lack of fluid or something else in the bell housing. Of course he says "it shouldn't take this long". I dropped off the car 2 weeks ago, now finally the manager asked me exactly what I experienced that night on the highway. And he asked for my number AGAIN. No one seems to be writing it down and I complained about this.

 

[ChicksHateMe]

That's an interesting mod, maybe I'll look into that some time.

Update:
of course they didn't call this morning so I called the manager again. It turns out that my car is still not fixed. You'd think that when they disassembled my car, they'd find all of the problems. Well, they replaced the master cylinder yesterday because it leaked out all of the fluid. The manager said it's still not quite right. He is thinking that the slave cylinder was damaged from the lack of fluid or something else in the bell housing. Of course he says "it shouldn't take this long". I dropped off the car 2 weeks ago, now finally the manager asked me exactly what I experienced that night on the highway. And he asked for my number AGAIN. No one seems to be writing it down and I complained about this.

I had a brake problem that it took them three tries to fix. It ended up being a check valve letting brake fluid leak into my booster. If I hit the gas, or the cruise was on, my brakes became hard as a rock and didn't work. I wonder if the same problem acts different on a manual vs and Auto like mine.

 

[SmoothSonic]

Another update.
They discovered that the clutch was worn to the metal. The manager decided that it was related to the lack of hydraulic pressure in the line, not allowing it to release properly. As a result its a free replacement.

 

[Natesriv]

that's ONE good thing...

 

[jgrote]

I'm not a huge fan of how the brake and clutch systems are set up on these cars. It seems like connecting the two together is asking for problems. A leaking slave cylinder can make you have no brakes. A leaking master cylinder can ruin a clutch. The 2 systems just shouldn't be that connected IMO. I have a funny feeling I'm going to get to put a clutch in one of these cars some time in my future... A question for any of the ones out there that have torn one of these down: Is there any kind of inspection window to be able to see the clutch, even a little bit of it, or do you have to drop the tranny to even inspect it?

 

[RauBurger]

wait, the brakes and clutch share the same hydraulic system? This is the first I've heard of that. On other vehicles I've seen that have a hydraulic clutch (mainly motorcycles) it's an entirely different master and slave cylinder than the brake master and slave, I had assumed that was the case here.

 

[Stew]

wait, the brakes and clutch share the same hydraulic system? This is the first I've heard of that. On other vehicles I've seen that have a hydraulic clutch (mainly motorcycles) it's an entirely different master and slave cylinder than the brake master and slave, I had assumed that was the case here.

They have a common reservoir so yes, they are sort of connected. I'm not a real big fan of this setup either although I haven't had any issues thus far.

 

[SmoothSonic]

I guess everyone should start inspecting their master cylinders periodically to be sure they're not leaking fluid. The guy I spoke to said that he's never seen a clutch so badly damaged as the one he saw on my car. I sort of wish I could see it as well, but I'll just imagine it. I asked him if there's supposed to be a warning light on the dash when there is a loss of fluid or hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder. He said that there isn't one. I think it would be a good idea if such a sensor existed.

Since the brakes and the clutch share the same master cylinder, how is it possible that I could still stop the car when I lost control of the forward speed?

 

[RauBurger]

They have a common reservoir so yes, they are sort of connected. I'm not a real big fan of this setup either although I haven't had any issues thus far.

Huh, that's odd. I'm not a huge fan of that either.

I guess everyone should start inspecting their master cylinders periodically to be sure they're not leaking fluid. The guy I spoke to said that he's never seen a clutch so badly damaged as the one he saw on my car. I sort of wish I could see it as well, but I'll just imagine it. I asked him if there's supposed to be a warning light on the dash when there is a loss of fluid or hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder. He said that there isn't one. I think it would be a good idea if such a sensor existed.

Since the brakes and the clutch share the same master cylinder, how is it possible that I could still stop the car when I lost control of the forward speed?

I don't think they can share a master cylinder; that's what takes the control input. They could only share a reservoir.

 

[SmoothSonic]

Alright. I was a little mixed up.

 

[SmoothSonic]

I finally have my car in my possession. When I picked it up, I drove off and then found that 3rd gear wasn't meshing properly and the gear was grinding. I took it back to the dealership and the CEM took the car out for a ride with me and then noticed the gear grinding as well. He then suggested that I take the car over to my local dealership to have them take a look at it. He was saying that he thinks the transmission isn't serviceable and that the entire thing might need to be replaced. Apparently he has very little knowledge about Sonic manual transmissions since this was the first one he's seen.

Anyway, I got onto the highway after discovering how to get into 3rd without grinding the gear. I ran the RPM to about 3000 and it worked that way. After driving through heavy slow traffic with frequent shifts from 2d to 3rd and long highway mileage reaching up to 6th gear, I reach my town. I decided to try shifting closer to a normal RPM around 2100 from 2nd to 3rd and there was no gear grinding sound. So, it appears that the car fixed itself. Maybe I don't need to take it to the local dealership now.

I'm happy to have it back. :banana:

 

[Natesriv]

Great!

 

[SmoothSonic]

I spoke too soon. As we know, any grinding of a gear means damage. After I got home, I took the car for another drive and 3rd gear started grinding again under normal driving conditions. My guess as someone else in this topic mentioned is that I most likely have a bad sychro and now of course a chewed up gear.

So, the story hasn't ended. Next up... a local dealership to show me their competency in repairing a manual transmission. Now, I'm curious to know what the damage is on the inside of the transmission.

 

[SmoothSonic]

I think a miracle just happened today. My GM universal agent wrote to me this morning and said that she sent my service info to my local dealership. I called my local dealership and they said that they won't have a loaner until Monday and can't look at my car until the middle of April, when yesterday they said April 6th. I was then recommended to tow the car to their location. So, I called roadside assistance and had my car towed to the dealership. I arrived and spoke to the manager about this whole story. He then said that he won't be able to see the car until Wednesday next week and said he won't have a loaner until then. Some stories weren't making sense. Then he said to gather some documents from my car. When I came back in, he introduced me to his associate and said that this man will collect your info and give you a loaner. Wow! It was like magic. I am wondering if he looked up my service record with GM while I was at my car. I like this first class treatment.

 

[laborsmith]

No doubt that is exactly what happened.

Carry on and know I am following this thread.

Not that it makes a difference for you but I am at 177WHP and 232 WTQ so what happens to you is of interest to me.


Laborsmith

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

I think a miracle just happened today. My GM universal agent wrote to me this morning and said that she sent my service info to my local dealership. I called my local dealership and they said that they won't have a loaner until Monday and can't look at my car until the middle of April, when yesterday they said April 6th. I was then recommended to tow the car to their location. So, I called roadside assistance and had my car towed to the dealership. I arrived and spoke to the manager about this whole story. He then said that he won't be able to see the car until Wednesday next week and said he won't have a loaner until then. Some stories weren't making sense. Then he said to gather some documents from my car. When I came back in, he introduced me to his associate and said that this man will collect your info and give you a loaner. Wow! It was like magic. I am wondering if he looked up my service record with GM while I was at my car. I like this first class treatment.

Hi Tom,

This is great news! I'm happy to hear you are getting this taken care of. I look forward to all of your new updates! :banana:

Patsy G
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[Hawkdsl]

My bet is that the first dealer replaced the master, but not the clutch... yet charged GM for that. The internal problem is the real problem. When a slave or master goes bad, your pedal pressure will have a noticeable change. I don't have my car yet, so I don't know how the two systems share the res, but my guess is that the brake line is lower on the master, and the clutch above it... in that the lowest possible fluid level can still supply the brakes.