[MDBolt]

Updated the first post but the news is not good! The car is actually missing a clamp on one of the coolant lines. Astounding.

Wow. Must be a first around here. Is the working theory that whoever replaced the pack didn’t put this clamp back on?

 

[MalvoliosStockings]

Wow. Must be a first around here. Is the working theory that whoever replaced the pack didn’t put this clamp back on?

This is a 2023 with a build date of last month, it never had a pack replaced.

 

[GJETSON]

This is a 2023 with a build date of last month, it never had a pack replaced.

Yeah. That is terrible QC. According to Professor Kelly, the clamps are glued to the hose to make assembly easier. I suppose the line worker just assumed it would be there.

 

[MDBolt]

This is a 2023 with a build date of last month, it never had a pack replaced.

Oh darn! That makes it even worse! Rolled out of the factory missing a critical piece. I would try to reach out to the EV Concierge to report it and see if they can give you something to make you whole. Sorry to hear that mate.

 

[Louis Chevrolet]

So with that missing clamp, the cooling system holds vacuum for a proper fill? Then does it leak coolant out during conditioning and regular pumping circulation? This is a long thread, just looking for a summary of what would happen if a clamp was missing.

 

[MalvoliosStockings]

So with that missing clamp, the cooling system holds vacuum for a proper fill? Then does it leak coolant out during conditioning and regular pumping circulation? This is a long thread, just looking for a summary of what would happen if a clamp was missing.

Someone with more knowledge of how this system works might know more but I was told that this was a leak and they actually found coolant sprayed out onto other parts of the car.

 

[jreddington]

So with that missing clamp, the cooling system holds vacuum for a proper fill? Then does it leak coolant out during conditioning and regular pumping circulation? This is a long thread, just looking for a summary of what would happen if a clamp was missing.

It’s possible that even without the clamp that the system would hold vacuum. While under vacuum the flexible hose is being sucked against the rigid fitting. Only when there is some positive pressure due to rising temp or a pump coming on will the hose get loose enough to leak.

 

[MalvoliosStockings]

Dealer called back this afternoon and said everything is all good, I'll go to pick up tomorrow morning and probably head right to a DCFC to test it again, but with the hood open this time! Really hope I can put all this behind me and just have a car.

 

[Elaine R]

jeez. unnerving. wishing you a happy experience from here on out.

 

[GJETSON]

Dealer called back this afternoon and said everything is all good, I'll go to pick up tomorrow morning and probably head right to a DCFC to test it again, but with the hood open this time! Really hope I can put all this behind me and just have a car.

View attachment 52269

I have not tried that, but just a heads up. There are things the Bolt will not do with the hood up. DC charging might be one of them. I would at least wait to open it until it is charging. It will definitely let you AC charge with the hood up, but you can't do a cabin precondition that way.

 

[MalvoliosStockings]

Hopefully the final update in the first post! Car is back, seems fine. Life resumes.

 

[usedBolt]

These cars don't have enough crazy things that can go bad... I used to be into (owning and working on) VW TDIs. There were certain years where the engine coolant could wick into the vehicle's wiring harness through the coolant tank level sensor. There were cases where people had their tail light assemblies filled with coolant! The repair was full vehicle wiring harness replacement. Not cheap or easy. Later models had a liquid-cooled EGR system that liked to leak coolant into the exhaust stream. Not enough to belch white smoke, but enough to make you wonder where all your coolant was going.

I had a 1981 Rabbit Diesel. Head gaskets lasted about 20K miles on average, though in one case the shop apparently used the wrong gasket that only lasted long enough to get home and back (about 10 miles)! Wolf saw the car spewing coolant on his perfectly clean better-than-your-dining-table floor, uttered the name of the Son of God in a perfect Cherman Accent, and got a new supplier.

Later, when stopping at the dealer to pick up a normal maintenance part, I asked the parts guy about the head gasket problem; he looked up the car's VIN (or might have been the engine s/n) and said that oh yes, those have a problem; about the first 1/2 of the 1981 production has a bad head bolt setup that compresses the aluminum head (iron block) and eventually the gasket lets go. Or it might have been stretching head bolts (Honda had a batch of Civics with that problem). Anyway, he said that if block or head replacements were needed, he could only sell a new long block with the new, larger head bolts in a new pattern. Yes, that sounds like a warranty issue, but VW refused to accept it as emission-related (10 yr/150K) instead making it main warranty (1 yr/20K). These days, a lemon-law lawyer would eat their lunch and make it a class action; back in the '80s, I was SOL.

At one point, the car also managed to blow the glow plug fuse. Still don't know how, but it was impossible to start below about 65F ambient. Replaced it (60A, in a separate block on the firewall) and never had the problem again.

As for the Bolt, lack of attention to filling technique has been implicated in many low-coolant events after a battery replacement (under warranty or recall). I'm leaning toward something like that in this case.

Edit: just read the rest. Missing clamp. Uh, yeah, production issue. Dealer prep usually wouldn't look for that, thought they SHOULD have noticed an empty coolant tank.

 

[sir3lit]

It's a 412xxxx. I don't remember the exact build date but it was mid December when the bot on the Chevy site switched to saying that the car had been produced. Then a week ago my dealer said it had arrived locally via train, so it took about a month.

If you want the exact build date shoot me a dm with the last 8 of your VIN and i get let you know the day is was completed

 

[jblache]

Sounds like something a GM dealer would do……

 

[MalvoliosStockings]

I got a notification from the app saying that my car has a problem with my battery and needed service and I almost had a heart attack! Opened the app and it was fine, went to the car and turned it on and it was fine. Just old data bonking around the system I guess. Thanks terrible app!