[SuperRayo]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, I've had a 2018 Bolt for 6 months, loving the car so far(it is also the first car that I've owned), but a couple of months ago I started noticing some weird noise coming from the right front tire when going over 50 km/h. At first, I thought it was an unevenly worn tire( as the sound is very similar and changes pitch with speed), but I switched tires around and the noise kept coming from the same place also lately the car has also developed a clunking (it also jolts the vehicle a bit forward) when slightly accelerating/decelerating on L mode.

I also tried to check if there was any play just in case it was the wheel bearing but there is no play there, one thing that caught my attention it's a clicking noise when turning the wheel manually, here are a couple of videos:
Clicking sound
Another clicking sound video

Here is another video with the clunk sound when the car is moving:
Clunking when the car is moving

I've also noticed that there is some play in the right output shaft of the transmission but I don't know if this is normal:
Output shaft play video

I'm guessing my problem is the CV shaft but I'm not sure as it normally doesn't make that kind of vibration when it goes bad (as far as I've searched and seen in other cars and there is some clicking sound in the right axle too but there is no sound/vibration coming from there when the car is moving).

Also, a couple of other things important to point out:
I've started noticing a scraping sound coming from that same right tire but is very quiet and only audible at really low speeds.
The car has almost 192000km.

If anyone could help me figure out what is going on here I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks beforehand!

 

[XJ12]

Hi, I'm new to the forum

Welcome to the forum. There are several good threads that might help.

 

[GJETSON]

I've also noticed that there is some play in the right output shaft of the transmission but I don't know if this is normal:
Output shaft play video

It may be "normal" at that many kilometers, but it is not good. Our Bolt, at half that mileage, is absolutely tight on the right side. Zero play or noise. I can hear some clicking, and rotational play, on the left side. The Chevy mechanic insists mine is differential gear lash, not worn axle splines. Time will tell.

 

[SuperRayo]

Welcome to the forum. There are several good threads that might help.

Thank you, I've searched and read a lot of threads but it's not quite the same problem sadly.

It may be "normal" at that many kilometers, but it is not good. Our Bolt, at half that mileage, is absolutely tight on the right side. Zero play or noise. I can hear some clicking, and rotational play, on the left side. The Chevy mechanic insists mine is differential gear lash, not worn axle splines. Time will tell.

Thanks for your answer, this got me preoccupied, I had seen that video a couple of times before, very well detailed.
During a long trip this weekend I managed to record the sound, hopefully it's clear (this is how it sounds at around 100kph):

https://soundcloud.com/yisus-manuel-1%2Fsound
Worst case scenario I'd have to change some transmission components, me being curious I started to search for some components to see how much it would cost:

Differential Gear: 2017-2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV Front Differential 25201414 | GMPartsDirect.com

Differential Bearing Shim:

2017-2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV Differential Bearing Shim 25199180 | GMPartsDirect.com

2017-2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV part # 25199180 - Differential Bearing Shim

www.gmpartsdirect.com

Oil filter (Why not?):

2017-2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV Automatic Transmission Fluid Filter 25198615 | GMPartsDirect.com

2017-2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV part # 25198615 - Automatic Transmission Fluid Filter

www.gmpartsdirect.com

Shaft seal:
* Right: 2010-2020 GM Automatic Transmission Front Wheel Drive Shaft Seal with Protector 19258415 | GMPartsDirect.com

*Left: 2010-2020 GM Automatic Transmission Front Wheel Drive Shaft Seal with Protector 19258416 | GMPartsDirect.com

Case Gaskets:

Passenger Side Automatic Transmission Case Cover Gasket 25196397 | GMPartsDirect.com

25196397 - Passenger Side Automatic Transmission Case Cover Gasket

www.gmpartsdirect.com

Drive Unit Case Gasket 25196398 | GMPartsDirect.com

25196398 - Drive Unit Case Gasket

www.gmpartsdirect.com

2017-2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV Gasket 25196399 | GMPartsDirect.com

2017-2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV part # 25196399 - Gasket

www.gmpartsdirect.com

Right output shaft:

Passenger Side Automatic Transmission Output Shaft 25196390 | GMPartsDirect.com

25196390 - Passenger Side Automatic Transmission Output Shaft

www.gmpartsdirect.com

Shaft retaining ring:

Output Shaft Retaining Ring 25196081 | GMPartsDirect.com

25196081 - Output Shaft Retaining Ring

www.gmpartsdirect.com

All adds up to around $700, also here is the left output shaft just in case:

Driver Side Output Shaft 25196389 | GMPartsDirect.com

25196389 - Driver Side Output Shaft

www.gmpartsdirect.com

Hopefully it is just something simple, instead of something in the transmission.

 

[EggRock]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, I've had a 2018 Bolt for 6 months, loving the car so far(it is also the first car that I've owned), but a couple of months ago I started noticing some weird noise coming from the right front tire when going over 50 km/h. At first, I thought it was an unevenly worn tire( as the sound is very similar and changes pitch with speed), but I switched tires around and the noise kept coming from the same place also lately the car has also developed a clunking (it also jolts the vehicle a bit forward) when slightly accelerating/decelerating on L mode.

I also tried to check if there was any play just in case it was the wheel bearing but there is no play there, one thing that caught my attention it's a clicking noise when turning the wheel manually, here are a couple of videos:
Clicking sound
Another clicking sound video

Here is another video with the clunk sound when the car is moving:
Clunking when the car is moving

I've also noticed that there is some play in the right output shaft of the transmission but I don't know if this is normal:
Output shaft play video

I'm guessing my problem is the CV shaft but I'm not sure as it normally doesn't make that kind of vibration when it goes bad (as far as I've searched and seen in other cars and there is some clicking sound in the right axle too but there is no sound/vibration coming from there when the car is moving).

Also, a couple of other things important to point out:
I've started noticing a scraping sound coming from that same right tire but is very quiet and only audible at really low speeds.
The car has almost 192000km.

If anyone could help me figure out what is going on here I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks beforehand!

Hi, I'm new to the forum, I've had a 2018 Bolt for 6 months, loving the car so far(it is also the first car that I've owned), but a couple of months ago I started noticing some weird noise coming from the right front tire when going over 50 km/h. At first, I thought it was an unevenly worn tire( as the sound is very similar and changes pitch with speed), but I switched tires around and the noise kept coming from the same place also lately the car has also developed a clunking (it also jolts the vehicle a bit forward) when slightly accelerating/decelerating on L mode.

I also tried to check if there was any play just in case it was the wheel bearing but there is no play there, one thing that caught my attention it's a clicking noise when turning the wheel manually, here are a couple of videos:
Clicking sound
Another clicking sound video

Here is another video with the clunk sound when the car is moving:
Clunking when the car is moving

I've also noticed that there is some play in the right output shaft of the transmission but I don't know if this is normal:
Output shaft play video

I'm guessing my problem is the CV shaft but I'm not sure as it normally doesn't make that kind of vibration when it goes bad (as far as I've searched and seen in other cars and there is some clicking sound in the right axle too but there is no sound/vibration coming from there when the car is moving).

Also, a couple of other things important to point out:
I've started noticing a scraping sound coming from that same right tire but is very quiet and only audible at really low speeds.
The car has almost 192000km.

If anyone could help me figure out what is going on here I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks beforehand!

This sounds exactly like my 2017 Bolt with 106k miles. My shop thinks it is in the differential. Bringing it to a transmission shop Tuesday. Did you make any repairs?

 

[SuperRayo]

This sounds exactly like my 2017 Bolt with 106k miles. My shop thinks it is in the differential. Bringing it to a transmission shop Tuesday. Did you make any repairs?

Hey, today I replaced the wheel bearing and CV shaft on that side, to see if maybe the sound goes away.

The inner cv joint had a little bit of play but, while doing the change I noticed a lot of play in the output shaft and guess what, the sound it's still there, it was worth a try I guess. I'm thinking maybe it's the differential or the output shaft splines. But now I'll have to take it to a mechanic and see what is it.

 

[EggRock]

I reached out to a fantastic, knowledgeable, conscientious Chevy dealership EV tech. He says there is supposed to be some play in the differential output linkage. He says, based on my description, it doesn’t sound like I have a problem.

 

[SuperRayo]

I guess some play is normal, but at least in my case there is way too much play there. That clicking sound in the video is entirely the output shaft(and/or something inside the transmission too, as moving the other output shaft causes some clicking but there is no play there), and there is some in-out play as well.

I live in a warm climate and one thing I've noticed is that in cool days(18-25°C) it doesn't make that much noise until the transmission warms up, In really hot days(30-35°C) the noise is there almost immediately and after some time running the car it starts to sound like some metal grinding noise, not the kind of thing you wanna hear coming from a transmission.

I don't have any chevy dealers willing to work with the Bolt in my country, but there are some shops that can work with the car, I'll let you know if I have any new findings.

 

[XJ12]

a clicking noise when turning the wheel manually

not sure if this applies. but there is a anti-click washer:

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/07/heres-why-your-chevy-bolt-ev-may-have-a-clicking-sound/

 

[SuperRayo]

not sure if this applies. but there is a anti-click washer:

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2022/07/heres-why-your-chevy-bolt-ev-may-have-a-clicking-sound/

Thanks for you reply, sadly I've already checked those and they are not the cause of the issue. I've isolated the sound to the transmission, so there is nothing more I can do on my own as I don't have the right equipment to work on it.

 

[nicholasmystic]

I don't have any suggestions related to your problem, but I will share an observation from your videos. It seems you have a lot of surface rust showing on a lot of the components in your videos. I have to wonder if corrosion of some sort might be playing a role in the problem?