[Nathannoramn1]

long time reader but finally had to join and post. My wife has a 2011 ls 6speed mt. Currently 76k miles. We bought it used about a year and a half ago for her to have as a gas saver since we own jeeps. well about 4 months ago I decided to drive it and I happened to notice the transmission whine but wasnt sure if it had alway been there so when i got home i asked her about it and she said she doesnt pay attention. It bothered me for a few days and decided the following weekend i would look into it but unfortunately I was injured at work and the process of being forced onto federal workers comp is a nightmare and overshadowed my worries about the car. well fast forward to last month i decided that since im taken off of work and had some free time I would look up the info on it and found out that its a bearing failure and needs to be replaced. I knew my bumper to bumper was long gone but I was going to call and find out about my powertrain on monday ( it was on a Friday evening). As my luck would have it she took the car to do some shopping and after driving it for about an hour she returned home and parked it. I decided to go out and get a video of the noise while driving since its in all gears and only increases with speed and wanted to have something to show the dealer to avoid the couldnt replicate it excuse. When I started the car I heard an awful clatter like a old 12v diesel so i quickly popped the hood and realized it is coming from the trans and it was making the whole engine shake like a missfire. I got in the car and pressed the clutch and it got quiet as can be then comes back when the clutch is released. I killed it and told her I was going to let it cool off and try again. The next morning the clatter was gone but after driving it around a while it came back . On monday i found out that my 5/100k powertrain warranty had infact expired right at 2 months ago so isnt that just lovely. Now im laid up not working so I dont have the extra funds to take it to the dealership and too crippled up to work on it myself. Anyone have any ideas what the cladder is because i know the whine isnt good but its still drivable with it but when its rattling like its full of marbles I know it wont last if its driven like that. Do they design things to fail right after the warranty expires or what? thanks for any advise you guys can offer.

 

[jblackburn]

Mine is doing this right now. Comes and goes as well. Luckily under warranty.

Shaking the whole engine sounds to me like when the dual mass flywheel got hung up. Shook the whole car and sounded - yep - like a diesel. Did seem to be related to engine/trans temperature as well.

I have a current noise that does come and go with the clutch in/out, however. I believe this current one is a failed input shaft bearing.

Not the first I have heard of this either - there have been a handful of manual transmissions replaced, and quite a few flywheels as well.

Hang on - I'll try to attach a video.

 

[obermd]

The clatter is most likely the flywheel.

 

[jblackburn]

Flywheel - a more distinct clunking/rattle if the throttle is bumped. Sometimes rattles at a low idle. Shakes the whole car at times.

 

[jblackburn]

Current noise - bearing??? Disappears when clutch pedal pushed, as done in video when I open the door. Much quieter than the flywheel.

 

[Nathannoramn1]

Yeah I was pretty sure it was something flywheel related but couldn't understand how it comes and goes not to mention only after a long hour+ drive. That has me stumped. The whine is constant and audible at anything over 20mph and doesn't change regardless of gear or clutch position. It's slowly just getting louder. I took it in for the battery cable repair after the electrical issues and mentioned the whine to the dealer and was told, yeah they all do that, a while back and that answer never sat well with me. I was going to research the joke of a flywheel design and try to understand what's going on but it's all kind of sinking in after chatting with customer care that I'm sol. To be told that oh that's what the transmission does and ro go as far as writing a tsb on Manual transmission operating characteristics just so that the techs know how to spin it saying thats a normal sound. They know well and good that it's a bad design and still won't accept it. This isn't a jeep but they might as well use the phrase "it's a jeep thing". I guess since warranty is 2 month out I'm either out $3-5k to fix it or better yet trading it off and adding another jeep to the family that way at least I can expect to be told , sorry it broke but it's a jeep thing.

 

[Nathannoramn1]

This is the clatter I've got going on. The whining is a constant pitch that you can her above 20mph and only increases in volume with speed. Thought wheel bearing at first but lifted the car and running in 6th gear at idle the sound was definitely coming from the trans.

 

[jblackburn]

I believe that's the input shaft bearing, which also makes sense with the whine. Stops when you clutch in - flywheel made the noise all the time no matter what for me.

You can probably pick up a used transmission from a wrecked car. Or just sell it.

 

[Nathannoramn1]

I have read a few people talk about it possibly being the input bearing. The issue seems to be that no one has a definate answer because by reading all of the posts where they were able to get the dealer to fix them they all seem to say that they just swap out the old with a new trans and never open the case. Some have even said that GM sent engineeres to inspect the noise and they just say pull it out and then the dealer has set guidelines to what they do with it after. Idk. I am just pissed off that this happened right after the warranty expired and from the calls ive made its just oh well were sorry that it happened. If it was anything else that failed right after the warranty id just figure it out because thats life but when its something that you look up and theres been 100s of people have it happen it gets to you. The sad part is the people who were lucky enough to have this happen during the warranty period it seems chevy agrees to fix it without question and some have had several replaced yet if someone if a few miles/weeks outside of that warranty the just say tough luck ( which they have the legal right to do but is messed up)

 

[jblackburn]

Well, the flywheel sounds totally different, and others that have failed sound like mine.

The manual transmission for this car doesn't really have serviceable parts that you can order (built in Austria), so the whole thing is changed.

Very annoying that it happened right out of warranty. Some companies will help you out with that in "good faith", but I really don't care to say much about GM's warranty - I'm just glad mine's still under it, and I'm scared about what might happen to my car outside of it considering some of the trouble my car has had and others have had on the forum. There's a reason I've kept it stock this long.

 

[Nathannoramn1]

And that is exactly why im to the point of patching it up and trading it in because even if i fixed this issue theres a long list of issues that these are prone to. my wife loved the car and always gave me grief about my jeeps always breaking when abusing them off road but at least mine didnt self destruct in the driveway like hers. the worst part is the timing of it with it being right out of warranty and forced retirement at age 31 but if theres not a rather easy solution to this which I highly doubt then we will have to do what we have to do......Man being an adult sucks....lol

 

[Camcruse]

That really sucks.

I just got my Cruze back today with a new 6m trans as the bearings were bad.

Lucky for me at 80,000 and my 5 years are good until Jan 2017.

 

[blk88verde]

So after reading about the Cruze 6MT, and the bearing failures. Thinking it was a good thing I traded it in on the BMW F30. The 320i 6MT has been a solid performer. Some have advised that BMW reliability is not so great. So far my car has been more reliable than my wife's Honda.

 

[jblackburn]

So after reading about the Cruze 6MT, and the bearing failures. Thinking it was a good thing I traded it in on the BMW F30. The 320i 6MT has been a solid performer. Some have advised that BMW reliability is not so great. So far my car has been more reliable than my wife's Honda.

Have a close listen to the timing chains before your warranty's up!

 

[NickD]

Found this disturbing, shop manual was zero on the MT, just replace the entire thing. And what makes you think its the transmission, suppose to have about 120 bucks worth of that way overpriced GM oil in it at dealers prices. Can be the throwout bearing, another very limited lubricated ball bearing, just like all the crap on the belt drive train. Others are the idler pulley and tensioner on a timing belt vehicle. Had my share of these. Where's the grease?

Then a hydraulic slave cylinder, pray to God its not leaking, like anything else, buried deep inside that box. Owned many MT's in my life in mostly RWD vehicles, simple 2-3 hour job to replace the clutch or whatever, and all component parts were available. Synchos were around 75 cents each.

But all this is history with FWD vehicles, least an entire weekend, with all this dam road salt can easily spend a couple of hours trying to remove a half axle rusted solid into a hub bearing, or even longer. All that crap on top of the transmission has to be removed, would make a U out of 2 by 4's to catch the pan bolts and block it up solid. Would make my own dowel on my lathe, if even a 1/32" off, will never be able to align that long shaft into the clutch disc and the pilot bearing. Need two strong guys with ropes to help me. Not only the tranmission, but also the differential, and God only gave me two hands. Need at least two to guide that thing, and a third to rotate that shaft. One heck of a job with FWD vehicles. Ha, say I am getting too old for this BS, but been saying this for 50 years. Look how rusty those struts are, plastic is all worn, should replace those too. Extreme care with the ball joint, never can buy a new boot, with the Cruze, have to replace the entire control arm. When you add up the replacement parts at todays extremely outrageous prices, is it really worth it? Everything made today is throwaway and way way overpriced.

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TRANSAXLE[SUP]1[/SUP] CRUZE, CRUZE LIMITED; 1.4L; MF3; CODE ANK

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$1,761.64

 

[Nathannoramn1]

Yeah you know the design has issued when they don't even want to open it up to see what might be causing these issues but rather just toss in a new one and be done. I just wish they would accept responsibility for a design flaw. **** they wouldn't even have to do a recall they could just extend the warranty on the trans just like they have with the flawed waterpump, e brake, and whatever the other one on my warranty is for but they have denied there's an issue for so long that I guess the backlash would be too great . I've never claimed anything on my warranty and I'm 2 months past but 26k under the milage expiration and they didn't even offer as much as the usual free 1 hour of diagnostic time much less to replace it. I guess in the next few weeks it will go to the the dodge dealer for trade for my wife a jeep of her own. I hate it's come to this but seeing so many others in my situation or even worse off what other choice is left.

 

[pandrad61]

Yeah you know the design has issued when they don't even want to open it up to see what might be causing these issues but rather just toss in a new one and be done. I just wish they would accept responsibility for a design flaw. **** they wouldn't even have to do a recall they could just extend the warranty on the trans just like they have with the flawed waterpump, e brake, and whatever the other one on my warranty is for but they have denied there's an issue for so long that I guess the backlash would be too great . I've never claimed anything on my warranty and I'm 2 months past but 26k under the milage expiration and they didn't even offer as much as the usual free 1 hour of diagnostic time much less to replace it. I guess in the next few weeks it will go to the the dodge dealer for trade for my wife a jeep of her own. I hate it's come to this but seeing so many others in my situation or even worse off what other choice is left.

ahh yes a new fiat that will be better.... i own a jeep its a real mopar motor on a old amc chassis... or known as the grand cherokee zj. got an ol 318 push rod with a simple trans and 4x4... ive wheeled and drove new fiat ones.. ive seen them blow chunks from the block trans seize up... lots of issues. locally many of the jeep club have sold off the new ones and went older since they are way better for our needs

 

[Nathannoramn1]

I've got a 4 door jk and absolutely love it. I've had a cj3b, cj7, yj, tj, and now a jku. I've also had an xj for a trail rig and then a built I.H. Scout II that with the iron 345 out of a trash truck with 727 torque flight mated to an atlas with triple sticks. Love me some old school but my jku takes the cake. My only complaint is the entire thing is run on canbus so if you mod anything the computer knows it. I've had a 360 spinal fusion so I thought my wheeling days were over but this one is so smooth compared to all other jeep lol.

 

[pandrad61]

I've got a 4 door jk and absolutely love it. I've had a cj3b, cj7, yj, tj, and now a jku. I've also had an xj for a trail rig and then a built I.H. Scout II that with the iron 345 out of a trash truck with 727 torque flight mated to an atlas with triple sticks. Love me some old school but my jku takes the cake. My only complaint is the entire thing is run on canbus so if you mod anything the computer knows it. I've had a 360 spinal fusion so I thought my wheeling days were over but this one is so smooth compared to all other jeep lol.

now there i see some fun jeeping in your days.. see the new jk disappointing me soo much. just to get it lifted right and ready for wheeling its a major pita compared to my zj,xj and old wranglers. they do it to make them ride better but after test driving the rubiucon im not wooed..