???Brand New And Has Problems!

[jonezy]

Just got a '03 1500 4wd. Drove it 70 miles home from the dealer who was willing to sell it under invoice Parked it in the driveway and got the wifey to take for a spin. ?Came back and noticed oil on the driveway. ?Crawled under and it looks like its coming from the front of the rear differential. ?I think this is the case because oil was sprayed all over the underbody.

I don't no squat about trucks. ?Am I likely to ruin it driving it at all? ?Its about 20 miles to the dealer near my office which would be the most convenient for me to take it to. ?The closest dealer is about 7 miles?

Also, anyone want to venture a guess as to why its doing this? ?I was hoping it was just some kind of blow by, but I seriously doubt it judging by the oil slick on my underbody.

 

[AvaLance]

I am sorry to hear about the problems with the new AV but personaly I would take it to the closed dealer but that is just me I am not a macanic by far but if it is easier for you to take it to the dealer near where you work I THINK that would be fine too but I am not sure

Lance

 

[pktwatch]

Most likely a front seal in the rear diff. a easy fix but do taske it in. you won't ruin anything if you don't take it on a big trip and get it hot!

 

[AZMark]

I had a similar prob but with my front diff after having the truck only 2 months. Took it in, (got me a camaro convertible loaner since I figured they'd have the Av at least a full 24 hrs ), and got a call 3 hrs later saying the diff had a faulty overflow valve .

Don't know how often this happens or if it could be the case in your rear diff. but that was my experience

 

[redlion6]

If it is brand new your warranty should cover towing to the nearest dealer. If you are not sure where the oil is coming from I would have it towed in.

 

[texshot]

If you have problems now wait till it rains and you have to take it in for water in the cab. If you are out in a rain be sure to feel your carpet for water leaks. Good luck

 

[11H]

Get it towed... The G80 can't be run low... If that's where it's leaking from... The dealer will bill the tow under warranty, and fix the truck... Ask them to make sure it hasn't been ruined due to running low on fluid... Demand they inspect it, and I would be firm about it... What happened is rare, but wrong nonetheless...

If you try to drive it, and something fails in the rear diff, you could damage other parts, and they would give you a hard time now that you know it's leaking...

It's not worth it, get it towed... Also, driving 20 miles on an almost empty rear diff is a safety concern ...

I would almost consider asking for another unit... There's not many miles on it, and the paperwork is still on people's desk... As far as the state, and paperwork is concerned, you're on a test drive...

Check if there is a state law concerning recision... You might have 1 to 3 days to back out, but I doubt it...

Here's why I say this... That rear diff may have leaked enough fluid to cause premature wear... The axle tubes need fluid to be at a certain level also to get lubrication, and if the level is below the axle tube inlets,some of the lube ran out of them... Even if you don't have the G80 locking diff... If it is leaking bad now, maybe it leaked before you got it; you never know... And if you have the G80, I wouldn't want to run it too low at all for any distance...

Running a rear diff especially a G80 low is not too good if it got too low that is... The whole thing only holds 2.25 Quarts, and if you lost nearly half that, I would be concerned...

If it were me, I would want to be there when they pulled the cover to see the fluid, and what the tech says... Trust me, if it's up to the tech, he wants to replace big parts... That's how he gets paid; big jobs... He'll tell you the truth one on one... Then you can go roust the management... ?

Just my .02

11H

 

[Savvy_Av]

I agree...get it towed....My Tahoe had an oil leak (and i work on cars) but it was the main seal (Large seal for your motor located just above front diff) and that can be bad, if it is a large amount of oil (down the length of truck) it does pay to at very least identify leaks (via color) trans fluid (red), motor oil (dark brown mostly), coolant (green or pinkish), diff fluid (reddish brown, and much thicker than normal oil as it is 90 weight compared to 10-30 in motor)

 

[Chief]

Here is my spin on it.

1) You don't know specifically where the oil is coming from. If it is "all over" the underside than I say get it towed. Better safe than sorry if you can verify your fluid levels.

2) The differentials in the Avalanche are equipped with overflow pipes. If the overflow pipe wasn't there as the differential heated up pressure would build up and burst the seals. When your Avalanche is new SOME oil leakage from the differentials is normal. This is stated in the Owner's Manual. It also stated in the Owner's Manual that if you ever get into deep water you should have the differentials checked for contamination, as under the right circumstances water can backflow into the differentials. If you think this is bad design think again, air lockers have the same issue if pressure is taken off of them and air lockers up until this year have been the defacto standard for hardcore off-roaders.

3) On the 2002 models there were a handful that went out with the overflow pipe installed wrong. This effectively caused the oil to leak out of the unit under operation. Again, this was on 2002 models and I'm 99% sure there is a TSB to this effect.

4) My gut is a bad seal from the word go. Acceptable - hardly. Should have never gone out of the factory that way.

As far as the breathless post about water leaks. Go run your Avalanche through a high pressure car wash and check for water on the carpet. Odds are you're Avalanche will be as water tight as a ducks butt.