Bobby MSME

Mr.Tozzi said it right. Dealer mechanic can not repair or rebuild the CVT. My question is, if the problem is pervasive as you say, why are you unable to recreate the problem with dealer mechanic? Obviously the problem is not occurring frequently enough. Have you changed the transmission fluid on schedule? CVT seems to be sensitive to degrading fluid with miles or time.

Could be some debris got stuck under the car. The item was stuck going forward, but when the car moved in reverse, it could have dislodged from the car. Something similar happened to me on my 1964 Corvair Monza. I was driving on unlighted part of Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, around 10 pm and it was pitch dark. There was a section of the road under repair with modified lanes with pylons. One of the rubber pylons had fallen and rolled to the middle of lane, which I saw at the very last second, and could not avoid it and drove right over it. It was a rubber pylon so did not make much

The youtube video I posted above shows step by step how to change the cabin filter. Just click on the arrow pointing right in middle of picture.

The rear view camera in my 2017 Spark has misleading depth perception. Objects are actually LOT CLOSER than how it looks on screen. Since I usually park front end in first, I have trouble gauging how far the front end is from the curb/concrete block. The rubber panel at bottom is quite low, and scrapes against the concrete if I get too close. May be I need feelers attached to the front bumper.

Schedule a visit to the dealer. Your car should be covered by bumper to bumper warranty. Hopefully you can re-create the problem at the dealership.

Small correction in your otherwise very good post...I think my 2017 Spark LS has 1.4 liter engine. Only issue after driving the new car for 5 months occurs when I am slowing down into 10-15 mph range, and for whatever reason instead of coming to a full stop, I wish to speed up again. If I press the gas pedal hard in that situation to speed up, many times the CVT fails to increase torque ratio. So the car fails to accelerate quickly. I have found a solution. Simply accelerate gently, instead of stomping on the pedal when car is slowing down in range of 10-15 mph. It seems to give

I knew that already, but I think you got my drift. Finding a really competent and honest mechanic is harder than finding a good doctor!

Old gearhead, I wish you ran a car repair shop in my town! You have heckuva good knowledge of car repair issues. I am certain posters and lurkers on this forum appreciate your input.

Bookmarking! Thanks for posting the link.

My understanding is a replacement coolant overflow tank can be purchased for $40 on line from a Chevy dealer, based on posts on this forum. That is the route I would go instead of buying it on eBay from a non-Chevy seller. There is a better chance of getting the right part that way, instead of messing with adapters.

Change transmission fluid at recommended intervals, if you want CVT to last as long as geared automatics. In my own situation, 75k miles equals 9-10 years of driving. I seldom keep cars over 10 years old. So if CVT lasts 75k miles without a problem, I would have enjoyed better gas mileage, better acceleration, smoother operation all the way from 0 to 75 mph with no gear changing jerks, and the sporty noise when gas pedal is goosed.

Very useful information for those who wish to monitor those temps.

I was able to get "engine" temp when I used the Torque App. It is probably coolant temp, and not oil temp. However, in a normal operating car, those 2 temps would be closely related. Tranny temp is another matter. Tranny could get hotter than coolant temp if it is malfunctioning. My thinking is if the car is responsive to speed changes, the CVT is functioning normally. A malfunctioning tranny will feel sluggish and may be noisy. Right now my Spark is only 4 months old with 32 months warranty remaining, so I am ignoring any possible issues with the car. Let GM worry abo

That is good to know, that at least GM knew there was a design flaw and changed the design. Thanks a lot for posting.

Be sure to check coolant level in overflow tank. If the coolant has no discoloration and if there is sufficient quantity of coolant present, it is unlikely for engine to overheat. For some reason (such as pump failure) the engine does overheat, the "idiot light" or in this case a message should appear. But it would still be nice to have a temp gauge just for peace of mind. When my 36 month warranty expires, I intend to leave the OBDII gadget in the socket all the time and use the Torque (Lite) app on my phone to monitor temp. Until then, I will let the bumper to bumper warranty wo

Has any one with 2016 & 2017 Sparks experienced the coolant overflow tank issues? Has the design been changed after all the same problem with so many older models? It is an obvious design flaw and GM needs to issue a recall. What are all the class action suit lawyers doing?

That is a very crucial point you make. If you are going to own a car, you have to learn as much as possible about potential car problems. From personal experience, one Chevy dealer mechanic in Cicero, IL diagnosed the loud hammer sound from my engine was due to busted rod bearings. He prescribed an engine overhaul, which is quite expensive. I read a good car manual book, and determined it was more likely a problem in the valve train. Visited another dealer next day, and sure enough it was a bent rocker arm. Cost of repair was 5% of an engine overhaul. Never walk into a repair shop

Are you certain the knocking sound is from brakes and not the engine compartment or body suspension? If it is, it could be a warped or defective disks or malfunction in the drum brakes, or defective brake pads which have flaked off. If car is under bumper to bumper warranty, any brake malfunction should be covered by the warranty. Beyond 36k miles and 36 months, probably not covered.

My seat of the pants suggestions: 1. check the fuel filter is not clogged (speaking from experience, car was stalling when I slowed down to a stop at traffic light) 2. check fuel pump is working properly (when fuel pump on my 1971 Nova went bad, the engine began stalling , and eventually one evening after work, engine failed to start.) 3. check voltage delivered to each spark plug 4. try using a higher octane fuel (least likely problem) 5. run a can of Seafoam fluid through gas tank Best luck!

Your problem of car stalling brings back memory from my 1977 Malibu. I bought it brand new, and it stalled often, especially when engine was not warmed up enough. I had to crank starter 3 times every time. I took it back to the dealer and the mechanic who worked on it must have been a true genius. He modified something in the pollution control system which made the fuel mixture slightly richer. He did not tell me what exactly he did, and I did not ask. After that the car never stalled during the 10 following years I owned it. It was one of the best cars I ever owned. Please note th

Women used to be the more considerate drivers in the 20th century. Not any more, especially the younger ones. It is just our evolving cultural changes.

For the computer to determine when to drop into 1st gear, there are many variables involved. First, there are no gears to change below 40 mph. The available torque is controlled simply by position of the sliding pulley which determines apparent & effective gear ratio. I have also noticed, that at speeds below 10 mph, if I step on the gas, the pulley does not shift to that position which generates maximum torque. It is exactly similar to keep driving in 2nd gear when car has slowed down below 5 mph and driver wishes to accelerate quickly. There simply is not enough torque available to

Yes, good idea to double check locking the car. Now I have to make sure I do not lock both the key and the phone in the car haha..

In the old days, I have replaced a few radiator caps. Now there are no radiator caps, so the overflow reservoir goes bust. On a positive note, it is a cheap repair compared to some part failing inside the engine or transmission or such. Without doing a lot of structural analysis, the hose is attached to the engine, while the overflow tank is attached to the car body. Thus every bump will cause some bending stress on the plastic tank through the hose. Plastic material has very low fatigue levels subjected to variable stress. Obviously the tank design is flawed.