# 2014 Diesel CV Joint Failure?



## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Today, after exiting the highway after 200+ mile drive, upon acceleration from a dead stop I heard/felt a very loud clunking/banging under the center right engine compartment. The condition only occurs on acceleration, identical noise in all forward gears. No CELs, everything running OK otherwise.

I put the car up on blocks and found a bunch of grease splaying out from the right inner CV boot (Right front tire is to the right of this photo taken from under front passenger door looking forward).









The CV is at a minimum leaking grease, I’m assuming related to the noise as well. I’m gonna take her in to Chevrolet tomorrow am. 

Couple of other details, about 500 miles ago, 60 mph on level highway I heard several loud bangs come from the right front side, like I had just run over a series of screwdrivers or wrenches left on the road. I checked the rear view mirror and didn’t see any debris or road gators. 

Transmission was replaced under warranty about 25K miles ago (leaking around case seals) so I’m skeptical it’s related to the Aisin transmission.

Question...I’m at 97K miles so if this turns out to be the CV, would it be covered under 100K powertrain warranty?

Also found THIS RELATED THREAD detailing a recall on the 1.4L front right CV joint. It only mentions the 1.4L, I’m wondering if this recall might also apply to my 2014 Diesel as well??

Thanks in advance.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

After further research, the CV trans axle on the Diesel is a different part # from the 1.4L so apparently is not included in the original Recall on 13-14 gassers.

Good news is the axle shafts, bearings and CV joints *are* covered under 100K powertrain:

Drive Systems
Drive system coverage includes all internally lubricated parts, final drive housings, *axle shafts and bearings, constant velocity joints*, propeller shafts and universal joints.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

I think you're warranty would only apply to mechanical defects. 

You've got a torn boot. Possibly from shrapnel you described. When the boot tears. The grease flips out like you are seeing. When the grease is gone. Kiss the joint goodbye. Practically IMMEDIATELY. 

You might get lucky and have it covered under warranty. But I wouldn't be too hopeful.

It looks like a whole axle is roughly $60. And they're not hard to replace. 

If you end up doing it yourself. 

Lift car up on right side frame that won't get damaged as you'll more then likely have to disconnect the lower control arm. So you can't lift it up on the control arm. 
By having the car tilted on the right side. You'll be able to pull the shaft out of the transmission with hopefully no trans fluid loss. It'll all shift over to the left side. That's how I've done it back in the day when a floor lift wasn't available.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Got the news today. Get a load of this. 

The steel bracket/mount that holds the oil filter drain pan/funnel (for lack of a better term) snapped at the spot welds and sheared the arm mounted to the alternator. The whole shitshow then fell and took up residence on top of the right Inner CV joint, ripping open the rubber boot. 

Naturally the CV is now toast, due to a faulty crap spot weld. Because failure point of origin is non-power train, it’s not covered. 

$600 and a week in the shop (for parts). 

Fun times.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

How in the Christ does that snap like that? There should be no load on that "drain" at all - but that's definitely fatigue shear...

That's some bullshit man...might be worth calling Chevy on that one...playing the "this is dangerous" card...because it is.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

MP81 said:


> How in the Christ does that snap like that? There should be no load on that "drain" at all - but that's definitely fatigue shear...
> 
> That's some bullshit man...might be worth calling Chevy on that one...playing the "this is dangerous" card...because it is.


Yeah my gut reaction was to call GM and plead my case. I did in fact get a GM phone number, part of me says just write it off to bad luck and move on. 

Mechanic said once the spot welds let loose on the one side it was harmonics from the diesel that caused the remaining bracket on the alternator side to fatigue and fail. Car is 5 years old (8/13 build date) and 97k miles. 

Weird thing is this car is rust free. It has spent its life in Austin, TX, Arizona and California so absolutely NO snow or road salt conditions. 

Was thinking it might be a good idea for Gen 1 diesel owners, especially in harsh climates, to check the integrity of their oil drain brackets as part of regular maintenance at every OCI. 

Catch it BEFORE failure and save yourself $500 bucks.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Rivergoer said:


> Got the news today. Get a load of this.
> 
> The steel bracket/mount that holds the oil filter drain pan/funnel (for lack of a better term) snapped at the spot welds and sheared the arm mounted to the alternator. The whole shitshow then fell and took up residence on top of the right Inner CV joint, ripping open the rubber boot.
> 
> ...


Wow! That was some serious fault analysis by your dealer.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

This thread is a bit depressing. Hope your failure at least happened near your home, if you were a couple thousand miles from home this situation would really suck.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

could you drive it w/o the funnel or is it integral to something?

does it protect the plastic oil cap from debris?


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

Rivergoer said:


> Yeah my gut reaction was to call GM and plead my case. I did in fact get a GM phone number, part of me says just write it off to bad luck and move on.
> 
> Mechanic said once the spot welds let loose on the one side it was harmonics from the diesel that caused the remaining bracket on the alternator side to fatigue and fail. Car is 5 years old (8/13 build date) and 97k miles.
> 
> ...


I have an 8/13 build date too. Sorry about your luck, I'm sure it's a total fluke.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

IndyDiesel said:


> This thread is a bit depressing. Hope your failure at least happened near your home, if you were a couple thousand miles from home this situation would really suck.


Yes, I was VERY lucky. The CV failure happened exiting the highway 5 miles from home (after 250 miles on the highway). Could’ve easily happened an hour earlier and left me stranded in the middle of the desert in 110 degree heat with no cell phone signal. As it was, I gingerly limped home then called AAA for a tow to the dealership this morning.

Funny, I’m pretty sure the oil filter funnel part actually broke off about 500 miles earlier though. 

Several days ago, cruising at highway speed during a trip on I-10 from AZ to CA, I heard about a half dozen bangs from that area, like I just ran over a bunch of large rocks or hand tools. I’m confident I did NOT run over anything and never saw any road debris in the mirror after the noise. 

In retrospect, that was the sound of the final bracket (alternator side) cutting loose and the steel filter/funnel assembly dropping into the spinning transaxle. It banged around a few times, then lodged there on the transaxle, right where the mechanic found it this morning. 

Just took me unknowingly driving a few hundred more miles with a damaged boot to spin out the grease and grenade the CV joint.




boraz said:


> could you drive it w/o the funnel or is it integral to something?
> 
> does it protect the plastic oil cap from debris?


Excellent question...the car CAN be operated safely, and no long term impacts, without the funnel part. The mechanic even said he could fix the transaxle and leave the funnel off. He explained while it _may_ provide some degree of filter protection, the part’s main purpose is to catch spilled oil during a filter change and route it over to a hole in the belly pan. 

I chose to order/replace the part because if it’s missing, excess filter oil spills onto the transaxle, CV boot and all over the top side of the belly pan.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Tomko said:


> Wow! That was some serious fault analysis by your dealer.


Absolutely, couldn’t agree more.

Mike at Bradley Chevrolet in Parker, AZ is a master mechanic in my book. 

Side note...I had to chuckle...after showing me the damage to my car up on the rack, he jumped back on a second small sedan (forgot the model) with a 1.5L Turbo Chevy motor that had a broken #1 piston (sound familiar 1.4L owners?)

First words out of his mouth (which we’ve all heard 100’s of times on CT):

“I keep telling people they need to run PREMIUM in these tiny high compression turbo gasoline engines, but they just won’t listen. You never hear guys running 11:1 compression performance engines on Regular, so why would it be OK with these little engines?”


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Rivergoer said:


> Yeah my gut reaction was to call GM and plead my case. I did in fact get a GM phone number, part of me says just write it off to bad luck and move on.
> 
> Mechanic said once the spot welds let loose on the one side it was harmonics from the diesel that caused the remaining bracket on the alternator side to fatigue and fail. Car is 5 years old (8/13 build date) and 97k miles.
> 
> ...


To me? It's attached, directly, to the engine, providing a function (even if just convenience) for the engine's oil filter - it's Powertrain. That's what I'd push, at least. I'd say still contact GM about it - this could have been more serious as others had mentioned...



Rivergoer said:


> Side note...I had to chuckle...after showing me the damage to my car up on the rack, he jumped back on a second small sedan (forgot the model) with a 1.5L Turbo Chevy motor that had a broken #1 piston (sound familiar 1.4L owners?)


That'd be a Malibu.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

The compression ratio is 10 to 1 for the Malibu 1.5 engine.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

IndyDiesel said:


> The compression ratio is 10 to 1 for the Malibu 1.5 engine.


Plus boost.

I run 10.0:1 in my L61 2.2L, with 14psi of boost - and I'd never consider running anything lower than the 93 it is tuned for.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

Rivergoer said:


> I chose to order/replace the part because if it’s missing, excess filter oil spills onto the transaxle, CV boot and all over the top side of the belly pan.


when you can, post the part number and price

im leaning to replacing it if it were me if it were sub $200 and easy install, i do plan keeping car another 3yrs

i did lose the splash pan in my 'accident' and after ~6mos without it, im ordering a replacement as its sub $100...


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

boraz said:


> when you can, post the part number and price
> 
> im leaning to replacing it if it were me if it were sub $200 and easy install, i do plan keeping car another 3yrs
> 
> i did lose the splash pan in my 'accident' and after ~6mos without it, im ordering a replacement as its sub $100...


It’s called a “Deflector” and includes “Oil Drain” in the description, Part #[FONT=&quot]12661508. [/FONT]

Found this listing on GMPARTSDIRECT.COM for under $15 USD. Looks like that’s the average price across a number of GM Parts websites.

To access the part, the mechanic had it up on the rack with the steering wheel cranked full right. He had opened a flexible right front inner fender skirt to gain access to the oil filter and alternator. 

It’s a bolt-on part attached at two points, one of which is an alternator bolt. 

While I agree my part failure may have been a rare fluke, a quick visual inspection and replacement if needed is pretty cheap insurance against future stranding and/or costly repairs. Going forward I plan to check it by hand at each OCI.


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## Jondaytona (Apr 26, 2018)

Rivergoer said:


> While I agree my part failure may have been a rare fluke, a quick visual inspection and replacement if needed is pretty cheap insurance against future stranding and/or costly repairs. Going forward I plan to check it by hand at each OCI.


Thanks for the info. I gotta do an oil change here real soon and I will now be looking into this while I'm there. Might just take it off and try to "beef it up" a bit somehow with some extra welds or something.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Opened a claim with GM......denied (no surprise).

The part that failed (Deflector Part #12661508) is covered under BTB which expired long ago. That failure is what caused the CV/Transaxle failure, which normally WOULD have been covered under remaining PT warranty, had that failure NOT been due to the uncovered part.

So, $600 and a week or so later the car is ready.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Horseshit.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

Rivergoer said:


> I chose to order/replace the part because if it’s missing, excess filter oil spills onto the transaxle, CV boot and all over the top side of the belly pan.


Thing is that funnel doesn't worth a darn for me. It _never_ drains through that hole, it always wicks back up the underside of the spout and lands on the bellypan or unibody. My floor is level. Last time I did an OC it was everywhere. I think next time I might drive up onto a chunk piece of 2x4 under the rear tires to see if that helps tilt it back towards the hole. I even bought a small funnel to put into the hole under the spout to see if it can catch more, certain doesn't :vomit:



Rivergoer said:


> “I keep telling people they need to run PREMIUM in these tiny high compression turbo gasoline engines, but they just won’t listen. You never hear guys running 11:1 compression performance engines on Regular, so why would it be OK with these little engines?”


I bet the manual says 87 so that's what people put it. I hope GM updates it if it's really a problem. Makes me wonder if that's why they lowered their PT warranty.

Anyways, sorry to hear about this problem. I will definitely check out mine next OC to see how it's holding up. I have around the same miles as you but live in the Rustbelt.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

87 has been the recommendation since way back in the leaded gas days.


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## Louis (Dec 28, 2015)

I had the mechanic fish that part (broken off) out of the underside of my car during changing the 'timing belt/water pump/tensioner' service. He & the service adviser were a little surprised. I always ask for the parts and they said 'oh, there's an piece for you in the box..'


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

BDCCruze said:


> Thing is that funnel doesn't worth a darn for me. It _never_ drains through that hole, it always wicks back up the underside of the spout and lands on the bellypan or unibody. My floor is level. Last time I did an OC it was everywhere. I think next time I might drive up onto a chunk piece of 2x4 under the rear tires to see if that helps tilt it back towards the hole. I even bought a small funnel to put into the hole under the spout to see if it can catch more, certain doesn't


Mine drains through the hole pretty well but I make sure the car is level during OC. To get the clearance needed to get at the drain plug I drive the car onto 4 six inch high ramps I made out of some extra 2x8 lumber I had laying around (cut/stacked/screwed)



Louis said:


> I had the mechanic fish that part (broken off) out of the underside of my car during changing the 'timing belt/water pump/tensioner' service. He & the service adviser were a little surprised. I always ask for the parts and they said 'oh, there's an piece for you in the box..'


Wow, so I’m not the only one to have this piece break off. Good to know, thanks. All the more reason to check it for tightness every OCI.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

Not to get too off topic, but speaking of that 87 octane issue in the small turbo engines, GM recently approved Dexos 1 Gen 2, which meets the API SN Plus category. It helps prevent Low-speed pre ignition (LSPI) which is basically engine knock. They found oil contaminating the combustion chamber is causing it, so the new formulas help prevent that.

So for the guys running those smaller motors, switching to the Gen 2 Dexos may be a better and cheaper alternative than running premium gas.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

So, bumping this up...Cruze was at the dealer today for an oil change.

Guess what's ripped wide open?

I'm going to pop under the hood tomorrow and have a look - and if I see a certain something hanging down...it's coming out. 

Should be covered then, correct? I'm not paying for their defect.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

MP81 said:


> So, bumping this up...Cruze was at the dealer today for an oil change.
> 
> Guess what's ripped wide open?
> 
> ...


If it turns out to be a broken oil “deflector” I wish you better luck than I had...even escalated to GM and got denied.

They claimed the oil “deflector” was covered under BTB which had long expired. The resulting CV failure wasn’t covered either as the cause was traced to the failed deflector, not the CV.

Don’t let the basterds get ya down, fight on!


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Rivergoer said:


> If it turns out to be a broken oil “deflector” I wish you better luck than I had...even escalated to GM and got denied.
> 
> They claimed the oil “deflector” was covered under BTB which had long expired. The resulting CV failure wasn’t covered either as the cause was traced to the failed deflector, not the CV.
> 
> Don’t let the basterds get ya down, fight on!


Yeah, which still puzzles me - the oil filter gutter is A) attached to the engine and B) made for the engine oil which goes in the engine. How on earth that ISN'T powertrain is beyond me.

So I will be taking a look - if that gutter is hanging down there like I presume yours was, I will remove it in the hopes it's simply diagnosed as a torn boot. I could care less about the gutter, considering it'll just break again.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Mine was completely sheared off and found lodged on top of the CV axle boot. 

Far as I can tell the ‘spot weld’ on the bottom side failed leaving it hanging by the remaining bracket bolted to the alternator.

Over time, the alternator bracket fatigued and sheared off leaving the bolt and what was left of the bracket still bolted to the alternator.

I now reach down and grab that ‘deflector’ at each OCI to ensure it’s solid and not loosening up.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

So is this something I can get to from the top? If I don't have to take the wheel liner off, I will be a happy camper, as it is winter.

I'll be looking at this after work today, once my wife gets home.


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

If this trough bracket is breaking off due to improper design or build and not external damage, it seems to me the b2b warranty should be irrelevant. 
IMO GM should repair this flaw at no charge including any collateral damage.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

There are two Oil Deflector mount/bracket bolts. The upper bolt goes into the Alternator, the lower bolt goes into the engine block. Sorry, don’t have the bolt size.

Here are some pics to help out. If you have some creative tools and patience you might be able to get at the bolts from the top.










View attachment 268851


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Hot ****, that's quite helpful, thanks!

So, just for checking to see if it's loose, I should be able to see/feel from the engine bay, correct?



TDCruze said:


> If this trough bracket is breaking off due to improper design or build and not external damage, it seems to me the b2b warranty should be irrelevant.
> IMO GM should repair this flaw at no charge including any collateral damage.


You'd think...Part attached to the engine...which handles fluid from the engine...not related to the engine...what?


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Leaning in from the passenger side, you can reach with your left hand between the firewall and the alternator to access the oil filter. 

Once you feel the oil filter, reach below that and you’ll be able to grasp the bottom of the deflector (seen in first picture above).

To check for tightness, give it a good tug up and down, side to side.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

So I took a look down there, and it sure looked like it wasn't there - and looked like the bracket had fractured and sheared right at the alternator bolt, just like yours had.

It's hard to see in the first pic, but you might be able to see what is left of the bracket behind the alternator bolt:















I wasn't sure if it was just hiding at first...until I saw it laying under the axle in the belly pan, haha. (It's kind of visible - or at least I think that might be it - forward of the halfshaft there in the second pic)

Was able to reach in behind the wheel while laying on the ground, up over the axle, pick it up, and drop it onto the ground.

Now it's in my utility sink, all nice and gooey. That **** doesn't come off your hands with any ease, by the way.












What bracket? Fix my halfshaft.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

The oil filter location and design flat out sucks. I didn’t enjoy changing the oil filter in the gen 1 diesel. My knuckles would loose skin and sometimes my big socket fall off and then had to find it. I feel your pain on this and there isn’t enough room to work right there.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

It doesn't actually _look _too bad, but I have not done an oil change myself on this car yet. I can't imagine it's any worse than the Cavalier's filter, which was halfway down the back of the engine, sideways. This being a cartridge means I don't have to fill the stupid thing with oil, and then dump most of it down the engine block trying to find and thread the thing on.

I noticed on the invoice they listed a new drain plug, as it was "worn". Can't imagine why - considering I have not been able to get the **** thing off the few times I've tried.

I now have the part number, and can order a new one when I inevitably have to use an impact to get the old one loose. 

I will need to fashion some kind of funnel to perform the gutter's job, so it doesn't get everywhere, but that doesn't seem _too_​ difficult.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

@MP81 congratulations, you found it!

I would venture to say this happens to the Gen 1 CTD more often than is reported here simply because it’s so well-hidden owners don’t notice it’s broken. I think it’s the reason many say the residual oil coming out of the filter at OCI never drops properly through the belly pan hole and creates a big mess.

If this piece is intact and the vehicle is level, it works well. 

Apparently the key word here is “intact”.

Hopefully with the ‘culprit’ missing your dealer will cover the CV repair @ N/C. 

Good Luck and thanks for reporting back!


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

So it only works if the vehicle is level anyway...which it usually isn't if it's not on a lift for an oil change.

I wonder if this is what was jingling (which I thought might just be a heat shield) for months on the car...then suddenly stopped jingling...Gee, I wonder why, haha.

Yup, hoping it'll get covered - as it should - because it's going to be hard to blame something that isn't there. If they did, I will make mention how I noticed it was breaking and took it off months ago, before it could fall.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

My wife just picked up the car - nice having a '19 Malibu loaner for almost a week, but will be good to have her in something with winter tires (for laughs, check out the winter ratings on a Hankook Kinergy GT on Tire Rack) again.

Covered under warranty, no charge. Recommended we replace the front brakes, which I would say is accurate - 90k miles, large amount of city (especially after the first half a year when we moved) and you can feel it in the pedal.

Thanks again @Rivergoer for posting this up in the first place - I'm afraid it would have been a fight had I not removed the oil drain/gutter/garbage part.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

MP81 said:


> I'm afraid it would have been a fight had I not removed the oil drain/gutter/garbage part.


......the drain/gutter/garbage part THAT WAS DEFECTIVE, SHEARED OFF AND LAYING IN THE BELLY PAN......

Based on my experience I can say with certainty that removing the ‘culprit’ BEFORE visiting the dealership led to the proper outcome in your case. 

Glad it worked out!


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

As am I! The car was at the dealer for longer than I expected, but we had a brand new vehicle for a loaner during that time (one of those mornings being -12 where other diesels in the area - including an Equinox Diesel - did not start) so no issue there. No dealer in the area had one of those axles, so they had to special order.

Again, had I not known about the likely culprit, I'd likely have to pay to replace the axle - or had to expend a bunch of energy to make them do it for free. That would have been awful. Still mindblowing it's not covered.


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## HarleyGTP (Dec 14, 2013)

Went to do an oil change today, guess what I found laying on the belly pan!!!! Deflector sheared right where everyone else's did. Part is cheap, the oil change was more of a mess than usual and took the PS wheel off to fish out the deflector.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

HarleyGTP said:


> Went to do an oil change today, guess what I found laying on the belly pan!!!! Deflector sheared right where everyone else's did. Part is cheap, the oil change was more of a mess than usual and took the PS wheel off to fish out the deflector.


Be sure to inspect the CV boot for cuts/damage, could lead to premature CV axle failure.


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## HarleyGTP (Dec 14, 2013)

Thanks! Will do.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

HarleyGTP said:


> Went to do an oil change today, guess what I found laying on the belly pan!!!! Deflector sheared right where everyone else's did. Part is cheap, the oil change was more of a mess than usual and took the PS wheel off to fish out the deflector.


It must've fallen further into the center of the car than mine did. I was able to lay on the ground and reach up and over the axle and down into the belly pan, pick it up, and drop it out onto the ground.

As @Rivergoer mentioned, definitely check that inner boot there. It falls directly onto it - wonderful design.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

im doin my timing belt and have awesome access to it with the inner fender liner removed, so planned to remove the funnel as prevention (totally forgot aboot doing it sooner)

while it was still bolted to the engine, it felt SOLID

but as soon as i undid the lower bolt...the deflector was in two pieces










as you can see from the rust, the part has been cracked for a long time....was a ticking time bomb










if anybody is reading that still has one on.....not sure thats a good idea

17mm and 18mm needed

thx for the heads up, @Rivergoer


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Yup - these things are solid in theory...worse than bad in execution.

It seems to mostly be due to corrosion that they fall apart. An aluminum one might fare better, and weigh far, far less.


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## sailurman (Sep 29, 2016)

I'm hoping that mine will last as my CTD has been living a leisurely sunny life in Phoenix Arizona where corrosion only happens to your seals and motor mounts from our lovely sunshine


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

Mine felt solid when I looked at it yesterday since I too have the wheel well off right now, but @boraz says it all. I will check mine again tomorrow.

Looking at parts, it seems part# 12661508 is an updated part. 12658076 was the old part#. Wonder if GM updated the design?


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

I'd be curious to see a comparison.

That said, I'm happy to leave it off - it's not entirely the lightest thing in the world. If I have to make my own gutter for oil changes, so be it. You know, whenever I actually start doing those myself.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

I checked mined again today before reinstalling my wheel well. Both weld joints and bolt holes look great with no rust anywhere to be seen. I should be good for a few more years I would imagine. It looks super easy to change.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

yeah its super easy, two bolts and it slides off

curious did you look at it and tug it or did you undo the bolts?....mine looked great and felt great in my hand, but as soon as i backed out the bolt a couple turns, boom, it was in 2 pcs



BDCCruze said:


> I checked mined again today before reinstalling my wheel well. Both weld joints and bolt holes look great with no rust anywhere to be seen. I should be good for a few more years I would imagine. It looks super easy to change.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

boraz said:


> yeah its super easy, two bolts and it slides off
> 
> curious did you look at it and tug it or did you undo the bolts?....mine looked great and felt great in my hand, but as soon as i backed out the bolt a couple turns, boom, it was in 2 pcs


I just looked at it, but I did inspect it very closely looking at the weld joints where the images here have shown failure. I could have missed something for sure though but I felt confident knowing what I was looking for.

I imagine that this doesn't fail on everyone's cars because everyone here would be complaining if it did. So far it's only what, the three of you here that have posted about it? Hopefully it was just a small bad batch.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

It's also possible that it _has_ failed on other vehicles, but since it's so far down, the typical owner would never know - especially if it missed the axle on its way down.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

MP81 said:


> It's also possible that it _has_ failed on other vehicles, but since it's so far down, the typical owner would never know - especially if it missed the axle on its way down.


For sure, it's absolutely worthing spending a few minutes looking at and possibly replacing as a maintenance item on these.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

just did my first oil change without the funnel in place

just put some spill pads under the filter housing, let the oil pour into it, no mess

ill be fine w/o it


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

I presume that was with the aeroshield still on? I feel like some kind of flexible plastic could work as a funnel to the hole in the shield. But I won't know until I finally change the oil myself - given the dealer's price went up to $90 (from $50) for an oil change, it's no longer worth the little bit extra to have them do it.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

MP81 said:


> I presume that was with the aeroshield still on? I feel like some kind of flexible plastic could work as a funnel to the hole in the shield. But I won't know until I finally change the oil myself - given the dealer's price went up to $90 (from $50) for an oil change, it's no longer worth the little bit extra to have them do it.


oh i havent had aeroshield on for years, lol...it didnt survive this










but i do the filter from the top, and laid the spillpads from the top onto the a-arm under the filter housing


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Ohhh yeah...that incident...haha


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

UPDATE: 145,000 mile oil change, found the ‘infamous’ oil deflector (replaced Oct 2018 at 97,000 miles) was loose. The lower bracket had fatigued in half (AGAIN) but luckily the top bracket was still intact. 

Rather than remove the belly pan or go in through the wheel wheel, I took the lazy man’s approach and simply bent the deflector up and down for about 5 minutes till the upper bracket broke off. Left the broken bracket attachment points bolted to the engine.

So apparently these deflectors are good for 50-100K miles YMMV.

That’s the last one, gone forever now. I’ll just use rags to catch the oil during filter changes.

The circled lower bracket is where it fatigued through.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Yep - that's the reason I didn't bother to buy another one.

I bought a form-a-funnel recently for the next oil change. Hoping I should be able to shove that up in there and direct oil flow into the pan from the filter.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

Rivergoer said:


> Got the news today. Get a load of this.
> 
> The steel bracket/mount that holds the oil filter drain pan/funnel (for lack of a better term) snapped at the spot welds and sheared the arm mounted to the alternator. The whole shitshow then fell and took up residence on top of the right Inner CV joint, ripping open the rubber boot.
> 
> ...


THIS IS A DESIGN ERROR.

I had a second 2015 Gen 1 Diesel that I bought used.. it has this EXACT same failure on that oil drain spout assmebly, EXACT SAME FAILURE. 

I didn't see it when I bought the car, but did when I did the first oil change.. miraculusly, the broken piece was wedged under there and did no apparatnt damage to anything in the area like your's did. I did see what looked like some road debris marks around the right front suspension componts, nothing major.. thought it was failed due to that.. but with your failure, now I'm sure it was metal fatigue from engine vibration and subsequent failure from THAT. 

I was able to remove the parts still bolted to the engine, and the spout that came off, and weld repair it and put it back, that car was traded in to get my 2017, so don't have it any longer. 

I'd take it up with GM, just because there is more than one failure with the same component. 

I'll be taking this item off my other 2015 I still have and beefing it up myself with more stuctural metal now that I know it's a design flaw. That Gen 1 Diesel has only 60K miles right now. 

Thanks for posting this, and feel free to PM me or comment here if you want more data from my expericene on this same failure.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

boraz said:


> could you drive it w/o the funnel or is it integral to something?
> 
> does it protect the plastic oil cap from debris?


Yes, see my post earlier.. it can go without this part, but the oil filter removal will be a bit messy as the oil draining out will go on the frame below, and could also get the serpentine belt wet with oil.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

since removing my broken one ive done a couple oil changes, from the top i take a spill pad and place it under the oil filter housing and make a bowl with it, after draining oil from drain plug, undo the filter, let it drain into the spill pad, then gather the ends of the spill pad to make a ball, and remove it from the top...not a drop anywhere


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

So far at around 140k miles mine is good ... so far. Has anyone else _not_ had problems with this?


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

BDCCruze said:


> So far at around 140k miles mine is good ... so far. Has anyone else _not_ had problems with this?


Reach down there and try to wiggle it.. if it moves, it's on it's way to busting off.. just checked my 2015 with 60K miles.. it wiggled.. and the forward bolt was tight, the metal cracked right next to the bolt. Pictures in next post.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

Well checked the 2015 on Saturday.. initial look it seemed fine, but you can't really see it very well, so I reached down and grabed it to see if ti would move around.. IT DID. Next day, took the right wheel and inner fender out to inspect and repair.. sure enough the forward 17MM bolt to the engine block attachement point was fatigue failure broken just below the bolt head. Removed both bolts and this oil drain spout device and did a quick repair. I had planed to add additional metal to the weak area, but was in a bit of a hurry, and after doing the weld to restore it, I just kept adding metal by weld bead on both sides. It's a bit gnarly looking.. but it is much thicker than original. I did a quick paint with some high temp flat black (becuause I did not want to wait for it to cool.. I was in a hurry).. Put it back on, with blue loctite on both bolts (they were not loose coming off, but the one bolt for sure had some locking compoud on it from the factory, and given it has to be an area of high vibration, it was prudent to add some putting it back on there. This will be a new inspection every oil change. If it breaks again, I'm going to make the arm with some 3/16" thick plate and longer bolt if needed to account for the additional thickness.


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## mkohan (Dec 19, 2015)

BDCCruze said:


> So far at around 140k miles mine is good ... so far. Has anyone else _not_ had problems with this?


I'm at 101K on my 2015 and have not had a problem.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

mkohan said:


> I'm at 101K on my 2015 and have not had a problem.


When I inspected mine from above, it also looked fine.. you won't know unless you grab it and see if you get movement. I really recommend you do that if you have not done so already, I almost did not bother to do so, but I'm glad I did. If you catch it before it comes off completly the repair is simple, easy and cheap (even if you buy the new part). If you don't catch it and it comes off the damage can be extensive and leave you in a bind. It's not worth risking it.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

MRO1791 said:


> ...If you don't catch it and it comes off the damage can be extensive and leave you in a bind. ...


Yep, a $600 bind to be exact...hence the name of this thread. 

Good luck with that repair, I’m hoping you have a good solution there!


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## mkohan (Dec 19, 2015)

Thanks, I'll take a look at it.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

MRO1791 said:


> When I inspected mine from above, it also looked fine.. you won't know unless you grab it and see if you get movement. I really recommend you do that if you have not done so already, I almost did not bother to do so, but I'm glad I did. If you catch it before it comes off completly the repair is simple, easy and cheap (even if you buy the new part). If you don't catch it and it comes off the damage can be extensive and leave you in a bind. It's not worth risking it.


When I did my timing belt 15,000 miles ago I had it all tore apart and inspected it and did the wiggle test and it was fine.

If it does break, I think I'll just weld it and put it back on.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

That's the issue - if it breaks _off_, it goes right into the CV boot. Keep a close eye on it.

I have no intention of fixing ours and putting it back on.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

BDCCruze said:


> When I did my timing belt 15,000 miles ago I had it all tore apart and inspected it and did the wiggle test and it was fine.
> 
> If it does break, I think I'll just weld it and put it back on.


If you get lucky, it might not damage the CV joint boot, as appeared to be the case on the first car I found had it broken off, somehow managed to get wedged in there and not do damage as it did for the OP. I'll be inspecting mine as regular maintenance with the oil changes.. if it has another break, I'll be beefing it up even more to prevent it breaking, not because of this by itself, but because of the damage is can cause on other near by spining parts, CV joint boot is one, it's also pretty close to the serpantine belt. If it got in there somehow it would be pretty bad also. 

What is clear, with 2 out of 2 on both the 2015s I have fixed, one had about 45K miles, broke sometime before I got it, and the other found at 60K, and it's been broken at the one braket before I found it.. the thing that is clear to me, it's not a matter of IF it breaks, it is a matter of WHEN it breaks.. 2 of 2 cars is pretty difficult to happen if not for a serious design flaw. That thing should have more metal, or a third bolt point to mitigate the vibration that is clearly casuing a fatigue failure. 

I completely understand others who choose to just remove is and use other methods to collect oil when changing the filter, that is certainly an option as well, but since I have a welder and can beef it up and just do an inspection with each oil change, I found it better to keep it to make oil changes faster and easier. 

BTW, I'm a Mechanical Engineeer, so I get a bit geeked out at failure analysis of things like this.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

MRO1791 said:


> BTW, I'm a Mechanical Engineeer, so I get a bit geeked out at failure analysis of things like this.


So am I - pretty sure it's due to how much more a diesel engine shakes. Having a fair amount of mass just stresses the comparatively small mounting points and eventually makes it fail due to fatigue.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

MP81 said:


> So am I - pretty sure it's due to how much more a diesel engine shakes. Having a fair amount of mass just stresses the comparatively small mounting points and eventually makes it fail due to fatigue.


 Exactly, look at the picture from Rivergoer where his failed, and look at my picture, EXACT same place and angle. We could have swapped parts and not been able to see a difference. The first one I found that had failed ALSO failed in the same way. That is a clear fatigue crack, and it's along the bend going to the bolt head, where the "hinge" action on that piece is taking place due to the shape and mass of this thing, and the transverse mounted engine. It's clear to me that eventually EVERY car with this part WILL have this failure. After I did my quick weld repair, thought of a better repair, but due to my limited time it will have to wait, the weld build-up might be sufficient, but what this really needs is some 3/16" or thicker metal on that "leg" and over that bend, with a slightly longer 17MM bolt to the engine block, that would dampen the vibration of the part and make it unlikely to fatigue fail over time.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Even better would be a larger hole with a rubber isolator, if space allows.


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## LulzT1 (Aug 24, 2015)

MRO1791 said:


> Exactly, look at the picture from Rivergoer where his failed, and look at my picture, EXACT same place and angle. We could have swapped parts and not been able to see a difference. The first one I found that had failed ALSO failed in the same way. That is a clear fatigue crack, and it's along the bend going to the bolt head, where the "hinge" action on that piece is taking place due to the shape and mass of this thing, and the transverse mounted engine. It's clear to me that eventually EVERY car with this part WILL have this failure. After I did my quick weld repair, thought of a better repair, but due to my limited time it will have to wait, the weld build-up might be sufficient, but what this really needs is some 3/16" or thicker metal on that "leg" and over that bend, with a slightly longer 17MM bolt to the engine block, that would dampen the vibration of the part and make it unlikely to fatigue fail over time.


Add me to the list of failed oil filter deflectors. Mine has been making a subtle ringing or loose heat shield noise for quite some time (since 80k miles) around 1800-2000rpm (that apparent resonant frequency sweet spot). Initially it was difficult to locate but I could replicate the noise in park while slightly holding the pedal to maintain those rpms. I took it to the dealer and they told me it was the brakes, but I checked them all and couldn't find the source of the noise so I just assumed it was an exhaust heat shield. It wasn't really noticeable so I never investigated further. In retrospect it was probably broken at the lower bolt connection.

Fast forward a few years and 75k miles later and it has significantly worsened to the point it's embarrassing to drive low speeds or idle! As many have mentioned/complained about the excess oil from the filter usually drips onto the aero panels/unibody. Since I jack the car up on an angle its a given, so I use a short piece of 1-1/2" dia. PVC pipe to direct the oil. While finagling the pipe into place last night I heard the ringing noise I have become all too familiar with! While rotating the tires I removed the front passenger which allows good visual/hands-on access of the deflector and found it is clearly broken.

As you said, these are clear *fatigue cracks *due to the diesel harmonics/cantilevered design/lack of isolation. As such they are not mileage dependent and can break anytime since the base metal, welds, temperature, idle time/rpm, etc. all shorten or lengthen this finite fatigue life. Simply replacing this in-kind as OEM will yield the same result and re-welding (stress riser) is not good long term solution either. Either it should be removed, improved, or regularly changed (cheaper than CV joint!).

Considering the potential financial repercussions of this part failing, this part *needs *to be checked during each OCI hands-on/visual. Since several people take their CTD to a shop for OCs and I doubt they will check it for you... try holding the rpms steady as mentioned about, if you get a ringing noise there is a good chance there are one or more cracks in the deflector. I will record mine for reference.




MP81 said:


> Even better would be a larger hole with a rubber isolator, if space allows.


I ordered a new one last night and I was thinking of adding isolating shims. I'm not sure how much (if at all) you can shim while maintaining the oil catching function, but hopefully enough to dampen the vibration and extend the life.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Yeah - I think you'd have to change the design quite a bit to properly fit any kind of useful dampening, while keeping the function as intended, but I'll be curious to see what you're able to come up with.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

LulzT1 said:


> Simply replacing this in-kind as OEM will yield the same result and re-welding (stress riser) is not good long term solution either. Either it should be removed, improved, or regularly changed (cheaper than CV joint!).


Agree. It is a poor design. As to the weld repair and stress riser, yes it can be a factor, depending on how the weld is done, and how much weld material is added to the part (what weld fill, even shield gas can affect the results). The fatigue failure happens next to the bend just before the mounting hole holding it to the the engine block. That bend has been work hardened with formed, and it clear that is where the bending stress from vibration is concentrated. Making that area have a larger cross section and more bend resistant material should help prevent it breaking at that spot, it will move the stress to the rest of that "arm" and that too needs to be reinforced as well. My repair was ugly because I was in a hurry, but I more the doubled the material thickness in all areas all the way up to the bolt hole.. though I'll be checking it every oil change interval to be sure it works. 

It is certainly going to just fail again if you replace it with another badly designed OEM part.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

MRO1791 said:


> Agree. It is a poor design. As to the weld repair and stress riser, yes it can be a factor, depending on how the weld is done, and how much weld material is added to the part (what weld fill, even shield gas can affect the results). The fatigue failure happens next to the bend just before the mounting hole holding it to the the engine block. That bend has been work hardened with formed, and it clear that is where the bending stress from vibration is concentrated. Making that area have a larger cross section and more bend resistant material should help prevent it breaking at that spot, it will move the stress to the rest of that "arm" and that too needs to be reinforced as well. My repair was ugly because I was in a hurry, but I more the doubled the material thickness in all areas all the way up to the bolt hole.. though I'll be checking it every oil change interval to be sure it works.
> 
> It is certainly going to just fail again if you replace it with another badly designed OEM part.


Gusseting the **** out of it (at the bends) might help.

Overall, I'm hoping my form-a-funnel works as I'm thinking it will, instead of thinking about putting another one back on - even modified.


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## LulzT1 (Aug 24, 2015)

MRO1791 said:


> Agree. It is a poor design. As to the weld repair and stress riser, yes it can be a factor, depending on how the weld is done, and how much weld material is added to the part (what weld fill, even shield gas can affect the results). The fatigue failure happens next to the bend just before the mounting hole holding it to the the engine block. That bend has been work hardened with formed, and it clear that is where the bending stress from vibration is concentrated. Making that area have a larger cross section and more bend resistant material should help prevent it breaking at that spot, it will move the stress to the rest of that "arm" and that too needs to be reinforced as well. My repair was ugly because I was in a hurry, but I more the doubled the material thickness in all areas all the way up to the bolt hole.. though I'll be checking it every oil change interval to be sure it works.
> 
> It is certainly going to just fail again if you replace it with another badly designed OEM part.


Yeah the more I think about it you really can't solve the issue without re-engineering the whole piece. What I found interesting which may be contributing to the number of failures is the broken piece resonates _considerably _around idle and between1600-1700rpm which is around 60-65mph. I'll bet if you spend a lot of time at idling or traveling at those speeds it will fail sooner.

I will opt to just replace it often since they're cheap enough. Anyone know if the filter has to come off to remove the deflector?


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

I would say no, since the piece left behind on our engine is just the arm that bolts behind the alternator.


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## MRO1791 (Sep 2, 2016)

LulzT1 said:


> Yeah the more I think about it you really can't solve the issue without re-engineering the whole piece. What I found interesting which may be contributing to the number of failures is the broken piece resonates _considerably _around idle and between1600-1700rpm which is around 60-65mph. I'll bet if you spend a lot of time at idling or traveling at those speeds it will fail sooner.
> 
> I will opt to just replace it often since they're cheap enough. Anyone know if the filter has to come off to remove the deflector?


No, the filter is not in the way.. though you need to pull the right front wheel, and plastic wheel well to get access. Those come off pretty easy, then it's just 2 bolts holding it in place. Not too difficult, thankfully.


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