[Mikedabrowski2017]

Being a technical guy I decided to put my Bolt on a buddies lift and see what the underside looks like.
When we removed the bottom cover we noticed a red fluid on the bottom of the motor assembly
It seems to come from the top as it was wet all up the side.
Can't see much up there as the inverter and other electronics is blocking view.
We decided to leave the wet and dripping fluid as is so the dealer tech can better diagnose the issue.
Brought it into the dealer I bought it from and after an hour or so I was informed that Chevy wants the whole drive section shipped back for evaluation and that a replacement is going to be provided.
The tech believes it was the seal on one of the 3 phase wires as it enters the case of the drive section.
The car has 2200 miles and I have had it for about 4 weeks
The scary part is that had I not been curious, and looked under the cover, how long would this have proceeded before being discovered?
Now I am back to driving my 2006 Prius for an indefinite period, and will have a complete drive system that was installed by the local dealer who has no experience with the car.
They have several EV trained techs and put their most qualified guy on the job, but I must say that is not easing my anxiety.
It seems that this is the first Bolt to have this issue and I respect their wanting to get a good look at the whole assembly to better determine if this is a one off issue.
I love everything about the vehicle so far.
But wish they would consider replacing it instead of tearing it apart so their guys can figure out
What went wrong with it while I drive my old Prius .
Mike Dabrowski
99mpg.com

 

[Sean Nelson]

...I was informed that Chevy wants the whole drive section shipped back for evaluation and that a replacement is going to be provided...

Rotten luck for you, but I guess it's nice to know that GM is taking it seriously...

 

[Steverino]

how long would this have proceeded before being discovered?

At some point the fluid reservoir would have dropped significantly and there would like be some floor puddles. That's when you'd take it in and the dealer would have found the issue. You had it 4 weeks. If you looked at the fluid level you could likely guestimate how long it would take for the fluid to drop to the min line that would have triggered a shop visit.

 

[Qinsp]

They will normally wipe it, add a couple oz of indicator, operate it, then use a black light to find it.

On one of our Corvettes it was simply over fill.

 

[hvacman]

At some point the fluid reservoir would have dropped significantly and there would like be some floor puddles. That's when you'd take it in and the dealer would have found the issue. You had it 4 weeks. If you looked at the fluid level you could likely guestimate how long it would take for the fluid to drop to the min line that would have triggered a shop visit.

If the fluid was glycol coolant from the Drive Unit cooling loop, you'd be right. There is a glycol reservoir under the hood for that loop that can be checked. If the fluid was Dextron transmission fluid, I don't believe there is any external reservoir or user-accessible fluid fill port. The motor, bearings and gears run in a Dextron-fluid-environment. The Dextron is cooled by glycol via an internal heat exchanger and the glycol loop, (which also cools the power inverter). I believe all this was mentioned in a Munro Bolt EV tear-down video I recently saw.

The stated location of the leak - at the DU 3 phase power cable seals - suggests to me this was a Dextron leak, not a glycol leak from the DU heat exchanger. That means a DU removal/rebuild or replace.