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100k Mile Service - Doin' it Right

8K views 52 replies 13 participants last post by  R&T 
#1 ·
I'm coming up on my 100k mile service and I expect a lot of other daily drivers are too. I want to recap some of the research I've been doing and get some confirmation that I'm moving in the correct direction.

This is all for an '07 GXP.

So what is called for in the 100k mile service?

  • Flush and fill manual transmission fluid
  • Flush and fill rear differential fluid
  • Change air filter
  • Cleaning throttle body, fuel injectors, cylinder heads
  • Change spark plugs
  • Change engine oil
  • Check brake and steering fluid, replacing if necessary

Flush and fill manual transmission fluid

Based on my research, the premium synthetic brands (Redline, Mobile1, Royal Purple) work better in our tranny than the OEM stuff. It takes 3 qts of 75w90 gear oil and I plan to bring Mobile1 Synthetic 75W-90 Gear Oil with me to the dealer and have them use it instead of the OEM oil.

Based on this thread: http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f12/changing-transmission-fluid-think-twice-45071/

Anyone have a problem with Mobil1 in a manual transmission application? Remember, not talking about engine oil.

Flush and fill rear differential

This one is a little tough. It takes the same 75w90 oil as the transmission but requires a slip-enhancing LSD additive. It takes 1.25 qts of 75w90 gear oil and I plan to purchase the LSD additive from a local GM part supplier and bring the Mobile1 Synthetic 75W-90 Gear Oil to the dealer and have them use it.

I've heard that some Redline products already have the additive in there. I can't tell from browsing online which 75w90 gear oil might have the additive. Any insights here? Would that be any better than using Mobil1 with the additive?

Change air filter

Easiest possible DIY. Already have a K&N in there, like pretty much everyone else, I guess.

Cleaning throttle body, fuel injectors, cylinder heads

The dealership is charging me close to $400 for this service, mostly because they can't simply run a fuel additive through it, but have to disassemble some pieces of it. They are using BG products for the cleaning.

I voiced my skepticism that this service was actually needed, but the service guy was very knowledgeable about the Solstice and said that from '07 on, the Solstice does not have a fuel filter! I couldn't believe it, but I checked the forums and sure enough: http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f12/fuel-filter-where-45043/

So he explained that cleaning this assembly is important because some sediment and micro-debris will dirty things up a bit. I'm inclined to agree and have them do the full cleaning. Thoughts?

Change spark plugs

Yep, doing this.

Change engine oil

Doesn't need it. Gotta love the long life of Mobil1 synthetic!

Check brake and steering fluid, replacing if necessary

Of course, will let them check this as well.


What are you guys thoughts? I'm especially interested in making sure I get it right as far as the tranny/diff fluids and confirming that the fuel system cleaning is a good investment. Thanks!
 
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#2 ·
Looks about right. I'd also consider belts, hoses and start replacing suspension parts like A-arm bushings, ball joints, rod ends & sway bar bushings/links.

I never really bought off on the throttle body/injector cleaning, but at 85k, I had it done. Made a difference.
 
#3 ·
what's that cleaning that you can get called where they use a machine and it pumps the cleaner thru and cleanes all the carbon from the piston, head, TB and everything else? If I remember, if was about $350 but sounded worth it. I'll have to see if I can find that thread. TS or Chicken may remember though.

I'd think that a complete front suspension rebuild and maybe wheel bearings would bring your handling back to life. and what about body mount bushings? when I changed them on the vette, it made all the difference in the world as far as a smooth ride went.

Congrats on your 100k too.
 
#4 ·
That cleaning you're talking about is what they're doing, I believe.

As for rebuilding the front suspension and body mounts, how much would that run and where would I even have it done? This service is already going to set me back $700, and I don't know the first thing about what would be involved to do it myself.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Nope.....look at your owner's manual. You don't need all of these things. Go right from what's in your owner's manual. I gaurantee (cause I work for a company that gets their data right from GM) that only oil, air filter and plugs are needed per your handbook. Should you do the other things??? Probably. It should be about 2.1 hours for a 100k at your dealership. Somewhere around $400 for the repairs I said....if you do ALL of the others, over $1000....gauranteed.... And the part about disassembling your motor to clean it....BS! Nobody will ever "disassemble" your motor to clean it, unless you have MAJOR engine sludge. I would RUNNNNNNN from that dealer!!!!

The BG Fuel induction service will clean your fuel system.... Although, I wouldn't have it done because the car runs on the cleaner until it runs out of gas as they don't allow it to run on fuel from your tank during that cleaning. Basically it runs on the additive in the shop until it runs out of gas....very harmful for a high-pressure fuel pump! Especially with 100k on it!!!!
 
#7 ·
When you say only the oil, filter and plugs are needed, you mean all the oil, including the gear oil in both the tranny and diff, right?

Sorry they're not disassembling the engine, but like hand cleaning the throttle body and stuff (I think). It sounded legit to me, but the whole service was like $400.

I have heard others voice the same concerns you're raising about running it out of gas. It seems exorbitantly expensive too.

If I shouldn't do the fuel clean service, what should I do instead to clean my fuel system? Just dump a bottle of some random fuel additive in the tank? I've always felt like those were some kinda scam.
 
#8 ·
By all means do what you want but this all looks like over kill to me. My car is closing in on 170k very quickly. I don't think I would do the throttle body clean, the brake fluid flush is a scam in my opinion, if you change your oil regularly, the cylinder heads should be clean. Plugs, coil boots, filter, and rear end is all I would do personally unless you need a belt. I don't know that I'd even do the transmission fluid really. I've heard so many stories where it is best not to,ever service the transmission but I'm not sure. I've never serviced mine, heck I've never even had to put a clutch in mine. I'm not sure I would trust the dealer, it sounds,like they are trying to get in your wallet if you ask me.
 
#9 ·
I just found out (I'm onsite at a reputable GM dealer today) DO NOT have a fuel induction service done on a GXP!!!!! DO NOT allow them to even touch your car if they try to sell you one!!! It will destroy your high pressure fuel pump!
 
#10 ·
So he explained that cleaning this assembly is important because some sediment and micro-debris will dirty things up a bit. I'm inclined to agree and have them do the full cleaning. Thoughts?
Aggh. If there is any "micro-debris" there, it will be stuck in (or behind) the fuel injectors, otherwise it would be in the pistons and burnt up. I can pretty much guarantee they are not disassembling the injectors and high pressure fuel rail to do this, so yeah, totally bogus.

The only thing you might want to do (and probably what they are doing) is run a can of Chevron (or GM) fuel cleaner additive through the gas tank, once or twice.
 
#11 ·
Gentlemen, thanks for the warning about the BG fuel induction service. I'll order a couple bottles of Techron.

I really consider this dealer to be reputable, but this is not a place that used to be a Pontiac dealer. They've always been a Buick/GMC dealer. No one in San Antonio seems to know much about our car.

This is why I made this thread. I'm confident in their honesty and ability to follow GM procedure, but I want to have all the information I can so that I can tell them what needs doing and what parts to use.

So I'm down to the following procedures:

Spark plugs - all agree
Diff oil - all agree
Tranny oil -all agree except mcpig. I think I want to get synthetic oil in there though. When the engine is cold, shifting is a bit rough. I'm pretty sure its still on the OEM stuff.

Last question (for now) is a repeat: The only 75w90 stuff I could find has the LSD additive already in it. Will it hurt to put this in my tranny as well? I can't imagine it would, but I want to get some confirmation for my peace of mind.
 
#12 ·
If you use brand name gas, it already has Techron or it's equivalent in it. You don't need more. And there is a fuel filter, it's part of the Mayan Temple in your trunk, right above the gas tank.
 
#14 ·
GM and most people on the forums tell me different: the 2006 had a fuel filter but it was removed for 2007.

:thumbs: and DIY one weekend afternoon.


Anything else is a waste of time and money.
Servicing the rear diff is a waste of time and money? I find that hard to grasp. And I don't have a deep socket wrench so the plugs are beyond my toolset. Thanks though.
 
#13 ·
If it ain't broke ~ don't fix it.

I'm coming up on my 100k mile service and I expect a lot of other daily drivers are too. I want to recap some of the research I've been doing and get some confirmation that I'm moving in the correct direction.



Change air filter.


Change spark plugs.


Change engine oil.
:thumbs: and DIY one weekend afternoon.


Anything else is a waste of time and money.
 
#15 ·
The fuel filter at the engine was removed. It still remains at the tank.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I guess we're marching off into the weeds here but are you just talking about the debris screen where the fuel leaves the tank? I don't think that is a serviceable filter.

Between 80-100k, I begin swapping all the bushings, bearings, rod ends, ball joints, sway links, belts and hoses out, before they go. Our suspension is easy to work on and, with the exception of the realignment, can be done in the garage over a weekend. A great running engine in a sloppy driving car doesn't work for me.
My suspension is in decent shape, but I can definitely feel it is not as tight as it should be, and probably once was. I would be interested in learning how to do that.

If people start swapping those out and want to do some How-Tos for us aspiring gear heads, I'd be grateful. Definitely would be worthy of its own thread.

For the moment, I'm getting a little paranoid that no one has responded to my question, asked twice now, about LSD additive in the tranny fluid. Will it hurt anything to have the LSD additive 75w90 gear oil in my tranny? I can't find any of the correct weight that doesn't have the additive.
 
#16 ·
as far as suspension stuff goes, I'm sure you will be able to tell when your shocks and the front suspension parts are worn out . we have these rumble bumps down the street and you can really feel them when the suspension parts are worn. same with the body mount bushings. I'm sure you can go another 100k with what's on there but I guarantee you your car will not feel as plush and tight as it would with newer parts. You'd have to ask around and get estimates. Just an example, the entire rebuild kit for the vette cost me about 300 in parts and IF I could have found a shop to change them, I'm sure the labor would have been around a grand. It's all about what you want for your car. sounds like the engine and fluids are covered in the previous posts but I'd really like to hear from others regarding suspension components. We probably have urethane bushings which last longer than rubber but are more stiff and I'm sure can get brittle over time resulting in loose and sloppy handeling and comfort.
 
#18 ·
...but I'd really like to hear from others regarding suspension components. We probably have urethane bushings which last longer than rubber but are more stiff and I'm sure can get brittle over time resulting in loose and sloppy handeling and comfort.
Between 80-100k, I begin swapping all the bushings, bearings, rod ends, ball joints, sway links, belts and hoses out, before they go. Our suspension is easy to work on and, with the exception of the realignment, can be done in the garage over a weekend. A great running engine in a sloppy driving car doesn't work for me.
 
#20 ·
I will look it up later but I recall someone posting a pic of the filter when DDM released their filter for the engine. I recall that it was a coarser filter but more than a screen.
 
#21 ·
GM Manual Transmission Fluid API AI-A or GL-3 SAE 75W-90, Part No. U.S. 89021806.

This is what you need according to all data. So maybe get in contact with GM or google the part number. When I did. Some came up for sale on amazon.

Also according to all data, the capacity is...


Manual Transmission (Drain and Refill): 2.75 Quarts (2.6 Liters)
 
#22 ·
The following was posted by Dave of DDM on another forum in a thread about DDMs new, at that time, fuel filter. Unfortunately, the pics are no longer there but you get the idea. It is more than a debris screen but not a full fledged filter. The thread also states that there is a wire mesh screen at the HPFP. I use gas from busy, high quality stations so I don't worry about the fuel filter but it is on my 100k replace list.

I have 4 pictures below that show what is in the tank as a filter for the fuel. The first picture shows all 3 layers of the fuel filter in the tank. The first layer is a very course plastic that looks to be designed to be an outer barrier and make sure very large particles do not get sucked into the next part of the filter. The middle layer of the filter is the part that is doing the majority of the work. As you can see by the picture it is made up of a fibrous material laid down randomly. Then the most inner layer is a little thinner version of the outer layer to basically hold the middle layer in place. There are small little spots in the filter where the inner most and outer most layers are stuck together to form a quilted design of the filter. As a side note this filter came off a car we have here with only about 17K miles and there was a good amount of debris in the filter already.
 
#25 · (Edited)
I posted this on the other forum, but I will post here too. I am kinda wishing I had listened and gone to a different dealer.

I took my '07 Solstice GXP in for 100k service at the dealer today and as I'm driving it, I hear a faint but rapid clicking noise that directly correlates to engine RPM.

It idles around 850 RPM and at that RPM it faintly clicks about once per second. When its idling, the engine throbs almost imperceptibly and click seems to occur just before the "lulls" in the engine. Again, the throbs are barely noticeable but the click, though faint, is definitely timed with them.

Further, the click is audible inside the cabin with the doors closed and the top up, but if I open the door or put my head next to the open hood, its much harder to hear. For some reason its more audible inside the closed cabin of the Sol.

If I give it a bit of throttle to about 2000 RPM, then the clicking becomes much more rapid, but not any louder. It probably clicks about 5 times faster, even though the engine is only turning about twice as fast.

If I rev above 3k RPMS, the click becomes inaudible. I don't know if the engine noise drowns out the click, or if it disappears.

Because the clicking is directly correlated with RPM, my greatest fear is that its some kind of engine knock. However, because it doesn't get louder when I give it the beans, just faster, I feel this is probably not the case.

I'm not sure what to do, or if the dealer messed something up during the 100k mile service. If they did mess something up, I can't figure out what it might be.

Additionally, whenever I go over a speedbump now, the front suspension squeaks once or twice like someone is jumping on an old box spring. That also just appeared out of nowhere today.

I had the following done:

  • Drain and Fill Manual Transmission with Mobile1 Full Synthetic 75w90 with LSD additive. I know it doesn't require the additive but its all I could find, and I figured the additive wouldn't hurt anything.
  • Drain and Fill Rear Diff with Royal Purple 75w90 with LSD additive. Drove 5 miles to an empty parking lot and did circles/8s to break it in.
  • Replace Spark Plugs
  • Throttle Body Service. They said this was NOT the fuel induction service, which they offered but I declined because it could damage the fuel pump. They said it was a manual cleaning of the throttle body, using some BG product.
  • Engine Coolant System Service. I was skeptical on this being needed but I allowed it as it was inexpensive.
  • Check all belts and hoses. Everything was okay.

I would be eternally grateful for any help or insight you guys can share.
 
#26 ·
Not sure about the click, the timing is not right for the high pressure fuel pump clicking. But your suspension squeak has been well discussed here as a cold weather squeak. It does you no harm but if it bothers you, you can lube the bushings for the front sway bars.
 
#27 ·
On the other forum a couple posters think it's the fuel pump. What about the timing is wrong for it? I do think its possible that the click was always there but I never noticed it before. The reason I may have started noticing it now is that I got a bit paranoid about the competency of the dealership, so I was probably searching for things that seemed wrong.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I believe the clicking sounds you might be hearing is normal for a R/L and a GXP.. I own a NA and we don't have any noise in our cars, but our guys in the SkyForum have mentioned a "clicking or "ticking" sound coming from the engine compartment because of the HPFP... Saturn (and I'll assume Pontiac) came out with a mod that supposedly can "wrap" the pump and reduce the noise somewhat..

And BTW, I agree with what you had done to the car and no more. I would of not wasted any money on the throttle body service... (in this case if it ain't broke leave it alone)... All the others, radiator service, (I did mine at 65k miles) in fact I did what you did at 65k miles. The tranny and rear end also at the same time. I do the oil and filter and did my own brakes. also my belts and hoses were good to go.. The only thing I have not done yet either is the plugs..
 
#29 ·
I missed the bit about a brake fluid flush before... Have you ever had the brake fluid drained/replaced? You should do this every 3 years (4 years max) regardless of mileage. Whether you do it yourself or have someone do it, brake fluid absorbs water, thus becomes more compressible (less effective) and can start corrosion inside the braking system. Get this done if you haven't already.
 
#31 ·
#30 ·
You talk about the tick being once per second. If I had to guess I think the HPFP tick is about 4 times that. It is located right through the firewall from the tach and it becomes less loud as the car warms up. GM band out with a cheap sound insulator for it in 2010.

Sent from AutoGuide.com App
 
#32 ·
Change the brake fluid if you haven't done so already, easy job with two people, probably takes 45mins total. The "filter/screen" in the tank is not serviceable, you have to buy the whole pump assembly. Most cars in the last 5-6 years do not come with a fuel filter anymore. Gas is much more clean and tanks are supposedly check more frequently to prevent crap from getting into your car. If you want to clean the throttle body, it is easy to do yourself. I did my truck at 90k and to be honest it was barely dirty. All the dirt I removed would have fit on a Q-tip. As long as you use a good air filter(anything but K&N crap) your TB should be fine. I don't know about the LSD in the tranny, if you don't want to use GM's fluid call GM directly and ask. Techron works great and so does Gumout Regane. Meijer just had a sale and still might on the Gumout. They also have a $10 rebate on Pennzoil gallon jugs through the end of the month.
 
#33 ·
If you want to clean the throttle body, it is easy to do yourself. I did my truck at 90k and to be honest it was barely dirty. All the dirt I removed would have fit on a Q-tip. As long as you use a good air filter(anything but K&N crap) your TB should be fine.
I have never heard K&N called "crap" before on this or any forum. It has won, and continues to win numerous awards for reliability and quality. I'm always open to new information, so please tell me why you think K&N is no good, and also what brands you think are better, and why. Thanks!
 
#34 ·
K & N air filters are fine as long as they are replaced when needed rather than cleaned and stuck back in. There are loads of technical service bulletins in regards to K & N air filters causing drivability issues in GM cars. But this is generally related to the stuff K & N sells to clean the filter. And far as the tick you're talking about, I'm not sure. My car has had a slight chain sounding noise at idle for 70+ thousand miles it hasn't bothered me or the car it seems. When it is cold out side on a morning start, my car sounds like the biggest piece of crap on the face of the planet until it warms up. My mechanic says it's spark knock from where I switched from premium to regular in my 2.4 because I didn't think it would make a difference but it started about the time I switched and he says it's probably messing with the timing in the computer causing the noise. He says it's not a huge deal, he put something in the tank and cleaned something under the hood and told me I just need to run premium in it. The noise isn't as bad but it's still there.
 
#37 ·
K&N filters do allow more air flow over your traditional air filters, there are numerous tests that prove that. Do they increase power, none that you can tell by your pants, maybe a few at most. With filters you try to find the sweet spot, most air flow with best filtering qualities. You can't have more of one without sacrificing the other. K&N flows very well but doesn't trap dirt as well as most off the shelf filters or other dry after market filters. The other problem is most people over oil their filter and this leads to oil into the air intake, MAF sensor and so on as others have already said. If you have one and like it, by all means use it but I will never use one. A few HP isn't worth the possibility of the damage dirt and oil in my intake can cause.
 
#40 ·
There is at least one thread from back in the day that included inputs from GM powertrain engineers that addressed the stock airfilter. They stated that the factory air cleaner was not power limiting. Going to a "high flow" air filtration system, either K&N like or a cold air intake provided no improvement over the factory system.

There were a number of threads concerning the K&N air filter. A number of people stated that after installing the K&N they had problems with contamination on the MAF sensor, and a like number stated that they had only good experience with the K&N.

The consensus conclusion that I came away with was that the K&N offered no performance improvement over a dry filter and that if over oiled it could contaminate the MAF causing other problems. The only advantage of the K&N in our cars is reusability. As a result, I removed the K&N I had in one of my cars and went back to a dry filter. The K&N filter did not offer a significant advantage and carried with it reliability risks. Either I might under oil it and get dirt through the filter or I might over oil it and cause MAF contamination.

There is a simple test you can do to verify the source of your clicking. There is a foam noise filter that fits over the HPFP specifically designed to reduce the clicking noise in the cockpit. You can get one for a few bucks or even make your own out of foam and run audio tests with and without to isolate that as the source of the sound you are hearing.
 
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