FYI: the manual trans is out of the Chevy Colorado and the rear end is from the Cadillac CTS (I think)

 

Good question. As you said the clutch but I have not heard of anyone with a rear end problem. At least on their Solstice.

 

Talk with Doctor Dave. I have been told the stock drive line is safe to 400 HP. Above that, the stock transmission, clutch and axel splines are at risk. With street tires, loss of traction helps keep them alive.

 

That might be true considering the street tires and the low weight of the vehicle compared to some of the weights these components deal with in other vehicles.

I did start a thread about the Automatic though, and the fact that it is said to be reliable for up to 4k GVW but a worrisome 255HP. They stated (Wikpeadia) the auto trans are known to have problems around 100k in applications where 1 or both of the power/weight limits are exceeded. If the trans is good for no where near 400hp it makes me wonder about the driveshaft, diff and axles.

What is the manual, a Japanese Aisin? If someone has a model number it can easily be researched.

 

well, here is what wikpedia says about the manual, at least from this data the manual is no stronger than the auto, and I wasn't looking at the numbers right, they were talking about torque, not HP ratings, though if you bump an LNF GXP to 400hp it's probably going to be carrying 370 or so lbft. Even the GMPP 290 HP is 325 or 340 lbft torque:

Aisin AR transmission
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The AR-5 is a 5-speed manual transmission manufactured by Aisin. It is designed for longitudinal engine applications and can handle up to 260 ft·lbf (353 N·m) of torque based on existing applications. [1]

General Motors used the AR-5 as RPO MA5.


Gear ratios (Canyon, Colorado, H3):
1 2 3 4 5 R
3.75 2.26 1.37 1.00 0.73 3.67

Gear ratios (Sky, Solstice):
1 2 3 4 5 R
3.75 2.26 1.51 1.00 0.73 3.67


Applications:

2004 to 2008– Chevrolet Colorado
2004 to 2008– GMC Canyon
2006 to 2010– Pontiac Solstice
2007 to 2010– Saturn Sky
2007– Hummer H3
1998– 2002– Isuzu Trooper


I'm not saying 400hp "safe" is wrong (due to car being light), but you have to wonder, none of those vehicles had any kind of HP, certianly not 400, but they did have weight...

What is the rear diff code?
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I think this was around a manual drvieline, but here is the auto for comparison:

The 5L40-E was designated in either "M82" (rear-wheel drive) or "MX5" (all-wheel drive) versions for service in BMW vehicles from 2000 model year until the design was superseded by (for BMW) the 6L45E and (for all others) the 6L50E series electronic automatic transmissions in 2007 . It is designed for service in vehicles up to 4000 lb (1814 kg) GVWR and in service was mated to a selection of final drive ratios 3.42:1, 3.73:1, or 3.91:1 depending on the carline. The 5L40-E had been designed for 1.8–3.6 L engines with a maximum of 250 ft·lbf (340 N·m) of torque. A notable failure mode of the assembly is lifetime overtorque in the heaviest carlines wherein the unit is matched with a significantly higher torque-rated powerplant; the transmission is well known for failing between 150,000 km and 200,000 km in the 5 series E39 and X5 BMW'S equipped with their inline 6-cylinder and V-8 powerplants, due to insufficient or contaminated lubrication during operation in cruise overdrive range, and service loads beyond the engineered maximum rating of the unit. Despite this apparent mismatch, and since carmaker BMW does not manufacture the extremely sophisticated 5L40E, BMW customers have reported that Authorized BMW Service will not repair this type of transmission, instead offering to install fully assembled units as replacement (a common practice which entails significant cost to the consumer.)[citation needed] An aftermarket preventive package exists to curtail early failures but is designed to alleviate very specific symptoms and generally is not a prescribed remedy for a manufacturer mismatch.

Gear ratios:
1 2 3 4 5 R
3.42 2.21 1.60 1.00 0.75 3.02

Applications:

3.42:1 M82
2004–2006 Cadillac CTS (RWD)
2005–2006 Cadillac STS (RWD)
3.73:1 M82
2004–2006 Cadillac SRX (RWD)
3.91:1 M82
2006 Pontiac Solstice
2007 Saturn Sky
2.92:1 M82
2004–2006 Holden WL Statesman/Caprice (RWD)
2004–2006 Holden VZ Commodore (RWD)
2005–2009 Chevrolet Omega (RWD)
2006–2009 Holden VE Commodore (RWD)
2008–2009 Pontiac G8 (RWD)
3.42:1 MX5
2004–2006 Cadillac CTS (AWD)
2004–2006 Cadillac STS (AWD)
3.91:1 MX5
2004–2006 Cadillac SRX (AWD)
BMW 3 Series (E46)[1]
BMW 5 Series (E39)
BMW Z3
BMW X5 (E53)

 

Excellent resource:
http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f59/close-out-special-73568/