Ken Fichtner

Service Bulletin 04-07-29-003
Mis-Machined Transmission Countershaft Snap
Ring Groove (Inspect/Replace the Transmission)

DATE: October 21, 2004

SUBJECT: Service Bulletin 04-07-29-003
Mis-Machined Transmission Countershaft Snap
Ring Groove (Inspect/Replace the Transmission)

MODELS: 2005 Chevrolet Corvette
2005 Cadillac CTS-V
with 6-speed manual transmission
Corvette Transmission, Manual 6-SPD, Tremec
(RPO MM6 or MZ6)
CTS-V Transmission, Manual 6-SPD, Tremec
(RPO M12)
and included in the attached VIN list

TO: All Cadillac and Chevrolet Dealers

ATTENTION: Dealer, General Manager, Sales Manager,
Service Manager, Parts Manager and
Warranty Administrator
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED


Advanced Service Bulletin 04-07-29-003 is being released today and advises dealers to inspect for the mismachined transmission countershaft snap ring groove. Dealers will perform a transmission snap clutch maneuver and if necessary, replace the transmission.

In addition to using this procedure to repair vehicles with this complaint, we are requesting that this repair be performed on all vehicles currently in your inventory that are included in this Administrative Message VIN list. Completion of this procedure prior to vehicle sale or delivery will help ensure customer satisfaction and reduce the possibility of future complaints.

We are also requesting you contact the DBC to report owner information for any recently delivered vehicles.

Please see the attached VIN list and bulletin for detailed instructions. The list of involved vehicles is also included in the attached bulletin.

ADVANCED SERVICE INFORMATION
Subject: Mismachined Transmission Countershaft Snap Ring Groove
(Inspect/Replace Transmission)
Models: 2005 Chevrolet Corvette with Manual 6–Speed Tremec Transmission
(RPOs MM6, MZ6)
2005 Cadillac CTS-V with Manual 6–Speed Tremec Transmission (RPO M12)
Attention: This correction should be performed on all vehicles currently in your inventory that are included in the Administrative Message (U.S.) or Dealer Communication
(Canada) VIN list prior to sale or delivery. In Canada, the Dealer Communication and VIN list is distributed to affected dealers only.
File In Section: 07 - Transmission/Transaxle
Bulletin No.: 04-07-29-003
Date: October, 2004 Service Bulletin
Copyright 2004 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Condition
Some of the 6-speed transmissions in the subject
vehicles may have been assembled with an extension
countershaft snap ring grove dimension that was
machined out of specification. This condition may result
in fore and aft / back and forth movement of the shift
lever when in 5th gear, then 5th or 6th gear clash
noise, and eventual premature wear of the 5th and/or
6th gear synchronizer.
Correction
Dealers will inspect for this condition by performing a
transmission snap clutch maneuver and, if necessary,
replace the transmission.
Page 4 Bulletin No.: 04-07-29-003 October, 2004
Transmission Snap Clutch 5th Gear Test Procedure
1. Raise and support the vehicle so that the rear
wheels are safely off the ground. Refer to Lifting
and Jacking the Vehicle in General Information:
• Corvette – SI Document ID #104056.
• CTS-V – SI Document ID #813128
2. Start the vehicle.
Important: Ensure that the transmission is not in
Reverse and that the wheel speed is zero.
3. Depress the clutch pedal to the floor.
4. Shift the transmission into 5th gear and remove
your hand from the shift ****.
5. Increase the engine speed to 2,000 RPM.
Important:
• The shift lever should have NO fore-aft / back and
forth motion when the clutch is released.
• On a very small number of vehicles, the shift lever
may move slightly rearward only once. This is a
normal characteristic.
• The shift lever WILL have some lateral / side to
side motion which will occur due to torque roll of
the powertrain.
• If the shift lever moves, it will be toward 6th gear
(rearward) and the magnitude could be
4 mm – 8 mm (0.16 in – 0.31 in) at the shift lever
**** and will repeat each time the clutch is
snapped.
6. Quickly release the clutch pedal and watch to see
if the shift lever has any fore-aft movement.
• If the shift lever DOES NOT move fore-aft, or
moves very slightly, about 2 mm (0.079 in),
repeat the test sequence Steps 3 to 6 for a total
of 10 times to ensure there is no shifter lever
movement. If the shift lever does not move other
than once very slightly after 10 cycles of test
sequence, the transmission is OK. No additional
repair is necessary and the inspection labor
operation may be claimed.
• If the shift lever DOES move fore-aft, repeat
the test sequence Steps 3 to 6 to confirm the
shifter lever movement. If the shifter lever does
move fore-aft, continue with the next step.
Important: The following test is for comparison purpose
only. The 3rd gear amount of fore-aft movement is
allowable.
7. Perform a comparison test with the shifter in 3rd
gear. Compare the amount of fore-aft movement
with the shifter in 3rd gear and 5th gear while
performing test sequence Steps 3 to 6.
• If the amount of fore-aft shifter lever movement
is the same in 3rd gear as 5th, or if only slight
movement occurs once in 5th gear, no
additional repair is necessary and the inspection
labor operation may be claimed.
• If the amount of fore-aft shifter lever movement
is greater in 5th gear than in 3rd gear, continue
with the next step.
8. Replace the transmission. Refer to Transmission
Replacement:
• Corvette — Document ID #1399623
• CTS-V — Document ID #1523514
Dealer Action For Sold Units On VIN List
It is possible that some vehicles on the VIN list may
have been sold.
For sold units in the U.S., the dealer is to call the
Dealer Business Center (DBC) and provide them with the customers’
information. In Canada, the dealer is to send the
customers’ information by fax to the GM of Canada
Warranty Department
Parts Information
Dealers are to contact the Product Quality Center (PQC)
to confirm diagnosis and to obtain
approval for part replacement.
Due to parts availability, the PQC will handle all orders.
Warranty Information
The labor time guide has been changed to reflect the
times in this bulletin.
Labor
Operation Description Labor Time
K9701 Transmission Inspection
Procedure 0.4 hr
K2720
Transmission/Transaxle
Assembly - Replace
Corvette
4.5 hrs
K2720
Transmission/Transaxle
Assembly - Replace
CTS-V
2.0 hrs
Bulletin No.: 04-07-29-003 Page 5 October, 2004
GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a ″do-it-yourselfer″. They are written to inform these
technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of
a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do a job properly and
safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that
condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.
WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION

0vetteshop

Wonderful...

ph3n0m73

There was a guy that posted a thread stating he had this exact problem. Haven't been able to find the thread, though. I hope he sees this.

And, oh yeah... Thanks for the info Ken!

Jonathon

WALLstAL

Is this the tip of the iceberg! C/L

clem zahrobsky

any one that wants to know if their VIN is included in the callback email me your VIN and i will check for you if you can not get any help from your dealers

WWWest

Reminds me of the first NSX's, they had a problem with the early 5 speeds snap rings too

spikalcat

Anyone else get a sick feeling when they read that the DEALER SERVICE DEPT. is expected to test the vehicles they have in stock (yeah, sure like they are going to take the time to do it!)

Furthermore if they find the problem they are supposed to replace the entire transmission! Something tells me the work performed wouldn't be on par with that of the factory.

WWWest

What is so hard about changing a transmission??

docrings1

At least GM caught this one pretty early... The NSX buying cry "Is this car in 'snap-ring' range?" will become the mantra of 2005 Manual Corvettes... It's an easy catch and an a warranty repair.

73VetteMan

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=928698

spikalcat

I've heard of dealers screwing up an oil change...I can't imagine what they would do while "trying" to pull the defective tranny out and replace it with a new one.

docrings1

VIN numbers affected by the snap ring recall:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=932613

Here's the VIN list, with just the last 6 digits and in numerical order.

102967
103115
103129
103131
103144
103156
103224
103226
103229
103231
103238
103264
103280
103288
103296
103311
103326
103341
103345
103348
103353
103361
103377
103381
103383
103384
103403
103427
103431
103438
103443
103450
103471
103475
103478
103482
103496
103523
103541
103549
103583
103586
103596
103608
103611
103621
103702
103709
103714
103729
103736
103744
103785
103792
103795
103808
103814
103823
103838
103845
103846
103856
103866
103886
103889
103891
103901
103919
103925
103944
103948
103950
103954
103963
103964
103973
103989
103992
104008
104019
104021
104022
104038
104042
104045
104047
104056
104059
104061
104070
104077
104091
104092
104098
104134
104137
104139
104142
104155
104176
104185
104196
104231
104248
104249
104251
104253
104260
104283
104287
104297
104308
104323
104332
104415
104522
104527
104543
104631
104662
104680
104697
104791
104828
105002
105039
105041
105090
105129
105233
105268

Dad_98C5

Oh crap, that's not were I wanted to find my vin number.

73VetteMan

My car also has the problem. My VIN is NOT on the list but has the problem. Another C6 owner has stated that his has the problem also, and his VIN is NOT on the list either. I have taken my car back to the dealer who comfirmed the problem and ordered a new transmission for it.

AFVETTE

I feel sorry for all these folks that must let their local Cheby dealer affect what is a very major repair. As has been pointed many times here on the forum, many of our CF brothers are loath to even drive by a Cheby dealer let alone let them work on it.

I wish you folks all the best.

Tom

WALLstAL

This is exatly why I will never be the first kid on the block!

clem zahrobsky

the caddy had the same trans problem and it has been out for a while. it has nothing to do with being first.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Poor ba$tards. I hate it for them.

JoesC5

I thought the only caddy that had a 6-speed was(is) the CTS-V. I thought it went into production during early 2004, so it would also be in it's first year of production, wouldn't it? I realize that the internals MIGHT be the same, but the CTS-V has the trans hanging off the rear of the engine, unlike the C6, so it's not EXACTLY the same transmission. Also, it's known that the C6 6-speed was internally modified from the C5's design. Does the CTS-V have the C6 internal design or the C5's? It seems, at least to me, that the C6 6-speed is in it's first year of production as is the CTS-V's.

73VetteMan

The manual transmissions are the same transmissions that have been used in the past. NOT the first time used. It was just a bad batch from the vendor and has nothing to do with the FIRST batch or the first year of the C6.