2018 Chevy Colorado/Trailblazer Axle Play Question

[bartheil]

I have a 2018 Chevy Trailblazer (Zebra71) that is mechanically a 2016 Chevy Colorado with a trunk. During wheel alignment the mechanic told me in his broken English that both rear wheels have about 1 inch axial play (aka I can push the wheel 1/2 to 1" inward) and I should replace the axle bearings. There is no radial play or rattling in the rear wheels (and no wheel misalignment detected either)

Is this kid of play normal or should I take it in to my (expensive) dealership?

 

[Anti-lander]

Let's start off by letting you know that there is nothing similar between the Colorado and the trailblazer except maybe a few generic sensors and switches, everything else is completely different.. trailblazer comes fwd or awd, colorado is rwd or 4wd, colorado has a boxed ladder frame trailblazer is unibody, engine size is different etc etc.

In the colorados rear solid axle the only play should be about 1/16 inch up and down play on the rear hubs, front are ifs and if it's moving in and out you have a problem

 

[bartheil]

Let's start off by letting you know that there is nothing similar between the Colorado and the trailblazer except maybe a few generic sensors and switches, everything else is completely different.. trailblazer comes fwd or awd, colorado is rwd or 4wd, colorado has a boxed ladder frame trailblazer is unibody, engine size is different etc etc.

In the colorados rear solid axle the only play should be about 1/16 inch up and down play on the rear hubs, front are ifs and if it's moving in and out you have a problem

You're describing the 2020 TrailBlazer, not the 2018 Trailblazer.
If you look at the picture of my car above, you can actually see many similarities. And yes, my trailblazer is body-on-frame with a solid rear-axle and the 3.6l v6 engine. The 2018 Trailblazer is the SUV version of the Colorado (but not sold in the USA) just like the Toyota Fortuner is the SUV version of the Hi-Lux and the Ford Everest is the SUV version of the Ranger. Neither of these SUV's are sold in the USA, but either do I live in the USA anymore.

 

[bartheil]

Chevrolet TrailBlazer (SUV) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Take a look at the 2nd gen version towards the end of the article.

 

[Anti-lander]

You're describing the 2020 TrailBlazer, not the 2018 Trailblazer.
If you look at the picture of my car above, you can actually see many similarities. And yes, my trailblazer is body-on-frame with a solid rear-axle and the 3.6l v6 engine. The 2018 Trailblazer is the SUV version of the Colorado (but not sold in the USA) just like the Toyota Fortuner is the SUV version of the Hi-Lux and the Ford Everest is the SUV version of the Ranger. Neither of these SUV's are sold in the USA, but either do I live in the USA anymore.

Then it isn't a chevrolet colorado it's a holden colorado7 either way you shouldn't have play in axles

 

[Anti-lander]

If we'd had the Colorado 7 in america instead of the awd Trailblazer I would gave bought one to go with my colorado. If you come back to America and want to sell let me know.

 

[bartheil]

Then it isn't a chevrolet colorado it's a holden colorado7 either way you shouldn't have play in axles

Thanks Anti-lander. This is the info I needed.

 

[1stDeuce]

I would think that little truck uses C-clip axles. Generally, C-clip axles do have a LITTLE play... Something like 1-2mm would be acceptable. An INCH would not be wheel bearings, it would be missing c-clips and if you have disc brakes, the discs rubbing the caliper brackets would be holding the rear wheels on... You'd hear horrible noises from the rubbing, and your brake pedal would often go to the floor on the first apply...

An INCH with c-clip axles and drum brakes is not possible, as more than just a little play means the c-clips are gone and the wheel will come out the side fairly quickly at that point.

If the rear axle is wheel bearing retained, then there could be problems with the wheelbearings, but you should have loads of radial and axial play and lots of awful noise and gear lube running out quickly when you drive at that point.

Since you mention none of these things, I suspect that if your sweet Trailblazer is driving fine, your mechanic is fishing for un-necessary work...

 

[bartheil]

I would think that little truck uses C-clip axles. Generally, C-clip axles do have a LITTLE play... Something like 1-2mm would be acceptable. An INCH would not be wheel bearings, it would be missing c-clips and if you have disc brakes, they would be what is holding the rear wheels on... You'd hear horrible noises from the rear rotors rubbing on the caliper brackets.

An INCH with drum brakes is not possible, as the wheel will come out the side fairly quickly at that point.

If the rear axle is wheel bearing retained, then there could be problems with the wheelbearings, but you should have loads of radial and axial play and lots of awful noise and gear lube running out quickly when you drive...

Since you mention none of these things, I suspect that if your sweet Trailblazer is driving fine, your mechanic is fishing for un-necessary work...

This was the independent shop that did my wheel alignment that told me there was a problem. I talked to my mechanic today and he told me the "play" we felt while the car was lifted is not the wheel moving in and out of the axle but the whole axle (and both wheels) moving because of the suspension.
There is no radial play (ability to move while up or down relative to axle) and there are no noises so he told me not to worry.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I have a 2018 Chevy Trailblazer (Zebra71) that is mechanically a 2016 Chevy Colorado with a trunk. During wheel alignment the mechanic told me in his broken English that both rear wheels have about 1 inch axial play (aka I can push the wheel 1/2 to 1" inward) and I should replace the axle bearings. There is no radial play or rattling in the rear wheels (and no wheel misalignment detected either)

Is this kid of play normal or should I take it in to my (expensive) dealership?
View attachment 773374

You guys got a MUCH better Trailblazer than anything we got in the U.S.!

I hate the American one but would drive yours all day

 

[bartheil]

You guys got a MUCH better Trailblazer than anything we got in the U.S.!

I hate the American one but would drive yours all day

Trust me I have a smile on my face every time I drive this truck. It's some of the small things that make driving in Dubai fun:
- A black decal on the hood that takes away the glare from the sun
- Remote start of the engine and AC
- My Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 tires. Always impressed when driving in sand.
- The 8" screen is just big enough to be useful but not a distraction.
- Everything can be done with physical buttons, including Apple Carplay
My major annoyances are:
- Chevy quality is not up to par with Toyota quality but hey it's 50% less at the second-hand market
- no option for a hitch receiver
- no factory cross-bars for the roof rails...