[Moto G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DrumsXO:
Hey, everyone. This is probably going to be pretty long-winded. I do apologize, but also ask that you read carefully and thoroughly before posting.

Pertinent Information:

Model: XT1032

Carrier: Consumer Cellular

Background Information:

A long while back I decided to root my phone so I could remove all of the useless applications I never used that just ate up what limited space this phone has. Everything went successfully.

A couple (or maybe a few) months ago I noticed that Android 5.1 was available for install. I wasn't aware that you needed to remove root access before doing an OTA update, and proceeded to brick my phone. I then followed a guide (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2700502) to flash back to stock firmware, thus removing root access, and afterwards, applied the OTA update successfully.

What I didn't notice was that the guide was for the XT1033, but, the phone still worked just fine. I could make / send and receive calls / texts, use my WiFi, etc. The only issues were that my data didn't seem to work at all, and my phone's internal memory was about 80% full, and only ~500MB of that was from my downloaded applications... Weird, right?

New Information:

Today I decided I was going to do a factory reset. I was no longer able to update or download applications because the Google Play Store would stop responding every single time. Also, I was sick of my phone's memory being so full, for seemingly no reason. Well, the factory reset failed to complete, and left my phone bricked; it wouldn't go past the unlocked bootloader warning screen.

I then did some research and fiddling around with a new guide (http://xdaforums.com/moto-g/general/gpe-ota-lrx21z-5-0-1-xt1033-xt1032-t2969847). After following the instructions, which I found to be quite confusing, actually), I ended up back on Android 4.4.4, with a non-functional network. I used the XT1032 US GSM modem he linked in Step 6, since my phone's from the US, but maybe it was the wrong one? I also tried some different modems / radios from the linked posts in that part of the guide, but they didn't work either.

So, I followed a new guide for installing Lollipop 5.1 GPE via a 1-click batch file (http://xdaforums.com/moto-g/general/gpe-lollipop-5-1-1click-installer-t3075522), and it seemed to work... Except my network no longer worked; the phone wasn't recognizing my SIM card. I tried downloading and installing a couple of different US XT1032 modems / radios to no avail.

Next, I took a shot in the dark and flashed back to the Android 5.0.2 XT1033 firmware from before, and now, it works fine... Kind of. The network functions again like it it did before, and the memory is pretty much empty (4.61GB of 5.55GB free) as it should be. The only problem is that the Android 5.1 OTA update has failed twice now, and the phone's not rooted again yet.

My Questions:

1) Why is my network functioning on an XT1033 firmware when my phone's an XT1032, yet on an XT1032 firmware it doesn't function?

2) Why can I suddenly not do the Android 5.1 OTA update like I could before?

3) Why did the Lollipop 5.1 GPE 1-click method leave me with a non-functioning network?

4) Why was my memory so full the last time I installed the Android 5.0.2 XT1033 firmware, yet now it's empty like it should be?

I'm beyond confused right now, and trying very, very hard not to throw my phone into the lake (which I can from the window right in front of me). I just want to use the latest version of Android, NOT have my phone's memory be ridiculously full, and have a functional network. :(