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Chevy Silverado: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
Thanks.
Robert
1. rotor & cap
2. spark plugs
3. fuel filter
Did all those & also changed the 2 front O2 sensors. Ran fine for a few days, then same problem. This time we changed the ignition coil (which said garage also recommended).
After that it seemed to run ok, but now when we tried to start the truck from a cold start, it would crank but not turn over (I'm not very car savvy, so please forgive the terminology). Fix to this was to turn the key for a second, then start the truck. That worked fine.
Has "stuttered" twice in the last 3-4 weeks and the start fix still worked.
Dropped it off last night for them to look at (service mgr said could be weak fuel pump or something with the fuel system). Got a call this morning that it was the battery. That didn't sound right to me, so I called back later in the morning & quizzed them about it. They said the truck wouldn't start at all this morning (didn't get clarification if it wouldn't start or wouldn't turn over). Mechanic also said the Throttle body was very, very dirty and that could cause all the problems too.
Picked it up tonight, after hours, and when we turned it on, it started, but there was a shudder from the rear passenger side. Turned it off & tried again - same thing. Third time the shudder was much less noticeable.
What on earth could be causing these problems? The truck has 53k miles on it and I just can't believe that out of the blue in 1.5 months we're having all these problems. Any help would be appreciated!
Does anybody know what this prob. can be.
Thank's
I've been too busy with work to fix the tank. I did get an online quote from a used parts vendor for the sender. I think they wanted $200 for it if I remember correctly. I may wait until the Spring to replace it myself.
In the meantime, try this: drive it until it's almost empty and then put in a can of fuel injector cleaner and the fill it up. Do this twice and see if the problem starts to resolve itself. A friend of mine told be to do this, and it actually started working again, although not all the time. Some people may have reservations about using cleaner that frequently, but I've put in 4 or 5 over the course of 6 months or so, and haven't seen any problems. It's a temporary fix, but what the heck.
To clean the throttle body: go buy a can of spray throttle body cleaner. Remove the rubber connection between the air cleaner box and the engine. You'll see a giant circular disc that will have black gunk around the edges of it. You may not be able to see all of it, but if you spray it down good and take a rag and run it around in there, you'll get a lot of gunk out. While you spraying, rotate the valve open so it's horizontal. There's a giant return spring coiled on the outside of the TB. Grab it and rotate it open and spray and wipe it out.
Takes 5 minutes and works for 6+months before you should have to do it again.
I was pissed to see a tag on the new cable
"Made In China"....
When will it end?
Also, can anyone give me advice that has the same model year what I should look out for or if I should even buy the sucker at all. Thank you, appreciate the feedback.
What I would like to know is there any way to get more top end when pulling a 5,500 lb. 5th wheel? The truck seems to die at 100kil (60) miles/hr. and the tail pipe is very black, however if I keep the speed around 50 no problems and ideas?
thanks
Dean retired
I have a 2000 Fleetside shortbox ext cab 2 wd 5.3 V-8. Also have 3:73 rear ratio. My truck struggles on long hills but I can still maintain 55mph when pulling my 6600# travel trailer uphills.
Are you using the tow/haul feature and leaving it in 3rd gear when towing?
Ray T.
It was taken to a 2nd dealership, in which when they took a look at the differencial...it had completely fused together. Yet, it was never replaced, just unfused and released back to us. The noise persisted.
The road was wet again tonight. Upon taking a turn, the clunking became much louder as the back end completely locked up, sending us 2-4 inches away from the guard rail on the opposite side of the road. If someone was there, or my relative didn't have a quick reaction time, there would have been a serious accident.
Due to the holiday, everything is closed. We have plans to make a trip an hour north into the Poconos for Thanksgiving with our family. Is it a good idea to drive this far? I don't think so, but my relative believes we have no choice because out of both of our cars, his is better inclined for the pot-hole-infested roads and hazardous mountain roads.
Has anyone else had problems with their brand new Chevy Silverados? I would like to look into the Lemon Law if this is just a manufacturer's default. Any other suggestions??
The locking diff is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. When it senses one wheel slipping, it locks up both wheels in less than three rotations. It has no way of knowing you are driving too fast on a wet, curving road. Mine does the same thing. I ALWAYS put my Auto-Trac on whenever the roads are wet. When one tire slips, the front tires engage automatically. It's the best safety option on my truck.
Gearhed
Truck: 2001 Duramax 4x4,LB, SWD, 5 speed Auto w/3.73
Replaced air filter element with AFE Lifetime Filter (not K & N) Increased HP by a factor of 18.
Reconfigured computer to 360 HP with 720 Torque (the computer was completely rebuilt by an authorized after-market company)
Increased tire size from 245 to 265.
Replaced exhaust system w/high grade 4" diameter stainless steel from exhaust manifold back (Yes, it's a little noiser when you get into it.)
Results BEFORE 4" exhaust system added to mix: Approximatey 380 HP: 21 MPG @ 80 MPH Cruise; No Diesel hesitation whatsoever. When new exhaust system added was told that mileage might increase by 3 mpg (I believe it). It acts as if HP has increased by a factor of 30. We have a 10' Northern Lite Cabover Camper and on our last trip to New Mexico, Arizona, California truck acted as if it had no load in the bed. We drove up hills that were so steep that the 3-way refrigerator shut off but we had plenty of pedal left while maintaining posted speed limits. FYI
Ray T.
Because of the significant investment at the time of purchase and the fact that I planned to keep this vehicle as long as possible , I have been dilligent in having the the required service work done IAW the specified GM schedules. The service work I had performed included the change of the transmission fluid at each of the 30,000 mile intervals following the first transmission fluid change that was performed by the dealership at 19,981 miles.
Any one else had similar history on these types of problems and what has Chevrolet done to rectify the problem?
are two restrictors on the engene side of the fire wall the TSB says to remove them I had this done
and the noise went away I live in northern new york
and cant see any differace in the heat or the engene
warmup time in below zero weather.
If you have to move the shift lever to get it back in gear, IT IS A PROBLEM.
If applying a little gas to up the RPMs makes it move forward again, it is normal.
It has to do with the function of an automatic to not need a clutch depression to stand still. There is a "stall speed" that makes the fluid pressure inside the converter cause the transmission input shaft to turn.
Same thing on sedans.
If you need more detail, just ask and there are many out here who could provide a better explanation.
Enjoy the convenience of not having to do the clutch deal on a hill.
I think there was a model or two of cars that had the "hold" on a hill feature. Somehow, it hasn't spread to other vehicles.
-David
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Good luck,
Dusty
Also, you don't mention whether your A/C is manual or automatic. Although the diagnostic procedures for both are too extensive to relate here, if it's manual, dustyk's "guess" appears to be right on from what I can gather from a quick scan. The motor resistor is held in place by two screws accessed from the bottom of the motor.
If you intend to do you own repairs you may consider a set of manuals from Helms. I know they're expensive, but they do pay for themselves over time.
-David
I'm hoping some of you have some suggestions
for us, 'cause we're about at wits end.
We have an 04 Chevy Silverado Z71, 5.3L v8.
It's got about 13,000 miles on it. We purchased
it in Flagstaff Arizona, and have since moved
to Kentucky. Ever since the drive to Kentucky,
it's been idling really rough. If it were a carbur-
ated engine, I'd say either the timing was
off or the fuel to air ratio needed to be changed.
We've taken it to the dealership. They say nothing
shows up on the diagnostics. Then, the engine
light came on, so we took it in. They said it's
because our locking fuel cap isn't a snug fit.
Well, this idling problem happened before we
switched to the locking cap. They tell us that
there are no locking caps which are made to
fit an 04 Silverado yet. So we stuffed a plastic
bag under the cap to make sure the vacuum
on the fuel system is working ok.
No matter what we do, the truck idles rough
and feels like it's going to cut out when sitting
at a light. It never does actually stop running,
but as it cycles, it shudders and really feels like
it's going to sputter out.
There are a few other things to consider:
*Before leaving Arizona the fuel pump went out
and was replaced.
*The elevation in Arizona where we bought
the truck was about 7,000 feet. Where we live
now it's about 480 feet. Chevy dealers insist
that the truck self-regulates for altitude. Is
there NO WAY to go in there and fine tune
the computer for altitude changes? The
dealerships tell us there's no way they can,
and that it's not necessary.
*We have a K&N air filter in it, which has
never been a problem before.
*We have a "Tornado Fuel Saver" in it which
has never been a problem before.
So. Given all this information, if it was your
truck, what would you look into next? We've
discussed the purchase of one of those "Super-
chips" but it seems like it's a lot of money
to spend if it's not going to address what this
problem may be.
ANY input is going to be greatly appreciated,
because the Chevy dealership's attitude seems
to be, "If the engine light isn't on, who cares?"
Well. If nothing else it's damned annoying because
at idle, it always feels like the truck is going to
quit. It can't be running on top of it's game if
it's idling like that, and it feels like it's affecting
the shifting somehow.
Thanks...
A week or so ago, we rented a Buick Century for a trip to LA and then a GMC U-Haul truck while there.
Both exhibited the characteristics that were described above. Disconcerting at first, but after the pucker-factor passes it is just an annoyance. Breaking the "one-foot rule", I found that holding with the left foot on the brake and letting go when starting to throttle-up with the right foot eliminated the roll-back and lurch from the jump from one peddle to the other. Maybe some practice would smooth it out. One afternoon in a rental didn't do it.
Absolutely could get used to it just like getting used to the coasting effect I first saw on an 87 Sable when you take your foot off the gas. If you really want to slow down - better move your foot to the brake peddle.
So, this is posted for the fill-in of recently gathered information.
73s
I have an '01 2500HD 6.0 auto tranny with manual transfer case. I have noticed fluid on the underside of the truck right at about the point where the front u-joint is at. Dealer said it is overflow from the transfer case vent tube. He supposedly checked the transfer case and was full. Truck currently has approximately 45,000 miles and is used primarily to pull with.
One possible clue involves whether it idles rough when first started up on any given day. Because the fuel injection relies on different feed back systems at start up and at normal operating temperature, smooth idle at start up could indicate a faulty O2 sensor. Just a wild poke in the dark.
-David
rebuilt twice @ 100,000 and 150,000 mile. WHen I am driving if I accelerate hard the truck will get stuck in 3rd gear (auto) and I have to turn the truck off and restart it a couple of time to get it back to normal. As long as I use a soft pedal no problem, but as soon as i get on it there it goes again. I have bben to a couple of transmission shops and no one has an answer. They want to take it apart and charge me a small fortune. I think this may have something to do with the power shut off but I am not sure. Looking for an expert opinion from someone who knows about this problem. I need to mention that I have a Power tower spacer under the throttle body and a hypertec chip in the computer. Could this be affecting the transmission???
Thanks so much for your replies. I've
written them down and will discuss it
with the dealer. It's rather amazing what
some dealers *won't* do. We basically
feel like we had the best dealer in the
world up in Flagstaff Arizona (Terrell/
Marxen), and the ones out here are
as different as day and night from that
dealier in Flag.
Anyway. We'll check into the possiblity
of O2 sensor troubles, and talk to them about
checking the coil packs.
I *have* noticed the problem is LESS
present when I first start it in the morning.
I'll have to pay more attention to see if it's
really *completely* gone.
Warm regards!
Sidehoofer.