Chevy/GMC Owners

Davydd

I ordered mine (1500LT, z71, x-cab) on November 7, 1998 and took possesion on January 12, 1999. That's about 2 months. I changed my order on interior color and suspension in early December without suffering any apparent penalty.

Dealers have allocations. If you happen to order a truck that has already been allocated you could get it earlier. They have the ability to make adjustments in those allocations to fit your needs as they did with mine.

jxyoung

Ordered mine (1500LS, Z71, x-cab, sportside) on October 12,1998. It was preferenced the 22nd of October, sportsides were on hold then. Built December 17, given to transport the 18th of December, still no sign of the truck??? Dealer says it left Canada January 11th and is still in transition??

On Monday that will be 15 weeks!

stevek

I have a '97 K1500 Z71, with no antisway bar in the back. Would it help to install one? I also tow a light (2,500 lbs) camper in the summer. I can get an aftermarket bar for about $120.00, no drilling to install.

timcos

I need to know how to price a 1970-1972 Chevy pick up...Where do I find info if at all

randallv

timcos,

did you try kelley blue book?
www.kbb.com

pcommer

Is anyone out there having a problem with the headlights on the 98 S-10s? My headlights flicker at 79-80 mph. It does not occur when going over bumps so that rules out a loose connection. It does not occur when driving around town or at any speeds other than 79-80mph. The dashboard lights, occasionally but not always, flicker with the headlights. Any ideas or comments?

stevek

Here is an idea. Some of these vehicles are equipted with an electronic governor, which I think works via grounding out the ignition. May be it is grounding out the wrong circuit. Also a governor usualy kick in at 100mp not at 80 so it may not be.

quadrunner500

Voltage regulator? Belt slipping? Wind blowing against an intermittent wire harness? Perhaps maybe even the battery, or YES! The battery ground strap, or corrosion on a battery terminal you can clean it up!

cdean

that fact that it occurs exactly at 80 mph everytime suggests that maybe the voltage produced by the speedometer or tachometer reaches a certain level that causes interference, maybe due to wiring problem of some sort.

stevek

I have a '97 K1500 Z71, with no antisway bar in the back. Would it help to install one? I also
tow a light (2,500 lbs) camper in the summer. I can get an aftermarket bar for about $120.00, no drilling to install.

pcommer

Thanks for the suggestions folks. I am a failure analyst by trade so I know how to track things down. All the items listed by Quadrunner500 would occur at any speed, although, they were all checked just to be sure. The fact that it is repeatable at only 79-80mph suggests it is not a loose connection or a manufacturing defect. I suspect it is more of a design defect or an engineering oversight. Since these days the computer system monitors everything I can only hope it is not a computer glitch because that's something no one will find without a logic analyzer. The speedometer suggestion is a very likely suspect, of course, so is every other sensor that measures road speed or throttle position or any other road condition. That is sort of what I suspect and why I also lean toward a computer glitch. Even though I don't have a tachometer in this truck I do know the computer monitors the engine RPMs at all times. Anyway, I was really just wondering if anyone else was experiencing this problem because as I said I suspect a design problem not a mechanical problem. Since the new S-10s and the new Silverado (the truck I really wanted) have the same automatic lighting system I thought maybe someone else was having similar troubles. I will let you know what the dealer says next week. If nothing else it might be good for a laugh.

stevek

In my oppinion it is a SERIOUS safety defect which the dealer should remedy immediately. Just write a letter to Chevy saying you hold them responsible if anything happens to you when the lights go out at night. At minimum they should replace you computer ASAP test it and if does not solve the problem get you another vehicle. I would also call up the Chevy 800# (I had good luck with that) talk to the person firm but polite. In order to have a recourse latter you need to start the file now.

matt32

Is anyone out there who can help me find info on a chevrolet 454ss

dave40

Whats up

matt32

HELLO

matt32

Can you help me dave?

dave40

I'am working on it
I think it is 245 hp I'LL get back latter

matt32

Where can I search, no one anywhere seams to know or theres no info on them, Thanks

matt32

Hello? Are you there

dave40

Try posting your Question in some more topic titles
you might have to wait a day to someone sees it. Pretty sure it 245 hp and maybe 375lbs torque Nice Truck how many miles are on it?

matt32

It now has 109,000

matt32

Its in great shape. Its been well maintained what do you own?

dave40

I think its 390 lbs torque 245 hp

26andrew1

stevek

GM would laugh hard at this complaint. Lights flicker at 80MPH what is the posted speed limit. Bet a bundle they for sure wouldn't warrenty that complaint.

I know there is a rev limiter on the vehicles that retards the timing. Don't know if that is what the computer is doing, in the course of things it is also screwing the lights up.

We get complaints in our dealership (mostly vette owners) that there car has some glitch at like 85mph only at 85mph or above. Guesss what we legaly can not reproduce that problem. It is illegal to go over posted speed limit ecspecially with clients car. We all know that we do it and drivers do it but warrenty will not pay for it if it is at such a high rate of speed. Just the facts whether you like it or not.

pcommer

I agree with you SteveK it is a serious safety issue and the dealer SHOULD repair it immediately. On the other hand 26andrew1 is probably right and I know that is the route the dealer and GM will probably take. Being in the failure analysis field I do not that by law a manufacturer is responsible for the product they produce when operated in it's normal operating window. In this case the speedometer goes to 100MPH and the fact they built it to reach that speed means they MAY have to warranty it up to that speed. No matter what it is a tough battle for me to win and I'm not sure I can win. I can track this problem down myself if I could get my hands on the wiring diagrams. Any idea how to do that 26andrew1?

stevek

In some part of the country it is LEGAL to go 80mph and (if I understood correctly) the lights do go out at other lower speeds (sometimes) and allways go out at 80mph. Anyway GM does not have an excuse because the vehicle was not altered (ie: change/remove the chip) and it should operate as designed in all its' operating range, beeing 20mph or 100mph. If you have a problem with your vehicle at 50mph while driving in a 35mph zone, GM is not responsible????????

tnt2

I had a 95 4x4 1500 without the sway bar and pulled a 4500# boat just fine. Unless you experience a lot of sway I wouldn't worry about it, 2500# shouldn't make a difference. Ditto on the speed issue.

jxyoung

Maybe he makes regular trips through Montana;o)
It may be difficult for the dealer to reproduce but should be worked on! Seems like GM engineers
would have some ideas if there is any way to get them involved?

26andrew1

stevek
I live next to Mont. and drive through yearly. They start handing tickets out to people going over 80mph. Besides what does driving 50mph in a 35mph zone have to do with anything. Sounds like you may have a grudge.

I do not want to have to defend myself or anyone else in this post I was just stating the problem you will have getting this fixed.

pcommer
Hate to say it but there is no way for me to describe what needs to be done over this post. Usual a auto tech. would run a systems check with a Tech 2(gm hand held computer used to interface with the car computers). More then likely that would check out ok. Is my guess seeing how it happens at such a high speed.

What you may try to do is talk to your dealer. There is an on board recorder they can let you use to record what is going on. It will have a button you push when your problem acures. The recorder then records so many minutes before and after you push the button. I forget how many snap shots you can take about three or so. Hope that helps. *Note not every dealer has this recorder yet. It is fairly new.

jlflemmons

Dave40,
I have a question for you since we have the same type of truck. Before you had the ECM reprogrammed on your truck did you have a problem with slow release on the throttle? As in, take your foot off the gas and wait for the engine to slow down? I have had this problem in my truck since it had about 5K miles (now 40K) and GMC claims there is nothing wrong. I have checked NHTSA and have found about a dozen complaints about this problem. I am running a tuned MagnaFlow muffler now, and you can both see on the tach as well as hear when the engine releases. The floor mat recall has already been done. The throttle is mechanically returning to idle, but the fuel injection goes into a rich state and holds the engine speed up.

Jim

dave40

NO problems here

greencar

message 84 from greencar has a new update-
there will be a major recall coming foreward in regards to unsafe seats for the gm products.
after 3 years and 30,000 emails-GOLIATH GM is about to meet their waterloo. gm is replacing an average 1,000 seat repairs a month.
thanks for the info from you mother truckers!!!

akjbmw

jlflemmons
Back in the days when a carb did not refur to California Air Resources Board ;-) I had a car with a gulp valve (EGR) that caused a slow throttle release. After giving enough pedal to start from a stop and then releasing, as for traffic interruptions, it would continue to rev for at least five seconds. Had it not been a four speed, there would have been many incidences of a severe pucker factor.
Is there still a semblance of those wonderful “gulp valves”?
By the way, the part was made by GM and used as part of the SMOG system on many imports. Mine was a BMW 2002.

akjbmw

Actually, it was an air bypass valve between an air pump, intake manifold, and air cleaner (outside the filter) with a vacuum control from the throttle body. Maybe it relates, if not, tune it out :-)

pcommer

26Andrew1, your right, the dealer laughed. I thought he might, but they will try to reproduce the problem on the lift. I don't know if that will work since the truck will not be under a load when the wheels are in the air. If it is the speedometer voltage as Cdean mentioned in post #325 then they probably will reproduce it. Cdean may actually be on to something too. Now that it is staying lighter longer the headlights are not always on. I noticed twice that when the headlights are off the speedometer needle becomes very erratic at 79-80mph. When the lights are on it does not, yet that is when the lights begin to flicker. SteveK, you mentioned a 1-800 # in post #328. Do you know the exact number or where I can find it? 26Andrew1, I know this won't be an easy fix and thanks for the info about the onboard recorder, I will check with the dealer on that one. By the way, do you know where I can get a copy of the wiring diagram? Did you mention that you work for a GM dealer?

stevek

The 1 800 number should be in your book(toward the back) under complaints and arbitration.

26andrew1

The wiring diagrams are in the shop manuels but with your problem I don't think a diagram will help much. The diagrams are split into groups you would need about a million pages of diagrams for your problem. Maybe not a million but it would be hard to pin piont what diagrams to get. I don't know how Jo-Blow can get a copy of the shop manuels. They are not always right either.

If your lucky it reproduces on the lift. It sounds as of it may.

From hearing what you said about the speedo being weird makes me lean toward spending some time on checking the bcm or ecm. I forget which controls the speedo. But what happens is it gets a signal from the wheel speed sensor(s) and then sends out a signal to your cluster. Which in turn gives you your speed.

But other then that info I have no idea as to what else I can tell you to help. Like I said before, the Tech 2 is what is really needed to begin solving this problem.

If the dealer dosn't have the snap-shot tool. See if they will find someone who does or call around and find a dealer that does. GM or Chevy.
Good luck>

jlflemmons

akjbmw, you may be onto something. I had forgotten the interaction of the EGR valve in all this mess. Yes, the 5.7 vortec does have an electronically controlled EGR valve, and mine has been replace under warranty after three trips to the dealer last year. I will pull out the manuals I have access to and see what I can figure out. It is really cool to be able to put the auto in first gear, run the truck up to about 20MPH, take your foot off the gas and just keep on going down the road. In that situation, the throttle will not return to idle. Ever.

Jim

pcommer

Thanks for the information folks.

Stevek, I called the 1-800 number and they won't do anything until a dealer has looked at the vehicle. I think that approach is perfectly understandable from their point of view.

26Andrew1, the guy on the 1-800 number gave me another 1-800 number of where I can buy a copy of the service manual which does have all the wiring diagrams at a cost of $96.00. I will purchase that if the dealer can't fix my problem. I did notice this morning, however, that the needle does have problems when the headlights are on but only when the lights are flickering. The needle deflects by as much as 2-3 mph which I think is a bit much for a speedometer. You mentioned a cluster, are you talking about the instrument cluster? What are the "bcm" and "ecm"?

26andrew1

pcommer
bcm=body control module
ecm=egine control module

I mentioned your problem to one of our 20 years in the business techs. He said he remebered something about that the s-10 would cut power once it hit a certain rpm or mph. Not sure which.
I didn't have time today to look it up but will try tomorrow.

I know the owner of the dealership won't own an s-10 because of the limiter.(LEAD FOOT). He has a burban big block instead.

pcommer

Thanks a lot 26Andrew1.

I apparently also have a heavy foot and my truck of choice was the 99 silverado extended cab. Unfortunately the wallet wouldn't reach that far.

I checked with the dealer and they don't have the snapshot capability. Any information you can give me might help. I had to postpone my visit to the dealer until the 15th so that gives me a little more time to document it. I am hoping that by documenting it I can see a pattern emerge. So far it has only been highway driving, at that speed.

thanks again

quadrunner500

pcommer:
I still maintain you have an open ground intermittent some place, that could be why it affects more than one system. Why don't you pull the fuse for the headlamps, and see if the speedometer still gets whacky at 79-80 mph. (Bet it doesn't) Put the fuse back in, and check the headlamp relay coil circuit with the truck on jackstands so you can simulate the speed. Use an oscilloscope, not a logic analyser. Isolate the possibilities by breaking down the problem into parts. If the headlamp goes off but the relay stays on, then the problem is an intermittent in the headlamp circuit itself. The disturbance could easily be enough to upset the speedometer. If you really believe the speedometer circuit is causing the problem, why not just unplug the input from the speed sensor at the back of the transmission, and run it up to speed again.

pcommer

Thanks for the info quadrunner500.

As I said before I am a failure analyst by trade so determining exactly what is failing won't be a problem once I have the wiring diagrams. The first problem is, that it is a brand new truck with less than 3K miles on it and I don't want to void any warranty issues. I first noticed and began documenting the problem at around 1100 miles. I have to give the dealer ship the opportunity to fix it first.
The second thing is that if it were a loose or bad ground connection it would appear at almost any speed and especially on any rough road conditions. Even the dealer agreed with me on that. Here in Massachusetts, better known as "Pot Hole City" the only roads that are smooth are the highways and even that isn't exactly smooth. This time of year I think the off road conditions would be a little smoother.
The reason I came to this board was more for research. I was hoping someone else had already been through this problem with this truck and could shed some light. This board has actually helped me locate the wiring diagrams, although I'm not ready to shell out $90 for them yet. I truly am not limiting my possibilities to just the speedometer it just seems to be another way this problem is showing up. Without those diagrams I don't know what else may be common to the circuit. It could be a relay, a crack on the dashboards circuit board or a module somewhere, or a sensor, or a computer glitch. It truly could be anything but without the diagrams I can't see what can be ruled out. Believe it or not it could even be a cracked vacuum line which is causing a sensor to send erroneous signal back through the system. I can't rule out anything yet.
I can fix this myself. I just have to give the dealer a chance first.

rander

Am I the only loyal Chevy truck owner that is very disappointed in the new Silverado?

I've been waiting for these to hit the dealerships for 2 years, but my first look at them almost made me sick. The mechanicals of the new design look very good, but the styling doesn't do anything for me. And 3 doors! The design team must have been on vacation that year.

I don't think I would ever buy a Dodge, but the Ford is looking awfully good. Plus, Ford offers some interesting options like the Sport truck (with no chrome).

Apparently, Chevy is having trouble selling the Silverados. The lots around here are stacked with new Silverados and the January sales report shows GM with the only big 3 decrease in truck sales.

I'm going to look carefully at the new Tundra this spring and try to wait until fall to see if Chevy can fix any of their mistakes - then, I'm going to buy something.

jlflemmons

UPDATE ON THROTTLE HOLD:
This morning I spoke with the technical specialist
at a large GM dealer in the Austin, Tx area. Here
are the questions and the answers I was given.
1. The engine rattles when it is started. Longer
when cold, but on any start after it has been
sitting for more than an hour.
ANSWER: The noise is from the lifters bleeding
down and is typical of roller lifters. GM sees
this as no cause for concern as long as the rattle
stops within a minute.

2. The throttle does not return to idle when
released. The vehicle will continue at speed for
several seconds, and at speeds under 50MPH will not slow down without substantial application of the brakes.
ANSWER: GM has advised that THIS IS THE NORMAL
OPERATION OF THIS TYPE OF FUEL INJECTION AND HAS NO PLANS TO CORRECT SOMETHING THAT THEY DO NOT FEEL IS MALFUNCTIONING. ???!!!

Hmmm. I don't like these answers. The lifters
are bleeding down prematurely. The fact that they
are roller lifters has nothing to do with the
problem. And I cannot believe that GM thinks I am
stupid enough to believe that unresponsive throttle operation is normal! I have owned two vortec 4.3L with the CPI fuel injection system and neither of them had this attribute. Time to escalate the issue.

Jim

cbopp

I just bought a 93 Silverado. When stomp the brakes it initially pulls to the right. What gives? Is it a faulty brake line maybe?

stevek

I have a '97 K1500 with the Z71 package. I am getting an alignment and sometime ago somewhere I heard that replacing some relatively inexpensive factory front-end pieces will result in a better alignment. Is this true and if it is what do I need to replace?

bbroocks

I purchased a new 1998 Chevy Z71 last September.
While cleaning my truck following an off-road
expedition, I noticed that the inside of the rear
bumper had a thin coat of rust. Is this normal?
I was shocked to find this on a new truck. Does anyone have any suggestions?

markbuck

Factory or aftermarket bumper?

My experience is the factory bumpers last alot longer before rusting than the aftermarket bumpers. You could always clean it really good with a steam cleaner and spray on a can of undercoat.

bbroocks

Thanks for your suggestion markbuck. It is the factory bumper. Is the rusting unusual? If so, does anyone know if it is covered by the warranty. Thanks for your help.