Chevy Silverado - Continued XVIII

obyone

I would like to think it was a glitch. However, I would go through the reset sequence anyway.

red-

pf 59 at idle 40 psi
k&n at idle 48 psi

erikheiker

Hey Vince, I don't know what the problem is...I always get lots of spam! If erikheiker@gci.net doesn't work, then erikheiker@aol.com should. Thanks. As for psi changes, I didn't notice any. My psi also came right up, even though I didn't prime the filter. One thing I did do was reset the oil monitor right before the change. I didn't like the idea of squirting all that gas into the cylinders and have it run down into my nice new oil. This way the old oil got any raw gas. Rather than change my oil every 3000 miles, I think I'll let the oil monitor do it's job and I'll wait til I see the "Change oil" message. This should allow for a balance between arbitrary change intervals and actual driving conditions.

doverarjim

broph, I had the same problem just a couple weeks ago, my light would come on then go off and then come on later, cold or hot it would just appear and then disappear. It coded out to be the famous co2 sensor. Dealer changed it and all is well, 99 2500 6.0l 20000 miles.

redsilverado

umm...you don't have a clue as to how fuel injection works do you? FYI you can push the accelerator all you want while the engine is not running. with the engine off the fuel injecters won't allow fuel to pass no matter how many times you push the gas pedal. change oil every 3-4,000 and enjoy a trouble free engine. wait for the light and well....LOL

someone also said you can switch to synthetic right away because the corvette engine comes with this type of lube right from the factory. well, the corvette engine is built a little bit different than the rado engines.

oil pressure will always come up after you change oil filters, primed or not. it's the ones that are'nt primed and let the engine run dry for the short period that induces more wear than is neccesary. but hey, sounds like you know everything so feel free to give bogus advice on things you know so little about. after all it's a free country and i'm sure mechanics enjoy your visits as well. good luck

-
red

broph

Thanks. Let you know how I make out.

broph

4x4man

I had the same problem with my 97 Silverado 5.7L it would come on and stay on for about a day or two then shut off. The truck never drove any different, accept the SES light seemed to come on when I would accelerate. The computer stored a code, it was a bad EGR valve. Dealer replaced it under extended warranty, been fine ever since...

Bob

broph

Thanks Bob. I'm sure it is nothing real bad. It's been running great for me. I just hate to take time out to leave it at the dealer. When I first bought it, I had a defect on the bottom of the door, they had it for a week & put 100 miles on it to boot. I had to go back 3 times for the door & now the outside door handle is loose. I'll have them fix that too.

broph

dropper

>> change oil every 3-4,000 and enjoy a trouble free engine. wait for the light and well....LOL

So, let's ignore the experts and fall for the Oil companies 'recommended' oil changes. Just because oil looks 'dirty', doesn't mean that it isn't performing its task.

I remember seeing a report that studied New York City taxis that determined that they could go as long as 8000 miles between oil changes, and this was with regular oil, not synthetics.

Now, I could be wrong about all of this, but even most car manuals are bumping up the recommended oil change intervals. Is this because the engines are better (far as I know, most are still made out of steel and aluminum)?

Keith

PS: Been a way for a while, thought I would stir it up a bit.

hunter98

The oil in my sierra, I run synthetic now but it never looks dirty up to 6k between changes which is the farthest I will go, usually 5k. The mobile 1 looks clean and good. Now in our farm tractors at 25 hours is black as night.

LOL

Hunter

redsilverado

yeah you're probably right. i guess 3-4,000 change intervals is totally silly. i was kinda going by what my book tells me when operating in the dusty environment that i live in. i guess the manufacturer is wrong on that one too. also the guys that i know with chevys reaching 200-250,000 miles on the original engine have changed their oil at anywhere from 2,500-4,000 miles. the guys here that go 6-8,000 between changes have all had overhauls before reaching 150K. i guess what they saved in oil changes allowed them to afford the rebuild though, so what you say makes alot more since.

me personally, i'll go along with what Hunter does for his change intervals. we may spend a little more on oil in the long run, but i feel it's not going to hurt the engine to give it the care it deserves.

-
red

dustyone

My SES light came on while I was having trouble with the rough idle ('00 Silverado 5.3 4wd 4dr) . I had complained about the rough idle from day one but the dealer would not look at it (They all do that) with out the SES light being on. On my way to the dealer, (you guessed it) the light extinguished but the rough idle was still there. This time the tech scanned the memory (the trouble code was stored) and found that the miss fire code had been stored. They replaced plugs 7 & 8 which eliminated the rough idle at 5K miles. The rough idle is back at 9K, time for me to get rid of the platinum plugs...

mledtje

I've had mine come on at 3400 miles and at 7300 miles. The lower miles was mostly around town, commuting (hardest miles on oil) and the 7300 miles was on a long trip (easiest miles on oil). I'd worry about the higher mileage with dino oil, but since I'm running synthetic I just follow the oil minder light.

If GM thinks it is OK to go that far with dino oil, then I have to be OK with Mobil 1. It was hard to make the mental change from changing oil every 2500 miles to following the oil minder light, but I did it. Modern engines and oils are much improved over stuff from the 60's and 70's and the extended oil changes aren't going to cause any problems.

My reasoning and my .02.

Mike L

wilmac

The oil study was done on taxi cabs by Consumer Reports. However the cabs run 3 shifts 24 hrs daily so THERE IS NO COLD STARTUP WHERE MOST ENGINE WEAR OCCURS. Even on the 01s with 10k change periods; they state every 3000 miles under dusty conditions. Dino or synthetic should be changed in dusty enviroment @ 3k IMO. Wilson

markbuck

Exactly right with your advice. My idiot light range has been 2900 miles min, 4800 miles max.

NativeTx

By reading the posts here I take it that most if not all of you change your on oil. So ( I know this is a dumb question ) what do you do with the old oil? I stopped changing my oil a long time ago because of the mess. I have had no problems taking it to the quick change places. My S-10 Blazer has over 140K on quick change oil... So I guess my question is are you saving money by doing it your self? Or is it just more of a satisfaction type thing... My rado.. has 1200 miles on it and I am thinking it is time to change the oil... just not sure if I want to do it or let the dealer.

All comments are welcome of course... and I am sure this may stir things up a bit also...

redsilverado

umm...LMFAO..one word in your post says it all. if ya'll rely on that "idiot reminder" then GM is LTAO as well. bottom line....people change oil based on what they feel is best for their peace of mind. there's kids nowadays that don't change oil for at least 20,000 miles and amazingly they make it to over 100,000 miles. go figure.

-
red

redsilverado

for me it's a pleasure thing. i use a container that allows me to pour the old oil into a couple containers that get dropped off at the auto oil changer. i've heard too many horror stories about quickie lubes to trust them with my trucks. besides that i also like to check thing while i'm under the truck that a quickie lube technician(LOL) is'nt gonna give a hoot about. the oil change process is real easy on these new trucks. one tip i can share with you is that before you unscrew the oil filter, punch a hole in the bottom and let the oil drain so as not to have any overleakage from the sides at the top of the filter. i also use disposable latex gloves.

-
red

obyone

You will find these oil change boxes at Costco, KMart, Sam's, and any auto parts store. It's a small box filled with absorbent tissue that you drain your oil into and dispose into the trash. Seems EPA requires that oil not be disposed in liquid for which could be absorbed by the soil and this solution works for them. Of course if you have a cat, you could use either new or old kitty litter in a plastic bag as well.

dch0300

I have a couple of empty 5 gallon cans with lids in my garage that I put my used motor oil in. When they get full I take them down to the local city garbage transfer station. They have a large tank that is there for the public to dump used motor oil...and it's free . Gets recycled after that I guess.

-David

markbuck

I use an old red plastic gas can from walmart (like $6) and our local Checker auto parts will accept 5 gals per month. I have another 5 gal clear jug for used antifreeze. Our city has a once a year toxic waste disposal day.

Still pitch my old oil filters, probably should start recyling those too.

87lion

In Virginia many service stations take used oil for recycling.

I think Mike L and Wilmac are both correct. Use the reminder if you drive under normal conditions and change at 3k if driving in dusty, dirty conditions. And if you're outright paranoid change your oil every weekend. {8^)

I new someone with a Sunbird who twice took it to Jiffy Lube. Both times they over filled by 1/2 qt. That car should have gotten 4 1/2 qts. with a new filter but obviously got 5. Oil leaked out all over the block. Interestingly enough, once the oil level dropped to normal levels it never leaked oil again.

erikheiker

My sentiments exactly. Most of my driving is in town, so I can expect to change every 3-4000 miles.

As for the old oil...in town, you can dump down the nearest storm drain. Out in the country, just pull over somewhere and go straight into the ground. I have a third option. We have an Air Force base nearby where I can use the auto hobby shop. For a few bucks I get a lift, a place to dump the oil and an air hose for my ratchet and lube gun.

I also change my oil because I don't trust those fast lube places. For what they charge for crappy service and regular oil I get six quarts of Mobil 1 and a Mobil 1 filter. I also know that every fitting is lubed, that all the oil is drained out and that I get the right amount of oil. I bet the chains leave a cup or more in by putting the drain plug right back in.

obyone

Where do you live? I'm sure the EPA would want to know.

erikheiker Feb 1, 2001 7:11pm

"As for the old oil...in town, you can dump down the nearest storm drain. Out in the country, just pull over somewhere and go straight into the ground."

Violation of the Clean Water Act.....Do not pass GO...straight to jail...

vince4

Don't any of you have local recycling programs? I put my old oil in gallon jugs and set it on the curb with my garbage and other recycle stuff. They dump it into a tank on the recycling truck and leave me the empties. Very convenient but they only take oil. For the other fluids I have to take them to the city on a hazardous waste collection day. But since I'm lazy, I have my own little toxic waste dump of jugs on my side yard. Maybe next year...

NativeTx

Well that has been my biggest reason for using the quick lube places... they take care of the old oil. I guess I will need to look around and find out where I can recycle the old oil. As far as the quick lube places go... I have used them for years... the only problem I have had was with one putting the wrong oil filter on my S-10 Blazer. At that time it was sitting in the garage so the next day I noticed a large oil spill. When I took the truck back to the place they told me the person who worked on it thought it had a 4 cly... did not notice it was a 4.3 six... needless to say I did not go back to that place.
Well I just may have to get back into changing my own again... thanks for the tips... I just need to find some place to recycle..

bco

erik...i really hope you were joking and just trying to get folks fired up with the "down the storm drain...or back into the ground" comments. yikes! anyways, same deal here in sc...change your own oil and you can take it almost anywhere that you could have it changed and they'll take your used oil and filter. walmart, any "quickie"-type lube, many service stations, etc.

quick story i've told before. i have a bud who used to work at an auto parts store with three guys as their mascot (you do the math). anyways, if there was a line for oil changes, his boss would tell the grease monkeys to "make sure the wiper fluid was full". before letting the car go out. he said "sometimes" they would change the oil and filter and "occasionally" hit all the lube points.

after spending nearly $30k on this truck, i'm not digging that kind of service. dealership charges enough for regular oil that i can go out and get the 6 quarts of mobil one, any kind of filter i want that's less than $10, and again, like mike said, i check things out while i'm under there. of course, i'm on an army base where we have the auto care center and i can get on a lift for $3/hour, access to tools, air hoses, etc also. but i think i'll still do it myself when i don't have that stuff.

bco

k0hb

I take mine back to the dealers shop -- pretty competitive market here, so with my new truck I got 20 coupons for oil change/lube/fluids topped off and a full hand-wash/vacuum for $24.99. Sure beats the heck out of ME crawling under a sloppy snow/salt/dirt laden truck in minus-12 degree weather!

YMMV.

Hans

mledtje

Hey Vince,

I think California may be progressive in recycling oil. Probably a Bay Area Pollution Control District edict or similar.

I also put my oil out at the curbside for pickup with the other recycling (paper, newsprint, cans, glass, cardboard, plastic, yard waste) materials.

I've noticed a sign at Kragen's that they accept used motor oil.

Mike L

john294

How about a truck that is not used for long periods of time and when it is used its not much milage(30-50) ,would regular oil change intervals be ok ,will oil degrade(condensation????/other)from just sitting making it nessceary to change before reaching suggested mileage 3-4k.....also should gas stabilizer be used?I use my truck for home-yard work ,I dont like borrowing friends trucks so I have one for when I need it........ps does that inculde all fluids ,trans etc....

hunter98

It is recomended that the oil be changed every three months regardless of milage. I would say that you can go 4 months with regular and maybee 6 months with good full sythetic since it doesn't break down like mineral oil.

Hope it helps

Hunter

markbuck

Sitting and short trips worse than driving regularly. I'd change every 3 months and gas stabilizer is a great idea.

dch0300

Can someone tell me why "they" recommend an oil change every 3 months even though I may only have put 2,000 miles on the truck since the last oil change?
Isn't the quantity of contaminates or acidity of the oil dependent on how much the oil has been used (3,000 miles) and not on how long it has been sitting in the oil pan (3 months)?

-David

markbuck

Short infrequent trips lead to lots of condensation of combustion by-products (water, unburned gas,....) which "challenge" the oil by typically making it acidic.

Oils include additives to buffer this acid, the TBN number is specific to this acid buffering capacity. But, you still end up with stuff in the pan that ain't good ol' oil when you take very short, infrequent trips.

If you use your vehicle only every week or two, but the oil (not coolant) reaches well above 212F for a while (>10 minutes) you could probably follow a regualar mileage change interval.

kansan

I read a very informative Tech Bulletin on how the different types of differentials work such as open, limited slip, torque sensitive, speed sensitive (Chevy's Governor Lock) and the different types of lockers on the "powertrax.com" page. It is a very informative/educational article that tells how each work and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Click on the technical bulletin icon on the home page to see the article. To read about the Governor Lock type used in the Silverados, go to the middle of page 10 where it talks about "Centifugally activated locking differentials". I installed a Powertrax No-slip locking differential in my 2000 silverado last month and am very happy with it, however, until I read this article I knew next to nothing about how the different types actually worked. It's very interesting and I would recommended reading it to anyone who would like more knowledge on this subject.
Ken

whitevette01

Been thinking about going to Mobil 1 since in
other car, schedule for change is 1 year or
15,000 miles. Believe use the truck enough
to exceed the above post mileage for
condensation. Been discussing on another
forum and its 50/50 on going the 15,000
or changing at 7,500. The 4.8 is supposedly
based on the LS1 design so thought it
should reflect similar maintenance.

Guess main question is - Is the LS1 and vortec
4800 similar, if internal different could
see results varying.

mgdvhman

I got that letter 10 days ago?....took it in....didn't find nuttin'

- Tim

sonjaab

If any of u guys have a new truck or car on order
and your dealer sez there is a hold up on 8.1
diesel H D etc..Go to WHEELS.COM it shows all
production hold ups,deletions, etc for all mfrs.
Just in case you think the dealer is lying to u

tex6

Could someone please educate me on what is and the purpose of a gas stabilizer? additive? Thanks!

willimjo

Over time (weeks to months) gasoline can loose its volitility as the light ends (shorter carbon chains) evolve to the atmosphere. The resulting heavier than normal gasoline will not burn as efficiently, which may make the vehicle difficult to start and deposit more than normal levels of varish and other engine contaminents.

A gas stablizer is designed to keep the light ends in solution and keep the gasoline "whole" longer. If a tank of gas stays in your vehicle longer than a month on a regular basis, it might be beneficial to use a stabilizer.

tex6

Thanks for the very informative answer!

vince4

I just finished a lube job on my truck, made really easy by a new doodad. It's an air grease gun and it worked great. Now I only need two hands to do the job, and the amount of grease added is easily regulated by how many times I press the trigger.

If you don't mind contributing to the trade deficit a little, it's available from Harbor Freight for only $17, or $13 on sale. The quality is surprisingly good too. Even if you don't have an air compressor you could use a portable air tank to run this gun all day. It really made the job much more enjoyable.

Here's a picture-

vince4

After Mike got his 2500 we noticed that his ride height in the front was at least 1" higher than mine. This means he zips over off-road obstacles that I scrape on. I looked into it today and found that my truck has settled since it was new; I can tell from the yellow bumper clearance. I measured the "Z height" per the shop manual and found it was out of spec. GM says 4.4 to 4.8 inches and mine was about 4.1. Also the driver's side was lower.

I ended up cranking the torsion bar adjustment screws 2 turns on the passenger side, and 6 1/2 turns on the driver's side. This set the Z height at 4.8 inches and raised the driver's side body height 1 inch and the passenger side 1/2 inch, so they are the same now. On a short drive I didn't notice any ride change. I bet my new tires clear better now though.

I'm not thrilled with the difference between the two sides, I guess the bars vary or maybe I have a bad one. There is still more adjustment range on the screw so I doubt the dealer would replace the bar under warranty.

If you want to do this, a few tips-

-Use a felt pin to mark the center of the pivot bolt head used for the Z height measurement.

-Since cranking on one side raises the other side too, don't do all of one side first. Alternate between the two and measure as you go.

-Count the number of rotations so you can put it back if you want.

If you don't have a shop manual I can e-mail you a scan of the Z height illustration. This is really an easy job and if you decide you don't like the higher front height you can always put it back.

pocahontas

but just one note about posting pictures. I've notice some participants are posting pictures here from other commercial websites.

To avoid copyright infringement, please provide a ure/link to a copyright protected picture instead of embedding it into the message; otherwise these messages (pictures) will have to be deleted. Thanks.

;-)

Pocahontas
Host
Pickups Message Board

pocahontas

Here are a couple discussions on this Message Board that some of you may be interested in:

Oil: Petroleum or Synthetic for my pickup truck?

Pickup Truck Accessories

And now back to the subject of the Chevy Silverado. Thanks for your participation. ;-)

Pocahontas

Host

Pickups Message Board

whitevette01

pocahontas

You're welcome. Happy Motoring!


Pocahontas
Host
Pickups Message Board

johnredcorn

I'd like to get some feedback on gas mileage. I'm interested in city, highway and combined figures, but not particularly towing or with loads. We all know what happens then. Speeds and driving habits would also be useful. I think it would also be beneficial to everyone if we knew where you were. Obviously, if you live in one of the Plains states, your mileage won't be indicative of what the guy in the Rockies would get, or even someone like myself in the rolling hills of the central east coast. I'm particularly interested in figures for 5.3's with the 3.73 rears. I don't want to bore you with this topic, but I've rarely seen the geograhic locale entered in the picture which would make the information all the more helpful.

Thanks guys

redsilverado

i live in the central valley of ca and i have the 5.3 w/3.73 2wd. i usually get around 14.5 for city and as much as 20.2 highway at 60-65 mph. combined i've gotten about 18.5 at best. with the a/c though mileage usually drops close to 3/4 of a mile to those figures.

-
red

redsilverado

should for some reason you come through here and see this, i would like to know a couple things about your backup sensor.
1. have you installed it yet?
2. if so are you satsfied with it?
thanks in advance

-
red

sf0383

Whatever happened to the good old days when you stradled your car over a curb to give you enough ground clearance to crawl up under it and change the oil. Then you poured the old oil under the fence to kill the weeds. So we used the oil for lubrication AND herbicide. And since the oil came out of the ground in the first place we just cut out the recycling middle man.
Poke a hole in the bottom of the filter to drain it? Only time I ever poked a hole in a filter was when the damned thing stuck and I had to drive a screwdriver through it to get it off. I watched my grandfather wash out an old oil filter with a garden hose and screw it back on his Allis Chalmers tractor. What do you suppose Mobil 1 would have to say about that?