Chevy Silverado - Continued XVIII

ryanbab

shell 87 octane

ryanbab

Here ya go click the link print it out and take it to your local firestone store and see what they can do for you

http://www.bridgestone-firestone.com/news/consumer/news/00803a.html

RYan

ryanbab

Just remember if they say no the letter states:

"As part of our long-standing customer satisfaction program, customers who would like to exchange their tires will be given a credit toward new tires, based on the remaining life of the tires. "

so you should get close to free tires. If you wanna see pics of the dueler AT's (fstone substitute) check out http://www.picturetrail.com/bco

Ryan

jaguar0027

Thanks for the link. I will give my local dealer a call to see if they can hook me up. If I could get replacement tires for close to nothing, it might be better than riding around on those Wilderness AT's!

Jim

jaguar0027

And you have no knocks or pings??? Have you ever tried super just to see if it gives you a little more umph in your truck?

Jim

ryanbab

nope manual says to use 87 octane.

Been using it since day one

eric2001

Maybe I am wrong, but why is everyone worried about the Firestones. In all honesty, there haven't been any problems with them & GM (kinda makes you wonder if the real problem is the Furd Exploder??) anyways, Bridgestone owns/is Firestone. If the brand is in question, yo are still getting same company (like Chevy/GMC). BTW I was at local Firestone dealer other day checking prices, the Wilderness AT's (dealer called them Wilderness 3's) have identical tread pattern as BFG AT's, seems like they copied a good thing...

mgdvhman

that some country has banned the sale of Ford Explorers..(on news tonight).....for other faulty parts other than tires.....perhaps it's just a piece O crap?

.... - Tim

ryanbab

Still not working. Runs but like crap. Changed a coil in the distributer (looked like crap) and another sensor. Running actually worse. He is biting the bullet and taking it to the dealership on tuesday (really ticks him off when he cant fix it himself). We are thinking the cat converter is plugged or something. Seems the exhaust isnt putting much out causing the truck to stall.

I talked to him tonight about getting a base 1500 reg cab. I got the ball rolling

Ryan

quadrunner500

Just got the flashlight out. Looked at the Steeltex R4S, Load range E.

Seems to me, the other reason I was looking at Dunlops over the Michelin, is they make a LT255/85 R16, and Michelin, if memory serves...doesn't.

The 255/85 is about the same o.d. as the 265/75, but said to fit narrow truck rims better. The taller tire has some appeal, cosmetics, and would lower my highway rpms about 7%. That would be nice, but offsetting that benefit, I ususally use 2nd gear (manual tranny) for starting. 1st is a granny gear. If I go too tall on the tire, then 2nd gear starts could be problematic. I don't want to be slipping the clutch excessively. This is the limitation the diesel imposes, narrow range of rpms. Love it though.

mpalombo

I just thought I'd give you my experience with 93 vs. 87 octane.

Before I bought my 'rado I bought a 99 Blazer for my wife. I''ve always used 93 octane in all my trucks (last was a '94 'rado). Well we used the 93 in the blazer and after a couple of weeks it started running like crap. Stalling, having to warm up in the morning (and this was in Sept.) So I brought it back to the dealer, they said they couldn't find anything wrong and they asked what octane gas I used. I said 93 and they told me that was probably the problem and that the Vortec engine was designed to use 87 octane. Of course I thought this was just something to say since they couldn't find the problem but we switched to 87 and have not had a problem since then. I was initially concerned with pinging but it never has, it's been almost 2 years now and it still runs great. When I got my truck I always used 87 and it has never given me a problem. BTW, I used Mobil, I don't know if that matter...I think so but a friend of mine thinks that I'm crazy for thinking that there is a difference between any of the gasolines.

Mark

roger350

I hadn't chimed in about your Dad's truck because I figured the codes you got would lead you to the problem. Since it has not, I'll offer my experience with a similar problem. My '90 TBI 350 exibhited the same type of problem, very poor idle, like it had a serious performance cam, etc. Eventually degraded to the point that it would idle close to 1700, and then slow down, and then speed up again, etc. My code reader originally told me EGR and MAP were bad. Replaced both, but no better. Then, on my own I decided to replace the IAC, (Idle Air Control Valve.) It was about $40, and it was a shot in the dark, as the code reader said nothing about it, but it worked like a charm. Thing ran like it was brand new again. It is located on the side of the TBI. If you aren't opposed to throwing another $40 at the problem before you give in and take it to the dealer, try it. It takes longer to go to the parts house and get it than it takes to put it in. As I recall, it may have taken a little time for the computer to relearn with the new valve, but not long at all. I'd bet that is the culprit. Good luck.

ryanbab

Thanks.

His truck isnt displaying any check engine lights or codes.

Also the first thing he changed was the Idle Air Control Valve. That didnt work.

It seems when the engine warms up after 10 min it runs fine but once you turn it off and start it again it runs like crap. Rev then almost die then rev then almost die.

ryanbab

oh yea he changed the Idle Air Control Valve on monday so it would have "relearned" by now

Ryan

mledtje

255/85-16 is about the same height as a 285/75-16, and a little bit wider than the the 245/75-16s our trucks came with.

It is the tallest tire I've found that is rated for the weight of a 2500 and the 6.5" rims that come on 2500's.

Still trying to convince myself to spend the money when my Steeltex A/T's are good tires with plenty of tread left.

Mike L

ryanbab

THE 255/85 bfg MUD TERRAIN IS 33.3" tall. 285/75 is 32.8 " tall

quadrunner500

Your numbers are right. Some reason stuck in my mind same height as 265's. I hate to throw perfectly good tires away too, but I'm going to need a more aggressive winter tire.

mgdvhman

just got to be killing Ryan....knowing that they make taller tires than his!

LOL

...now wait until he hears about 38's....

- Tim

ryanbab

44's man thats my next size haha

quadrunner500

That BFG mudder is not the tire I want. Awesome looking, but I have to live with a truck, not swamp buggy. The Dunlop Radial Rover A/T is my 1st choice (LT255/85 R16), and it's 32.8 inch, same as what Ryan said for 285/75. Dunlop RR A/T has 60,000 treadwear warranty, load range D (3000 lb), 65 psi max etc etc etc.... Michelin doesn't make the 255/85 size, so don't flame me....

willimjo

I put Dunlop Radial Rover A/T's on a '92 Explorer and they were easily the worst tires I'd ever experienced on wet, snowy, or icy roadways. It took nothing at all to spin wheels. Dry roads they were fine. Only got 45k miles before tread wear indicators said time to replace. They were P235/70R15's and they were on an Explorer vs. a Silverado, but based on my experience Dunlop RR's are not getting anywhere near my Silverado.

jaguar0027

So far I have called 3 FS dealers in my area. None of them are willing to do the swap for Bridgestones. So I called the 800 number for the link that you gave me. They said that they should be honoring it, however they did not seem like they would contact the individual shops to set them straight.

I will keep trying.

Jim

ryanbab

Print the letter out and go to the Firestone shop. If they do not accept it ask to use their phone to call the 1-800 number

They will honor it. Dont be discouraged.

Ryan

punjab

I too went to 3 different firestone and they all initially said the same thing, but after reading the letter, particularly the part that Ryan quoted about "...the long-standing customer satisfaction..." they all changed their minds.

Interestingly enough, I also got 3 different prices for replacement tires. Do your homework, print out the letter, and let your feet do the walking...they will be more responsive (especially if they are trying to sell other customers on the AT's while you are in the store trading your's in)

ryanbab

its easy to say they dont honor it over the phone but we all know they HAVE TO!!!

Ryan

blacksilver

Many (most?) Firestone stores are independently owned, and they don't HAVE to take anything in trade. It is usually policy to honor such offers, but no law requires them to do so, except in cases of government mandated recalls.

Some of these guys are on the verge of being driven out of business, and waving some "headquarters" letter in their face may only encourage them to tell you to go pound sand.

I don't care -- I ordered my truck with 265/70-16 Michelins right out of the box. Great skins.

Hans

redsilverado

what you mean is that if you go in with some facts in writing, you stand a better chance than over the phone right?
too bad someone has to be right about everything though.

hdrider

Just heard about this product through a motorcycle magazine review. They had good things to say for the harley that was tested with it. They also make automobile versions. See what you think.

Dave

http://www.fitchfuelcatalyst.com/index.html

ryanbab

Yea its printed on paper and what it says is

""As part of our long-standing customer satisfaction program, customers who would like to exchange their tires will be given a credit toward new tires, based on the remaining life of the tires. "

Clearly doesnt say on an individual stores decision basis.

quadrunner500

You need to go post your opinion on Dunlop Radial Rover A/T on the customer feedback link at the Tire Rack, because your unfavorable opinion is outnumbered about 5 to 1. It's not that I doubt your experience one bit, but ahem...didn't you say they were on the 92 Exploder? (LOL!) As fate would have it, that's why much of this thread has been focusing on tire swaps! Anyway, there aren't really any other good choices in the LT255/85 R16 size for an all terrain tire. And while I don't find too much to quarrel with Firestone Steeltex R4S on my truck, they had an awful satisfaction rating at the tire rack. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/dunlop/du_rrat.jsp#Comments

Am I sounding like Bama? Sorry.

ryanbab

I am sitting at work looking at a pump curve. I look out the window and its gettin dark. Then i hear thunder. Now i hear pop pop pop. Look out and its hailing

Oh this really sucks

Ryan

redsilverado

you were gonna wash it anyways, now all you have to do is the wax.......;)

ryanbab

yea hopefully it wont have any dents

Red the tundra guys are thinking "oil change? i gotta do that?"

Ryan

quadrunner500

That hail won't damage unless it's at least 1" diameter, coming down sideways, and very hard. It sucks cause there's nothing you can do but watch it come down. I had a car damaged by a hailstorm in 1990...Grrrrrrr!

obyone

for a paintless dent repair guy.

markbuck

Still defect free at about 3 months and 4,000 miles. Love the vinyl, love the crew cab, love the LB, love the 5speed, love the 6.0L. Got as low at 8mpg towing, gotten as high as mid 13mpg running around.

Changed rear diff oil at 2,000 miles after towing 500+. Lube was really dirty.

Love the truck. Want taller tires than ryan. Can't decide between 235/85's and 255/85's. Anybody know if the spare tire hole will fit the 255's.

Love the 2500HD!

mledtje

Don't worry about the spare. Just use the one you have and don't put it into the rotation.

You can run the smaller spare when you need it, then fix the real tire and put it back.

The size difference is too small to make the locker lock while driving, the the 10% diff in size won't overhear your differential in the miles it takes you to get the other tire repaired.

Mike L

jaguar0027

Thanks to all for the feedback on the gas and tires. I still have had no luck with any of the FS dealers in my area. I will keep trying. One told me to go the dealer since its new, and if they do not replace it, he said to call him back and he would see what he could do.. I left a message at the dealer (since they were closed) lets see what happens.

I have another question for you all. Has anyone experienced a squeaking sound somewhere behind the drivers seat when going over minimal bumps? I can drive over huge bumps and dont hear it. Just normal bumps/roads is causing a squeak.. I cant figure out where it is coming from. I turned down the radio and still can't pinpoint it. Is it the rear window? seat???

Any thoughts would be appreciated...

Jim

minikin

Tires -- Right, forgot you have a 2500. The 3/4 ton came with load range E Steeltex; 1/2 ton with C. The Firestone site lists both C and E for the 245's and (don't remember) probably a couple of other sizes. Don't know how much weight you normally carry in the back, but I'd be careful about going lower than an E tire on a 3/4 ton unless you plan on bumping the air pressure up a lot under load, or normally run with close to max air pressures anyway for some reason. Exception to that (IMHO) would be the load range D BFG A/T's; you just can't kill those damn things no matter what you do.
Hail -- Almost forgotten about early '90s when half the cars on the road looked like they'd been worked over by a ticked off girlfriend with a ball-peen hammer. we haven't had a really bad hailstorm in awhile, have we?
-- Don

quadrunner500

Quad here...(hehehe!)

Nice to hear you again.

Got a few dirt bike pics from Utah if you're interested: http://www.picturetrail.com/quadrunner500

Tom

quadrunner500

Put an 18mm socket (or box end wrench) on the cab-to-frame mounting bolt underneath the truck. If it squeaks when you apply torque, take it to the dealer, get them to replace the pad, bolt, and lube it.

quadrunner500

Please do not knock on wood, or remind me of that 1990 hail storm. I could get superstitious without trying!

Thanks for the tire advice.

valky

Ryanbab,
I've been reading about your running problem and all of the things that you you have changed. I've seen several of these problems myself. The poor running can be caused by many things such as partially plugged catalytic converter, moisture in the vacuum hose to the MAP sensor, faulty pick-up coil(have seen this one the most, especially on high mileage vehicles), faulty TPS and faulty ECM.

From what I have been reading, the engine runs fine until it warms up. This would indicate to me that the problem occurs when the ECM goes into closed loop. In open loop(engine cold), the ECM looks at the MAP sensor, the TPS, and the engine coolant sensor. When the ECM goes into closed loop(engine hot), the ECM now looks at the MAP and TPS sensors for engine load and the Oxygen sensor to fine tune the fuel delivery. What happens also in closed loop is that the ECM controls the timing more precisely. When you disconnect the MAP sensor, the ECM goes into a fixed state, which sets the timing to a solid 0 degress.This could point to a EST control problem(Electronic Spark Timing). Many times on these older vehicles a trouble code will not set, even when there is a true failure.

You have pretty much ruled out the MAP sensor. I believe you stated that you replaced the pick-up coil as well. There are two other checks that should be performed. First, I would check the TPS. You can check this with a volt meter. At the TPS, probe the middle of the three wires, this is the signal wire to the ECM. Next, turn the ignition to the run position. The meter should read between .6 - 1.2 volts with the trottle closed and should increase smoothly when opening the throttle to WOT, where the reading should be close to 5.0 volts. Should there be any erratic readings, change the TPS.

The next step involves a pressure gauge that you most definitely don't have. This gauge reads the backpressure in the exhaust. The oxygen sensor must be removed and the gauge screwed in its place. The engine is then started and allowed to warm-up. Take a reading at idle, there should be no noticeable pressure. Next, the engine is run at 2000 RPM and the reading is read again. The backpressure should not be anymore than 2 psi. Should the reading be 2 psi or more than you more than likely have a plugged cat. A faulty Oxygen sensor could cause this, allowing the engine to run rich, thereby overheating the cat and destroying it.

I must admit that diagnosing a vehicle without being there is a pain in the butt. Many fixes and theories can be thrown around, causing one to start throwing parts at the vehicle, thus wasting valuable time and money. I believe that you are making a good decision to have a good shop properly diagnose the problem.

I wish you good luck,
Valky

p.s. Someone in an earlier post mentioned that a MAP sensor and a MAF sensor work in conjunction with each other. This is false. You will have one or the other. A MAP sensor reads for speed density and a MAF reads for air mass flow. Both would not be used on any one engine. Now on some vehicles there may be what appears to be a MAP sensor present, when a MAF sensor is used. This is the barometric pressure sensor, there will not be a vacuum line attached to it. Just my $.02.

ryanbab

Ok well tonight i got home and found out my dad blew something up on his truck. Something on or in his muffler. They are going out of town so he didnt touch it. He is having a new muffler and cat converter put in on tues. Thats where the problem lies. Cat converter is plugged. (thats what he now thinks and a muffler guy told him)

Thanks Valky

Hopefully next wk the problem will be resolved. Found a nice 96 Z71 tonight green over tan. HMMM might go check it out for him

Ryan

quadrunner500

It was me...my error. Meant to say, works in conjunction with TPS throttle position sensor. Thanks.

(Of course I don't do this for a living, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night!)

obyone

Don't tell the truck payments are getting to you? Hope not, if not we can start a colletion. LOL!!!

schifer

I just heard on the evening news that Nissan and GM are phasing out Firestones. GM will be switching to Bridgestones on some vehicles.

http://sns.ktla.com/business/nationworld/

Click on "GM, Nissan to ease away from Firestone"

 And I just picked up my 2001 Z71. Doh!

valky

Glad I can help.

I've been surfing this site for several months and have enjoyed all of the information from everyone. I finally bought my truck after ten years of yearning for a full size Chevy. I purchased a '01 Silverado LT X-cab 5.3L 3.73 short bed. I've gone hog wild buying stuff for it. Most of the ideas I got from everybody here. These are the following items I've installed or am in the process of receiving: nerf bars, Line-X bed liner(Awesome), Bushwacker bedrail caps, Lund Intercepter bug shield, K&N air filter, Magnaflow muffler, HPIII(Love this!), Seat covers for the buckets(very nice) and am waiting for the Magnecore spark plug wires.

So far I'm very pleased with the truck. Have not had to take to the dealer yet. I have had the symptom with the transmission being in a neutral state when I release the brake to accelerate from a stop. This happened at 400 miles and again at 450 miles. I'm now at 800 miles and have not had the problem again. I have read about others having this problem and having the valve body replaced. I'm not going to go to the dealer unless neccessary. Other than the trans problem, nothing else to report. Keeping fingers crossed. I do so very much love the power of the engine, it kicks some serious butt! Sounds good doing it too.

Quad - I hope I did not come off as condesending, not my intention.... Sometimes I wish I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express...:) Lord knows I need it!

Thanks,
Valky

quadrunner500

BTW, where did you get your seat covers? I would like to have some, but the problem has been the seat belt retracting into the seat.
Tom

ryanbab

You have SEAT COVERS???????????????

oh my god what kinda are they? Whered ya get em? How much?

I have cloth buckets

Thanks

Ryan