Chevy HD2500 Problems

sonafelt

I have a 2001 Chevy HD 2500 4 x 4 crew cab with 2800 miles. At 1600 to 2000 RPM the vehicle vibrates, kind of fills like your driving down a bumpy dirt road. The vibration goes away and then comes back at 2600 RPM. The dealer replaced the drive shaft saying there was a silent recall on this item. The new drive shaft did not correct the problem. The dealer and GM customer assistance have said the vehicle is working as designed. My feelings are if the vehicle is working as designed then why did they replace the drive shaft. Has anyone else experienced a problem like this with the New Like A Rock HD 2500 4 x 4 crew cabs? If so how was it corrected.I have the 6.0 eng. with auto trans.

motorod

I have the same truck. I have no vibration at 1200 miles. When did your vibration start. I get 13.5 mpg city and 9mpg pulling a 7,000 trailer. How is your gas milege?

sonafelt

I get 13.4 mpg. so far in the city and 14.5 Hwy. Have not pulled anything heavy yet, trying to get the vibration problem fixed first.

perfogre

I have a2001 cc 4x4 8.1 3.73, vibration diagnosed as launch shudder by dealer. He ordered 1 piece driveshaft to replace 2 piece. I wonder if sonafelt has the 1 piece replacement or a new 2 piece driveshaft. If they put the I piece driveshaft in, did the dealer cut the support bracket for the carrier bearing. Has anyone had success with the 1 piece driveshaft replacement?

sonafelt

Yes Chevy dealer put in a 1 piece drive shaft, No luck. Still vibrates with no changes. Dealer and GM said to take to another dealer if I didn't like their service. Filed complaint with bbb I'll see what hapends. I'll take it in next week and see what hapends.

cspaulding

changes my mind about doing a buy back on my 2000 cc, unless more problems. It took 6 months of telling us there was nothing wrong with the engine pinging before we finally hit someone who fixed it...it's worked for about 1000 miles and now seems like it's coming back. They [Chevy] pulled the same stunt with us -- there's nothing wrong, that's how it should be.

Best of luck to you!

perfogre

reply to sonafelt
had 1 piece driveshaft replaced yesterday. It has corrected the launch shudder problems. The driveshaft is 6" via and aluminum. thanks for info

TerryWil

Try posting at www.thedieselpage.com They have some knowledgable people there. Some may have had that same problem. I don't think it is launch shutter. Have they checked the motor mounts to make sure they were installed correctly? Anyway... The diesel page is a good start, eventhough you don't have a diesel. Give it a shot! Terry W.

sonafelt

Took the vibrating HD 2500 to another dealer. They said they looked at everything and tried to reprogram the transmission. No problem corrected. They claim thats the nature of the vehicle. I did drive a new like truck with 12 miles on it. It to had the same problem at 1600/2000 RPM. as mine does with 3000 miles. Maybe I'll take the Firestone Wilderness tires off and try a different brand of tires. They suggest to run 50 psi front and 80 psi rear. This seams like too much air pressure. I've tried different air pressures and it didn't help. Thanks for the web page, I'll give it a try.

lawton34

I have a silverado,2001,2500HD, and it has a vibration or roughness,not real harsh, at 35 to40 mph. under power or coasting down,but ok at other speeds. Had the tires rebalanced but thats not it. The truck runs fine except for this viberation only at this speed,(peak is at 38mph). Is this normal with this particular truck? Thanks for any info. Bill

obyone

Is it a vibration or could you call it engine lugging...similar to say a manual transmission, being in fifth gear when you should be in third?

lawton34

It's not a luging type thing. just a "roughness" at that speed only, going up or coming down in speed.

sonafelt

The truck has developed another vibration in 1st. gear, but in the same RPM range. My speed in O./D is 43 to 55 MPH. Dealer said an engineer will be in town May 23 to discuss the problem. Started BBB arbitration this week. only 3800 miles. I did drive a non 4x4 with same eng.trans/rear gear and No vibration. I think the converter is not locking up right. also drove the GMC version of a like truck, no problem. May-be a bad parts inventory when a few went down the line. I did notice a GM recall on their Web page to replace the converters on ALL Light pick-ups Maybe mine will fall in this catagory. Any other Info Out there?

sonafelt

Dealer had Chevy. engineer in yesterday. They are claiming I have whats called truck shudder. They claim I have to have the drive line angle checked and this should solve the problem. I'll take it in next week and see If thats the cure. BBB sent me the info. to start the lemon law process. May-be they should take the Firestones Wilderness tires off and replace with something round.

gumpymac

I have a 2001 2500 HD with 6000 v8 4x4 auto trans. long bed ext cab and have a drive line vibration on acelleration going through 5 MPH. no vib. at any other speed. Tried wedging two 5/16 bolts between the center carrier bearing outer race sleeve and the U shaped support to take some of the elasticity out of the rubber cushion. The 5 MPH vib went away but then had a very noticeable vib.at 45 MPH in cruise. I rook the bolts out and took the truck to the dealer who kept it most of the day and said it's just the nature of the HD truck. I haul a 2400 lb slide in camper and the vib. is worse with this weight on board. I have 4.10 axles and am adveraging 10 MPG otherwise a great truck. Love the cold air and many other great features.

sonafelt

I think your problem is what GM calls lunch shudder. They replaced my 2 piece drive shaft with a solid 1 piece. This was to cure the launch shudder as noted in a GM service Bull. GM thinks my problem is a out of line drive shaft they just replaced. I'll know more next week. I get 13 MPG in town with 4.10 gears, 14.5 on HWY. And yes the vib gets worst with a load. We'll se.

mlempire

I have @ 5100 miles on a 2001 2500hd ex cab LT..it has pooped a battery,vehicle control module,power train control module, 2 crank sensors, 1 cam sensor, it has taken the local dealer several tries to fix these problems.. think it is a bad sign of things to come.. is it lemon law time>???

sonafelt

You have to have the same problem 3 times with no fix or multiple continued problems. I used the BBB auto section. They took a month to respond, but sent me all the details on the lemon law and will assist me with my claim when I file it. You can get them on-line. Search for BBB then click on automotive.

mychevy2

I have a new 2500HD with the 8.1L and Allison Trans and I am concerned about the oil consumpsion that the engine is using. At 3k miles the check engine oil level indicator came on the message center. The oil level was down 1 quart. I had the dealer check for leaks and change the oil to make sure the level was full. Now at 6k miles I had the dealer check the level and change the oil again. This time the oil level was down 2 quarts. They say this is a normal consumption rate. Spec is 1 quart in 1k miles per Chevy. Is anyone else using oil at this rate? I have own several Chevy trucks and none of the used oil. At this rate of consumption I won't ever have to change the oil, but just keep adding it.

mrurl

I change my M1 every 5000 miles. Don't think I use more than half a quart between changes.

Peter

sonafelt

Just got my HD 2500 back from the dealer ref. vibrations at 1600/2000 rpm. They put a 1/4" shim between the trany and cross member, and about 1/8" shims' between rear axle and springs. I guess this put the drive shaft at a different angle and took the vibration away. Now if I can just get those Firestone Wilderness AT's changed.

sf0383

You got a 2500HD with Wilderness AT's. Mine came with the Steeltex but then agan I didn't order the off road tire option because I was scared they'd stick Generals on there. Wake up GM your tire choices suck!

cspaulding

even the dealer wouldn't change them before we picked up the truck...talk about crappy tires! I'd take the Firestones anyday, better yet go back to the good ol' Goodyears that they used to put on. Our Generals not only almost got us stuck on a fire lane in the middle of nowhere because it was "a little sandy", but after 18000 miles we're looking at having to put new tires on.

Chris

2500hd

Getting ready to purchase a new 2500hd and am trying to decide which engine to get. I planning on buying a slide in camper in the future and will be towing a 2500lb boat . My truck will be used mainly for pleasure and occasionally driven to work ( once a month) . I am wondering if the 8.1 will get the same mpg as the 6.0 loaded . And how can I increase the gas mileage in the 8.1 if I decide on it ? If I add a K&N filter , flow master exhaust system use synthetic oil , and a helix combustion chamber what kind of gas mileage increase am i looking at? The 8.1 stock is supposed to 12 miles per gallon and the 6.0 14 .
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Michael

ryanbab

go with the bigger engine you cant have to much power.

If your that worried about mpg the 6.0 and the 8.1 isnt for you.

2500hd

Thank you for putting so much time and thought into your reply.

scottnlisa

My 2500 HD has a big problem, the pistons have too be replaced because of knocking(a dirty little secret they don't want you to know about. It also has a hesitation problem during acceleration. Don't buy this truck!

whatsachevy

I have a '01 Chevy 2500HD 4x4 EC 6.0/4.10 Automatic. The truck has 2600 miles on it and I have not had a single problem with this truck except for a small rattle in the driver's front door (hey, its a 3/4 ton truck - I expect some rattles). The 6.0 has plenty of power for pulling. I have not had any hesitation problems (for a fact, this truck is very fast - like a sports car in a truck body). I have averaged 13.5 mpg (as high as 14.9 on the highway at 75-82 mph). So far, and I'm an old Ford guy, this truck is awesome!

For Scott - how many miles do you have on your truck and when did you start having problems? What kind of oil are you using?

cspaulding

Maybe you want to look at the 8.1 with 3.73s? Find one to test drive first. The 6.0 is only available with 4.10s (we've been told, but have seen some with 3.73s?), should save you some on the gas mileage. Our 2000 454 w/ 373s is getting a constant 14 mpg. loaded or empty or pulling, even with your foot into it, it doesn't make a difference...only time it drops off is on my 2 mile trip into town to work, during the week I end up getting around 12. I would suggest trying the 3.73s to see the power difference and if you would be happy with it. Lots of luck.

Ryanbab, my husband used to be like you...when he was younger, just wait...someday that extra 2 mpg may make a difference to you!

Chris

dgeddes

This is for Scottnlisa..I too have the 6.0 with the lower end knock,,13,000 miles. Had the top end cleaner done , no help. Do you know if there is a tab for new pistons, or is the dealer doing this before it comes out?? How many miles do you have, and have you had previous work for the same problem. I'm trying to build a case for future reference... Thanks Dgeddes

dgeddes

For Scott and the others, the hesitation I had was fixed with a new tbi unit. There is a tsb for the tbi unit for sticking and hesitation.Mine is a 2000 model. Dealer installed in 30 minutes, so far no problems, other than the knocking at start up Yuck....

dangerous2

wow, finally people having same problem as me! I have a gmc 2500 hd began having problems with it at 3700 miles. Shudder/Hesitation/valves rattling. 7 attempts to fix from 1 piece drive shaft to torsion bars to reprogramming computer. Last time at dealer made truck worse. I pull a fifth wheel horse trailer that weighs 6900 lbs. loaded. Filled lawsuit against GM.

loganot

To sonafelt. I own a 99 2500K, Silverado, extended cab, long bed, 6.0, Auto, with 4:10 gears. I tow a 5th wheel trailer that weights 10K. Between 4 to 7 mph the truck had a vibration. The heavier the load the more it vibrated. First dealer checked rear end alignment, no change. Told me it was characteristic of truck and I would have to live with it. I called GM complaint line. Told me to take it to another dealer of my choice. I took it to Bob Montgomery in Louisville, KY. They said it wasn't normal and would work with me to correct the problem. They started by checking rear end alignment. They then replaced the rear springs with no improvment. Called GM representative, He said the factory was working on a fix. After approximately 2 years the cure arrived. They cut out the cross member and installed a one piece alum. drive shaft. PROBLEM SOLVED. The dealer is the key in getting problems resolved. The truck does a great job towing my trailer. Other than the vibration the truck has been trouble free. GREAT TRUCK NOW.

wight1

My 2000 model 2500 also has a slight shudder at take-off when towing my 7000# trailer, which I figured could be cured with the new 1 piece drive shaft. On your truck, is the new aluminum 1 piece shaft larger diameter than the original 2 piece shaft?

sonafelt

GM replaced the 2 piece drive shaft with a much larger in diameter 1 piece shaft. Looks like a NASCAR shaft under the truck. Still have a slight vibration, and getting an engine knock when I first start it up on a cold start. I did complain to the dealer about the Wilderness AT tires and they said their Firestones are made differently than Fords so they will not replace them. How did Firestone do that?

wight1

Do you know if the driveshaft replacement applies only long bed trucks, or to short beds as well? I read the bulletin at a website and it lead me to believe the problem/fix applied only to long bed trucks. Mine's an extended cab, short bed.

Interesting story about the Firestones. One batch for Fords and another batch for GM? yeah, right.

sonafelt

Mine is the crew cab short bed, The TSB on this applied for what they call launch shutter. Replaceing the drive shaft did not fix the problem. They had to shim the rear springs and trany. to off set the new shaft. This took most of the vibration out.

wight1

My truck is a 2000 model 2500 (pre-HD, so I guess its a 2500LD) and I only have a slight shudder on take-off when towing my travel trailer. Otherwise no problem at all. I'll ask my dealer about it, but probably just let it go as is. I'm more interested in getting rid of the clunking and popping up front which is either step bars or coil springs. I'll be tackling the step bars this weekend.

markth1

My 1500HD with the 6.0 has the same problems others have mentioned including hard engine knock at start-up, constant valve clatter and hesitation. The problems began after about 3,500 miles. After complaining to the dealer several times, they changed the entire engine. After about 4000 miles on the new engine, the same problems returned only worse. They now want to install teflon coated pistons. After discussing the problem with the dealer service manager and the regional service manager, I am fully convinced that they do not understand the problem and are now doing research and development on consumers vehicles to try to correct the problem. They have two more chances to fix the problem before I can take legal action. This is my third and last GM vehicle.

dgeddes

I just came from the dealer with the same problem as yours. This is the 3rd time and I left the truck there. I was told that the noise is from gm reducing the skirt length of the piston to make it lighter so that the engine will develop its rated power. We talked about new pistons and he said that gm has not ok'd that action yet. The mechanic said that there has been no damage to the engines some with 100,000 miles. He was just as aggravated at gm ,because the dealer is the middleman and is getting the blame, since gm will not provide any ansewer to the noise. He suggested to notify gm with the complaint so as to get as many voices heard so they can get this fixed.. They understand the problem but can't do anything till the upper office at gm has heard the public start complaining. He assured me that reliability and durability has not been hurt. Apparently the new piston is the fix but when they o.k. that, beats me. Was your dealer going to do this on their own or what. Just make sure you get copies of all your squaks, and their attempt to fix...Let me know what happens...

helicopter

Piston Slap...

Piston skirt length is too short. When cold it "slaps" against the cyl. wall. Most likely failure will be a broken skirt at some point, and or slow loss of compression in the cyl, where the skirt is wearing a grove in the cyl. wall.

Don't settle for the "lasts 100,000" line. Get the motor replaced or get rid of the truck.

dgeddes

problem is if you replace the engine you still have the same pistons on the inside. am has not stuck the new design pistons in the new motors as of yet. Second choice (get rid of truck) is probably the best advice I have heard of yet. I'm going to shoot for a buy back so I don't pass the problem on to some-one else...Hey you wouldn't be interested in a 3/4 ton truck , would you???

markbuck

Still happy at 5,000 miles. Towing 5,000lb travel trailer and couple of dirtbikes in bed to a race in CO this weekend. Will travel over several 10-11,000' passes.

Will report next week.

Still very happy, no defects. I do run premium fuel when towing near GCWR max....

shroll

I am considering buying a new 2002 8.1 with 3.73 and would like to know how milage would compare to a 6.0 4.10. Has any one heard of problems with 8.1 engine. Dale

markbuck

Ended up getting just about 10.0 mpg for the round trip of close to 1,000 miles. Very happy with engine, tranny combo pulling about 5,000 lb trailer with a couple of dirtbikes and bicycles and race stuff in the bed. Trip included 20 miles of narrow forest service roads in 4wd above 10,000' elevation. Idiot oil change light went off after 3,620 miles. Gonna trust it and just change oil when it says. Now at 7,000 miles no defects, no trips to the dealer. Much happier with this vehicle than my old '99 Silverado 1500 4.8L.

ziebron

I have a 2001 Silverado 2500HD extended cab long bed with the 8.1L/Allison 1000 series transmission. At 8 months and 10,000 miles the truck has been at the dealer for 2 weeks now for a "whining" sound which is worse under load and higher RPMs. They changed the transmission for which they said there is a bulletin that says to do so for any customer complaint. That helped, but did not solve the problem. I am currently waiting for them to change some "parts" in the new transmission because they claim GM will only let them change the whole trans out once. Just wondering if anyone else out there with this transmission has experienced this problem.

dhegarty

My HD just feels like it is bouncing or shimmying down the road all the time. When you guys talk about vibration do you mean like when the wheels need balanced and it vibrates kinda violently? Mine feels like it shakes from back to front not side to side. The dealer says ITS A TRUCK THEY ALL DO THAT but when I let someone drive it they say it is awful. I drive all day long and I get nauseous by the end of the day.

4x4man

Well if all the trucks do that, then mine needs to be fixed to bounce and shake....
My trucks is smooth all the way up to 90 mph, of course going over expansion joints will make the truck buck, but even my old half ton did that.
I have a 2001 2500HD EC 4x4 with 8.1L/Alli and at 3200 miles it rides like a dream with no transmission problems at all either!!

Bob

eric2001

An update if you don't mind. Did you go the dealer yet with you start-up knock? I haven't yet. I like procrastinating.
-Eric

4x4man

Nupe, haven't gone to the dealer yet...have done some more reading that suggests the blocks were bored using measurements taken from the piston when warm. Being as that a piston expands with heat, they bored the block for it to be expanded so there would be less wear in the cylinders at engine temp. A block that is bored for a cold piston would have more wear in the cylinders as the piston expands and causes more wear and taper. I guess they did this to improve engine longevity, just not sure the clearance difference between a cold piston and a warm piston.

So maybe the carbon buildup causes the pinging under acceleration (which mine desn't do) and the reason for the cold start knock is that the pistons haven't warmed up and thermatically expanded (is that a word??) inside the cylinder.

Oh well, until I can figure this out, I won't go, not ready to leave my baby with the dealer overnight...I guess I could call and see if they have even heard of the cold start knock issue...that's all I need is for them to start replacing stuff 'cause they don't know anything about the problem...

Time will tell I guess.

Bob

eric2001

Thats not it, Bob, or my baby is going to be very loud when winter hits... If it is making the start-up knock now @ 75 degrees, what is it going to do @ -10? Yikes! BTW no pinging under acceleration either, just the cold start "knock".
-Eric