Hey Folks, Amidst some bad news here is some good news. I GOT MINE. Picked it up yesterday after waiting 7 weeks from the order date. I put 200 miles on it just running around showing it to my friends and family. Indigo blue SLE Ext cab with Oak interior, 5.3l, 3.42 rearend and standard chrome wheels. I Love IT. I havent felt any transmission vibration yet. It rides and drives great. I will keep you all posted about how things go with gas mileage and such. Later, dkwhitlo
Don't laugh at me; I did the first oil change last week (800 miles). Even though the oil seemed to be clean, I found some black metal dust sticked to the magnetic tip of the oil plug. You could also found such fine dust if you wipe your oil on a piece of white napkin. Anyway, I think early first oil change is a good idea.
I have not looked at the Silverado closely; anyone knows if their brake components (like caliper, caliper housing...) are painted. Mine are painted black and that makes me feel a lot better. I hate to look at rusty caliper and housing.
Second fill-up. I seemed to get about 17.3 mpg (up from 16.x last fill). It could be the effect of having a cover or just could get better with more miles.
The anxiety is now over about my truck making the cut-off date for ordering. Just got a call from the dealer today. The saleman told me that my Sierra SLE now has a definite born on week of 5-3-99, with delivery for sometime in the middle of May. Now the real sweating begins, and I am anxious. Just wish it was tomorrow!
congrats to all who got what they ordered from gm.will keep an eye on these sites until my 2000 is in my garage. as consumer info is the benchmark of the industry.have really enjoyed the past 9 months waiting for my trucks to come in and absorbing all comments pro and con. I have no sour grapes over this mess and look forward to ordering my 2000 with help from your experiences. enjoy your trucks!
Sorry to hear you had that problem. Good luck on the 2000! Maybe it was a blessing is disguise?
While I am here. My truck is great! Still thought I would get a little better Mileage! Have never hit 17 mpg yet? Never taken a real long trip yet. 2600 miles. Have the Trans noise at 40 but will keep an eye out for a fix? Have heard grinding in the front brakes lately if I stop short? Have the power leather seats and still no noise or problems?
jxyoung - we must be leadfoots, I haven't gotton over 17 in a 5-speed 4.8. I have no unusual noise at 40. Got a brake grind noise on a short stop one time. Passenger seat, manual vinyl 40/20/40 makes a slight rattle noise over bumps when not loaded. Dog quiets the problem. Truck is probably so quiet we notice these little noises. Not sure I would have heard a gun go off in my old f350 diesel that had 170,000 miles.
Love the new truck. Only got 15 to 16 mpg out of the old diesel most of the time. Guess that the EPA city mileage is pretty close to correct for me on most any vehicle. Got the low end (city) fuel economy on a 1998 ford escort I owned for several months......
I've had a couple of highway tanks, where I averaged about 17.5, but have not attained 18.0. City driving, I'm getting about 14.5. I'm easy on it. LS1500 4x4, 5.3L, 4.10 axle, reg cab, long-bed. No grinding noise in the brakes, or seat problems. A micro-burst like wind gust in Texas did something to damage the windshield rubber seal. I can't tell what's wrong but I fixed the leak with some vinyl electrical tape until I take it in. Truck was not delivered perfect, but it's getting close now and worth the effort. I've been very pleased with my thermostat mod, that lowered the operating temperature 13 degrees. It's a keeper!
I got 18mpg on my first tank which was combined highway and city. 5.3l, 3.42 rearend, auto SLE ext cab. I will keep you posted and hope the good mileage continues. Later, dkwhitlo
Finally I pick up my baby tomorrow . 1500 slt, indigo blue/ pewter interior, 5.3,3.42, tow package,255 tires.Ordered 1/16. I can't wait to drive her.Will keep everyone posted.
Here is an odd problem that someone may have an idea about. Since the weather has been getting warm here in Missouri, I have noticed a high pitched squealing noise from under the truck. I guess I am noticing it now since I am driving around with the window down but I also think it is temperature related. On cooler days I don't hear it as loud. The noise is not present when the truck has been parked for a while. The noise stops when the truck is stopped. The noise is not present when the truck is in neutral and the engine is revved. The noise seems to be more apparent after I have driven home from work (27 miles) and get off the highway. Today the noise was present so I decided to do some investigating. My driveway has an incline so I stopped in the driveway, put it in neutral, turned off the engine and let the truck coast down the driveway. The noise was there. My wife and I took turns being outside the truck to listen for the noise. We both decided that it seemed to come from the front of the truck. I jacked up the left front tire and spun it. The noise was there. I jacked up the right front tire and the noise wasn't there. So with the left front tire up again, I got under the truck to see what could be causing the noise. Couldn't quite determine the exact origin but I suspect it is coming from the front diff where the axle goes in. I am taking the truck in tomorrow morning to get the new engine mounts installed. I will tell the service advisor what I have discovered but as usual he will probably say that he cannot recreate it so they cannot do anything. Anybody have any ideas what the cause of this could be? Other than all of these minor problems I still love this truck! The throttle body replacement seems to have fixed the binding problem. The new engine mounts should fix the shaking. Now if I can get rid of this squealing.
Just picked up my 1500 SLE Extended Cab Short Bed 4WD. Boy is it nice. I am sure glad the wait is over. 15 Miles on it when I put it to bed.
Mine has Autotrac, Locking Rear, 5.3L, Trailering Package, Z71, Bench Seats, and Polished Aluminum Wheels in Topaz Gold with Oak interior.
My dealer said I would have it before May and he was right. Ordered on 3/12, picked up on 4/22.
My sympathy to all whose order didn't make it, get the 2k year model, I am sure it will have improvements but I am not sure where. As for myself, I couldn't wait.
pjbo422, If it's not brake squeal, it probably is the front differential. The planetary gears inside the differential carrier are in constant motion when 4wd is dis-engaged. Try putting it in 4wd to see if the squeal goes away?
I could have sworn I put this post in the 99 Silverado group. Oh well....
Anyway - It was cool last night so I drove around on the highway last night to try and warm everything up. I did manage to get a small squeal going. I put it in 4wd but that didn't seem to make a difference. Took it in today for the engine mounts. I am driving a rental now. It seems that GM is using a new type of mounting bracket and the serv. dept needs to disassemble a bunch of stuff to get to them. Well it is taking them longer than expected so they are going to finish it Mon. Then they will investigate the squeal. Service Advisor thinks it might be a seal or bearing. Only happens when it is really warm out and has been driven a while.
Well i finally got mine yesterday and i luv it! Its the first time i drove it, i never test drove it, so it was great.I luv the height of the ride compared to my honda civic , gee i never knew it was beautiful here always looking at someone's trunk or tailgate. It is worth the wait like everyone says. Well no problems so far(knock on wood) man i luv this truck
ckobash, I too came from a Civic, and considered an Acura 3.2tL before I bought my Sierra 4wd. This summer the complete metro Detroit area is being torn up for construction. If it is not being rebuilt, it NEEDS to be! So I decided on the Sierra for my daily commute across town as the most comfortable, safest (active for seating viewpoint, passive for it's size) luxurious (quiet and for me, an automatic is luxurious!) and most appropriate vehicle for the 40 mile haul. Besides, I have to haul my mountain bike during the week. It was a great choice. I NEVER ever thought I would like a fullsize pickup. But after using the truck and the 4wd to pull out some stumps and haul the debris out from the yard this weekend, I thought, Hey, I couldn't do this with the Acura. Still wish I could have the car for when I want to enjoy some driving in the country.
Steve: I hear you my honda was a stick too, the only time i wish i had my honda is when i'm parking the thing and filling w/gas ($1.44 reg /gal) and parking in Hawaii is a joke a compact car can't fit in the compact stall, but i would not trade my truck for ANY vehicle.
ckobash: Congratulations on finally getting your truck.
I picked up my truck on 3/26/99 and drove it from Kellogg, Idaho home to Fairbanks, Alaska. This is absolutely the best vehicle I've ever owned without exception. Just to refresh memories, I got the SLT 1500,extended cab,5.3L, 3.73 rear, 4x4, autotrac, premium stereo, plus a Raider Topper.
I can't believe how smooth and quiet this pickup is. What a great rig for a long trip (about 3000 miles). I've seen other complaints here, but haven't had any trouble with it pulling to the right, or with any vibrations or sounds at 45mph. The stereo system is the best I've heard in a vehicle...feels like I'm sitting in my living room. Great clarity, bass and treble.
The autotrac was great going over a couple of passes with snow drifts and blowing snow. I never felt the truck slip, even when the temperature was close to freezing. At the other end, I cruised up through Canada at 80 mph and it felt like it could cruise at that speed forever. I averaged 18.3 mpg with the worst at 16.5 with it in autotrac most of the time and snowy conditions.
I don't mind the 3 doors and find that its quieter on the drivers side than the passenger, and since I spend most of my time in the drivers seat I'll take the quiet over the fourth door. I don't intend to sell this truck until it falls apart, so don't care about resale of a 3 door truck.
OK, I'll stop raving about this truck. I've got 4800 miles on it after picking it up 3/26/99, and I love it more today than when I picked it up.
To any of you still waiting, its well worth the wait!!!
ckobash, You measure mileage by dividing how much gas you put back in, not the size of your tank. Because if your numbers are right, you only had less than one gallon in the tank when you filled up, and that doesn't seem likely. Or it wasn't full when you started counting miles.
cobash, check it again next time you fill up. I don't think it should be that low. Mine, after the 3rd fill-up, is averaged at 17.7 mi/gal (.30 city, and .70 high way at <= 65 mph).
Thanks Quad and Tung : I figured my math was wrong. Yeah, when i picked up my truck it was empty. Bought me a rail system tonneau cover which i think will do the job. Was going to buy the fold a cover but when the saleman told me the tonneau cover (cover craft i think) Was $261 and required no drilling and used no buttons i was sold. Dont plan on storing anything to valuable in the bed, just my cooler and hibachi for tailgates.Thinking of getting the rhino lining (under the rail or over the rail any thoughts on which would be better?) i was thinking under cause it would look better but would like some feed back and another thing anybody got the electric tailgate lock? how is it? Thanks guys and gals
Just got my topper put on yesterday. It's a cab-high model from Triglass, a subsidiary of Penda products. It is painted to match the truck (pewter). It has frameless windows and rear door. It really gives the truck a nice look. It will be great for some light camping and fishing trips as well as tailgating at Gator games. Also got the windows tinted--a must here in Fla. Truck is running great. Getting right at 17 mpg in town. I have not been on a long road trip yet. It pulls my small boat like a champ. I do have one concern or maybe I'm being to cautious. The trans. seems to shift pretty hard from second to third. It doesn't matter if I'm in overdrive or not, AC on or not. The problem is that it doesn't do it all of the time. On slow acceleration it seems to be fine but on an average take off it shifts sharply. All of the other gears seem to shift very smoothly. I checked the trans. fluid and it was slightly low. I don't seem to notice it as much after the truck has been running a while. Is this a normal shift for the truck? Does anyone else notice a sharp shift? Any suggestions? My truck is an SL, 4.8L, auto.
Cobash, If your toneau cover requires some parts mounted on the rail with tape (like 3M), then you cannot spray over the rails. Nothing can stick to this substance. If I don't have the toneau cover, I would have the over-the-rail sprayed. Tung
Thanks Tung: My tonneau cover is the clamp on variety , i have to wait a week to get the cover then install and see if it is better to have the rhino sprayed over the rail.The saleman told me it might be better to have it sprayed over the rail , if sand or dirt gets between the frame and rail it could scratch the paint. I think i will put cover on and drive a few weeks before making my decision.
My truck came with an under the rail bed liner. I bought the bed rail protectors that were in the Chevy Silverado Accessory catalog. I then mounted my tonneau cover, clamp mount, on top of them. By the way, I think the tonneau cover has increased my mpg. I need a few more tanks to make sure. Last time I got 18.5 mpg.
I've been reading this and other GM/Chevy 99 model truck strings, lots of interesting discussions.I have 800 miles on my 99 Serria and love it. I haven't seen any of the problems but my mileage isn't nearly as good as most. I have the 5300, 373, 4x4, all my miles have been in 2 wheel drive. Mixed driving city and interstate (70 - 75 mph) average is 14 1/2 to 15 MPG. I can't say I'm easy on it, the 5300 is a blast to drive. After 14 years in a F150 I feel like I'm in a corvette instead of a pickup. Maybe after a few more miles and after my foot lightens up the mileage will get alittle better. Bought mine off the showroom floor for $200 over invoice. Dealership is wonderful, I tried to buy in my hometown but they wouldn't budge from sticker. Wound up buying in Morton Illinois @ Bob Grim GMC great folks.
I just got my 1500 SLE 4x4, beautiful truck, its a great new vehicle. First thing I did was take off all the decals and stickers. I like the clean look. I've owned a few new Chevys and GMC. Bought mine in Reno for $700 over, Tom George at Winkel GMC. Great guy, No BS. May have paid more than some, but I this truck and I liked it. My GMC credit card credit was my downpayment of $6,000+. I wonder about the extended warranty. I was offered the discount rate of $1199 for 5 years, 100K miles $100 deductible. Maybe a good idea with a new edition. How's the price compare? I'm also wondering about beefing up the rear springs, sometimes I carry a load. What's the best way? I don't want to screw up the handling. Helwigs?
Tomba, I have a pair of Air Lift (tm) Pneumatic helper springs. I bought them from Camping World. They had them in stock. It took me about 4.5 hours to install them. You could get them installed by them for a reasonable cost.
They are really nice because you can maintain the stock, plush ride quality when you don't have a payload. All you have to do is pump a few pounds into them if you add a load, to adjust ride height. They are much better than air shocks, since the shock mounts are not designed to support a load. But with air springs, I can carry up to GVWR, with no more than about 45 psi, with the stock ride height, or even 'up' a bit in back. The range of adjustment is from 10 psi minimum to 100 psi maximum. I have short air hoses for each spring bellows to reduce the likelihood of leaks, and be able to adjust pressure side to side, as well. I carry a bicycle pump in my toolbox. They offer 12V on-board compressors and gauges if you desire. If you had to change out a bellows, you can do it in about 3 minutes without removing a wheel! (I have not had to do this, however.)
Tomba, By the way, on other trucks, I have taken them to Denver Spring Co. They remove the stock leafs, heat them, re-arc them, and add a leaf. This works great of course, but you end up with a stiff ride thereafter, especially when empty. Pneumatic springs cost less, and are much more versatile.
A Helwig "add a leaf" spring at least gives you the option to later remove it, but trust me, you won't. And if you do, Murphy will insure that you don't have it installed when you need it for that big payload!
I have a '99 Sierra 2500 2WD with the 6L engine, and 3.73 rear-end. This weekend while towing my boat (~8500 lbs) into a 25 MPH headwind, the truck struggled at times and dropped into 2nd gear to maintain 60 MPH. Running at 4200 RPM in 2nd caused the transmission to begin slipping and to heat up rapidly. After I turned the AC off, the engine seemed much happier. I've towed the boat several times with the truck and it never had this problem previously.
I have contacted my local GMC dealer and we speced out the parts/price (total around $1200) to change the rear-end to a 4.10. However one of the parts needed is not currently available, and the service guy says that the part could be available in 1 day or 1 year.
So as I wait for the availability of this part, if I wanted to increase the power output of the engine to improve its towing performance, what would be the logical order to install after market add-ons to maximize the price/performance curve?
PS: I know that I should have gotten a 4.10 in the first place, but there were _none_ available, and I thought I would be ok as I only tow the boat 4-5 times per year and only in flat central Florida.
If you are not sure if you want the extended warranty you can always add it up until it (almost) expires. And I found that my Credit Union offers an extended warranty as well and it is ~300$ cheaper than from GM.
After I got over 1K miles on my truck (4.8L), I started extending the speed range to 65-75 mph. I then experienced some vibration both on the steering wheel and the whole body of the truck at close to 70mph. I suspected that either the wheel(s) was improperly mounted or unbalanced. I took back to dealer last Sat. It turned out that all 4 wheels were out of balance (2 really bad, and 2 kinda bad). Luckily, the two worse wheels were mounted in the front that helped me to detect the problem. The service guy use power tool to mount my wheels back on, so I went home and used my torque wrench to remount them again just to be safe. It now runs OK around 65-75mph.
Also, it's worth mentioning that if you have the polished AL rims, it would be better that you take the hub cabs off and put them back yourself. My service guy put all of them back incorrectly and screwed up one of it; I had to cut off one of the plastic bracket(?) to put it back in.
My dealer told me (after I declined additional warranty) that if I changed my mind I can always add it on later. I just need to remeber to do it either 1 month before expires or 1,000 miles before it expires.
My credit untion offers same deal, I can always add it later.
I have now had my GMC Sierra for over two months and it is the best vehicle I have ever owned or driven. My gas milage has averaged 15mpg and been as high as 18mpg on the road after 3600 miles. It has a few quirks but I guess that gives it character. While on another discussion forem http://www.pacific-audio.com I was referred to the site http://alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=BTP090 this site pays you to surf the internet up to $20 a month for 40 hours. I have signed up and I thought that you guys might be interested. Best of luck and enjoy the summer
Hello everyone! I got my tonneau cover on yesterday(covercraft rail system) it is nice and inexpensive and convenient($261) also had the front windows tinted and got a hitch cover all i need is my rhino lining then i think i'll be set.(unless i find other toys to put on)Love the truck she is perfect no problems to report 1000 mi. Anyone have any information about the electric tailgate lock ? Do you like it? My wife's been pretty cool about all the extra money spent on truck, kinda makes me worried . Think she has something up her sleeve?
Aw, go ahead, let her drive it. Once she gets used to the truck, she'll never want anything else. I've owned a Ford F150 4x4 ext. cab and now drive a Ram 1500 4x4 quad cab. I have a friend with a Sierra which I drive now and then. Let me tell you, size DOES matter! {*_*}
I have been driving my 2500 2wh,ext cab,limited slip,6.0L, 4.10 for over a month now. Gas mileage ~12mpg (varies but right around that figure) around town -limited highway(1100 miles). Hauled my trailer for the first time yesterday - one major surprise - I bought a new hitch head with a larger drop to compensate for the height of the receiver on the truck - but it looks like I won't need it. When I hooked the trailer up the truck squatted enough that I couldn't get it off of the tongue post. So I had to unhook and re-adjust the hitch height. The springs on the 2500's look big and strong but the sure do flex alot. The trailer is 7300 Lbs loaded with a hitch weight of 742lbs, I weighed it at a gravel company scale. Once I adjusted the hitch and took off I found the performance adequate but wouldn't want to put any heavier trailer on it.
Just talked with the dealer today. He told me that my Sierra SLE, 2dr, reg cab long bed was built this week and will be moved to the shipping area next week for transport. He said that he should have it on the lot on or before May 25. I told him to take the truck over to the local Rhino-liner dealer and have the box sprayed as soon as it arrives. Will post later when it arrives.
Comments
Amidst some bad news here is some good news.
I GOT MINE.
Picked it up yesterday after waiting 7 weeks from the order date. I put 200 miles on it just running
around showing it to my friends and family.
Indigo blue SLE Ext cab with Oak interior, 5.3l,
3.42 rearend and standard chrome wheels.
I Love IT. I havent felt any transmission vibration yet. It rides and drives great.
I will keep you all posted about how things go
with gas mileage and such.
Later,
dkwhitlo
week (800 miles). Even though the oil seemed to
be clean, I found some black metal dust sticked
to the magnetic tip of the oil plug. You could
also found such fine dust if you wipe your oil on
a piece of white napkin. Anyway, I think early
first oil change is a good idea.
I have not looked at the Silverado closely; anyone
knows if their brake components (like caliper,
caliper housing...) are painted. Mine are painted
black and that makes me feel a lot better. I hate
to look at rusty caliper and housing.
Second fill-up. I seemed to get about 17.3 mpg (up from 16.x last fill). It could be the effect of having a cover or just could get better with more miles.
Congrats to all those just got their trucks!!!
Go check out the gm powerbuy site. Punch in what options and color you want and check dealer lots in a city nearby and see if you find what you want?
Or wait for a 2000.
Good Luck!
Still waiting for all the paper work to go through before i can pick up mine, hopefully sometime , late this week
While I am here. My truck is great! Still thought I would get a little better Mileage! Have never hit 17 mpg yet? Never taken a real long trip yet. 2600 miles. Have the Trans noise at 40 but will keep an eye out for a fix? Have heard grinding in the front brakes lately if I stop short? Have the power leather seats and still no noise or problems?
99 Z71, 5.3L, 3.73, ext cab sportside.
Love the new truck. Only got 15 to 16 mpg out of the old diesel most of the time. Guess that the EPA city mileage is pretty close to correct for me on most any vehicle. Got the low end (city) fuel economy on a 1998 ford escort I owned for several months......
City driving, I'm getting about 14.5. I'm easy on it. LS1500 4x4, 5.3L, 4.10 axle, reg cab, long-bed. No grinding noise in the brakes, or seat problems. A micro-burst like wind gust in Texas did something to damage the windshield rubber seal. I can't tell what's wrong but I fixed the leak with some vinyl electrical tape until I take it in. Truck was not delivered perfect, but it's getting close now and worth the effort. I've been very pleased with my thermostat mod, that lowered the operating temperature 13 degrees. It's a keeper!
Later,
dkwhitlo
Here is an odd problem that someone may have an idea about. Since the weather has been getting warm here in Missouri, I have noticed a high pitched squealing noise from under the truck. I guess I am noticing it now since I am driving around with the window down but I also think it is temperature related. On cooler days I don't hear it as loud. The noise is not present when the truck has been parked for a while. The noise stops when the truck is stopped. The noise is not present when the truck is in neutral and the engine is revved. The noise seems to be more apparent after I have driven home from work (27 miles) and get off the highway. Today the noise was present so I decided to do some investigating. My driveway has an incline so I stopped in the driveway, put it in neutral, turned off the engine and let the truck coast down the driveway. The noise was there. My wife and I took turns being outside the truck to listen for the noise. We both decided that it seemed to come from the front of the truck. I jacked up the left front tire and spun it. The noise was there. I jacked up the right front tire and the noise wasn't there. So with the left front tire up again, I got under the truck to see what could be causing the noise. Couldn't quite determine the exact origin but I suspect it is coming from the front diff where the axle goes in. I am taking the truck in tomorrow morning to get the new engine mounts installed. I will tell the service advisor what I have discovered but as usual he will probably say that he cannot recreate it so they cannot do anything. Anybody have any ideas what the cause of this could be? Other than all of these minor problems I still love this truck! The throttle body replacement seems to have fixed the binding problem. The new engine mounts should fix the shaking. Now if I can get rid of this squealing.
4WD. Boy is it nice. I am sure glad the wait is
over. 15 Miles on it when I put it to bed.
Mine has Autotrac, Locking Rear, 5.3L, Trailering
Package, Z71, Bench Seats, and Polished Aluminum
Wheels in Topaz Gold with Oak interior.
My dealer said I would have it before May and he
was right. Ordered on 3/12, picked up on 4/22.
My sympathy to all whose order didn't make it, get
the 2k year model, I am sure it will have improvements but I am not sure where. As for myself, I couldn't wait.
If it's not brake squeal, it probably is the front differential. The planetary gears inside the differential carrier are in constant motion when 4wd is dis-engaged. Try putting it in 4wd to see if the squeal goes away?
Anyway - It was cool last night so I drove around on the highway last night to try and warm everything up. I did manage to get a small squeal going. I put it in 4wd but that didn't seem to make a difference. Took it in today for the engine mounts. I am driving a rental now. It seems that GM is using a new type of mounting bracket and the serv. dept needs to disassemble a bunch of stuff to get to them. Well it is taking them longer than expected so they are going to finish it Mon. Then they will investigate the squeal. Service Advisor thinks it might be a seal or bearing. Only happens when it is really warm out and has been driven a while.
I seem to be getting all of the weird problems.
I picked up my truck on 3/26/99 and drove it from Kellogg, Idaho home to Fairbanks, Alaska. This is absolutely the best vehicle I've ever owned without exception. Just to refresh memories, I got the SLT 1500,extended cab,5.3L, 3.73 rear, 4x4, autotrac, premium stereo, plus a Raider Topper.
I can't believe how smooth and quiet this pickup is. What a great rig for a long trip (about 3000 miles). I've seen other complaints here, but haven't had any trouble with it pulling to the right, or with any vibrations or sounds at 45mph. The stereo system is the best I've heard in a vehicle...feels like I'm sitting in my living room. Great clarity, bass and treble.
The autotrac was great going over a couple of passes with snow drifts and blowing snow. I never felt the truck slip, even when the temperature was close to freezing. At the other end, I cruised up through Canada at 80 mph and it felt like it could cruise at that speed forever. I averaged 18.3 mpg with the worst at 16.5 with it in autotrac most of the time and snowy conditions.
I don't mind the 3 doors and find that its quieter on the drivers side than the passenger, and since I spend most of my time in the drivers seat I'll take the quiet over the fourth door. I don't intend to sell this truck until it falls apart, so don't care about resale of a 3 door truck.
OK, I'll stop raving about this truck. I've got 4800 miles on it after picking it up 3/26/99, and I love it more today than when I picked it up.
To any of you still waiting, its well worth the wait!!!
You measure mileage by dividing how much gas you put back in, not the size of your tank. Because if your numbers are right, you only had less than one gallon in the tank when you filled up, and that doesn't seem likely. Or it wasn't full when you started counting miles.
cobash, check it again next time you fill up. I
don't think it should be that low. Mine, after the
3rd fill-up, is averaged at 17.7 mi/gal (.30 city,
and .70 high way at <= 65 mph).
Tung
Bought me a rail system tonneau cover which i think will do the job. Was going to buy the fold a cover but when the saleman told me the tonneau cover (cover craft i think) Was $261 and required no drilling and used no buttons i was sold. Dont plan on storing anything to valuable in the bed, just my cooler and hibachi for tailgates.Thinking of getting the rhino lining (under the rail or over the rail any thoughts on which would be better?) i was thinking under cause it would look better but would like some feed back and another thing anybody got the electric tailgate lock? how is it? Thanks guys and gals
Truck is running great. Getting right at 17 mpg in town. I have not been on a long road trip yet. It pulls my small boat like a champ. I do have one concern or maybe I'm being to cautious. The trans. seems to shift pretty hard from second to third. It doesn't matter if I'm in overdrive or not, AC on or not. The problem is that it doesn't do it all of the time. On slow acceleration it seems to be fine but on an average take off it shifts sharply. All of the other gears seem to shift very smoothly. I checked the trans. fluid and it was slightly low. I don't seem to notice it as much after the truck has been running a while. Is this a normal shift for the truck? Does anyone else notice a sharp shift? Any suggestions? My truck is an SL, 4.8L, auto.
If your toneau cover requires some parts mounted
on the rail with tape (like 3M), then you cannot
spray over the rails. Nothing can stick to this
substance. If I don't have the toneau cover, I
would have the over-the-rail sprayed.
Tung
I have a pair of Air Lift (tm) Pneumatic helper springs. I bought them from Camping World. They had them in stock. It took me about 4.5 hours to install them. You could get them installed by them for a reasonable cost.
They are really nice because you can maintain the stock, plush ride quality when you don't have a payload. All you have to do is pump a few pounds into them if you add a load, to adjust ride height. They are much better than air shocks, since the shock mounts are not designed to support a load. But with air springs, I can carry up to GVWR, with no more than about 45 psi, with the stock ride height, or even 'up' a bit in back. The range of adjustment is from 10 psi minimum to 100 psi maximum. I have short air hoses for each spring bellows to reduce the likelihood of leaks, and be able to adjust pressure side to side, as well. I carry a bicycle pump in my toolbox. They offer 12V on-board compressors and gauges if you desire. If you had to change out a bellows, you can do it in about 3 minutes without removing a wheel! (I have not had to do this, however.)
What's it like? It's like riding on air!
By the way, on other trucks, I have taken them to Denver Spring Co. They remove the stock leafs, heat them, re-arc them, and add a leaf. This works great of course, but you end up with a stiff ride thereafter, especially when empty. Pneumatic springs cost less, and are much more versatile.
A Helwig "add a leaf" spring at least gives you the option to later remove it, but trust me, you won't. And if you do, Murphy will insure that you don't have it installed when you need it for that big payload!
I have contacted my local GMC dealer and we speced out the parts/price (total around $1200) to change the rear-end to a 4.10. However one of the parts needed is not currently available, and the service guy says that the part could be available in 1 day or 1 year.
So as I wait for the availability of this part, if I wanted to increase the power output of the engine to improve its towing performance, what would be the logical order to install after market add-ons to maximize the price/performance curve?
PS: I know that I should have gotten a 4.10 in the first place, but there were _none_ available, and I thought I would be ok as I only tow the boat 4-5 times per year and only in flat central Florida.
Thanks for any info or opinions....
started extending the speed range to 65-75 mph.
I then experienced some vibration both on the
steering wheel and the whole body of the truck
at close to 70mph. I suspected that either the
wheel(s) was improperly mounted or unbalanced. I
took back to dealer last Sat. It turned out that
all 4 wheels were out of balance (2 really bad,
and 2 kinda bad). Luckily, the two worse wheels
were mounted in the front that helped me to detect
the problem. The service guy use power tool to
mount my wheels back on, so I went home and used
my torque wrench to remount them again just to
be safe. It now runs OK around 65-75mph.
Also, it's worth mentioning that if you have the
polished AL rims, it would be better that you take
the hub cabs off and put them back yourself. My
service guy put all of them back incorrectly and
screwed up one of it; I had to cut off one of the
plastic bracket(?) to put it back in.
Tung
My credit untion offers same deal, I can always add it later.
GM sent me a letter a moth ago about getting the extended warranty for my 97 Chevy. They even offered a payment plan with no interest.
Huntman
I got my tonneau cover on yesterday(covercraft rail system) it is nice and inexpensive and convenient($261) also had the front windows tinted and got a hitch cover all i need is my rhino lining then i think i'll be set.(unless i find other toys to put on)Love the truck she is perfect no problems to report 1000 mi. Anyone have any information about the electric tailgate lock ? Do you like it? My wife's been pretty cool about all the extra money spent on truck, kinda makes me worried . Think she has something up her sleeve?
Maybe she wants one of her own!
Aw, go ahead, let her drive it. Once she gets used to the truck, she'll never want anything else. I've owned a Ford F150 4x4 ext. cab and now drive a Ram 1500 4x4 quad cab. I have a friend with a Sierra which I drive now and then. Let me tell you, size DOES matter! {*_*}