Chevy Silverado: Problems & Solutions

rayt2

Great work Prather for the mention here of that site. http://www.absfixer.com/

Excellent site to learn and prevent dealer overcharges on a fix of the problematic ABS system we all have on our Rado's. I have yet to experience this issue and hope I never do but the source is now out there to use should it rear its ugly head.

I did have to replace all four rotors on my 2000 2500 recently since they had self destructed (within 53k miles) do to the cheap source of metal company that makes them uses and GM buys from. The pads had plenty of life left on them but rotors were gone, and what a job to get them off ! :sick:

Ray T. :P

country00

That's a good point. Mine is a LS and it actually looks real bad. I am starting to think about just taking it all off and replacing it with black. Does anyone have the pewter truck with black body side molding? Wondering how you like the look.

whiett

I have 2003 silverado with the 5.3 in it. I have a check engine light that has come on and when I plug in my code scanner in it tells me EVAP Emission Control System Vent Vlv/Sol Malf Has anybody had this error and how did you fix it.

Thanks

obyone

I didn't like the plastic chrome on my body side molding. I had a LS so it was black with plastic chrome. What I did was paint the whole molding with a bumper black paint from Checkers. In fact I liked it so much that I painted the grey bumpers black as well. Then again my truck was black.

nicoleb2021

We to are having problems with our 2004 silverado. We have filed a complaint with the BBB auto line and we are now going to arbitration the week of the 23rd. We also got an attorney to represent us even though it is a free service with the BBB. We will file a law suit if we don't like the outcome.
Feel free to email me nicoleberger@iglide.net

nicoleb2021

Anyone with a chevy transmission Clunking problem please email me at nicoleberger@iglide.net Me and my husband have an attorney and we are going to file a suit. I will be passing your information on to our attorney if you do decide to email me. Thank you!! I pray we can all get our problems resolved!!

joejo

i have a 2004 gmc 4x4 ext cab sierra with only 5k miles and the clunking is driving
me crazy. but the dealer say it's normal for that truck i was told to wait till it get wrost or falls apart before they can find the prolbem to fix. i have been checking the
net for info and so far it looks like theirs no fix for it and that it's a known defect
with the tranny and a cover-up.

garyk15

Have you gotten anywhere with the dealer ? I have the same problem with my '04 Silverado K1500 and the dealer gave me the service bulletin saying this is normal. It is only when it shifts 2-3 or 3-2, and they know exactly what causes it, they just don't know how to fix it. I called the 800 number and got a case # started but that's it so far. If you learn anything new please let me know, Ill do the same. If enough of us get together maybe we can sue them, this is a huge problem we can probably get a class action suit started or have them declared to be lemons and replaced or refunded. Whatever you do don't give up !!

garyk15

Have you goten anywhere?? I have an 04 silverado K1500 ext cab with the same problem. I've seen the bulletin and gotten a case # with chevy at the 800 #. That's as far as I can go right now with them. We need to get everyone with this problem together (it's huge) and talk about starting a class action suit against GM. They are obviosly not looking for repeat customers as they get very quiet when you ask them if they are still trying to find a solution to this problem. This is my fourth Chevrolet, and if they let this problem stand it will be my last. Keep taking it to the service aisle for this problem. It will help to get it declared a LEMON later if necessary. Keep me posted, I'll do the same.

rayt2

Just so you know, the GM Customer Service 800 number is a contracted company to handle calls on complaints for GM. You are NOT talking to a GM employee and probably never will until you go to an arbitration hearing. The key is to keep accurate records and all service tickets for the complaints. Names of people spoken too, date and time.
None of your profiles reveal what state you live in and whether you have a :lemon: law to apply. If you do, the record keeping is key to your case. Been there done that and beat GM at their own game.
File complaints with http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov also. This agency is the only one that can get the ball rolling on a recall. Until then GM just issues TSB's which you already have experienced the result "Normal Condition" :mad:

Keep hounding GM and don't give up from frustration with the "big company" (they count on that).

Ray T. :shades:

rayt2

#1006 of 1018 Recall Coming?? ABS Engages at low speed on Silverados... by billybob44 May 03, 2005 (9:42 pm)
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I bought a 2001 Z71 Silverado last week and the ABS was coming on at low speeds. Took it in to have it looked at and $600 later it was fixed. Same issue as everyone else on here: corroded sensor mounting surface, but mine were totally frozen in the hub and ended up having to replace them. Then this morning, while still totally P.O.'d about this, I heard on the news that the NHTSB is investigating this problem on all 1998-2002 GM Light Trucks and may force a recall. It has caused accidents due to the ABS coming on at low speeds and not stopping the truck quickly enough. My recommendation is for EVERYONE who has had this problem log into the NHTSB website and log your complaint. Maybe I'll get my $600 dollars back!

:shades:

steveh3

What is the best way to improve HP/torque? I have a 2002 Silverado LT Z71 5.3 liter. I'm pulling a 6000 lb trailer and have been thinking about adding the K&N Air Charger High Flow intake. Is it worth the $400? I already replaced the stock filter with a K&N filter and have dual exhaust. Thanks!

obyone

Get a supercharger. BTW, most don't recommend a K&N FIPK when installing their supercharger.

likearock

I have had the same clunking sound in the Transmission of my 2004 Z71 Crew Cab. The noise started in mine about 3,000 miles and now has 20,000 miles, Its been to two different dealers and I get the same line of bull. It does aggrivate me that this $ 40,000.00 truck feels like the transmission is about to fall out and all The GM Service can say is this is normal !!! HELLLL0OOOO.
I dont know what ticks me off more, the transmission problem or them trying to tell me this is normal for this truck.
If anyone has any success please let me know.

Thanks

td1168

I'm sorry to hear that somebody got you good. Your problem is in your wheel bearing assembly. The reluctor ring cracks for some reason and causes your problem. There is no repair except to replace the wheel bearing which costs about $200.00 plus labor which should be about 1 hour total cost of repair should be no more than $300.00. Hope GM recalls this problem soon because I ran up over a cement curb and damn near went into the restaurant I was going in. Wouldn't I have felt like the _ _ _ hole.

msjen

Ok i bought my truck a 1996 silverado 1500 from my neighbor. Beautiful truck he took great care of it. Engine is clean etc.

Well i was driving it the other day and the service engine light came on. I was actually taking it to smog it at the time cuz its due in a few months.Anywya obviously it failed de to the light being on...everything else passed with flying colors.

The smog guy gave me the diagnostic readings on it...there were 3 prob codes.Can anyone tell me what they are? he told me to call the dealer but i work graveyard shifts so i wont be able to tilllater on in the week?
heres the codes
p1 406
p1 864
p1860

My bf works on trucks so he said if its not too bad he can fix them. The guy said he thinks the first one is the egr valve is dirty or needs to be repalced. BLAH!! Anyway any help or can u all refer me to someone just n case the bf cant do it? I live in the so cali area in the san fernando valley,.or is there a place online i can look up the codes?

thanx all :P

obyone

P1406 -Exhaust Gas Recirculation [EGR] Position Sensor Performance
P1864 -Torque Converter Clutch Circuit Electrical
P1860 -Torque Converter Clutch PWM Solenoid Circuit

Those are generic codes. The get the actual code would require your VIN or the third digit in your VIN.

msjen

ok cool thanx. Ill see what my bf thinks and if he can do it.All that is way foregin to me.But that sounds abotu what the guy told me at the smog place. now i just have to hope its not expensive,

con3975

Whenever I accelerate, there is instantly this strange "beep" or "toot" that comes from underneath the truck. It is a 2001 silverado z71. I can't tell what it is, and no professional opinions have proved accurate. It only happens right when I press on the gas. Ideas?

bunnjoey

DOES ANYBODY MAKE A CONSOLE THAT REPLACES THE "20" SECTION OF THE 40/20/40 OF THE FRONT BENCH SEAT OF A 2005 SILVERADO CREW CAB?

gk2

I just got my truck back from the dealer yesterday. They also said that the clunk was "Normal". I think I will get second opinion. Hopefully GM will address this issue officially. I have always been a Chevy Guy, and think they us us a better explanation.

rayt2

Joe,

Go to a local salvage yard and find a 99 & up model yr. Silverado with the bucket seats, if it has the center console you should be able to remove your center section seat and install the console provided the mounting points are the same.

Ray T. :shades:

medicritchie

i have an 02 silverado 4x4 xcab with 4.8 4L60E auto got the same code (EVAP) intermittently, does anyone have any quick fix's or checks
thanks

rdb241

I have a misfire problem also...Ihave a 94 1500 ext. cab 4x4. It had a 305 in it that died. I put a 350 back into it. When I picked it up from the mechanic the first time it appeared to run great. Idle was smooth, had good acceleratiopn, but then I got on the freeway and at freeway speeds tried to climb a hill. When in third gear I start to hear what sounds to me as a valve start to clatter, like pre ignition clatter from bad gas. Then that goes away and as soon as that happens I start to get a misfire and loose power. The more I step on the gas the more it misfires. To me and the mechanic it sound like the truck is leaning itself out...but all of the fuel carberation fixes we seem to do, it still misfires...but only up a hill at freeway speeds and only in third gear. Driving around town and leaving stop light it seems to run great...good acceleration and power...Does anybody know if this would be a computer issue? Is the computer still trying to give information for a 305 instead of a 350. I have a K&N cold air intake and a throttle body spacer...but I had that stuff on the 305 and it ran fine...Or could it be a bad motor that was installed? Bad cam? Bad lifters? I am stumped and I need the truck to be able to pull a grade with a 24' camp trailer...with my description of the problem does anybody know what to do? Thanx Rob

halofan

I just back yesterday from my local dealership regarding the same type of problem. I could previously hear the the transmission clank between a 2-3 gear shift as well as a definite "clunk" from the rear end. They wound up taking out the drive shaft and lubing the splines both from the transmission and the differential. So far, it's as good as new, at least that part. As far as the "clank" from the transmission; I got the usual "cannot duplicate problem" followed by, it's normal, and that there were "no codes showing any problem". I can't understand how it could be normal, I hear it everyday and my truck only has 10,600 miles on it!

Good Luck and I'm not giving up on the transmission issue, I'm going to try another dealer.

dmilacek

I have a 1999 Silverado which has all of the various problems that people complain about. Most of the problems started with the 99s and have never been fixed through the 2005. GM doesn’t care, or thinks it is too expensive to fix the problems. I have experienced the hard shifting, clunking, ABS module failure, fuel regulator failure, throttle body sticking, piston slap, intermittent slipping of transmission or something, differential locking up on turns, and clunking in steering column. I have all of these things wrong and GM chooses to recall the tailgate cables. What a hoot!

npw

I own a 1999 Z-71 with ~130k miles on it. Last year my ac belt snapped at about 115k. Within 6k it snapped again. The dealer told me that it might be the compressor locking up and causing stress to the belt. Currently the a/c blows cold on and off as if the compressor may be shutting on and off. Has anyone experienced this or does anyone have any suggestions? Much thanks!

cruzzonn

Sometime when I take off in alow speed and stay there for awhile , there seems to be vibrating noise but I cant really tell where it is coming from, also my truck rides rough on bumpy streets is this because of the Z71 suspension ? I have a Z71 5.3 ext. cab. Any help would be appreciated.

jerrywimer

You're probably right about the rough ride on bumpy streets being the Z71 suspension. It's an Off Road setup with stiffer shocks. I don't have any clues about the vibration at low speed.

cruzzonn

I just read the thread about the problem with the abs pump running constantly. Would this create some vibration noise at low speed when you first take off?
I thought this might have to do with the problem Im having with my 2003.

jerrywimer

I would think you'd feel that through the brake pedal. I've managed to activate the ABS on my 2004 twice since I bought it (on the same trip ). It definitely caused my pedal to vibrate, and at a much faster rate than I've experienced in prior vehicles. If it were doing that while I was just driving at low speeds it would be nearly impossible to confuse with anything else though.

bren2

Has anyone had or heard of balancer and idler pulley abnormalities in the new
silverados that gm calls "within an acceptable range of tolerance"? balancer
jumps excessively, as does pulley.

jlively

If you haven't found the answer to this problem yet, I can help you out a little. My 99 did the same thing at about 50K. I could push the trip meter reset button and sometimes it would come on and other times not.

I finally pulled the instrument cluster out and found that the circuit board that controls the gear shift and odometer LCD's did not fit exactly correct. The board was very slightly too low and that was causing it to not make good contact with the light readout.

So, rather than get a new cluster, I took a piece of plastic about the size of a penny and the thickness of a heavy gauge guitar pick and shimmed the board from underneath.

Presto- the lights came on and have worked since then.

I now have almost 170K miles on it and no problem from that anymore.

I know it's a cheesy fix but it works.

Good luck.

Jim

joeg3

I have an 04 Silverado 1500 Z71. Have been real happy with it so far, very few problems. It has 23k miles on it now and I figured I should change the fuel filter. Can't find it. The parts store where I buy from says that this year shows two types of filters. I looked on the frame rail and all around the tank. What am I missing? Help!

Joe

ricsch1

I've noticed recently a "loose" feeling in the steering wheel on my '03 1/2 ton 4x4 with only 10k miles. Not sure if this is the "clunk" that some have mentioned, would these be the same?

It is most noticeable when on other than smooth roads.

Is there actually a cure or is it a maintenance item as I have read? It was posted that there is some grease kit with a plug for $15-is this from GM?

Thanks for the help!

jerrywimer

Nope. You're not blind. The 2004 1/2 tons have a fuel filter in the tank with the pump. :surprise:

It's not easily servicable (drop the tank or lift the bed). Then again I don't think it's on the routine maintenance list any more either..

c160sfd

I have a 95 6.5 diesel with 90k, when i first start it up in the morning it will not shift out of 2nd(auto). I have to shut it off and then it works fine for the rest of the day. It happens once a week maybe once every two weeks. I brought it to a shop and they haven't been able to get it to not shift so there telling me nothing is wrong. It has plenty of ATF and now im not sure what to do any one can help it would be appreciated.

rabbyt

I never got an answer on my previous question, but I'll try again. My new (used ) 2000 4.8 L is getting only 15 MPG after installing new fuel filter, new plugs, etc. Is that the average mileage for this vehicle that I should expect ?

silverado99

I bought it in July of 99. Z71, LS package, tow pakage, 5.3L auto trans., locking rear diff., and manual transfercase shift lever. To date it is going on six years old and I have a modest 77,000 miles on it.
Piston slap, ya I hear it. I've havn't batted an eye. Engine runs fine and most important I do not hear it long after engine is started.
Driveline clunk, ya I had the drive shaft relaced after a second visit at the dealer they could not denie the ujoint vibration.
ABS light, ya it bothered me because of the nature of it comming on. I ignored it for a little while then I pulled the code and looked it up. I am a mechanic and I have a scanner. The code basically said it was either a wheel sensor or it was the ABS module. Luckly I had extended coverage and I used it. The module retail price was $800 I was shocked but I assume the module perfomes duties for more than just the brakes.
I have had stereo speaker problems, something about water damage, window regulators replaced and ofcourse the tailgate straps braking. other than that I also notice the fuel mileage gone down from when it was new but hey I alo love the
Because I do all non warranty work on my truck I am finally ready to do my brakes for the first time. I am having an issue with my rear rotors. They look like a cancer has eaten them alive. they are so rust pitted that they actually wore out before the pads. I still have pad life but the rotors on the rear are about to fail. My local Napa tells me I can buy either $54 Tiawan or $118 dollar pemium rotors for the rear. My sales rep tells me that Chevy has had problems with the rotors but the only other info is that the local chevy dealer buys the $54 Tiawan rotors for the used truck tradeins. Does any one else know or have noticed this problem? If so does anyone know if it is worth the money to go premium. I am going to continue looking in other areas like TSB but the problem has just pushed ahead on my hot button list so I thought I would field the question here.

jerrywimer

2004 5.3 L here. It depends a lot on how you drive and where you drive. 15 doesn't sound bad compared to some reports I've seen, especially if it's a mix of city and highway driving and / or you like to accelerate with authority . I get anywhere from 17.5 to just under 20 (so far, still experimenting with different brands / octanes to see if it changes) with my truck. It's under 11k on the odo right now so it might get a bit better. But my driving is mostly highway (65) / rural (35 - 55) driving with only 2 stoplights for a 60 mile daily round trip to and from work.

c_h13

Hello, I am stumped on this and my mechanic has not been much help. Fan started hitting the shroud mostly when going in reverse. Then it started hitting when I used the A/C. But it was intermitant. Finally have some money to get it fixed. Mechanic said the motor mounts were fine but I can see that one motor mount has a section of the rubber broke off floating around inside the steel bracket. Mechanic said transmission mount was "weak" so replaced that. Fan starts hitting shroud continousley now. Mechanic decides that its the fan clutch, so I replaced it myself. And it has not fixed the problem. So my question is: Does anyone think the rubber in the motor mounts could let the engine sag enough to hit the shroud? (btw I adjusted the shroud to its lowest point but the fan still hits, on the bottom) Is the water pump going out? Any comments or suggestions would be of great help. Thanks!

dustyk

Check the cab-to-body mounts and the sheet metal areas of the cab directly above them. If the metal is weak from rusting the cab will drop and could cause the radiator and shroud to move out of position. In this scenario the motor hasn't moved, the body has.

Somewhat common thing seen on GMs in the rust belt.

Regards,
Dusty

redgreen

I have a 2000 extcab silverado with just over 100 thousand km(just over 4 years old). I pull a small trailer for work. Truck and trailer weighing about 3,700 kg empty and 4,300 kg full. I noticed a pinging clicking noise while pulling the trailer. I had heard it before but couldn't find the problem. This time I got right under the truck and found that the frame had broken about 3 to 4 inches in front of the hitch. One side broken right through and the other side 3/4 through. Has any one else had this problem?

dustyk

Yes. Not on anything as new as a 2000. Around here some '98s and a couple '99s are exhibiting this.

Dusty

rx_j1

I have a 2001 Z-71 extended cab. My interior lights quit coming on when I kill the ignition or open the door; however, they will still come on if I use the keyless entry to lock or unlock the doors. They will also come on if I manually turn them on with the console switch. Do I have some sort of short? I originally thought it may have been something with the ignition system, but since they do not come on if I open a door, I am a little confused. Can someone lead me in the right direction?

ricsch1

I would suggest checking the "dome over ride" switch located near the headlamp switch, it may have inadvertently gotten de-pressed.

ecoslin

Yep, I get that too on my 2005 1500 Std2wd automatic 8ftbed worktruck, had the dealer in the truck with me on the initial ride, gave me the usual blank look.

Ed.

kwbrown

I have a 2000 Silverado. Sometimes I hear a funny clunk sound when I apply my brakes. This sound comes from under the bottom of the truck near where the drivers seat is. What could be the problem.

kerchak215

I just bought a '99 Silverado with the 5.3L. Great truck, but I just noticed the fuel gauge goes gonzo at will. At first it seems okay, but after sitting at idle for a moment it nose dives to empty. After filling the tank it crept to full, then periodically went from full to empty like a windshield wiper. Anyone got a solution?

hendrix24

hey evryone i am interested in purchasing a new dodge or chevy diesel and cannot make up my mind, if anyone can wage in on this please do, also, would like to know the mpg, i drive 80% highway and fast city dr5iving 30-40 miles per hour