chevy Silverado - Continued

page3 · June 1999

I too noticed this noise on cold starts. It sounds like a lifter. I have friends with other gm trucks that notice the same thing.It does go away though after reving the motor.
Also wondering if anyone knows how big of a tire and what wheel/offset you can put on a 3/4 ton without a lift.The 245's look to small on this truck.I wish they would have used a larger wheel width on the stock alloys.

Thanks Ed

FETZ · June 1999

richinks,

GM Buypower does work. Found my new truck on a dealer lot 15 miles out of town using it.

I had no problems with it using Netscape 4.5.

It's pretty cool. You can even see the window sticker for the truck in question. Using GM Buypower I was able to find two nearby dealers with the exact same truck, and wrangle between the two to get the best price.

I think you need to upgrade your browser.

sedan · July 1999

I am considering a 99 Silverado 1500 4X4 extended cab with the 5.3. What kind of mileage should I expect?
Thank you
Sedan

quadrunner500 · July 1999

Last night, for fun in front of some friends at the baseball diamond, I planted my foot to the floor. My truck lit up the tires, and smoked away.

So much for the theory that the 5.3L is gutless.

cdean · July 1999

the old vortec 5.7 could smoke down tires, or pull a trailer all day long.

anyone who has driven both say this: the 5.3 has more punch in it than the old 350. And gets 1 or 2 mpg better.

glad you're having fun, Quad!

quadrunner500 · July 1999

Oem tires still good! Yes it was on asphalt, not the infield. Evening air was cool, kissed by all the girls!

dave40 · July 1999

Do you have locking diff ?

silverado4 · July 1999

Is anyone able to tell me whether this truck is equipped with the 4 speed automatic transmission standard or as an option?

nuwo · July 1999

I think that the automatic transmission is an option if you get the 4.8 engine, and is required if you get the 5.3.

quadrunner500 · July 1999

Yes, 4.10 locking diff.

cdelchamps · July 1999

I would like to buy a new 99 2500 Silverado with automatic and 3.73 rear for towing a 24' trailer with total weight about 8000 lbs.Can anyone tell me what mileage to expect. I asked G.M. from the Chevy web page and their response was the E.P.A. doesn't list mileage for trucks. You would think that they would know and give a straight answer.I found a clean 91 3/4 Silverado 454 with 60,000 miles but a friend talked me out of it saying I couldn't afford the gas.

cleanh2o · July 1999

I really like the looks and power of the new Silverados. I have test driven a couple of 2500's with the 6.0 l engines that seemed to be real stud's. But after buying our 1999 Suburban last June I need a little finnancial recovery time. Im also very curois about GM's new HD truck expected to be released late 2000. I have seen an artist impresssion of the truck at the trucktrend website and an article about the upcoming vehicle that mentions a new 495ci or 8.1 liter engine. I have heard only word of mouth stuff about the new big block possibly 325 to 365 horses and 450 to 500 ft lbs of torque. I have also heard that a new diesel is coming either a de-rated Isuzo 7.8 l or a 7.2 l Cat 3126 6 cyl and also that this truck will be built on a straight frame with 4wd version's getting a leaf suspension upfront. financially I have to wait anyway and woulnd't want to miss anything Like the poor 1997 Ford F-150 people missed the 1998 Super duty release. If anyone has more information about GM's upcoming HD trucks please provide website locations for this drueling big truck fan.

mgdvhman · July 1999

I had a 99 on order since March. They cancelled it due to too many orders??....then offered me a discount on any in stock truck...problem is they have none in stock as farr as 3/4's go..Re-ordered a 2000 about a month ago??....Heard it is to be built the week of Aug.2...which will be the 3rd. week of production for 2000's( so an engineer told me). They also moved the 3/4's from Arlington to Pontiac..which works for me..I'm in Michigan anyway! Hope to hell all the parts are there!..Keep hearing about leather and frames. Looking forward to this Black Beast!.(I know..[non-permissible content removed] to keep clean...)..Basically I have no question...Just wanna know if anyone can update me on anything I have mentioned...Agree or disagree..
Originally wanted a 1/2 ton LT stepside...I see they have it now..(edmunds.com)..but I have myself worked up about the 6 litre..I can't turn back now! Chose 4:10's also...not for towing..Just for Raw Power in the city...shouldn't affect the gas much..oh well...Spend it now..Live it to the max...May not be no tomorrow..

Any corrections or inputs would be appreciated.

Thanks for looking

Tim

mgdvhman · July 1999

Make that Carwizard.com

Who says beer and computers don't mix??

bummer · July 1999

I ordered my truck april 8th talked to chev.
yesterday said it was made june 18th. anybody
know how much longer I have to wait?

mgdvhman · July 1999

Dunno....Something about Hell and Ice??

jimdahl225 · July 1999

Greetings everyone! Long time since I responded in this space, but I'm very happy to announce that I got my 1999 LT Extended Cab Z71 this past Monday. Medium Charcoal Gray w/ Charcoal Leather. All the options. It is a beautiful piece of work!! Seem perfectly flawless. I had a Line-X liner sprayed in yesterday and am very pleased with the results. I hope to made some other additions and modifications in the future, when the money tree produces!!

I was pleased to get the truck at $200 over invoice. Ordered around middle of May I believe.
Good to be part of the group who have their truck and not just hoping mine will come. Talk to ya'll again soon.

rwagoner · July 1999

I finally picked up my black LT last Monday (6/28). Overall I like the truck but I wonder why Chevy does some strange things (relatively minor) like: have a mirror without OS temp (Suburbans have both OS temp and compass), no homelink option (again, available on Suburbans) and no mileage computer (as on Dodge). These aren't complaints, mind you, it just seems a truck this well thought-out would go all the way.

My complaint comes from the dealer, who turned what should have been the best/easiest buying experience into one that makes me think of avoiding GM products in the future (and I've never owned anything but).

The deal was for $800 over invoice. Not a great deal, but as good as I could get around here. And I looked! I ordered in early April and it was built in May; but I had to wait until late June because of a rail car shortage.

Anyway, when I went to pick it up, the car was $288 more than my figures showed. Turns out that yes, I was getting it for $800 over invoice, but that invoice included $288 for advertising under a new co-op plan that the dealer was part of. I told the sales manager that advertising wasn't part of the original deal (they matched another dealer's offer), but neither he nor the owner cared. The owner went so far as to say that he DIDN'T want me to buy the truck since he could get more for it anyway and he didn't want the bad sales survey that I would certainly return to GM. He said I was welcome to go to another dealer (like I really wanted to wait until October).

So, essentially, the sales manager and (part) owner were both willing to give up over 20 years of customer loyalty for $288.

I decided to take the truck anyway (figuring I'd spend at least that much after new-car price increases for 2000), I didn't know if the old dealer would make the same deal, and I needed the truck. In addition, I have shell being held for me that I bought ahead of time in order to ax out my GM rebate.

So, I got an ok deal, not great: $2400 under sticker, $1080 over invoice. Now I get to spend the rest of my life gladly trashing the reputation of the dealer for screwing me and changing the deal.

By the way: What are your opinions of LoJack? I think I might get one, as my truck will always be outside (and there ahve been cars stolen from around here in past years).

Richard

chev4ev · July 1999

Watching ALL the posts and can't help commenting...The '99 Silverado 4.8L, 5.3L & 6.0L
V8s are really the "same" engines (OK, the 6.0L has cast iron heads). The 4.8L & 5.3L share identical exhaust systems, auto & 5 spd trannies &
transfer cases (4WD). The 6.0L (with cast iron heads) has unique (HD) exhaust system, auto & 5 spd trannies & transfer case (4WD) and an auto tranny fluid temp gauge.

sabot1 · July 1999

I am waiting to buy my new truck until after some required travel in my current job. Can't help notice the questions about rear dif ratios repeatedly appearing on this board. Its been ten years but I think I can shed a little light on those of you without any automotive engineering experience.
The higher the ratio (3.42 less than 4.1) the greater the torque delivered to the rear wheel. More torque means better pulling and starting performance. So, if you plan on pulling anything over a 1000 pounds on a regular basis, get the 4.1 ratio. You'll love the way your truck pulls at lights and up hills.
If you want the best gas mileage possible, get the low ratio dif (3.42) or lowest dif that allows you to pull (by GM specs) the load you plan. Your mileage at highway speeds will be 1-5 miles per gallon better depending on engine (4.3 to 6.0 litter), maintenance, terrain (hilly or flat), weather (wind, temp and ice), and driving habits.
In a nut shell, Torque is a function of horsepower. Using the NFL equation (Hp=NFL/5250) for horsepower shows the direct relationship between RPM (n) times torque(force [f]X length[L]). The more horsepower to the rear wheels the greater your top end speed (and to a limited extent, the better your mpg). When you raise the dif ratio (ie. 3.42 to 4.1) you trade speed and mileage for agility and strength (ie. quick starts and easy trailering).
I hope this helps. Like I said, its been ten years. So if I've made a blatant error, somebody please correct me. From what I remember this is true and what I have based my own decisions upon. This isn't all the facts but should be enough to help with your choices.

Phil

mgdvhman · July 1999

You are right on Phil..

That's why I preach 4:10's!

scraw · July 1999

working the ratio is right, but if your pulling 2500 lbs or higher 4.1 is a good gear, and your right about the gas milage. but if your tow weight is 2000 lbs or less you can have good pulling and better gas milage by using 3.73 gears, and 3.73 is avail in a half ton, and 4.1 is not

Steve

shaky · July 1999

Have problem with front end/steering wheel vibration also. I have Silverado 1500 LS xcab/sb
2wd. Had tires replaced twice(General 255/70R16) as a probable cause. No luck. Had wheel hubs replaced(Dealer reported Factory used out of date
hubs????)Shackles added to rear leaf springs to.
No luck. Dealer had a Dealer GM engineer drive and got shaky ride. These
were his suggested fixes. No luck. Also engineer
noted bushing on rack-n-pinion steering need upgrading. Not due till years end. My truck made
in Canada too. Shakes 60-70 mph on freeway. Feels like holding on to a jack hammer. To make it stop,
I would have to go below 60mph. All this took the
dealer 8 weeks this time. Fifth time taken in for this problem. Have case# with GM. Ready to get rid
of truck. Have read others with this same problem.

rwagoner · July 1999

Does anyone have the "Heated self-dimming outside rearview mirrors" (available only with the rear window defroster)? I have them but don't notice any "self dimming." Did GM omit that part between printing the literature and assembling the car? There is no mention of that feature in the owner's manual.

It IS in the literature and Kelly Blue Book.

Richard

rwagoner · July 1999

I said "car." I meant "truck."

Richard

mgdvhman · July 1999

Thanks

Talk about getting more than you asked for

Those #'s are pretty good
I can live with that.
Come on Pontiac!!..(Michigan)
Pump that Baby out for me!!

sabot1 · July 1999

Shaky,
Again, I'm tapping into some ten year old knowledge. Sounds to me that you are acheiving harmonic resonance at the 60-70 MPH range. This occurs when the frequency of the vidration "rebounds" onto itself and causes amplitude doubling. Thats a lot of engineering talk to say that at 60-70 mph your truck is trying to tear itself apart. The cause could be several things: poorly manufactured or low grade tires. This causes a standing wave (imagine a saw blade) to develop in your tires at speeds above 60 mph. The shocks and springs on the front of your truck are not what they should be to handle the amount of sprung weight (did you add a brush guard or winch to your front end?). The other causes could be structural defects: soft spot or poor joints on the frame. The fact that the engineer recognized you needed a stronger steering bushing indicates that a strong feed-back force is occuring above design specifications for the bushing installed in your truck.
Bents rods, broken tire strands, bad front and rear axle alignment or something as simple as mud on the rims or unbalanced tires(lost a wheel weight) could also cause the problem. These are all theoretical possibilities. Chances are most of these problems have already been checked by the serviceman your working with.
If you are finding a lot of C/K parts and other subline items on your truck, I would take a good look at the springs and shocks to make sure they are what was called for in the original design specs and not just something that "will do". My 2 cents worth.

Phil

sabot1 · July 1999

Shaky,
Having read all the rest I could find on the subject on front end vibration, the answer to your problem is three fold. 1) replace hubs-B8 hubs not self-centering (bad) B9 hubs self centering (good) 2) get rid of General tires that came with truck-tires are showing a premature run-out- Firestones that came on later trucks not having same problem. 3) Rack and pinion preload not properly adjusted-get service department to adjust (might have to pay for this as no TSB published to date). Hope that helps more. I typed in a roll-up of vibration problems and some reported fixes to date under the same topic "'99 Silverado vibrations".

Phil

woj1 · July 1999

On a different note...has anybody out there installed either a Borla or Gibson system on their Silverado? Looking for feature comparison, as the Borla system is $$$$.

scraw · July 1999

the shake that you are getting is from the rack, if you can do minor work on your own cars you might try this and anyone else that is not getting support from your local dealer..... Remove both mud guards front had 5 15mm bolts and the back has 4.. this allows access to the adjustment point of the rack get a large pair of chanel lock slip joint pliers, loosen the jam nut on the bottom of the rack below where the steering column is and get a 1 1/16 socket, and half inch drive ratchet... Once the jam nut is mark with chalk or white out (use with typewriters makes good lines) then thighten the cap bolt about a 1/4 to a 1/2 turn tighten the jam nut and start the vehicle turn the wheel from lock to lock and feel if it has excessive amount of drag or if it returns easy, if it returns ok test drive. if it has been adjusted right the shimmy or shake should be 90% better if not try a little bit more 1/4 or less on the turn... DO NOT PUT THE STEERING IN A BIND this will cause it to wear out... AND IF ANY ONE ASK YOU DIDNT GET THIS FIX FROM ME AND GOD KNOWS YOU DIDNT GET IF FROM THE CHICKEN S--T DEALERSHIPS Steve

26andrew1 · July 1999

4.8l and 5.3l are the same only 5.3l has longer stroke.
they all are based on the same design though. bullet proof have not seen many probs with the 5.7l in the vettes. which is what they are based after.

quadrunner500 · July 1999

Oh they are having plenty of problems with the LS1 in the Vettes, Camaros, and Firebirds, alright.

But they are problems you are not likely to see since it's harder to abuse the truck engines.

The #1 problem is bent pushrods, from over-revving the engine. You can't do this with an automatic at all. You can't do it under acceleration with a manual, due to a rev limiter. But you can over-rev it if you have a manual, and make a down-shift while the engine is at red-line.

But the good news, is that pushrods, at $6 a piece are a cheap "fuse." That is, if something is going to blow, you want it to be the pushrods, and not your cam, valves, or pistons.

silverado4 · July 1999

I visited a dealership over this past Independence Day weekend with the intent on placing an order for a 2000 Silverado BUT to my surprise, I was told in so many words by a salesman that there were no dealerships in the Orange County area that would sell me a truck for anything close to dealer cost because these trucks were hard to come by and that Chevy was cutting production. Has anyone heard anything similar or is this just BS!

quadrunner500 · July 1999

No. While supplies are tight, The Wall St. Journal reported that G.M. is delaying production of the new Cavalier so they can build more trucks.

dave40 · July 1999

Show your Silverado pictures in topic # 775 Truck Pictures

pjb0422 · July 1999

I just wanted to say "Thanks Guys!" to Quadrunner500, Scraw, Dave40, Knobby, 26Andrew1, and everyone else for all of their insightful comments. Even though I have not been having as many of the problems as others are experiencing, knock on wood, I enjoy reading everyone's posts and the answers that show up. Keep up the good work guys! Thanks again!

Phil (pjb0422)

ps. I have a '99 Silverado LS, 5.3l, auto, Z-71, locking diff, Meadow Green, ext cab, short bed. I love it!

dave40 · July 1999

POST THEM PICTURES AT Topic #775 TRUCK PICTURES

dave40 · July 1999

Check out the Lowered 99 Green
Silverado
at Topic # 775 TRUCK PICTURES

chevycam · July 1999

I am thinking of purchasing a 1999 or 2000 Silverado. Can anyone tell me if they notice a big difference with the locking differential? How satisfied are you with the truck as a whole?

I have a 1997 Dodge Ram SS/T. Looks and drives great but it has been in the shop 25 times in 2 years. Basically, it is a P.O.S.!

dave40 · July 1999

Locking dif is nice to have especially
if you don't have
4-wheel drive. The 99 locking diffs have
heavy duty plates and last
longer then previous years

mgdvhman · July 1999

I feel the ONLY time you should get a locking differential is if you are not going to opt for 4WD...other wise...it's a waste.

Especially with Auto-trac...why have 4WD and Locking diff??

But if you have $285 burning a hole in your pocket...SEND IT TO ME!!

Tim

markbuck · July 1999

With open diffs on both ends of a truck you will not be able to move well if the front and rear tires on the same side are on ice or something really slick. All the power gets dumped to the side with no traction - a "2wd".
At least with a $285 lim slip, your "4wd" truck will have at "3wd".
That is why lim slip or locking or Torsen diffs are so popular.....

mgdvhman · July 1999

Not so sure I agree with you. On perfect level Ground...maybe yes...but real off road conditions..Not sure it's going to help at all. I've had no problems at all on Ice for 20 years with 4WD and No Locking Diff.

Oh well

That's why it's an option..for people like you and me.

Neither one of us are wrong...just different prefs. Locking Diffs are a pain to maintain in the long haul for the usage they get on average.

I'll be passing once more.

Thanks for the Input.

Tim

rwagoner · July 1999

I've only had my black LT for 2 weeks and 500 miles, but I absolutely love it. Comfortable ride, nice interior, great stereo (I did add a Bazooka tube for more bass). There are may little extras that add up too, like the way the accessory power for windows and the stereo stays on after you turn off the key until the door is opened.

Even my wife likes driving (and riding in) it.

The dogs like it too. They can't drive it, though.

For the price, nothing comes close. Heck, even not considering price, nothing comes close.

Richard

chevycam · July 1999

Since I am opting for the 2wd extended cab LS with the 5.3L V8 I think I will go with the locking diff. My 2wd Dodge SS/T has trouble turning and taking off in the rain. It wants to spin the wheel with the least traction. What a pain!

Now to decide: Fleetside or stepside?

megabob · July 1999

I chose locking diff for the convenience of getting going quicker from stop signs in light snow, sleet, etc... when it isn't bad enough for 4wd.

And like some of you folks, I prefer as many wheels engaged as possible when I need it.

For instance, my Father in Law tried to pull my boat out of the water one time with his 1/2 ton, 4wd, no locking diff. Spun one front and one rear tire. My wife returned w/suburban, and granted its heavier, but all 4 wheels took about a 1/2 turn and then walked out.

I wont get quite same results w/Silverado, but at least 3 good wheels.

absmith · July 1999

Can anyone tell me if installing a catback system will void my warranty? Also do they really improve mileage or power.

99 5.3L 4x4

Thanks for your help

mfreeman · July 1999

The only warranty the new exhaust will void is the warranty on the exhaust system. As far as better mpg and power, that depends on if the exhaust was the bottle neck in the system or not.

Also note, some corvette owners found that they lost power when that added a bigger racing exhaust, and I don't remember anyone saying they gained more then 5 or so horse power.

lock1 · July 1999

I have noticed some stone chipping on the lip of my fenders (the part that faces the tire). On my truck (99 2wd 1500 ls) the lip is just bare paint
, no other protection whatsoever .
Another area that seems destined to stone chip is the rocker panel turn under . If you look at the F-150s any under facing area is painted with that rubberized crinkle paint.
Installed the factory mudguards and they seem to keep the gravel away a bit. (You would think a 30k truck would come with these)
I don't really want to put fender flares or running boards on the truck because I like the look of it just the way it is.
Any fixes or ideas would be appreciated.
Steve

knobby · July 1999

You could check out GM's web site www.gmgoodwrench.com look in the GM accessories section. I know I've seen some stone chip protectors there, they are the adhesive rubberized strips you can apply to the rocker panels, front and rear fender openings. Or, you could visit the dealers parts department. Just thought I would help.

chevy Silverado - Continued

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