2000 Chevy Silverado Vibration - II

obyone · May 2000

did you test drive 2wd or 4wd trucks? was the vibration throughout the whole truck or in the steering wheel? changing fluid in rearend solving vibration...don't think so. Vibrations normal for all trucks...maybe for Fords. When you state that "the dealer said that another salesman just told him...", who is "the dealer"?

molly25 · May 2000

I test drove only 2WD. I really did not feel the vibration in the steering wheel. Rather, I felt it throughout the frame - it was felt in driver's seat, front passenger seat, and rear seat. It felt like some small amount of pushing and pulling may have accompanied or been causing the vibration, and I wonder if it could actually be wind force against the tail gate that only becomes apparent at higher wind speeds (i.e., higher truck speed).

Dealer was actually the salesman I was working with, sorry for the confusion. Today the salesman suggested that the vibration is probably caused by out of round wheels due to the trucks being tied down excessively tight during shipping. He said that this will resolve itself in the first 300-500 miles, or the service department will fix the problem. Any takers?

BTW, the salesman asked where I was getting all of this information on the vibration, failed remedies, etc., and I told him about this very informative web site. He said that he would check it out at home tonight. If he does, please send me an acknowledgment.

obyone · May 2000

doesn't work in the service department...they have enough problems of their own without salesmen guessing what could be wrong. If flat spots develop during shipping....let's not even go there. Flat spots are very noticeable, not really causing a vibration rather like riding over a pothole and at higher speeds like running over a lot of small potholes.

Most of the vibrations that are listed here are quite noticeable...not where you would have to really try to notice. When I test drove my '00 Silverado, I had vibrations in a '99 which I had owned for two weeks and was returning so I was really driving to assure myself that the new truck was vibrationless. I had noticed a small amount of vibration at 55-65 but didn't think much about it since figured could be road conditions. After about 800 miles on the truck, it started to show symptoms of tires feathering, excessive bounce on concrete highway, and vibration in front wheels like tires were bouncing down the road. Dealer changing the tires to a new set helped the problem and upgrading to Edlebrock shocks helped the freeway bounce. Actually by 1800 miles, the truck was running quite smooth with the only problem being the feathering on the new set of tires. So dealer upgraded to Michelins. After putting some 5000 miles on the Michelins, the truck rides smooth with virtually no vibrations except between 62-65 mph making banked turns on the freeway. I experience steering wheel shake. Truck going back in on Wednesday to check rack and pinion..if I can get rid of the 62-65 vibes, truck would be perfect.

The last time that my truck was in for warranty work, I had a '00 Silverado as a loaner. Truck was made in Canada. The first thing I noticed was that the doors closed way easier than mine and the truck was smooth as silk. Had some tire noise from the front as tires needed to be rotated. All in all a well put together truck. I do not know if it made a difference but my truck was made in Indiana.

Lastly, ask the salesman to include a buyback clause. That if the vibrations do not disappear in 3-500 miles that the dealership will buyback the truck at full price with no loss to you. OR tell him to have the problem fixed first then you'll be interested in buying the truck. Of course, no Sales manager would approve the deal.

Be careful not to get too caught up in the vibration problems...remember that it is a truck, will ride a little rough and you will feel more bumps than you would in a car, especially when the truck doesn't have a load. My $.02 sorry for the long post. Tire flat spots....yeah right.

lincoln5 · May 2000

Some of the Chevys and GMC's have viration in the front end (at leaste you feel it in the steering wheel) other seems to have the whole frame shake. In my case you could really feel it in the seats and see it in the cup holder. I was fortunate that they were able to fix my problem with a new wheel (it was bent0, new tires and rear springs.

I would NOT BUY any truck that had vibration that I could feel on a test drive. It doesn't matter if it were large or small. Tell them to fix the problem and then buy the truck. Better yet go find a dealer that doesn't lie to you like that seems to have been doing.

ovalley · May 2000

Just got back from the other dealer. Yesterday, they drove it and said nothing was wrong. Today I took the shop forman with me, he seemed to know what I was talking about. According to him, there are no TSB's for 00's, only 99's, but he has ordered me the new leaf springs and shackles anyways. The paper works states "no trouble found", but it also lists the part numbers and prices they ordered to try and fix it. Hmmmm........

He did mention that the new leaf design on these trucks was softer than the older trucks during the initial loading and that the new Yukons have gone to a coil spring to improve the ride instead of this two stage leaf design. (maybe they did this because of vibration problem, I'm just guessing on this one). Anyways, I hope it cures the aftershocks in the rear in.

kansan · May 2000

Got my second replacement set of Goodyear Wrangler STs installed yesterday, this time by a Goodyear shop. The new set has a newer date code of "100" (the 10th week of 2000), and all vibrations and steering wheel shimmy are gone. It is still very sensitive to bumpy road surfaces, but this is just a symptom of the speed sensitive rack and pinion steering. Hopefully these tires will hold out better than the first replacement set that had a date code of "129" (the 12th week of 1999). Becuase the vibrations have now disappeared twice after installing new tires, I'm convinced that my problem was with tires and not the pick-up. The good thing about the sensitive steering is that it will definitely let you know as soon as you have even the slightest problem with your tires. If this set goes bad after 1000 miles, I guess I'll go back and get another new set of tires (for free). The good thing about doing this through Goodyear is now I have free tire rotations for the lifetime of the tires, plus it's a lot less hassle than going through GM. When I took my truck to Goodyear and told them about the problem they didn't even test drive it to verify it, they just ordered the tires. Their service appears to be a lot better than their tires.
I'll post again in 1000 miles or so and let you know how the tires are holding up.
Ken

obyone · May 2000

maybe you'll have new tires every 1000 miles for the life of the truck...not a bad deal at all

kansan · May 2000

The way the stock market has been going, I think I'll need free tires for the life of the truck!

courth · May 2000

I'm picking my z-71 up tomorrow and after two test drives have not felt any vibrations....the truck was built in April at Fort Wayne, IN. Should I expect these vibrations to crop up after a particular amount of miles put on the truck or does this vibration problem even occur in the short wheel base models?

obyone · May 2000

It appears to be 2wd ext cab...unless of course it's tire or rim related...then you'll feel it after the tires wear some.

brimc1 · May 2000

My 2000 4x4 ext cab has the same vibration as described above.Vibration started around 800 miles and has been the same ever since.Two other friends own 1999 4x4 ext cabs and they have the same vibration.I can't even start to get into what has been done to one truck to correct this problem,ofcoarse with no luck.I'm talking tires(4 sets),two sets of rims,rear end,leaf springs,front diff rebuild,New balanced drive shaft.He's a better man than I.I probaly would have driven the truck thru the showroom doors by now.Between the rough idle(in park or drive)and the vibration(shake) at 45 to 75,My truck really rock and rolls.And to think I could have bought a ford,gesh I would have been bored.Better yet I may have started enjoying driving again. Brian.

obyone · May 2000

What happens above 75? Maybe it's time for lemon law?

quadrunner500 · May 2000

Courth, my Z71 4x4 is a regular cab like you are considering, long bed, no vibrations, 27,000 miles. Firestone Wilderness A/T P265s.

Kansan,
Amen on the stock market. May have to work longer if this keeps up! Good luck. COMS,CSCO,PALM,CIEN,AWE,A,HWP,INTC,GE,IBM and Vanguard.

tucsonjwt · May 2000

cab,2WD V6, long bed. 4,000 miles - no vibrations or other problems - very solid truck, and gas mileage is excellent. I may sell it and get a 2001 ext. cab., but I am now suspicious about vibrations on that model. I saw a base ext. cab a few days ago - it looked nice without the side molding and trim pieces, but I am reluctant to let go of a good truck. Good luck.

kansan · May 2000

It looks like I spoke too soon yesterday. My steering wheel vibrations are back. I think hot weather must have something to do with my problem, because yesterday morning when it was cooler outside, I didn't have any vibrations or shimmy. However, yesterday afternoon when I left work it was about 90 degrees and the vibrations were back. These new tires didn't even make it to 100 miles before the vibration was back, and it was still there this morning when I drove into work. I guess it's back to the drawing board.
Ken

courth · May 2000

Thanks all for your insight...in my opionion most if not all of the vibration problems are occurring in the ext cab and not reg cab...if anyone with a reg cab has vibration please speak up. Also, does anyone think smartbuy is a good idea? If this truck isn't everything I hope it will be then I could opt out of it in a couple or three years...does anyone on smartbuy like it?

kansan · May 2000

I wouldn't presume that all the problems are with the extended cabs. When I was at the Goodyear shop this Monday to get my new set of tires there was another fellow with a regular cab Silverado who has had 5 sets of tires on his truck trying to fix the vibration problem. This guy worked at the Goodyear plant in Topeka, KS, and he thought the problem was with the truck and not the tires, but the dealer (Ed Bozarth in Topeka) would not admit it was a truck problem and also sent him to Goodyear (Ed Bozarth sent me to Goodyear too) to try and fix the problem. I think your best bet is to get a 3/4 ton Silverado or go with a Toyota Tundra (if you don't need the extra cab room the Silverado has), if I had it to do over again that's what I'd do. The Goodyear rep. thought it had something to do with the steel wheels me and the other guy with the regular cab truck had. Pay the small amount extra and get aluminum wheels.
Just my opinion.
Good Luck,
Ken

white6 · May 2000

have the vibration, too. Mine is a reg cab, sb, 2wd with Chevy aluminum wheels and BFG tires. It vibrates exactly the same as it did with the original Goodyears and GMC aluminum wheels. I personally think it is a combination of frame stiffness, frame to body bushings and steering sensitivity that makes these trucks extremely sensitive to even a tiny tire imbalance and sets up a harmonic at the magical 62-69 mph when slight bumps are encountered. This will NEVER be fixed by GM since it would require a complete replacement of so many components. I think they will simply try to sweep it under the rug, so to speak.

obyone · May 2000

after driving it for a day to test for vibrations. What's interesting is that my replacement vehicle is a '00 Silverado LS 2WD xcab 4.8 with 825 miles on it. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to check this truck out. Parked it next to mine and its bed rails are two inches higher than mine. Guess springs not broken in or broken down yet. Also drove the truck on concrete freeway up to 75 mph with no vibrations, even with the expansion joints. I also checked how easily the 4 doors closed compared to mine...this truck has an awesome fit and finish. I told my friend that I'll bet that this truck was made in Canada just before checking...yep manufacture date 03/00 from Canada. It has the 235/75R16 Goodyear Wranglers which are showing some scuffing and feathering on the front pair. After placing about 90 miles on it today...I have absolutely no complaints about this truck. So I'm assuming that they do exist (vibrationless). BTW the rear quarter windows are noiseless and the hinges are solid as a rock...

kansan · May 2000

You have a Denali that has the vibration too? It sounds like the quality control maybe a little better in Canada, or maybe some of their parts or processes are a little better. I don't remember seeing any posts where someone with a Canadian made truck has had the vibrations. If anyone reading this post knows of one please correct me. Mine was made in Indiana.

obyone · May 2000

Ft. Wayne also...Denali's vibrations a little different...older platform with 5.7 feels like shocks are worn or dead. Replaced one rear last week dealer refuses to change all 4 so back it goes and let them work it out with GM tech assist. The shocks are Bilsteins but has a GM part no. on it...

BTW, this is my second Canadian truck on loaner. Build quality is definitely better...

3841 · May 2000

I test drove two Chev 1500s 2000 mod.Reg cab and Ex.cab 4x4s. both had Vib. problems,salesmen told me it was the road,Bull to that. I just traded back my 2000 Ford Windstar, Why? Vib. problems, New Mich. x1s. 5 wheel balances no help. Ford said I was too in tune and sensitive to things, and that the vib. is common to this vehicle.I ordered a Ford Supercrew F150 4x4 test drove some and no vibs.At least I hope none show up.Test drove Ford Reg. Cab and Ex.Cab. some vib. problems.Also new GM. Pont.Mt.vibs. Good luck with any new Auto.Ford also said that my vib. was a normal ground to vehicle vibration there is no repair for this concern. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??

lincoln5 · May 2000

Mine is a 99 GMC Reg Cab LB with the small V8. I had the problem but they were eventually able to fix mine. (see post 271). The vibration doesn't seem to favor any special configuration and the cure is not straight forward. In some cases it appears they haven't found a fix or have quit looking.

rayt2 · May 2000

Kansan maybe right about 3/4 ton Silverado's, I have one that was built 2/9/00 in East Pontiac Plant; LS, Ext. Cab Shortbox 2WD w/5.3L, Locker, 3.73 axle, optional 245/16 all terrain Firestone Steeltex tires on chrome steel wheels & tow package etc. No vibrations to date w/3100 miles.......maybe I'm lucky but I'd rather think that it was just done right at the factory for a change.

Ray T.

ovalley · May 2000

My 2000 GMC 2wd SLE ext cab was built in Canada. It had out of round tires (Goodyears) that caused some vibration and hopping. Dealer replaced one, and later indexed/match balanced on the new force balancer and it seems to have fixed it. My only problem now is the aftershocks. Seems the leaf springs are just too soft and keep flexing after you it a bump (speed bump or railroad crossing, etc.) Waiting on dealer to order new leaf springs and shackles. Will see if that helps. Obyone said it fixed his aftershocks.

rcoos · May 2000

My truck was built in Ft. Wayne & except for a small noise in the dashboard (GM has fixed this problem) this truck is great!!! I have no vibrations or shutters with my Silverado.

I think that the Canadian factories have better quality control is a urban legend. I don't think that there is any difference between factories in Canada or the United States. Now, if your talking about factories in Mexico...well that's a different story! I know that I won't want a truck built down there.
rcoos

obyone · May 2000

hey, they got to get it right once in awhile...even by mistake...

bk14 · May 2000

I felt that I must chime in here for benefit of anyone that might be considering a Silverado. I've driven a few of them (both 99 & 00) and I haven't experienced any vibrations that I read of in this town hall. That's not saying that they don't exist out there somewhere, but I sure haven't seen it. I just took delivery of my 00 Silverado LT (4 dr) and have put over 2000 miles on it in a few weeks. No vibrations (hope this isn't the kiss of death) so far. I'm not running with stock wheels however. We put American Racing rims on it along with BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A 285/75x16 so I don't know if that makes any difference.

kansan · May 2000

I just got back from the Chevy dealer concerning steering wheel shimmy (3rd service call to Chevy plus one to Goodyear for 2nd set of replacement tires). The shop foreman took a ride with me, and confirmed that the shimmy/vibration I was experiencing was not due to tires. He said it was caused by the rack & pinion steering, and that GM has come up with a fix but it is not on the street yet. I showed him a copy of post 251 and he said he doesn't think that is the generic fix that GM has come up with, as GM's fix involves stabilizing the rack & pinion more securely, which will fix the shimmy and steering wheel jump experienced when you hit a bump (is this what people are referring to as after shock?). He thought that the reason the fix isn't on the street yet is that GM is working on getting a supplier for the parts lined out, he also thought the fix was way overdue, as the problem has been around since the 99's came out. He said that these problems are not experienced with the 4 wheel drives as they have the old style steering, and that most of the 4 WD problems are tire related. Another interesting note is that I asked him why they switched to the rack & pinion steering for the 2 WD half tons, and he said because they cost less, and all this time I thought it was because it was an improvement. Figuring all the problems they created by changing to rack & pinion steering, I bet it ends up costing them a lot more. The old adage, if it aint broke don't fix it would be a good lesson for GM. Anyway, the bottom line is for now he told me the shimmy I was experiencing was normal, and that he couldn't do anything for it until the fix is on the street, because GM won't authorize it under warranty work.
Sorry for the lengthy post.
Ken

obyone · May 2000

It sure sounds like a good basis to start a buyback. Especially if the shop foreman acknowledges the vibes and can't/won't do anything about it. Dealers are given some amount of latitude when working on vehicles if they do it in conjunction with TANS. The buyback starts when GM tech assist tells the dealer to stop working on the truck. In your case, is it the shop foreman or GM saying that there is no fix?

tigercub · May 2000

Is the "BUY BACK" available in Canada too?

tapd · May 2000

Well, I've got a Canadian built truck 2/00 and I will be getting new springs installed. The dealer thought this truck would have had the updaate already. Will raise the rear about 3/4 to 1 inch dealer said.
Let you all know how it rides.
1 month and 5700 miles.

obyone · May 2000

That's a whole lot of driving..

obyone · May 2000

wish I could help you on that one...you must have some type of consumer protection laws...

jed1894 · May 2000

Sounds familiar to what I was told last Friday by my service manager. I was there for another reason and noticed they had a reg. cab. 1500 on the rack. I joked and said "vibration problem?" He replied "yes."

Anyway, he said they were buying the vehicle back and GM was trying to fix the vibration problem (bad steering wheel shake on curves) by changing to 2500 parts (steering components, etc.).

He was busy and not able to talk buy agreed to tell me exactly what GM is doing with the truck. He will probably be truthful since he thinks my truck is fixed and I'm happy.

He mentioned that they had already gone through the tire, wheel, drive-shaft routine and isolated the problem to the steering sensitivity. He said GM is telling him what to do with the truck (2500 parts, etc) and he agrees.

I don't understand exactly what he was talking about, but I'll gather as much information next week from him and post here...... Furthermore, what Kansan was saying sounds very similiar to what he was saying (I think).

John

courth · May 2000

I've put about 300 mile on mine since picking it up Thursday night and haven't had any vibration in the steerring wheel. The only thing I would consider evn remotely odd is that sometimes I feel a jiggling sort of vibration in the seat and it's always around 65-70 mph. It's usually when I'm sensing a bump in the road anyway, but I'm wondering if this is the vibration some of you are talking about too? I don;t think it's bad enough or consistent enough to take into the service shop yet....this is my first truck ver and I'm not sure if this is something to be expected or an actual symptom of this vibration problem. Any opinions?

obyone · May 2000

don't be getting paranoid...maybe just maybe it might be the aftershocks. Not usually at 70 though...

ovalley · May 2000

I got a recall notice from GM about the antilock brakes, I think a couple of months ago. I have already had the dealership fix it. Never really noticed anything wrong with the brakes before that.

Did you see the Crank and Crome show this past weekend on the Active Suspention system they put on a Silverado? I am wondering what it might do for these rear end aftershocks we are experiencing? Seems like it would stiffen up the leaf springs. Anyways, I am still waiting for my new leaf springs to come in.

lincoln5 · May 2000

After the vibration on my truck was fixed, I still get a small shaking in the seats under certain road conditions. I feel sure in my case it is the road causing the problem and not a serious problem with the truck. I also suspect that the way the cab or seats are mounted or supported lets the seats shake a bit on rough roads or after some bumps.

obyone · May 2000

had recall notices...the brakes would still work, just no ABS.

I've been thinking about airbags for awhile...sounds like a workable solution for the launch shudder. Kind of a bummer that the owners have to pay for aftermarket parts to correct GM's shortcomings...

brianinvegas · May 2000

I just took delivery of a new 2000 4dr ext. cab 4x4 Silverado sport side Z71 with the 5.3L v8; 4.10 gears. I've been reading alot about the vibration problems of others but have no problems at all except concrete freeway joints seem to set up some kind of resonance in this truck just like my '94 Z71 and it feels bouncy. On asphalt it is as smooth as silk with no vibrations or anything.

I bought this truck off the lot with aftermarket wheels and tires installed by the dealership. For your all info, the tires are 285/60r18 Bridgstone Duelers and the truck looks and handles awesome with those big 18" wheels! It's only been 600 miles but so far it is a dream.

The 5.3L doesn't have the low end grunt of my '96 tahoe 5.7L (traded in) but it is smoother all the way to 4500 rpm and pulls way better above 3000 rpm. No word on mileage yet but I don't have my hopes up considering those 4.10 gears.

I ordered a K & N cold air box assembly direct from K & N (web site knfilters.com) which is supposed to add 15 hp at the rear wheels when it shows up. I'm considering a Hypertech programmer but thought I'd wait for the engine to break in at least a 1000 miles.

If anyone has had the bouncy problem or done some aftermarket stuff I'd love hear how it turned out.

obyone · May 2000

what kind of shocks with the Z71?

rayt2 · May 2000

.....is archived so go to archived topics under pick-ups conference & you'll find what your looking for.

Ray T.

brianinvegas · May 2000

It has the factory shocks for the Z71 off road package. The Chevy brochure says 46mm blistein shocks, I believe.

Had an across valley meeting last night which entailed about 70 miles of freeway driving and the ride was either silky smooth or bouncy depending which part of the freeway I was on. There were 35 mph winds which didn't help anything but the ride is suspect. I figured I give it another few hundred miles and then take it back for at least an alignment and tire balance check.

BTW, at idle I can't even tell the engine is running. Every day I drive this truck the engine feels more powerful and revs easier.

Also, my K & N package showed up yesterday. It looks like more work than I had planned on but the instructions have a photo of all 25 steps. If anyone has installed one of these K & N systems I'd appreciate any helpful hints. The K & N dual snorkal set up for my '98 Vette was a snap to install but this looks far more involved. I know what I'm doing this weekend.

obyone · May 2000

tell that service advisor to get his head out of his...the TSB he is looking at is for the '99 Silverados. I forgot the build date...something like 11/98. This issue is supposedly resolved on the '00. My dealer thought the same until I told him to check on the date of the TSB and the build dates that it refers to.

kansan · May 2000

Sorry I haven't responded back yet, but I just finished a long extended weekend and didn't have access to a computer.
obyone - I don't think I want a buyback, at least not yet, because I've already had a sprayed in bed liner, running boards, and a cap installed, and don't want to lose that investment and pay the price for mileage.
jed1894 - The shop foreman did not indicate the fix involved using '2500' parts. It makes sense that that may fix it though. If that was the fix, then their excuse about not having the parts available yet would not be true. Maybe I should call GM and tell them I want a 2500 steering system installed or else I want a buyback, and see if they authorize it. Has anyone else tried this?
Ken

1jazzdog · May 2000

suggestions please! i'm shopping for a loaded 2000 silverado, is there a build date that i should look for to avoid the vibration problems.
a long test drive between 60-75 mph is a given, but i've been told to avoid anything built before 2/2000. any comments are gretly appreciated.
rick

ricsch · May 2000

Thanks for the help.

kansan · May 2000

Look for one made in Canada or buy a 4 wheel drive or a 3/4 (2500) ton. The majority of the problems are caused by the rack & pinion assembly on the 1500 2 WDs (this came directly from the shop foreman at the dealership I took my 1500 2 WD Silverado to). The 3/4 ton and 4 WD Silverados don't have the rack & pinion steering. For some reason, the 1500 2 WD pickups made in Canada don't seem to have as much of a problem with the rack & pinion steering, maybe they're installed a little different up there. Myself, I wish I would have got a 3/4 ton. They supposedly have a fix for the problem with the rack & pinion steering, but it's not on the street yet, and they won't commit to a date it will be out.
Good Luck,
Ken

brianinvegas · May 2000

BTW - I did the old push up and down on the bumper test after your shock question and it sure roles a lot. The ZR2 I traded in was very stiff and bounced only once then stopped. Perhaps the Z71 shocks aren't up to the task and I need some aftermarket Ranchos or something.

Anything is better than the way it is.

2000 Chevy Silverado Vibration - II

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