Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra - Owners hangout

bigfur · January 2004

I have a 01 silverado 5.3. Driving down the road, freeway or otherwise, it feels like it misses. Dosent kill, just a moment where there is no power from the engine. I have no idea what it is, not a huge deal yet, but i dont want to pay $115 an hour for someone to tell me they cant duplicate the problem. Anyone have any idea what might be causeing this. I have about 42K miles on it.

rayt2 · January 2004

Might be a coil pack going bad on you, each cylinder has it's own. I have heard of a couple of posts where this was a problem but fixed under warranty, so don't know the cost.

Ray T.

erikheiker · January 2004

Sounds like your fuel pump is disintegrating. Pull the fuel filter and see if it's plugged up with metal shavings. If so, then you need a new fuel pump. My dealer also recommended an injector flush when this happened to me.

bigfur · January 2004

Had the filter replaced less than a month ago, no problems were found in it. Guess ill just wait a bit and see what happens, if it blows, i have an extended warrenty ($200 deductable which is why i havent taken it in yet).

stef7 · January 2004

Thanks for the infos. I changed my fuel filter about 3 months ago at 30k miles, It was plugged with dirt but no metal shavings in it. No improvement after that. I have read on another forum that this could also be a failure of the fuel pressure regulator. I will try with the unexpensive parts first, then the fuel pump, cause I think this one is little pricy...

aa555zz · January 2004

Bowtieman1,

Did your 2000 vehicle have the locking rear axle? Your Z71 has a locking rear axle. When one rear wheel spins 100 rpm faster than the other (at speeds under 20 mph), the rear axle will lock so both rear wheels spin at the same speed. When the rear axle locks up, it can make a noticeable clunk/jolt, especially if you are accelerating quickly. The clunk you feel may be the rear axle lock-up, not the engagement of the front drive axle.

balich · January 2004

I live in cold north east .. on COLD days after
truck been sitting outside .. I have this annoying rattle near my passengers airbag area .. if I pull slightly the pull bar on the passenger
side of the dash the rattle goes away .. it
eventually (the rattle that is) goes away also
when the cabin area gets warmed up ..

I'm curious to see if this is common on '03's and
what you did to resolve ?

Thanks in advance!!!

letsgetmikey · January 2004

I have an O4 Sierra.

When going downhill at interstate highway speeds with the cruise control engaged, I can feel hesitation/surging, like the cruise control unit can't figure out whether to accelerate or not. Feels like a miss in the engine, but it has to be something related to the cruise unit. Doesn't happen without cruise on.

Any thoughts? Probably going to get blank stares from service dept. when I take it in.

Mikey

rayt2 · January 2004

Mine acts the same way since new, 2000 LS 2500 X-Cab and 46k. I mentioned once to dealer and you can guess the answer "normal" ! Basically the cruise is trying to maintain the set speed since gearing and roll resistance play a factor it may very well seem like surging and hesitation when it's not, it's coasting and acceleration taking place.

Ray T.

noobie1 · January 2004

If it's "normal", why don't they all do it? Mine doesn't, so I've never studied this problem. But you can envision what would happen if the feedback information (speed sensor) occurred once per second (e.g., your situation) rather than ten times per second (e.g., normal). In the latter case the adjustments would appear transparent. In the former, hesitation. Why it occurs only down hill? Puzzling. Maybe something to do with free play in the drivetrain. Also, the Throttle Position Sensor may be providing faulty information at a particular position (near closed). Lots of possibilities. Software? It would take a smart, dedicated tech to figure it out. Not something you normally find at a Chevy dealership.

-David

cathsman · February 2004

I have two issues. First, a comment about the rim protectors that come on the 2002 'Rado. The Firestone Wilderness tires are a piece of junk! I don't know if anyone else has had the problem, but I had one explode on the rear. It ruined the quarter panel when it went. I had to dance with GM and go to the BBB to get GM to replace the panel instead of give me back a bondomobile like they originally fixed it to be! I still have a truck that has a replacement quarter panel, even if anyone else doesn't know I'll know! What a fight. So much for that great GM feeling!

Another issue I just had happen. It's cold and snowy and damp here (SW MO) and my truck wouldn't idle. Never had that before. Of course, it wouldn't duplicate that when I took it in this morning. I don't know if there will be an on board diagnostics code from it. I'll find out later. Right now, the RPM's are running a little low (500) at idle. Since I have all of 24k miles, this one should be a warranty issue, but has anyone else had this happen?

Your thoughts would be appreciated!

erikheiker · February 2004

My engine idles at 500 rpm when it's warmed up and always has. That should be normal

hogboy · February 2004

My 2000 Rado also idles about 500 RPM since new. Have over 45k on it now. Replaced the Firestone Wilderness tires this past summer. Overall have been pleased with this vehicle.

obyone · February 2004

ditto on the 500.

ghislain · February 2004

I got an 03 Silverado LS Ext Cab 5.3 last Sept and have 17km(10,800 miles) on it. I live in Ottawa Canada and we get cold and snow. First time we got freezing rain I thought the factory wipers were performing miserably so I put on a pair of winter blades. They are just as bad, they leave an unwiped strip at the top on both sides about 3" on driver side and about 5-6" on passenger side, seems like the wiper arms do not apply nearly enough pressure. I have to shake them and straighten them out every time I want to use them snow or no snow. Worst vehicle I have ever seen for wipers. (anyone else have this problem?
I have also had to have it in because the four way flashers would come on when I activated the left turn signal.
I now have to bring it back in because the heated mirrors do not work on passenger side.
Had to have the tires rebalanced because of shaking.
I also have the 2to3 and 3to2 klunck in drive line.
Mine also idles at 500 RPM but I find it idles way too rough(dealer says it is normal).
Believe it or not I still love the truck, drives beautiful; took it on a 3000 mile trip last fall; Four guys, two ATVs plus gear approx 1500 lbs on the truck and 2500 lbs in the trailer. It performed admirably and took $200 less gas than a Nissan Frontier Crew Cab on the same trip/load the previous year.
Only problem was that the truckers wanted to run me off the road because my headlights were aimed too high. Dealer said they were aimed to specs but lowered them anyway because apparently almost every owner of that vehicle had the same complaint. OK now.

hopster1 · February 2004

I'm looking to purchase an 01 Rado LT ext cab with Z71 and only 25,000 miles on it. I've spoken to the original owner and he said he never had a problem with the vehicle but did notice a little oil on the garage floor before he traded it in. Only a couple of drops. Does the Rado have a history or gasket or oil leak problems?

I drove the truck and it is sweet but is only under warranty for another three months. Can anybody tell me if this a good truck or not? Are extended warranties worth the cost? I am alos looking to change the tires form the Firestone Wilderness ATs to the Bridgestone Dueler AT Revos and wanted to know if anyone has any thoughts on the swap? I live in New England so I see all sorts of weather. Tahnsk in advance for your help.
Hopster

bonrea · February 2004

gmhellman You posted this message on Feb 1.

"Buss Interface by gmhellman Feb 01, 2004 (1:23 pm)
I checked with my professional radio installer and he said that basically the radio has a buss interface which lets all the chimes run through the radio and speakers and helps to reduce the number of wires and parts that go into the overall model. This unfortunately makes it almost impossible to remove the chimes like we used to be able to do in the past by simply cutting the wire to the chime. He does say good luck in finding out how to change/delete the individual chimes and if you do accomplish it, let me know so that he can do it."

Just wanted to give you an answer to your problem. Go to www.jpcustoms.com and look for 2003-up Chime Module. The CM1 retains the warning chimes when you replace the factory radio that have the warning chimes built into it. it is $29.99 and I know it will solve your problem.

hogboy · February 2004

John, the few drops of oil on the floor may possibly be caused by the mechanic not wiping off the skid plate completely when doing oil changes.
As for the Bridgestone Revos, I think you will really like them. I put them on my '00 Rado Z71 this past August. They are great in the snow.
One thing I would caution you on, see if the truck has a limited slip rear. If it doesn't you will have some problems when stopped on wet surfaces. If you step on the gas a little too quickly you will have a tendency to spin the rear tires. Not a good situation when you think you have time to pull out into traffic and the back end starts spinning on you. Just my 2 cents. I have the standard cab with over 45k on mine and have had no major complaints. Only problem was to have my sliding rear window replaced(cracked seal around the molding, replaced under warranty), and the shims installed in the back end. I think there was also a small recall notice. It is a good truck and gets good gas mileage, better mileage than the Dodge Ram gave me.

gmhellman · February 2004

I have a 02 Sierra and I ordered the Z-71 off road package. I am a little disappointed by the fact that the rear end is raised more than the front. I want to raise the front end so that the truck is level. I am altering the torsion bars to raise the front end and then having the front end re-aligned. Is there any dangers in doing this in terms to damaging the truck or wrecking the great ride this vehicle gives. I had my wifes cousins up form VA and he had a Ford with Yokohama Geolanders. I drove this truck with those tires and they were amazing. They were quiet and provided great traction. I was able to drive in 2WD in the Ford where I needed the Auto-4WD since the Firestones greatly suck. The price for the Yoko was only $600 and some change for the 4 tires, installed and balanced. I know that Michilen's matching model can be almost $1000 installed.

hopster1 · February 2004

Looking for recommendations on the best tonneau cover for a 01 Rado ext short bed. I need one that is easy to install, retractable, and waterproof as I plan to store my gold clubs in the bed. The bed has a Chevy liner. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

ohneedshelp · February 2004

BFG All-Terrain T/A's
Okay 2000 miles with them now, still happy.
Handle great compared to those Firestone Wilderness,.
Regarding the YOKO's I still have not seen them in person, Is the price around the BFG's ? If so maybe next time. But anyway if anyone does not like the way their 1500 4X4 ext cab handles, get rid of the firestones and go with a heavier side wall ! It will bring tears to your eyes !!!

------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------

gator36 · February 2004

I ditched the firestones before I had 1,000 mi on my truck when I bought it. Bought the Geolander AT II's and love them. I have had them on rocks, snow, dirt, ice and mud. They have much more bite than the BFG's I had on my old truck and wear better too.
Looking at www.tirerack.com the Yoko's go for $50 less than the BFG's.

Good luck

obyone · February 2004

Had one of these for three years and no problems.

http://www.paceedwards.com/rolltop.asp

ryanbab · February 2004

I went to the show last night (friday). Surprisingly it wasnt that crowded and I was able to see/sit in everything I wanted to. Overall the show was pretty good. I loved the blue GTO. I even got my gf liking them (over the sebrings). They are VERY comfortable. I am not a fan of the blue leather it it needs to be darker to match the blue exterior color.

The highlights: GTO, C6 Vette, 2500HD CC Dmax (awesome truck) Anyone have $80K they could spare me for a dmax and gto (well i need something to pull it around with haha)

Lowlights: nissan titan and ford F-150 doors/handles. Man they feel CHEAP! and chinsey.

The new F-150 extended cab windows are pretty cool. They actually roll down. Also the colorados are pretty nice. They are a nice step up from the S-10s.

seelig · February 2004

been using Mobil 1 for the past 4 years..........truck has 118,000 on it now.
am thinking of switching to dino...........should there be any problems with doing so?

obyone · February 2004

in the trucks life is a no no. Personally haven't tried doing that. If you do go back to Dino, Costco has the Chevron 10w-30 for $11.99 a case of 12 along with the PF-59 filter for $2.50 at KMart. You would be able to do an oil change for $8.50...course the 8.25% CA tax but not too bad for $10.

noobie1 · February 2004

I'd be interested in specific reasons for not doing it. With 38K on my 8.1l, I've been back and forth a couple of times without any apparent detriment. From a recent Blackstone lab report on oil with a 3534 mi. change interval: "This was Castrol 10W/30 and looks more like the Syntec than GTX". I plan to stay with GTX. For more, check out

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/index.html

BTW- you might ask the same question over at Town Hall > Maintenance & Repair. Some of those people are certified fanatics about oil.

-David

ryanbab · February 2004

the kmart by you sells ac delco oil filters? Around here walmart and kmart stopped selling them. Now only murrays and autozone has them and they ae high priced (3.50-3.99 each). I bought a 12 pack from partszoneonline.com for like $30 it was like $2 a filter

seelig · February 2004

since getting the Jaguar recently, i began inquiries as to whether or not to use synthetic in it and the concensus is to stay with dino oil for the Jag as there seems to be a couple of components in the engine that makes more noise with synthetic.
with the Silverado, i'm torn as to which way to go as well as i know a fellow who has gone back and forth as well and he claims that his 5.3 has the clod knock when using syn, and it's gone when using dino.
like Dean says though, it may not be a good idea to switch to dino since the engine has been on a synthetic diet since 5K miles.
before we got rid of the wife's truck i had switched it back to dino and it stopped consuming oil to the tune of 1 qt per 3K miles when it was using syn.
with my '00 however, it has yet to need an ounce of oil between changes even when i've gon 8 K miles without changing.

seelig · February 2004

thats "cold" knock..........not "clod" knock..........what a clod!!

obyone · February 2004

I think KMart is discontinuing the Delco filters as I checked last week there was a small assortment of them. Fortunate for me, I grabbed the last three. Bummers since I have two vehicles that use them.

noobie1 · February 2004

That's pretty remarkable. Mine uses a quart about every 2500 mi. It's hard to say whether yours is just a manufacturing anomaly or the result of something you did, or both. Which engine and how did you break it in?

-David

seelig · February 2004

on the freeway and have basically been ALL freeway miles.
broke it in like i use to do my rice grinder motorcyles.........little high speed then back to a decent cruise speed, then back to some high speed, then etc.......
funny thing is that it's got the diesel sounding lower end (especially noisy at drive thrus).
the wife's was quiet but burned the oil.
i changed oil at 1K miles and then every 3K till it hit around 40K and always been Mobil 1 since i made the switch.

ryanbab · February 2004

have zero oil consumption (knock on wood). I switched to Mobil 1 at 9K miles. My first oil change was a little less than 3K miles. Like 2800 miles. Like Mike said my first 500-1000 miles were all freeway 45-55 mph

Ryan

oldchevyboy · February 2004

i have a chevy k/5 blazer with 299020 miles.and still running stronger than my buddys 00'ford f150.i run on tipcal 87 from the 76 station.i refuse to use the other gas around town.i also broken my truck with just freeway driveing.at normal 55 mph,and some high speed every so often.with reg. old changes at about every 3-5k miles its a little sooner than it needs but hey its even better for the truck right?anywho i was mwonder if i should use the higher running octain in my truck or if i should leave it at the 87 witch its been on since i bought it.i love my BFG's and i say never stick with stck tires their a pos.

ryanbab · February 2004

did you ever check and see if autotap will give you velocity of the air going into the intake and the temperature also going in and out?

Thanks

obyone · February 2004

temperature was 100 when moving and 110 at stop. Forgot about the velocity or volume. I'll set it up again and let you know.

txyank1 · February 2004

getting constant pinging using a higher octane is just wasting money.

mitzij · February 2004

You ask if an extended warranty is worth it. The short answer is NO! I work for a car dealership. In the last three years, there have been, maybe, three customer who saw a return on the money they forked out for a service contract. You're better off setting aside the money you would have spent on a decent service contract ($900-$1400) and saving it for a rainy day. I haven't seen too many recurring problems with Silverados lately. It wouldn't hurt to get it checked for leaks, just in case, before the warranty expires. I assume you had your favorite mechanic inspect it before you bought it?!

gator36 · February 2004

One word for you... Transmission...

One service call on a 4l60e and you are in for over $1k.

If you are picky about how your truck runs, I would suggest getting one. The last two trucks I have owned, I purchased extended coverage. It paid for itself in spades both times.

Just remember the cost of the coverage is negotiable. They mark it up alot.

rayt2 · February 2004

Right you are on mark-up but also STICK TO THE MANF'S. ESP. I am one of the 80k people burned by Warranty Gold on my 7yr/100k ESP no longer being honored by this disreputable company.
I'm gonna take my chances on future vehicles and buy nothing but the vehicle, no more ESP's for me unless I can get a deal like Obyone did. LOL !

Ray T.

seelig · February 2004

that was given to me cause i screamed loud enough about the cold start knock.....my service manager backed me up on the deal saying that my engine had the knock.......HaHa......it didn't. they gave me a 5yr/100K and at 98K, the tranny was replaced........LOL
when i bought the wife's Jaguar this year, the dealer told me not to waste money on the extended warranty.
i'll keep my fingers crossed.

tommy43 · February 2004

I own a 2003 2500HD Ext cab. I broke the truck in very well and I now use Mobil One (after 5000 miles of regular oil)(currently 9000 miles)
I average 12.5 city and 16.5 highway with the 6.0 and the 4.10 gears. I was thinking of trading it in on a 1500 with a 5.3 and 3.73 gears. Can anyone tell me their mileage for this package? Also I noticed that when I am at a stop and if I am about to make a right or left turn I hear a small vibration noise for a second under the vehicle - but not if I take off without turning. Can anyone identify this? Thank you.

bigfur · February 2004

My truck gets an average of 15 mpg mixed city and hiway.

gfish1883 · February 2004

i just bought a 2004 chevy silverado ext. cab short bed, 5.3L, auto, Z71, w/ "locking differential" according to the sticker. I always here about people with 99-02 chevys being able to leave dual patches forever off the line. my question is was there a difference between 99-02 and 03-04? i know that the computer controls the throttle on the newer trucks (no throttle cable anymore). my 04 does not seem like it has alot of power off the line, is there anything i can do about this?

any help please?

seelig · February 2004

do you mean that you can't stand on the throttle from a dead stop and leave half the skins on the ground?
my'00 with 118K miles on it will spin the rears all day without a huge load in the back.
but since you're truck is new, i don't see why you couldn't get it checked out.

gfish1883 · February 2004

i think somone said the computer doesnt let the throttle open right away any more, is that true?

dustyone · February 2004

Does anyone know where to find the RPOs for the old body style 3500? My son is trying to find out the options on a truck that he just purchased.

obyone · February 2004

Silverstar 893 had a failure after two and a half weeks. Driver's side burned out tonight.

txyank1 · February 2004

I don't know if it's the case or not, but maybe for '04 GM has added the "Torque Management" that the '03 Av has to the pickups. To protect the drivetrain the computer won't let you do that. It rolls back the power. You can get pretty good acceleration by hammering it once you're moving, but you can't "lite 'em up". Just a thought.

Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra - Owners hangout

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