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All of my '04 Canyon various electrical problems were resolved when I replaced the very expensive and very inadequate original battery with a much larger Group 65-850 battery from Costco. It is way too big to fit in the factory enclosed case but fits perfectly on the base and in the original position. Since I installed it on 5-30-09 I have only replaced 2 light bulbs! Zero electric problems. The truck has been used hard for over 150,000 miles including lots of towing trailers up to 4,500# up very steep mountains so they can be decent trucks. No serious mechanical repairs ever. See my previous post #695.
Russ
I took my chevy colorado in to victory chevrolet dealership in petaluma california at 70000 miles right after buying it from the dealership with cracked manifold-they replaced it and the head through GM,is there a 100,000 mile warranty after that from GM? it just cracked again,i took it to a pep boys repair station-they inspected it and found that the only chrome bolt had backed off,i am now looking at another replacement at 167000 miles,Pep Boys said it cracked because the new bolt backed off,can you help
So, if I had known then what I know now..... I guess I should kiss the ground and thank the Lord. I have an 05 Ext. cab Colorado z71 4wd. Everyone who sees it thinks it's brand new they don't believe it's an 05. A point I am proud of. 6 years ago (approx.) I picked up a tap in the engine. I continued to drive it until 8 March 2014. My "poor baby" suffered a myocardial infarction and it was unable to be resuscitated. sniff The number 3 cylinder is out. So I now have a beautiful well kept truck with no engine. Well the engine's still in it but you get the idea. I have 199,000 miles on this truck. I replaced the starter a few years ago, replaced the front brake pads (they didn't need it and rotors were fine) at 101,000, replaced the rear brake pads last year (they didn't need it) and replaced the right front hub assembly the end of January 2014. It was a good truck for me. I had considered putting a used engine in it but after reading all these horror stories I don't want to spend the money on an engine that seems to be extremely unreliable. What do y'all think?
This engine has always had a lean surge even under full throttle acceleration. I even entertained the idea of putting two side draft webers on it, but seeing all the basic design flaws I now am abandoning any idea of improving it. Next question is what other engine would bolt up to my 5 speed and transfer case. I would dearly love to have a 327-300 horse under my hood instead of this 2.9 boat anchor. I know they built a few 5.3 trucks but they were all automatics. Are the 5.3 and 2.9 the same bellhousing pattern? Is the 5.3 crank drilled for a pilot bushing? We don't have emission inspections in my county so I'm not worried about that. Does anybody have any other suggestions for an engine swap? I have done swaps in the past so I'm not afraid to tackle the cutting and welding but would like to keep it to a minimum.
BTW: I also have a P0411, P2430, P2431...all related to "secondary air flow." Who knows what the next code will be. Shoulda bought the Tacoma.
P0017 means that the PCM is seeing the synchronization of the camshaft and camshaft sensors fall out of tolerance. The possible reasons for that code are pretty straight forward but essentially the system turns the variable valve timing on and unlocks the camshaft from it's "0" position and then when the cam starts to fall retarded it cannot be advanced to the desired position. What code(s) set if you turn the truck off for at least ten minutes and disconnect the VVT solenoid and then restart ? You should get a P0013 of course but are any others generated?
As far as throwing the sensors at it a P0016 is NOT caused by a failing sensor. The computer looks at the signals from the crank and cam sensors and constantly judges the quality of the signal that they generate. A flawed sensor signal results in a code related to that sensor, not a valve timing system performance code.
Replacing the VVT solenoid would be a plausible step if you don't have any other way to test the system. Proper testing would have you capturing the scan data in a snap shot while monitoring the VVT actuator command along with the cam and crank sensor signals on an oscilloscope. Could you expand on how you maintained the vehicle. What was the mileage and time between services? What engine oil did you use, please be specific.
That engine will run plenty rich on full acceleration, so long as everything is working correctly. If it has a lean air/fuel ratio it is pretty straight forward to test and prove why and then fix the problem. Besides, hacking in a set of Webbers would make the vehicle worse to drive, not better. Actually you do, OBDII isn't a diagnostic system, it is an emissions program designed into the vehicle, you just don't have regulated program and your truck s failing that test which is why the light is coming on. The task of transplanting an engine with something other than what was in there isn't practical. That isn't saying that it cannot be done but mismatched components and software will make doing it extremely difficult unless you can pull all of the required components from a donor car and have custom software written to correct vehicle identification number mismatches. Related to the Secondary AIR system is true, however the P2430 and P2431 are specific to the voltage signal seen at the PCM from the secondary air pressure sensor and can be caused by a circuit issue, a failing sensor, exhaust restriction or a bad/failing secondary air control valve. What do you see reported in scan data when the system is commanded to run using either bi-directional controls or running the forced system test? What do you see when the system is not commanded on? Do you hear the air pump run when using bi-directional control inputs? When measuring the pressure sensor signal, reference voltage and ground, do the voltages fall inside the expected ranges and does the signal voltage match what is displayed in scan data?
To answer your question, no it has never idled for long periods. My annual mileage is spread between 3 vehicles so none of them get many miles. I have never seen the change oil warning on the dash of the Colorado. It gets done around 3-4k, and a new filter every time. I use WalMart super tech 5-30 oil.
So can you help answer my question, what will bolt up to either my bellhousing or my trans?
Most hot rods you see have gutted the entire vehicle.
You'd be much better off getting a reman engine and keeping your truck stock otherwise.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GM_bellhousing_patterns
The Colorado uses the ATLAS "Atlas family engines use a unique bellhousing pattern which no other GM motors share."
So what are you going to do with the instrument cluster, the radio, the ABS system and the body computer? (BTW is this 4WD? If so add the transfer case and controller to that list)
Unfortunately along with the PCM these other components create virtual systems that simply won't operate correctly if at all if one of the portions of the system (the PCM) is missing. About that Walmart oil.
http://www.pqiamerica.com/March2013PCMO/supertech.htm
Your Colorado needed an oil approved for GM's 6094M specification which in 2011 was superseded by the dexos1 specification. As you can see by the labeling it states suitable for, but that doesn't equal meets the specifications in fact it falls short of the specification based on the testing that was done in 2013. We have no way to know how far off of the spec the oil was before that date. The majority of the failures that we have seen are due to the use of engine oils that actually didn't meet the vehicle specifications. No and that's because it is far easier to repair it correctly than it is to deal with all of the other systems that would also be impacted by attempting the swap. FWIW, it's not that I couldn't do if I chose to try I just have much better things to do with my time since I know how much work would go into completing the project beyond just slamming an engine and a complete manual driveline in.
Thanks for the link to the bellhousing patterns. Doesn't give me a warm fuzzy to see the Atlas is a unique pattern but at least now I know. That led me to transmission links and I find my truck is an Aisin AR5, or some say MA5. There are a ton of possibilities for hooking it to other engines.
http://web.archive.org/web/20130527131749/http://www.jeeps-offroad.com/showthread.php?t=4740
First I will try a motor flush and change to the GM spec oil as you recommend.
Do not attempt the motor flush. Any debris that has gotten into the actuator will be slung to the outside of the assembly away from the bleed port in the center. There is no way to get it out short of removal and disassembly which really means you are replacing it.
How long did the truck sit before you fired it up? The camshaft timing should not have been able to move so long as the lock pin in the actuator had engaged.
Without data showing us the desired. actual and delta I don't have every detail that I need to pinpoint the issue but where we are right now has three plausible paths.
The first one is the pin did engage and the actuator remained at the "0" position. If that is what happened the scan data likely showed the actual cam timing as 4 degrees or higher without any other movement and you have a stretched timing chain.
The second one is the actuator never advanced back to the "0" position and could be stuck due to debris. Without PCM input via the solenoid the cam timing would retard to the maximum that it could be moved and scan data would have displayed something higher than 2 degrees at start-up and would have increased to something fifteen degrees or higher.
The third possibility is wear in the cylinder head journal. When the journal wears it can allow lubrication oil to bleed into the actuator port and falsely command the camshaft to move. That's the toughest one of all to prove which is why it is last on the list.
Can you get the scan data showing the cam timing from start-up?
I was thinking, you got the code to set after driving it four or five times with the dummy load in place. That means the cam didn't lock at "0" and if the chain was stretched badly it really should have coded on the second start-up. I believe you are looking at an actuator that has debris in it as the most likely cause, just remember that debris could be material worn from the camshaft journal in the head. Try to get the scan data.
Camshaft Angle Desired
Camshaft Angle Actual
Variance or Delta
The book quotes these times for the following operations.(RWD is rear wheel drive, 4WD is four wheel drive)
Exhaust Camshaft
6.1 hours 4.9 Hours Warranty
Actuator
5.8 hours 4.6 hours Warranty
Timing chain and guides which includes removing the oil pan.
17.3 hours 4WD 14.7 hours warranty
13.7 hours RWD 11.6 warranty
There are tools that hold the timing chain in place and tools to hold the camshafts in place that allow for the camshaft gears to be removed without disassembling the timing cover. There are even tools that once the camshaft gears are removed that can be installed will allow for removal of the cylinder head, without removing the front cover.
This is the "old way" to do the actuator. Note they have cover removed for clarity in practice it is not necessary unless you lose the chain tensioner. https://gm.oemdtc.com/1764/removalinstallation-of-llv-llr-cylinder-head-2007-chevrolet-gmc-hummer
The new way has hooks that engage the chain and wingnuts to hold the tension as seen in this tool kit.
https://www.centurytool.net/6688_OTC_GM_I_V_5_6_Cam_Tool_Set_p/otc6688.htm
Specifically J-44217
http://www.freedomracing.com/timing-chain-retention-tool-set-j-44217.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw95vPBRDVARIsAKvPd3KKcpcw02jmOF3lJ6JkwJkEYgvbq2WZx0XbqlVo9CgAV0HlZi9tZPAaArgsEALw_wcB
While the kit doesn't specify the 2.9I4 the chain tools are the same ones, and there are reasons to have both of the above tool kits. BTW, there is a different camshaft alignment tool that you have to add separately for the 2.9l. You should be glad you are doing this now and not ten years ago when there weren't as many options for purchasing tools like this. I lost money on the first three times that I did this repair just because of what the tools cost me. Today you can borrow or rent the tools in most areas.
As far as the chain goes, once you have the camshaft alignment tools, pull the valve cover off and start setting the timing for removal. If the camshaft line up tool shows the cams in time with the crankshaft positioned (you may have to move the exhaust cam in the actuator) then the chain is fine.
jarman51, I feel your pain. These trucks are very problematic. Wished I had bought the Toyota. Best I can tell you is check all your grounds first when you have a weird problem.
Is the transmission shifting correctly?
Is the speedometer reporting the vehicle speed?
Speedo is working and accurate.
I find the S10 had both a VSS (vehicle speed sensor) and a transfer case rear vehicle speed sensor. Are the Colorados like that? If so which one is for the ABS?