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2004 K1500 Suburban 5.3 LT

treegump

Romans 3:22-24
Messages
2,296
Reaction score
981
Location
Martinsville, IN
I done bought it. Didn't even try haggling over the price. Didn't hear any piston slap at all.

Rear windows are a bit sticky going up - but not sure how much I'll use them. Hot heat but A/C might need recharged (no big deal - was doing that with the Chrysler Concorde anyhow)

According to PO - bought 8 yrs ago with 99k miles for $12.5k because owner before him made a lot of repairs/updates.
The most current PO did the following:
Alternator & battery changed a year ago
Oil changed in Feb, along with brakes - brakes felt tight and oil looked new
Plugs and wires - maybe in Feb also

He also lives about 15minutes away from his work and he fills up maybe once a month, so I'm expecting about the same, hopefully.

Test drove it and it felt a little squishy - but from the pictures it looks like it could use anti-sway bar links. Not going to worry about a whole lot for now - at least until I get the car sold and a privacy fence built.
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I just posted a bunch on your other thread.
Leave the rear windows rolled up until you are ready to replace the regulators, and only use delco when you do it.

Dont run the ac if it is so low it cycles on and off. If that compressor blows it goes from a few hundred to a couple thousand to fix fast.

i hope you get years of cosy ride from it. Love those rigs.
 
Thanks!

I just got to thinking - the PO's brother had a bad experience after flushing the radiator and transmission, so he's never done either with the burb.

Now - I know that I could probably do with a simple clean or maybe even flush with the radiator. Probably should if the test shows negative for the temperatures that it needs to run at.

But the transmission - should I do a fluid/filter change or just keep running as it is? 150k miles with no change seems like a good time to do a simple change - but not flush.
 
Find out if the transmission has been serviced regularly or not. If they haven’t done it- dont start. If you want a new filter on it, capture and re use the old fluid. New fluid has detergent that will break up a couple hundred thou miles worth of grime and plug things up.

yes clean the heck out of the outside of the entire cooling stack. Clean the fan clutch and its spring really good at same time.

I have never bought a brand new rig. Used low miles and many used high miles. Imo dont put any new parts on it unless you see they are faulty or about to fault. Get some miles on jt to know it a while. You might find out in2 months it needs $4000 repairs and anything spent just in case is loss.
 
Find out if the transmission has been serviced regularly or not. If they haven’t done it- dont start. If you want a new filter on it, capture and re use the old fluid. New fluid has detergent that will break up a couple hundred thou miles worth of grime and plug things up.

yes clean the heck out of the outside of the entire cooling stack. Clean the fan clutch and its spring really good at same time.

I have never bought a brand new rig. Used low miles and many used high miles. Imo dont put any new parts on it unless you see they are faulty or about to fault. Get some miles on jt to know it a while. You might find out in2 months it needs $4000 repairs and anything spent just in case is loss.

Will is right about the transmission for sure. Whatever you do don't flush it or you will have issues. My Dad decided at somewhere around 100,000 miles on his 2002 S-10 (its mine now) that he would let this little local garage flush the tranny...…..WRONG, transmission failed shortly after it was flushed and he had to get it rebuilt. Kinda strange that the garage did not warn him about a flush with that many miles, but what do they care. He still bitches about that garage ruining his transmission. Finally one day, I told him that if he had just asked me I could have advised him not to get the flush and the original transmission would probably still be going... :rolleyes:

I know what its like to drive a high mileage vehicle its hit or miss about when something is going to break. My Dad gave me that 2002 S-10 to me in October of 2018, with about 133,000 miles or so on it. I needed a daily driver, farm beater, winter truck, I was tickled to get it. Since he gave the truck to me I have sunk about 2000 dollars in it for some various repairs. I just fix what breaks, yelp I could go to replacing all kinds of parts on it, but I just focus on the suspension, the brakes and the tires, the most critical stuff that could get me crashed if it fails. The engine leaks oil but I add some oil now and then, I don't care. A mechanic that has worked on it claims he heard some serious noises in the engine maybe like some bearings going bad. He said its all up to you, but you might want to think about getting rid of it. I thought long and hard about it and decided that as long as its still running with good power so be it, I will drive it and if the engine lets go, I will decide then what to do with it. That was over 8 months ago and its still running, I hear some strange sounds from time to time but the truck still has dang good power.

The truck has over 145,000 miles on it now, so what if I have had to put a few dollars in it. Its still been cheaper to operate than having to pay a 800 to 1000 truck payment for a new truck, like I would love to have.
 
Yea, I don't know if I've attempted a flush before, but I have done just normal changes. However, I won't do it for this one. Thanks for the advice/recommendation.

I'll be paying attention as I drive it home and after I sell the car (the car is plated, so will probably drive that until it's sold or until the BMV opens). It seems to have some sway, but we'll see if there's anything else suspension wise that I may want to look at - or if it was just my imagination from the pictures of the worn looking sway bar links.
 
Piston slap happens when the pistons cool off and the engine hasn't. Like in a drive through window. GM missed the memo from FORD going to short skirt pistons and the trouble FORD had. Add sloppy tolerances in GM manufacturing and you get piston slap. Didn't appear to cause any real trouble other than sounding like krap.

DeSlugger. Used one on the 2002 GMC. The AC compressor is in the cool air after the vehicle shuts off. Meanwhile the evaporator and condenser are hot thus the R134A condenses in the compressor. On startup it makes a good "THUMP!" as it slugs the liquid out. Or it breaks the belt, and or snaps tensioner clean off. Can split the compressor in half. Yeah DeSlugger:

https://www.4s.com/en/marketing/the-deslugger

I would unplug the compressor if you think the system is low. Too many modes run the dammed thing regardless like recirculation or defrost. Ask me how much fun it is to get to the rear TXV on these. No, you don't want to have to go there to replace that small screen.
 
I have noticed that the tires make noise and the coolant gauge hasn't moved a bit. It also idles a little rough as well, specifically at start up.
 
I have noticed that the tires make noise and the coolant gauge hasn't moved a bit. It also idles a little rough as well, specifically at start up.

Probably intake gaskets, very common issue. They leak vacuum cold and once it warms up things expand and they seal again. The coolant gauge is probably a bad stepper motor. Another very common issue. You can replace them if you have good soldering equipment.

Congratulations on the new to you rig!
 
Thanks!

And this morning the check engine light turned back on (and may have been my imagination, but it seemed to run and shift better with the light on, haha). The code was for the evaporative system. I haven't checked the fuel cap yet.
 
I noticed that my temp sensor budged yesterday to around 150 and I remembered I had a temp gun in the shed. After it had been sitting off for about 5-10 minutes, these were the temps I was getting: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yRcXxLN5jXFDfBwh7

I have an OBD II plug-in that I use to reset codes and decided to check my temps on my drive to work this morning. By the time I thought of it, I was at running temperature and it stayed around 193-195 while cruising. When I was stopped at a light it climbed to 203, but didn't advance past that.

But, assuming the OBD II temp is correct, I'll continue to monitor it until I test the sensor in the engine compartment, or change out the sensor. Is it worth testing, or should I purchase it without testing.
 
I noticed that my temp sensor budged yesterday to around 150 and I remembered I had a temp gun in the shed. After it had been sitting off for about 5-10 minutes, these were the temps I was getting: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yRcXxLN5jXFDfBwh7

I have an OBD II plug-in that I use to reset codes and decided to check my temps on my drive to work this morning. By the time I thought of it, I was at running temperature and it stayed around 193-195 while cruising. When I was stopped at a light it climbed to 203, but didn't advance past that.

But, assuming the OBD II temp is correct, I'll continue to monitor it until I test the sensor in the engine compartment, or change out the sensor. Is it worth testing, or should I purchase it without testing.
To My way of thinking, if I doubt a component, I just replace it. I dont think temp sensors is too costly. That's how I gauge the test or replace items.
 
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