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sk

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sk last won the day on July 10 2017

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    Southcentral PA
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    2015 Silverado LT Z71

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  1. sk

    Bright Headlights

    The other problem is that there are literally tens-of-thousands of aftermarket LED bulbs available online and people are putting them in their headlights thinking they are brighter. Most are actually "whiter", which makes them look brighter, but the lumens are actually less. But the main problem is that the halogen reflector housings were never designed to handle these bulbs and they don't focus the light correctly -- it just scatters. That makes them blind oncoming traffic, even if the headlights are aimed correctly. The practice of putting those bulbs in headlights that were not OEM designed for them is ILLEGAL according to DOT, but police honestly have bigger things to deal with than stopping everyone who threw aftermarket bulbs into their headlight housings ....
  2. This. I did it and recommend Texas Speed: https://www.texas-speed.com/
  3. It's not an aftermarket kit -- that step is OEM from GM on the HD trucks. As far as I know there are no aftermarket ones out there that recess into the bed (it would take some serious bed reinforcement). There are aftermarket ones that mount below the side of the bed and swing out of the way when not in use (1 example): https://realtruck.com/p/amp-research-bed-step-2/
  4. It's definitely coming from the exhaust flapper valve. It was a known issue years ago and I got mine replaced under warranty. They came up with a new design (moved from after the cat to before) but even that one rattled after a few years. You can check by finding a square or round knob sticking out of the exhaust line near the cat. Lay underneath while somebody starts the truck, then grab the knob and the rattle should stop. At that point you can clamp it open with a hose clamp but when your truck switches between V4 and V8 mode you will get a terrible "rumble" kind of like a helicopter flying behind you. In my case my AFM lifters failed (a different LONG story) and I decided to do a DOD delete. Once you do that the truck stays in V8 mode all the time so I just tack welded the flapper open.
  5. I put 3 on in the first 2 years of owning the truck then got tired of replacing them. Put one of these on about 6 years ago and never looked back: https://www.deezee.com/product/truck-tailgate-assist/
  6. There is an entire bulletin about bad grounds. Look up PIT5405 (I don't know what version is the latest). The G218 ground is part of it, and so are the battery cables, but it also lists a long diagnostic procedure for other areas (like an arc near the starter). There are also other grounds to check that aren't listed in that PIT. For example there is one in the passenger front wheel well, and some underneath near the body mounts. If you search these forums and YouTube it will come up with a bunch of hits. And as others have said check the battery itself and all connections. I went through all of this and it solved most of my problems, but I actually had something happen years after that and thought I was going to have to go through all this again. Turns out the mechanic had the battery disconnected to do some unrelated work but didn't tighten the cables ....
  7. I have been running Ruthenium plugs in my 2015 5.3L for over 30,000 miles now. Noticed improved fuel mileage, smoother idle, and cleaner burning right after I put them in. No problems at all so far, and I just checked them recently and they are very clean for their age. Will probably replace with the same thing in a few more thousand miles. Also as others above said, guess who makes the ACDelco-branded plugs? Yep, NGK. They are built to specs that GM lays out, which aren't always based on the best for the life of the engine (they usually are spec'd to meet some government requirements). That's not to say the OEM plugs are junk, they will work fine for the application. But paying more for the Ruthenium ones will get you some improvement, it's just up to personal preference.
  8. I detail for a living. I have tried a TON of specialty cleaners (including newsprint which worked pretty well), but the best thing I have found is a magic eraser sponge (not sheets) and water/vinegar: Mix 1:1 ratio of white vinegar and the hottest water you can handle. You really only need 1 or 2 cups of each, not a full bucket. Dip magic eraser sponge into water, squeeze out excess, and wipe entire glass. Some sponges have a "rougher" side; if so use it. Immediately wipe dry with a microfiber towel. Make sure to go over it in many directions when you dry it. I usually do the inside windows first then move to the outside. Believe it or not you can actually see any inside streaks better that way when you look through from the outside. Then go back and hit the inside again if you find any (but usually the final wipe with the microfiber keeps it from streaking). A few things to remember: NEVER do it in direct sunlight or after the glass has been baking in the sun. Let it cool first. NEVER do it if your windows have aftermarket tint (factory is okay since it's actually embedded in the glass).
  9. Search these forums for "G218". It covers a bunch of bad grounds that have been known to cause some of those errors.
  10. Yes, or search these forums for "G218" and you will find lots of threads, as well as a TSB that covers what to check.
  11. Yep torque converter. I actually just got my truck back yesterday after going through the same thing. Had a very knowledgeable shop diagnose it and determined that's what it was. Ended up with a reman GM OEM trans put in since it comes with a warranty, but if you go this route be prepared for a hefty bill ...
  12. Yes Volkswagen owns 100% of Navistar. They had a small (17%) stake in Navistar earlier but bought them outright in July 2021. Also Volkswagen used to have a division called VW Truck and Bus, which they sold to MAN (but kept the car division), but then VW ended up buying MAN so they got Truck and Bus back. Then they renamed that division TRATON, and that is the subsidiary that bought Navistar. And the Navistar division that makes trucks is called International. Confused yet? .... And yes, GM and International still have the joint venture that produces trucks. GM calls them 4500HD/5500HD/6500HD "medium duty" trucks while International calls them CV "light duty" trucks. The rolling chassis are made by International while the cabs are made by GM. They all go down the same line then the International trucks get an International-tweaked version of the Duramax engine while the GM trucks get the GM version. I'm not sure where the new Scout brand will fit in. I'm guessing it will be under VW cars (not TRATON) so shouldn't affect the trucks, but obviously would still compete with GM SUVs. But maybe VW will a similar agreement with GM where they use the Ultium battery and chassis??
  13. Sorry - I was away from this thread for a while! Like I said above, I really think it's worth the improvement. It's not "HD" quality, but it's a little better than factory during the day, and MUCH better at night. Also mikeyk101 has the information about the wires in his instructions above. If you don't want the extra set of lines you snip the white wire. I wanted to try both sets of lines so just made sure I kept that loop somewhere I could get to it if I decided to snip the wire. But after using it for a few years now I LOVE having both sets of lines. From your images above it looks like you snipped the wire. I don't have pictures, but mine has the factory red/yellow lines that turn like in your image, then it also has thicker red/yellow/green lines with notches on them that stay straight at the same time (hope that makes sense). ADDED IN EDIT: Here is a picture of the additional lines I get (they stay still while the factory lines overlaid on them move left/right and the words in the upper left are not there, that's just copyright on the camera-source website):
  14. I don't have those headlights but added Putco Dayliner LED strips similar to them because I wanted that look. On mine I kept all the stock wiring normal and added the LEDs on their own circuit. If you search on here you can find a wiring diagram from the BCM. I don't remember the pins but I wired them to ignition on, then replaced one of the cigarette lighter spots in the center console with a simple toggle switch (you wouldn't need to do this if you want them on all the time, I just wanted the ability to shut them off when sitting still with the truck running).
  15. The ADC one is exactly the same -- Camera Source is just the manufacturer and you can buy directly from them. DO IT!! I replaced mine a few years ago with this one and it is GREAT. Way better than the stock one. I also left the small wire where I can reach it but didn't snip it so now I get the "factory" type yellow lines that turn when I move the wheel but also get stationary green-yellow-red lines in the display at the same time.
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