SC Tiger

Inside your glove compartment (I think) is a "Service Parts Codes" label with a bunch of three digit codes. One of those will tell you what kind of wheels your truck has. Then search on that. I'm not sure which code it is though. Check with places that sell custom wheels. They sometimes have the original wheels hanging around that they will sell. Here is the web address of the complete list. https://rparts-sites.s3.amazonaws.com/dec399b0838336997484042ed2af1004/design/rpoCodes.pdf Start checking in the 'P' range for wheels.

Is that the leaking injector thing? I think Bosch made a replacement that is better, but they still leak eventually. Saw a Youtube video on it - went down that rabbithole a few days ago. Basically, the Duramax is overall a pretty good engine (regardless of which one) and the 6.0 and 6.4L Powerstrokes are complete pieces of sh.... Could be tricker than you think. I believe the Suburbans are on a different frame, so there might be missing mounting points for stuff. Just a guess though. I need to go to the junkyard with a shopping list for my 2000 Silverado.

You guys may get a laugh at this one.... I called a mechanic I normally use for a quote on the replacement. $5800 for a Jasper. High, probably close to VERY high, but okay. But then he mentions that Jasper also sells a "Triple Play" kit that is the engine, transmission, and rear diff. For $12,000. On a 22 year old truck. Yeah, no thanks. It's looking more and more like this will be a DIY job for me. I'm looking at rebuilt engines and have found a few options. I'm liking the offerings from ATK (through Jegs), Gearhead and S and J Engines.

My dad always said "never loan out cars or guns". I now know why - though I have borrowed cars before. And will loan my car out again - just not to the inlaws.

Funny story - the battery on my wife's Pilot died. I had a jump box in the back in a small side compartment. Problem was - to open that compartment I had to open the lift gate. And you need battery power to do that....... So, I had to hook a battery charger to the battery, use that to get power to the lift gate, and then start the car. I now keep that jump box in the door pocket on the rear door. Also - we found that the battery connection was loose, which was causing intermittant contact and not allowing the battery to fully charge. I went to get it tested, the guy went to put the tester on it, and said 'I think I found your problem' and popped the cable loose. We put a shim on it and fixed it right up. I felt kinda stupid - I'd been chasing that issue for weeks but it was intermittent. I will say, it will make you appreciate the GM side terminal setup.

I think there are a couple of issues at play here - is it worth it to fix it. Interesting question on two levels. I've stated my mathematical equation (used the same one when spending $900 to fix the AC on my Honda Civic, and it's still going 3 years later). However, the second factor is - do you need to fix it or will it hurt anything? It sounds like, IF yours has this issue, it may not even be worth worrying about. You can a) drive it and not worry about it, b) drive it and when it does let go, plan to replace the engine, or c) fix it now with either new heads or an engine. I'm somewhere between b and c. You might be at a. If the truck is in good shape otherwise, I think mathematically it makes sense to fix vs replace. I'm thinking I might pull the oil sensor and see if there is any sludge in that area or - if I can access it - the oil pickup. If so, that's an automatic engine replacement. If there isn't, it might be worth a gamble to replace the heads. And even if the engine then blows, I can probably either re-use the heads or sell them. Or have the bottom end rebuilt and use them again. Questions, questions. Lots to think about. If I pay for the work to be done, I'm replacing the whole engine. I think the labor for replacing heads is about the same as the labor to replace the whole engine. If I just do it myself, then I might chance just the heads. Upside is I can get the heads that I want (706 heads). Just have to be careful not to push the engine too hard for a while after that.

Funny bit - I snooped around Ebay for engines and even the ones with >150K miles are going for over $1000. I know Ebay isn't the best place to get an engine, but I was shocked at that.

My family had four cars with the 2.8L and 3.1L engines. 1986 Camaro 1990 Lumina Euro 1996 Grand Am 2002 Malibu Three had this issue, and the one that I never found it on (the Lumina) probably had it too. My understanding is that GM never fixed it, even though Fel-Pro (I think) actually developed an improved gasket that would solve the problem. The Camaro blew up as a result (we caught the issue too late), the Grand Am (my parents' car) was traded on a Honda, and the Malibu was traded....on a Honda.

Biggest issue I've heard is rust on the frame. Not sure how big that issue is in South Carolina though. But supposedly the issue is REALLY bad. To the point that there was a recall/TSB issued that involved removing the body from the frame and spraying the frame with a rust preventative.

It's solid. It needs some general maintenance (shocks, etc) and the aformentioned dent in the rear fender. But that doesn't affect the drivability. I do need a few more parts (RHS headlight mounting bracket, etc) but with the age of this thing, I can probably find that at a junkyard fairly cheap! The dashboard could use replacement but I may just throw a dash mat over it, since any dash that fits it is going to be 20+ years old and brittle as heck. I will probably try to repair the crack with some epoxy and fiberglass (or whatever you call that stuff they use on boats), do the two-sided-tape trick on the end near the firewall, and throw a mat over it.

Found it on the search results. It's a dedicated wire for the high brake light on a camper shell. So I don't need it. But I still wonder where it was connected - or was it just sorta there loose in the bundle? Either way, I'm not going to any trouble to fix it. Thanks.

Glad to hear. One thing that sucked on mine was that after the inlaws decided to demolition derby it (not really, but you'd think they did by looking at it) they had a replacement door installed with a different lock. So I could only unlock the driver's side door by the fob. I was gonna transfer the lock set over but then realized I could push the dent out of the original door with my hand. So I did that and put the original door back on. It's not perfect but it's a damn sight better than the one that they had put on. The knucklehead that put the door on also tried to destroy the interior panel (4 of the 8 plastic clips that connect it to the door were broken, plus both screws were missing. The panel came off in my hand when I closed the door).

I don't think bearings were even mentioned on the camaro. But I was basically a kid and my dad got it fixed. So I can't say for sure what was suggested, etc. But the intake could be done with the engine in the car. I assume that the bearings would be an engine out job, and the price probably went up 2x at least. I also got another quote from Gearhead Remanufactured Engines (I know nothing about them) for ~ $2500 + core deposit of $335. Part of me feels silly investing this much in a ~22 year old truck but two things keep coming up: 1) At current prices, a gently used truck would be ~$450 a month. So if I take the 'safe', lazy and easy route and have a Jasper put in at ~$5000 (guesstimate based on the engine being $3600) I'd need to make 10 months to make it pay for itself. That shouldn't be hard to top. I need to get some trim pieces to replace stuff damaged by the tornado, but those are cheap. 2) Most places I've seen report that, other than rust issues (and I live in South Carolina so that's not a big deal) and the engine (this specific issue), these are pretty damn solid trucks. Many say they are even better than the generation that replaced them.

Found the TSB and you are correct, it's -01 to -06. But I have heard of -00 having the issue as well. The mechanic who I took it to said that they tend to have this issue. I even have these little AC Delco pellets that are supposed to cure porosity, but I haven't tried them. My brother in law (he's not the inlaw that dented up the truck) suggested I get new heads on it, and if the bottom end then goes, take those heads off and put them on a new short block! It's an idea..... Good call on the ARP Head Bolts. Do they use the same torque specs as the stock bolts, which I assume are torque-to-yield?

Mine is in the oil - comes out as some sludge and there is sludge on the drain bolt. Not a lot of it, but there is some there. The 'saving grace' with a slow coolant leak like this is that a lot of the water/coolant actually boils out of the crankcase when the oil heats up. I haven't noticed any significant 'oil gain' which is when stuff gets really bad. I had a 1986 camaro blow the intake manifold gasket, which dumped coolant into the oil. It was the 2.8L V6 that was famous for that. We fixed it but by the time it was caught, the damage had been done and it was only a matter of time. It eventually started knocking. That has stuck with me on this type of thing, but in truth that car showed SIGNIFICANT oil gain by the time we caught it. It's also possible that it wasn't fixed properly I guess. I admit - part of me just wants the truck to be 'right'. It isn't my daily driver but I kind of want to get it back where it can be. Plus I will need a new vehicle before too long and I can't see paying $50K+ for a new truck. If I get the engine straightened out, this one should be good for another 50-100K (guesstimate) before something else goes like the transmission. I need to replace a few interior pieces (the dash is cracked in a few places) and, thanks to the inlaws, the driver's side of the bed has a big dent.