mrbadwrench

I like that mount. It's a lot nicer looking than my SnoWay mount. I like my SW because of the downpressure, but the mount annoys me. I smack it on everything all the time...curbs, parking stops, dips in the road. It hangs low.

The clunk is take-up of driveline slack in the differential and transmission output shaft. The amount of slack will vary from unit to unit. As the unit ages, the clunk will slowly become worse, however it is not a safety or driveability concern. A variety of different vehicles will have this clunk. For example, both my Toyota Tacoma and my Ford E-350 work van have some type of clunk when you let off the gas. The clunk can be compounded by axle wrap on certain vehicles, however the GM 1500 trucks do not themselves suffer from axle wrap. The re-torque of the axle u-bolts is designed to confirm that axle wrap is not present. Other than checking the u-bolts, the reason GM will not "fix" the problem is because technically there is nothing wrong. Driveline slack is a normal characteristic of a vehicle with a solid axle, divorced transmission and long driveshaft. Driveline clunk can be improved with an aluminum driveshaft. Reducing the rotational mass of the driveshaft will help reduce the shock force. Installation of a u-joint dampener will also help.

See my response in the other thread.

Well it usually isn't more than momentary draw, but because it has downpressure it can be a constant draw. If I scrape a long driveway in downpressure mode, the pump is running constantly to force the hydraulics down. So that could be several minutes of constant operation. I didn't have any issues last winter on the single battery, but I'm just thinking 170 amps could cause problems if drawing from two batteries at once if the connection between the two batteries is weak. For example, I'm wondering now if 4 gauge wire is sufficient. Maybe 2 gauge is a better choice...

Well my plow draws about 170 amps under load, so that's why I figured direct connection without the 125A fuse in between would be best so that I can get the most from the 2nd battery...and not risk popping any fusible links Gm has in there.... But I'm not sure if it would actually matter since it's a secondary battery.

That bolt is only rated to 125 amps though.

By the way, the option code for the dual battery "kit" for the 2500's is TP2.

Not for the 1500's. But it's so easy you don't need a "kit". Basically you're just dropping in a battery, cutting 4 gauge wire to length, crimping on some battery post ends and hooking it up. And you don't need the isolator, but if you want it that's just as easy to install...just a couple extra connections.

That may be why GM provides the space for the 2nd Batt on the 1500s even though there is no Batt upgrade available from GM....gives the police/fire/EMS upfitters a place to put their 2nd battery

Proving to my neighbor that my GM is better than his Ford. Those are all part of the strobes. I think those particular ones go to the front grill LEDs

No, the 2nd battery tray is unused on the 1500. There are dual battery options but are only available for the 2500 and up. It is a mystery why GM includes the tray on the 1500.

No, I am aware of seasonal variations. The mileage has been declining slowly since last summer. It was lower last winter but didn't really bounce back this summer. My suspicion is I have a carbon build up problem, as nothing else on the truck has changed.

Not sure what inverter you guys are referring to, I don't have it though. Can't run 110 off my truck. The hair dryer/microwave comment was a joke ha-ha.

GM gives you everything you need to install dual batteries in your 1500....except the battery and cables! So I decided I might as well finish what GM started. Pretty easy. Just add a second battery and route 4 Gauge battery cables along the firewall over to the original battery. Make sure you add a ground from your new battery to the chassis, just for good measure Now I can run my hair dryer and microwave

Unfortunately my fuel economy has dropped since I bought the truck new last summer. At 40,000 miles and I see about 15.5 mpg as my tank to tank average. Was getting 18 mpg average when new.

The noise is how DI engines sound and it is normal. Turn off caps lock.

'14 5.3 4WD 3.42 axle With factory tires, 21 highway/18 average/15 city Now with Duratrac tires stock size, 19 highway/16 average/14 city