CadillacLuke24

Almost forgot one...AC Condenser was replaced along with the radiator due to a catastrophic leak I believe was from the top driver's side of the condenser. This is a known issue with early K2s. Chevy redesigned the condenser and added a plastic shield in front of the trouble area. So far it has worked. After the recharge the AC works better than ever and the transmission cooler functions perfectly too (the trans cooler occupies the lower half of the AC condenser in my Silverado). For what it's worth Mahle built my current condenser. When I replaced the radiator I replaced the hoses and the thermostat, as the old thermostat would open too quickly, putting excessive pressure on the radiator side tanks. New one works perfectly. I briefly replaced the Silverado spec thermostat with a Corvette/Camaro SS thermostat seeking performance improvements. Cooling didn't noticeably change, fuel economy actually dropped slightly, and the interior temperature seemed to run higher with the settings on outside air intake (as opposed to recirculation). Returning to the Silverado thermostat restored proper operation. The dash and interior lights began to literally strobe at night, to the point it was very distracting. Remembering something I read on the Cadillac forums I frequent, I immediately suspected the Alternator. I replaced that and the belt drive components at 181k. Problem vanished. Battery was replaced at 131k initially, going from an ACDelco factory unit to an AutoCraft AGM unit. The ACDelco Battery was replaced because, after sitting in my truck for 15 minutes messing with the seat adjustment, he failed to start later that day. Prior to that, leaving the truck on with the engine off would trigger a BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE alert after only 10 minutes, whereas before he would go like a half hour or more While in Las Vegas in early July, at about 207k, I got a BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE message upon starting him after sitting for a couple hours. Pulling into a parking lot he stalled, but restarted immediately. I did read later that there was a TSB issued for the geographical area (SW US) that vapor lock is possible in hot temps (external temps were 110s), but that was enough to spook me. AutoCraft AGM battery was replaced at 209k with a Diehard AGM battery.

Several people have asked when I plan to replace Clyde, or how long I'll keep him. Unless he's damaged beyond physical repair, he's here to stay. I love my Silverado. 11/10, would definitely drive again!

Exterior plastics tend to show wear, especially from rocks. I am referring to the black air dam, aerospats in front of the rear wheels, and obviously the mud flaps. Wear improves when some goon learns patience and doesn't follow winter traffic too close. I prefer sand to salt for sure, this is just a side effect of that. Infotainment continues to work very well, and it adapted seamlessly to my Iphone 11 I got in March of 20. Prior to that it worked well with my Microsoft Lumia. I have kept up with map updates and they serve me very well. Additionally, the SiriusXM Travel Link is extremely helpful in aiding me to navigate around troublesome weather.

Exhaust: I had swapped various front pipes and tried entire new systems to eliminate the obnoxious howl above 4k on the Chevy Borla system, with no luck. For some reason I decided one last go with a Chevy Borla I sourced from Findlay Chevy in Las Vegas. For whatever reason that did the trick! New system and tips and it sounds like it should! Quiet at cruise and LOUD at WOT. VERY happy! It even has a nice bark at cold start. I surmise the old muffler has some internal issue causing the howl. Perhaps it's time to get out the old boroscope. Bodywork: No issues. There's be a few accidents, and half the battle is finding a competent shop. I've solved that problem, and I've been driving more cautiously, which have both paid dividends. No rust concerns in the wheel wells, inside the box, under the cab, inside the fenders, etc. There's surface rust on some of the bumper mounts and trailer hitch, as well as inside the left rocker panel, but those are being remedied with petroleum based undercoating. Paint is doing ok. Multiple rock chips are present, but they can be touched up easy enough. Glass is fairing well, no issues, and the current windshield is weathering well. Interior continues to wear well. Plastic panels don't respond well to abuse from service technicians, but they hold up very well in daily use, and even the occasional bump from a Fitbit, tool bag, or set of keys in the door panel pockets. Leather has some stress wrinkles from high traffic areas but no cracks, and the colors hold fast well. Cushioning and heating/cooling modules were replaced in the driver's seat for comfort concerns at 195k miles, but no other issues have arisen. Multiple interior panels have been replaced due to the aforementioned abuse.

Thanks man! Will do! Yeah build date is 9/19/15, I wonder. Yeah Z82 gets you the trans cooler, 7/4 pin connecter in the bumper, the 12k hitch, and other goodies. If you have the L86 odds are you have a pretty sick rig in terms of options, so I bet you might That is very impressive! I don't doubt it, it runs very well. They just give it some equally studly electronics!

Glad to hear it! The L86 is legendary! Glad you like yours too...it really is weird (but great) that it runs so well with no real fuel economy hit. Me too...no valve spring issues whatsoever. He's a LATE 15 build though, so I think I may have got a lot of updates that came down the line in 16.

Shifting would gradually deteriorate as the trans warmed up. I say above 170 because one night after replacing the wiring harnesses I sat and idled until the gauge read 171. Once I proceeded to go driving the symptoms had glaringly worsened. I have Z82 trailering provisions, so part of that is a transmission cooler that occupies a fairly large section of the AC condenser. GM thought it would be good to install a thermostat, if you will, that bypasses the cooler until 192, at which point it opens. Since I've modified it to constantly stay open, the trans consistently runs 120s- 140s in the summer, and 90s to 120s in the winter. The hottest I've seen to date is 185....in Las Vegas in early July, with temps of 110s outside. Thank you for the recommendations though! I appreciate it! Starting to consider shifting. I agree, the 8L90E is actually pretty good.

Wheels and tires are doing well. I've come to accept aluminum wheels show rock damage a little more due to the nature of aluminum. New RD4 wheels and Michelin Defender 275/55/20s went on at 140k miles. Same wheels are still on, and have weathered fairly well. I dinged one dropping my lug socket on it, but it's very minor and I'm sick of spending money on minor issues . The Michelins have worn well, with my first set getting 81k miles. The second set lasted from 140k to 207k, due primarily to my bad habit of running pressures a tad high. They grip well, handle snow very well, and stand up to lead foot use very well. Highly recommend. Frame had developed surface rust in spots, and I have been touching it up with spray cans of the frame wax used by GM. Works well, sticks very well, and the frame looks much better for it. I deleted the frame end caps in the wheel wells cause they liked to trap dirt. One area of concern is the crossmember that goes above the fuel tank. It trapped dirt between the tank and the crossmember, so make sure to clean it out periodically. I found the mess during suspension service. Suspension received a full overhaul at 206k. Rear suspension overhaul included new leaf springs, ubolts, spacers, shackles, and shocks. Shocks do not last 200k. Ride was a little stiff in the rear, but upon inspection they were thoroughly worn out. I am happy with how well the Ranchos did, so OEM Ranchos were installed, along with all OEM Chevy parts for all parts replaced. The front suspension received new UCAs, LCAs, Swaybar links, Swaybar bushings, and strut assemblies. The front Ranchos seemed to fare better, though they were overdue too. New OEM Chevy parts were used for all parts replaced, including new Rancho struts.

SO, at 181,524 miles, the valve body for the transmission was replaced, a drain and fill was performed, and a new valve body learn was performed at White's Chevy in Casper. The Chevy FSM says the new valve body has to be learned to the TCM for proper function. That was an adventure, as I do all my own work. Once I replaced all the related parts, I coasted back out of my driveway, and managed to coast downhill 75% of the way to the dealer, seeking to avoid causing any issues. The last 25% of the way was covered at 3 mph in 1st gear. The valve body resolved all shifting issues. Harsh 1-2 shift is gone, even on start up, all shifts are exceptional, up or down, manual mode works perfectly, and any lingering issues have vanished. Trans delete remains and Mobil LV HP blue label continues as the fluid of choice. I echo sentiments on this forum that GM's pursuit of fuel economy has created performance and longevity concerns. The L86 6.2L V8 is as reliable as the sunrise. No catch can, no aftermarket air box, no tunes, all stock, and just barely broken in. Performance has not changed, fuel economy is very much alive and well, and Blackstone Reports continue to shine. I can not recommend this engine enough, and strongly encourage anyone looking at a K2 to consider it. Oil changes continue at every 5k miles with Quaker State 0W-20 (not high mileage, as it's not Dexos, and I have enough to last through 300k) and the Purolator BOSS filter. Brakes were overhauled from the factory parts at 150k due to wear indicator noise. OEM Chevy parts were used, with the thinking that since the rear rotors needed replaced (excessive park brake wear from a sticky left cable), I would service the entire system with new parts. Park Brake system now functions perfectly, and the cause of the sticky cable (some idiot getting carried away with undercoating ) has been resolved. Fluid exchanges continue every 45k miles, and no issues are currently present. LR Bleeder screw was replaced due to same idiot rounding the bolt off.

In the spirit of my 100k update, I figured I'd add one for 200k My experience with the K2XX platform over the past couple years. Drivetrain: No axle seal leaks or bearing concerns. Radiator was replaced at 140k due to a weeping leak caused by an exuberant thermostat that opened too quickly. No issues since then. 4WD system operates very well and has no issues. Due to cost effectiveness, the rear differential fluid was changed to AMSOIL 75W90 at 193k. Fuel mileage improved noticeably (1 mpg/tank), and the gains seem to have held, so I will continue with it. The easy pack is so nice for fluid changes too. Transmission: The 8 Speed (M5U) gave me some trouble for the balance of this period. Nothing affecting operability of the vehicle, but the problems found were obnoxious. The issues started at 116k, in June of 19, when I towed a 96 Cadillac Sedan DeVille Concours from Newbury Park CA to Casper WY. Speed limit followed for most of the trip was 55 mph, with a boost to 65 mph from Rawlins WY to Casper WY. The symptoms that developed included a harsh 1-2 shift at all times, with deteriorating shift performance as time wore on. The 1-2 shift was the primary concern, with other shifts being relatively well behaved. Initially I attempted to remedy the situation with a drain and refill at 148k. No dice. A relearn was performed at 158k with no benefit. A drain and refill occurred again at 162k, again with no improvement in symptoms. A drain and fill occurred again at 173k, along with a new transmission temperature sensor harness (this includes the plugs for the solenoids). Shifting performance very briefly improved, but returned to baseline at 174k and deteriorated after another relearn at 175k. Shifting started to improve at 178k following the thermostat delete, where I reversed the internals of the trans cooler thermostat. However, the shifting would deteriorate at high temperatures (170 and up). At 180k the transmission wiring (trans temp sensor, speed sensor wiring, and jumper to the body harness) were all replaced, and another drain and fill were completed. Again, performance briefly improved, though a relearn shortly after the repair negated any progress on shift quality. After discussion with my parts guy Tim at the local Chevy dealer, we surmised the heat related nature of shift deterioration was electrically related, and the only part left to replace was the valve body, as the solenoids are integrated.

On May 19th, 2021, 5 years, 2 months, and 15 days after getting Clyde in Missoula, MT with 27 miles on the odometer, I hit this milestone.

195K and counting on the Silverado...6.2 still sans catch can, full AFM, and returning up to 20 MPG over 300-400 miles! Transmission got a new valve body due to suspected cooked solenoids....shifting indicates problem solved!

Bumpo!

If I had a newer truck I would take it off your hands If you do dumpster it I'll give you some coin for the Chevy Performance badge

Closed. Captain Junk Collector is learning that not everything has scrap value LOL

Bump....$30!

WOW. Shifts are massively improved. There's a tad of 1-2 crispness, but ALL shifts are exponentially better. After the initial startup there was NO firm shifts. Once up to temp they are a bit firmer, but I was driving up Casper Mountain, back down, and in a quite spirited manner, so I'm counting it as an absolute victory. Once massive improvement is that the lag has disappeared. Prior to service he would consider my imput of increased throttle for a few seconds, then bump down a gear in a firm fashion. The lag is gone and the shifts are noticeably smoother. He seems to run warmer, temps got right up to the 180s-190s and stayed there. Again, climbing the mountain and coming back down like I was late for my wedding probably contributed to that, but even then that's not the danger zone. I fully expect shifting performance to continue to improve as the new part settles in. These are initial impressions in the first 50 miles. Thank you so much for sharing this info. I feel like I have my truck back. The shifting was not interfering with function, but driveability was hampered to the point I was more worried about breaking something than enjoying my truck.

Filter is a good idea, though reusing a filter at all seems odd. New temp sensor is in. Already noticed, while warming up the truck to check trans fluid levels, the temp gauge is much more linear and consistent. Gradual and measured temp increases, whereas the old one would rise, drop a few degrees, come back up, stop, drop again, then continue to climb. VERY excited to see how he drives, cause I bet it will be very noticeable improvement!

THANK YOU! I don't yet have codes, but I do have the hard shifts and the erratic trans temp gauge behavior...My Cadillac behaved similarly when her trans harness went out. Headed to the dealer later today! Thank you again!

Bump

Bump

Do you have a part number for the new 2-piece wiring harness?

Thank you for the reminder on the PCV valve. I'm thinking after 168xxx miles Clyde has earned a new one out of prevention.

Bump

Bump