Thomcat

Just adding my 2 cents opinion on the aluminum 5.3l v4/8 and AFM oil consumption issues. Followed it closely on the Avalanche forum because I had those engines in my '11 Tahoe and '07, '12 and '13 Avys. The redesigned V4/8 AFM introduced in the '07 gen2 Avys and sister chassis had two major design defects causing oil consumption that would begin after 40K miles. The first involved a poorly placed PCV pickup that would suck oil from the valve cover.....it was redesigned in '09 with two different versions for the '07 & '08 and vehicles were retrofitted with the new covers based on oil consumption complaints. The second major defect was the location of the AFM oil discharge valve in the crankcase. The location of the discharged oil would overload the rings on the AFM cylinders (#1 cyl in particular) which were inactive in V4 operation, there being no pressure on the piston during the power stroke and its effect on the oil film on their cylinder wall of the "dead" cylinder. This was addressed with production beginning after 1/11 by the retrofitting of a shield over the AFM discharge valve that blocked the four horizontal discharge ports, directing all oil directly downward into the sump instead of being sprayed against the AFM cylinders. The oil consumption resulted because the excess oil would buildup and gum up the lower oil control rings which could not flex and properly remove oil from the cylinder walls which would burn up. Solutions under warranty included installation of the AFM valve baffle and chemical cleaning of the pistons, failing that, the next step was replacement of the piston set. My '07s unmodified engine had 40K+ and never needed oil between changes. BUT, I changed oil and filter every 3K so can't say if it would have with the recommended 9K change if I was to follow the engine killing Oil Life Meter. I assumed that the post 1/11 production and later engines with redesigned valve lifters for the AFM cylinders had adequately addressed the problem so I traded the '11 Tahoe and '07 Avy for '12 and '13s which came with all the AFM correcting mods. Never had an oil burning problem with them but again 3K changes and not over 40K miles. And I live in a mountain area where very few roads are flat and the engine operates in V8 most of the time. Also I used the Range device as a precaution to keep the the engine in V8 when on long trips out of State on flat roads because otherwise under those conditions it would run almost exclusively in V4. I have no doubt that had I followed that engine killing oil life meter and changed the oil when indicated at every 10% at 9K miles on a 6 qt. crankcase that dirty oil would have gummed up the rings on my '07. Hopefully GM has also changed the operating algorithm on the OLMs of Silverado/Sierra to compensate for prolonged V4 operation (the 25% oil increase in the crankcase should also help) for a more realistic oil change schedule to prevent piston problems on the new AFM engine's pistons.

I don't wonder, because it is not a cheap kludge like jamming a $1 diode to cause a one way short in the wiring harness and pray it doesn't screw something else up. Worth the extra $99 or so for piece of mind and designed protection for a $50K vehicle. Purchased their fog wiring harness for my Camaro......uses all GM OEM electrical connectors which plug in series with the existing lamp connectors. As I see how it operates, the harness contains the it's own fuse and relay(s) which switch using the power from the upstream headlamp side, isolating it from the downstream BCM side of the GM headlamp relay, and a separate fused power tap to fire the its relay(s) instead of increasing electrical draw on the existing GM circuitry. Simply plug harness connectors in-line with existing headlight/fog light connectors, looks like an extension of the OEM harness and not readily apparent to other than the installer........but works great and maintains existing OEM operation of the (off with) DRLs. Fogs go on automatically with low only, or low and high beams depending upon the version of harness. I bought their more complicated harness which contains 2 instead of 1 relay because in my State it is illegal to have fogs on with highs and an instant flunk for State inspection (can't do that with diodes!).

Not yet time for it's 6 month wash.

Slight blue transfer noted on both sided of the vertical bead. Wear can also occur by scrubbing the crap out of it to remove staining if you let it buildup.. . Most of the time I wore jeans, top and bottom, doing work with the truck and a monthly coat of Armour-All didn't hurt either to help you slide out. It's only painted leather, not tanned cowhide......Simple solution: my truck, my rules: Rule #1 Check rear pockets and remove any sharp objects before you seat. Rule #2 If you have studs your jeans or coats - you either take it off, sit on a blanket or you can walk. Rule #3 If you have dirty or abrasive clothing - see rule #2 My "cheap" Chevy grey leather on my '07 lasted 4 years and still looked great without a single wear spot (only slight blue staining) when traded.

No.....It's the result of cheap leather "paint" coating not immune to dye transfer combined with wearing jeans/clothes manufactured using dyes that are not color-fast. Learned my lesson with gold and grey leathers in Chryslers, grey in Hondas (the worst) , and grey in Chevys .....the perforated seats being the worse because the hole areas darkened more on the driver's than the less frequently used passenger seat. All of them transferred the colored dyes (especially blue) from jeans and other denim clothing....worse when new and/or wet! My jeans always had to go through a few wash cycles first and I always cleaned/ waxed the seats once a week (the cleaning rags used actually developed a blue tint), but even then it was a losing battle. Now I always buy black, the 3 year old black leather in my Avalanche looked new when traded and my Silverado, Traverse and Malibu all have black leather....even got black in the Camaro though it has cloth. The dye may still transfer from the denim but no one will see it.........may not look as good as my previous grey and gold two tone interiors and may heat up more in the Summer, but at least the black leather will continue to look black.

Two cents: This whole situation is analogous to a person who develops lung cancer......doctor's first question is always: "Do you or did you ever smoke cigarettes?" If you did.....case closed, you did this to yourself....that's the cause and excuse for the condition despite the fact that humans (like the vehicle's BCM) are subject to millions of operations, interactions and environmental extremes over it's lifetime, any one of which could have been the trigger for a partial or catastrophic failure. Whether someone's smoking really did trigger the cancer or someone's screwing around with their electrical system actually caused the eventual BCM failure is irrelevant. The dealer will use that same justification for any external screwing around with the electrical system: It was not necessary for the vehicle to operate as delivered........you did it for your own purposes and assumed the risk despite a specific worded disclaimer in the warranty.......So, it's likely you caused it yourself and you will pay the price. And there you are with no way to prove differently! As far as expecting coverage under the warranty......reminiscent of TV Baretta's catch phrase for advice: "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime".

Could be used as a reason to void all ECM networked electrical system and vehicle accessories containing solid state components. All electrical systems switching/monitoring are controlled by the ECM within its CPUs internal pathways smaller than a human hair and susceptible to external damage not visible on the external circuit board. A momentary short caused by touching the diode or a wire to the wrong exposed pin(s) even for a fraction of a second could cause such damage. All the GM electrical accessories I've installed in my vehicles Silverado sports bar, bed lights, Camaro fog lights, etc. have always included either a new or replacement wiring harness to add the accessory or function, never splicing into existing wiring or messing with exposed pins. Shouldn't affect mechanical components or drive train hardware. Unfortunately, other than the remote chance of finding a good a used ECM from the same model, year vehicle with the same accessories which should be plug and play any replacement part you purchase will require dealer reprogramming anyway. So, you might have to pay the devil his due and have the dealer replace and restore the warranty on future electrical work. Wouldn't drive it too long in it's present state because there may be other engine control circuits within the ECM's CPU that were weakened or compromised which could fail at any moment and leave you stranded.

Two cents comment: Change may have had no effect, or in conjunction with another unrelated failure controlled by the BCM may have caused a cascade effect and crapped out other controlled functions of the ECM. Luck of the draw on how it fails...diodes nearly always blow open but if it shorted out instead, and/or in conjunction with another mod may have a damaging effect. Or leaving it in while the dealer did other diagnostic testing could have caused the damage. Even if you buy a new ECM it still has to be programmed by the dealer; a used one from an identically optioned same year, same model vehicle may work without reprogramming. Why screw around, for less than $100 you can buy the plug and play custom wiring harness using GM connectors and never have to remove anything or play with it again?

'16 Z71LT Silverado standard bed build date 12/15 aluminum control arms (and hood)

x2 - Glad to hear it. My '16 factory fill read overfilled, about 1/4"-3/8" over the top of the hash mark on the stick since the day I bought it new. I measured level with the DIC's pitch and yaw angles at 0 with the engine warm. Changed oil at 1500 miles and pulled out 8.5 quarts including the oil drained from the filter. I always fill about a 1/2 quart shy and top off as necessary, but the 8 quarts added when measured the same way, same temp brought the level to a hair over the top of the hash mark on the dipstick. So not top off......it holds exactly 8 quarts including the filter. And no more worry about the dipstick being too long..

Not as simple as tapping into a wire. gen5diy.com makes a custom harness with integral relay(s) for aftermarket fog light installation. Worked fine on my Camaro. Have a version for the Sierra http://www.gen5diy.com/GMC/Sierra/P-P-Harnesses7/Foglamp-Harness8/ Versions for both on or off with high beams depending upon State inspection requirements

Sorry. Going by the compatibility charts which lists all the 1500s with 6'6" and 8' beds....perhaps there's a different bumper arrangement on, or a different version for, the short bed models.

A dealer on EBay. Lists GM OEM wheel flares for the '14-'15 which may exactly fit their bumpers. http://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-2015-Silverado-Front-Rear-Rugged-Fender-Flares-66-8-Beds-Black-OEM-/191711961900?hash=item2ca2ec632c:g:M8QAAOSwA4dWF8Bx&vxp=mtr gmpartsdirect.com lists it as a valid OEM component with a photo showing the fit with the chrome bumper FRONT AND REAR FENDER FLARES, BLACK, RUGGED Part Number : 19303290 $399.00 $335.16 Notes: THIS ACCESSORY IS APPLICABLE FOR YEARS: 2015; 6'6" STANDARD BOX AND 8' LONG BOX

That must be why they just list them for the '16s

Same pieces that are on the '16, fenders are the same and the type of cab doesn't matter so should fit......seems when Chevy site updates with a new accessory they fail to add it to the previous year still listed on the site even though it will fit. Instructions for the rear install call for drilling 1/4" holes in the fender lip and backing with a compression clip. Check behind the fender before drilling holes to see if there is enough clearance to insert the backing clip. Found that on one fender there was no clearance because the right side well liner was in the way so I drilled smaller holes for those three self tapping screws and it snugged up just fine.

There were no instructions with the sports bar. There is a sheet of paper advising to go to the dealer to have the instructions printed which I did and for the $900 (10% discount) they were happy to do so. Unfortunately I discarded after the install, but didn't follow them exactly anyway. Mechanically a simple install......cutout the stake holes in the front bed rail cap and remove side plug below and fastener attaches from side and top, rear fastens under the rail and insert fastener. The trickiest part is loosening the gas filler and snaking the power harness for the CMHSL in the bar (the one on the back of the cab is blocked by the bar, but the bed lights which point downward are not) through the exposed hole to feed to the frame below. I ignored the hookup instructions for powering the new LED CMHSL which involved pulling the fuse block off the bulkhead, removing the positive feed wire and substituting the new one into the harness to disable the original stop light and power the one in the bar. Much easier to buy an inexpensive a piggyback fuse tap which has space for the old fuse and a new fuse powering a positive lead.....left out the original fuse socket in the tap using only the new one which has the same effect of disabling the old CMHSL and powering the new one or could put in both fuses and both will work.

If you have the three plastic shields on the front and rear fenders it likely will fit the 14s and 15s. There is one plastic shield on the rear of the front fender which must be removed, the new front fender flare has a molded in exact replacement. The front of the rear fender has a splash guards which looks like a mini mud flap and the rear has a plastic stone guard.......the new rear flare has cutouts for both of these pieces which remain in place.....flare would not look good without these pieces, but if truck does not have both they could probably be bought separately to complete the install. They make a custom fit and match to existing molding----and cheaper than some of the generic aftermarkets.

Just installed a Lund Genesis rollup cover.....the sports bar does not interfere with the mount........only change wasa installation of and extra 3/8" foam insulation to take up the difference where the bracket overlaps the side rail cap.

Even if my '16 did, which it doesn't, I could care less about a rumble at that speed......didn't buy a pickup truck to go cruising at 80 mph.

Seems the 2016s use a different number leaf spring than the earlier 14/15s......could have been done to address the vibration issue.......no vibration issues in my '16. Youtube post on this

If that's what you're looking for then check out http://www.gen5diy.com/Chevrolet/Silverado/P-P-Harness13/Foglamp-Harness3/ Might want to give them a call. They make custom wiring harnesses for GM vehicles and they offer two harnesses one will automatically turn on the fogs with the parking lights, low and high beam but retain normal DRL operation .....and one that will automatically turn on the fogs with only the parking lights and low beams but retain normal DRL operation. My Camaro did not come with fog lamps and yearly inspection station indicated that fogs lit on high beam, whether or not with a defeat switch, was an automatic fail....further, disconnecting or removing the bulbs was not an option because all installed lights must function. Gen5diy sold both versions wither with factory fogs with the harness or the harness itself for existing fogs, the plug in harness connects to the existing harness(es) with no cutting or splicing using GM connectors and self contained relays. A simple plug and play install with no fooling around and no jamming external components into plugs or sockets, 100% reversible.......worth a few bucks, looks like a professional install and eliminates the possibility of screwing up something with a wrong connection or a shorted out external component. Using their harness my Camaro now has fogs that turn on automatically with the parking lights and low beam only, off on high beam without having to throw a switch and easily passed State inspection.

My 2 cents...... Under clear conditions it really doesn't matter if the fogs remain on or off with low and/or high beams and at most marginally provide a little extra lighting. But, those that have ever been caught in a dense fog, ice fog, rain deluge or snow blizzard can appreciate why they are wired this way and why they are mounted lower on the vehicle than the main driving lights. Under the previous conditions the particles in the air even driving solely under low beams will reflect light back to the driver and white-out the windshield....try it with high beams and the reflected light will be so bright it will blind the driver. Been there, done that, in a severe night mountain fog driving a '62 Nova without fog lights.....I had to crawl with parking lights only with the fiancee hanging out the window with a flashlight to spot the white curb line. Under similar conditions running only with low mounted fog lights (and parking lights) will not reflect back to the driver yet provide still provide vision of the forward and peripheral roadbed and identify location of the vehicle to an oncoming vehicle. Fog lights under routine used by most drivers, i.e., clear conditions, provide marginal extra lighting and further identification to ongoing traffic. Those because of elevation/climactic conditions who frequently encounter near zero visibility weather conditions and others that may encounter it only as a rare occurrence, once they encounter it, will understand why for safety reasons fogs are driver controlled by a separate switch and independent of routine headlight operation. In particular, to the point that they are automatically turned off when high beams are engaged. If you have the fogs wired directly to the headlamps and you encounter a heavy mountain fog at night, better have someone riding shotgun with a good flashlight. Not to add that fogs on with high beams is illegal in many states including WV,VA and an immediate fail for the yearly safety inspection.

Update came on the Samsung S7s today. No longer have to manually switch to MTP protocol for My Link Projection to recognize the phone. Android Auto recognizes the S7 is automatically recognized as soon as it is plugged in.

Posted on the Chevy website MSRP $350 but found a number of dealers willing to discount 10%....may not pay to go to a discount website because shipping costs may outstrip savings. Not shown for pre '16s......Only works if trucks have the plastic rock shields on the front fenders and plastic splash shields and rock shields on the rear fenders......fronts have a fastener that plugs into the body hole after removing the rock shield and the rears have cutouts to bayonet into the splash shield and cutbacks for the rock shield.

GM sport bar with aftermarket lights and GM fender flares