Grumpy Bear

Arrived Monday but it will be a week or two before I can get the swap on the schedule. Updated chart in above post.

I'm going to bet the gas motor will be plenty durable. This isn't a motor that was converted from a lower service but a clean sheet design with this kind of cylinder pressure in mind from the get go. Anyone remember the Olds diesel? Dedicated blocks made killer gas blower motors. Just saying, it has all the right bits and pieces to succeed.

In M5 and once between 48 and 53 place in cruise and select tow mode then select M6. Tow will hold the transmission in 5th but the AFM is reactivated. Weird and not many will likely use it but in hilly country on secondary roads I find it useful. The range may vary a bit with final drive ratio. Mine is 3.23 FYI.

2014 different yes. In 2015 they were all the same so yes caution. Your thread...your lead. I'll step back.

My first Jet had the gasket held by three rubber nibs and blew of the body first time I ran over 70 mph. Once off it got pinched between the body and the housing holding the thermostat open always. Never would warm up. I think it's water pressure that blows the early ones off. The remainder have been glued on. Transmission thermostats, their use and cooler layout has changed several times and there are also different packages. For example 2014 the tank cooler was optioned along with a series installed air to liquid after cooler on the tow package. In 2015 the tank mounted cooler become standard and heavy cooling was the addition of the series air to liquid unit. They way I'm running mine would be iffy if the second cooler were in play. IN those cases I would installed the after market thermostat between the tank cooler and the air cooler and remove or modify the transmission mounted unit. You have to think it trough after seeing what it is you have. There isn't a one size fits it all solution. 160 F is my target trans temperature but anything +/- 20 F of that is all good in my world. My oil temperatures I want under 210 F on the worst day possible with 180-200 F my day in day out range.

There is a Snap Ring on the upper end of the thermostats body. Removing it allows you to remove the plug, spring and control element. Note the order and orientation. Turn the element (pill) end for end and reassemble. Note: The plug has two windows. Assure one of these windows aligns with the port that inserts into the transmission. The factory set point is 192 F. A snap ring plier is very handy but needle nose will also work. The spring put pressure on the plug so a bench vise is handy along with a socket to depress the plug until the clip in inserted. Unlike aftermarket thermostats that bleed about 10% of the fluid through the filter always the factory unit does not so the entire case has to reach operating temperature before it opens. Once open if the windows are not aligned the flow will be restricted somewhat and the running temperatures will be a bit higher. You can also remove the spring and element entirely. Bore, ream and plug the passage the pill rest upon and discard the spring and element for more flow. There are YouTube videos on both procedures. A third option would be to Dremel two or three reliefs with a burr in the body seat the pill rest in to allow it to bleed some fluid always. Thing is while it will respond quicker it still maintains the 192 F set point. Oddly allowing transmission fluid to run through the cooler actually heats the fluid faster until the fluid reaches the water temperature. The heat balance temperature is well below the thermostat trigger temperature thus my low running temperatures. In the dead of winter here in upper Illinois it would take 100 miles on the highway to get that thing up to heat (192F). Now in the winter it gets to 132 F in about 10 miles which is above the TCM's 100 F trigger for normal shift pressures. I have found a 145 F thermostat that I might try for winter.

I have been doing similar testing posted in my build thread using modified stock and the Jet 170 & 180 F. I have done nothing with fan settings, yet. In fact I've been playing with this for two summers posting as I go. Have a way to go. While we have some 7% grades within a reasonable distance nothing that goes on for the distance of your testing. But even under these milder conditions I was appalled at the oil and transmission temperatures on hot days (days over 85 F) on even level roads. My first Jet Performance did have gasket issues. The remainder, after a talk with customer service, fixed that. Jet was very willing to resolve any and all issues at their expense. I've been very happy with the product and currently use the 170 F. Not one code thrown. In addition I did a transmission thermostat modification with some amazing results. Even crawling in rush hour traffic I never see it above 175F and on the open road 140/150 F is common. Before the radiator and transmission thermostat work 200 F was low and 235 F was common. Oil temperatures have fallen from 230/250 F to low 190's F. Water temperature has never exceeded 175 F. At oil temperatures this low I have no issue running 0W20 in a motor that calls for 5W30 as at the operating temperature of the bulk oil (190F) holds the W20's viscosity actually higher than that of the W30 when 50 F+ warmer (240 F). And no, running this cold does not collect excessive moisture in motor nor fail to 'boil off fuel' contamination. However, short hopping like a bunny would do it no good...even with the stock 207F units. I also run Redline in the entire power train. 0W20, D6 and 75/90.

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Thanks. If I didn't know better I would swear I was looking into the box of my own truck. These two tops look identical except mine is not that tight. Know what the replacement will be now.

Milestone mileage!

I have the Lund soft roll up on mine but the Access Lorado looks smoother and more taut. How much and what style of bridge work is under it? Photo? Thanks.

Bemis Body Shop. De Kalb, Illinois did a nice job and as usual went beyond the contract. When the paint was removed there were indeed several flaws in the prep work that caused the blisters. The shop also disassembled the inside panels for a look behind the sheet to assure the zinc was in tact and nothing sneaking up from within. This was totally a GM flaw. A replay of my 1976 experience with Ford except this time I caught it soon enough. Rust through in six months and not covered on that one. This time to many miles for corrosion and not enough damage for rust through. This is why I find warranties worthless.

285 characters. 5.1 letters on average per word in the English language then add a trailing space. 15 to 20 words per sentence, they say, and some punctuation will make it by my figures using 18 words per sentence and 2 punctuation marks per a document length of about 47 words. The length of the above paragraph is what I’m told is the attention span of today’s reader. Less than 4.5 lines in Word with 16 point type per post or the reader gets all blurry eyed and drifts off into unconsciousness. Bored? Disinterested? Lazy? Rude? Ops, used up two post of material. That’s one paradigm, and the another would be…….

Ben and I are done playing phone tag. New 600# King springs are ordered. This should lower the spindle to fender 1" adding nearly 2" of rebound provide more road imperfection compliance. The conversation was well worth having. Phone is always better than emails or PM's for getting nuts and bolts sorted. Again, this is not an aesthetic modification but a ride compliance motivated exchange. It was noted during the last tire rotation how little the wheels dropped when lifted by the frame and measurements showed the droop, while in spec, was indeed at the upper end to the preferred range. I mentioned in another post that I've never struck the bump stops and the upper ball joints are under no distress however having spent this type of money to get what I want I will ferret out the remaining devils cut from this set up and find the perfection I seek. Fact is 500# springs are what the math indicates but we agreed that even 600# under the influence of a leverage ratio of about 2:1 is a HUGE step from the factory installed 750# springs. Elephants are best eaten a little at a time. Ben confided that this has been a fun project for his team as Filthy Motorsports bread and butter is, as you know, off road racing and while they do street occasionally it's often that they get the chance to sort one out like this. I guess most buyers are one and done. Whey they arrive Deegan's will swap springs. Reset the front rear leaf bushings and upgrade the grease. Install a ride height correction shim to the left rear leaf and realign to my specs. I'll have about 100 miles to evaluate the set up if I wish to take advantage of Ben's spring exchange program. If all good I have about 20K on this set of tires to assure the alignment is still giving the wear patterns I like before giving her some new shoes. Updates as they happen.

Filthy Motorsports. I mentioned something is in the works and the something is a spring swap up front. King builds these OEM replacements with the intention of adding a front lift level which they calculate at about 2" lift. They are build around GM's most popular truck, the CC V8 pretty well optioned. That truck isn't my truck. That truck is nearly a thousand pounds heavier than Pepper which means....it's over sprung. This isn't just a ride quality issue, it's also stance and geometry related. 5/8", that's how far the spring compresses between off her wheels and on the ground. Very near the top of 4+ inches of shock travel and yet it has never topped out or hit the bump stops. Amazing valve work. I have two choices on spring and that process is in the works now. More later. Removed the winter grill cover. 300 mile jaunt yesterday to Peoria and back to Hoerr Racing. Oil run. This makes the 7th tank and again mid 28 mpg numbers. Return so far on a fresh tank above 29.5 with half a tank used. On the 12th tank since the thermostat delete. Over 4,000 miles and average is running 2 mpg above life time average. There are other factors beside the thermostat. Two of these a seasonal. 1.) Spring Fuel change. 2.) Warmer weather brought her well off her winter lows and back to life time numbers 3.) Switch from Hydrocracked Group III to a 'real' synthetic, a blend of POA and Esters. 4.) Thermostat delete, quicker warm up, lower running temperatures. Stability. 5.) Tires under 7/32" Redline Oil. Been running 5W20 in a motor built for 5W30 based on 'actual' operating temperatures from the cold Jet Performance thermostat. I've experienced zero adverse affects and now over the 62K marker where the horror stories say the bottom falls out and oil usage becomes unbearable I'll be trading down to 0W20 at the next service. Running viscosity at full heat temperatures goes unchanged but during that critical warm up period the 'average' viscosity will be lower.

62,000 miles and nothing but a pinion seal. I am proactive however. As my only truck I have nothing to compare it with but I can't see letting her go until it pukes or rots off her wheels. Who knows, maybe I'll make the 300K club.

Meriam Webster, Oxford, Wikipedia, take your pick of English dictionaries and look up Bully. Wiki makes it simple breaking it down to its three elemental required units under the subheading of DEFINITION: (1) hostile intent (2) imbalance of power (3) repetition over a period of time. Etymology: "harasser of the weak". WHAT A BULLY IS: When the kids in school found out that a fight at school gets you a beating at home they came two to five at a time, two or three times a week...for ten years. I love summer vacations. Sometimes guys and girls two grades behind took their shots in packs. There wasn’t a beating taken that was worse than the ones at home. Temperament of a starving female Grizzly with twin cubs welding a three foot length of rubberized canvas covered steel woven flat machinery belting. Sort of like a razor strap with a braid of steel in it. A real rib breaking, flesh flailing device meant to teach you not to strike anyone…ever…for any reason…an so it was... WHAT A BULLY IS NOT: A person who says, “I DISAGREE”; explains that disagreement pointing out error or proving it invalid in its entirety and supplying the correct answer or perhaps just additional information to a half correct thought. And yet that is what some that have never met a real bully believe one to be. A person that says “I DISAGREE”. Really????? Put your big boy pants on. Learn to use a dictionary. It doesn’t hurt as bad to be wrong as a couple of broken ribs. I have to close now as it has come to my attention that today’s audiences will not tolerate anything longer than 285 characters. That’s one paradigm, and the another would be…….

This is fascinating! Likely best thread on the site. Individuals placing real value in their time, money and trucks.

Testing limits on a Saturday drive in Wisconsin. We had some errands to run in Rockford (Illinois) today and a fresh tank of gas leaving the house 20 miles earlier. I took the opportunity to test this transmission cooling strategy driving the width of Rockford down East River Drive which is under construction and one busy road. Rockford’s street Engineer must be of the opinion that if he stops you often enough and long enough maybe you will either stay, tax revenue, or stop and buy something. Worst light timing in the lower 48 and the roads are trash. Table set I’ll get to it. Nearly an hour of 84 F stop and go city traffic with the air on and two things jumped right out and bit me. The transmission never rose about 175 F and at the end of the hour Pepper was still above 23 mpg for the cross town jaunt. Water temperature was running about 5 F over thermostat set, thus fully open, but the fans never came on. I never lowered their set points after the thermostat swap. Fact is, I’ve never seen or heard the fans in this truck activate except to test the switch in the shop. As the trans cooler is in the cold side tank and the fans never turned on in stopped traffic for up to five minutes means the radiator cooling was net zero. Radiant cooling only on the pump. Told you this was one big efficient radiator. Once on the open road, US 20 it cooled right down to 150 F. In the hill country of western Wisconsin it leveled out at 160 F. Routes 39, 78, 151, 80 and US 20 at the western edge of Wisconsin marked the turning point for the day. Until then it was hills and a west wind of 20/25 mph. US 20 east home saw the mileage run over 30 mpg the entire return leaving the 323 mile round trip using 11.5 gallons and netting 28.1 mpg for the day and bringing a running 2000 mile distance to 28.5 mpg. This brings the 24 point running average above the lifetime average erasing the entire winters drag on the life time average. Running posted limits except on US 151. 55 mph on that stretch of posted 65 mph four lane. I make note as well that about 20 minutes into the return run the wind which had be in our face all day dropped to under five mph. I had been counting on a tail wind to bring it home but looks like I didn’t need it. I love this truck.

Since 2001 all cars sold in the USA are E15 friendly.

http://www.cosmolinedirect.com/cosmoline-black-rust-veto-344/ This is my go to.

Transmission Thermostat Update Had a three day span of 84/89 F weather with lots of wind, 20/25 mph, gust to 35 mph and low humidity. Direction certainly makes a difference not just in load but in cooling. About 10 F warmer going with the wind that against. 164 F with the wind and 156 against it. 50 mph for most of these exercise as I am always mindful of the part wind plays with mileage. Trip length 100 miles. Distance to peak heat 25 miles. Motor ran 190/192 F and the radiator still has it's blind installed. 27 mpg. Temp did rise to 174 F at one point when stopped idling for about 5 minutes. This is well below the fan trigger temperatures. None of these temperatures is alarming but I can see where towing and faster speeds could make it a problem depending on your personal threshold temperature trigger you feel becomes an issue. The six cylinder certainly has a generous radiator that has been crippled by some fairly high thermostat regulation temperatures. Shift quality and timing is about as good as one could hope for. I will continue to monitor this over the summer season. So far this is a winner. Warms her up in the winter. Cools her down in the summer. There are two parts of the GM logic that baffles me a bit and that is the use of a thermostat with zero leakage. Most after market units bleed about 10% of the fluid through the cooler at all times. It's hard to trip a thermostat that isn't seeing traffic until the transmission body/thermostat body reaches the trigger point. The other is the highly restrictive nature of the valve itself. Even fully open is passes a fraction of the fluid to the cooler. That boys and girls is a head scratcher. Both of these issues are solvable with a Dremel tool and some thought. Last 5 tanks totaled 1726 miles / 60.27 gallons = 28.64 mpg. Pretty much 55 mph now.

Again that you for this information!!