papageoff

+1 on the bilsteins being stiff. All the research I've done says eibachs are more comforatable but "meh" off-road. I have e-rated tires and the 5100s set on the highest setting. It's VERY stiff in normal driving. I'm planning to drop to XL tires and maybe go to Eibachs as well if the tires don't smooth it enough for me.

In other news, they never called today. I've left 2 messages.

Exactly. Thanks for the reassurance.

Last Thursday I took my truck to the local dealer for a diagnostic (a flat $200) because it won't go into 4WD. I told them the behaviors I observed: The transfer case was shifting because I could engage 4LO and feel the torque I couldn't tell if the front axle was engaging The codes I had pulled pointed to the front axle not engaging They told me it'd take 24-48 hours to diagnose and I was irritated because no one mentioned that and I needed my truck back by Tuesday (tomorrow as I write this). He said he'd try. On Thursday afternoon, he called and said they took it on a test drive and "found" some info and they wanted to pass along an update. He then basically told me the things I told them and said they'd have to put it on a lift to go any further. He'd try to get me on one first thing in the morning (Friday) and call me. After radio silence all day, I called them at 4:45p on Friday not expecting much and they said they were just about to put it on a lift and would call me back. He called me about 5:15 to say that they think the front actuator is faulty and needs to be replaced. He couldn't tell me any more until they got more time on the lift on Saturday. After yet another day of no communication, I called about an hour before closing and he said the actuator was failed and they want to replace it. They couldn't tell me how much or how long until the parts department opened on Monday. He'd get that set up and call me first thing Monday. Monday, I get a call at about 1:30p to tell me "We think the actuator has failed. We should replace that and see if that fixes it. If not, we'll have to pull the differential and tear it apart." The actuator was in Charlotte and since I missed his first call, they couldn't get it until Weds. That would bring the bill to $755. I was pissed.... They've had the truck for days and they still can't tell me anything more concrete than I told them when I dropped it off (It's probably the actuator). I asked if they did any diagnostic tests to confirm the actuator was the fault and he said there weren't any notes to that effect. Nothing to say they if they verified the power and ground to the actuator... Nothing to say they verified the signal is sent to the actuator correctly... Nothing to indicate if they bothered to check if it was even plugged in. So, to make sure I wasn't crazy I asked if he was suggesting I throw $800 of parts and labor at it and hope that fixes it and if not then I can spend another 3k to have them tear into the diff and he said "Yeah". I asked exactly what was the point of the diagnosis because this wasn't acceptable. I'm paying them for a diagnosis, not a second-opinion of the hunch I gave them 4 days ago. I could have thrown parts at it with the information I had --and almost did. I expected more professional work from the "The people that know my chevy the best" than this and they need to figure out if the $800 actuator is going to fix it or not. He said that he'd talk to the tech and get back with me. That was 2:30 and it's now after 6, so I assume I'll have to chase him down tomorrow. My questions are... Am I being unreasonable? Is this what I should have expected? Should just pick it up? They'll probably be happy never to see me again, but I hate to leave it like that. I wasn't trying to burn a bridge... Just to get an actual answer to, "What's actually broken?"

I just had the transmission rebuilt at a reputable local shop a few months ago, but haven't driven the truck very much since. Wednesday, I tried to put it into 4auto and it took forever and eventually said Service4WD in the DIC. I pulled the codes and found the following: U0403-71 - Invalid Data Received From Transfer Case C0379-58 - Front axle actuator related I think The t-case is definitely shifting. I hear it and if I go to 4Lo, the torque is there. So, my plan is to drop the splash shield and have someone feel if that front axle actuator is moving when I put it into 4wd. If not, then I'll start investigating why... Any other suggestions?

I installed the mishimoto cooler kit today. It went in without issue. The hoses were about an inch too long so I had to trim them to keep them from pinching off. I let it idle in the driveway until it got to about 153F. I took a 12.5 mile test drive in 72F weather with light traffic (2 lights) and it came down to 124F by the time I got home. The low point was 122F about a mile from home. Overall the kit is good, but as expected it won't do much without movement. It seems the fans are too far back to create a meaningful flow. Either way, I'm happy. I'm scheduling a trip with the camper in the next month or so and we'll really see what it can do then.

I have a '15 1/2T and put bilstein 5100s on full-lift about 20k miles ago. I have e-rated tires and helper springs on the rear. I love the height it sits at and the helper springs are necessary for my camper. I'm wondering if there's something that could give me a similar ride-height, but have a softer ride. It's really harsh right now and I'm getting kind of tired of it. I'm considering going back to d-rated tires with the next set, but they're only half worn right now. Is there a smaller (3" or less) lift that I could replace the bilsteins (or even better, reuse them on a standard height) that would ride more like it did before I modified it? I don't want crazy height or big tires.

Just to close the loop here... I got the truck back from the transmission shop yesterday. They did their "Heavy Duty" rebuild with a billet converter and shift kit. So far it drives about like it did before, which is what he said to expect. It does feel better when you come around a corner and lay into the throttle than it used to. It just goes like it's already in gear, but that might just have been the behavior during relearn. I've only driven it about 20 miles. It got up to about 156F on the drive home with some traffic and the temp was right at 70 the whole time. I'm planning to add the mishimoto cooler this weekend. I have it waiting in the garage. He said I can tow with it immediately and change the fluid at 50k. I'm working on planning a camping trip somewhere within 30-40 miles or so in the near future just to test everything out. Anyway, I'm happy so far though I'm not thrilled it cost just under 6k. Ouch... But if it'll keep going and not throw another lifter onto the fire in the next few years, maybe I'll move on to something bigger.

Will do. Thanks.

The dealer's price was high and a little vague so, I called around on yesterday and got some quotes from local shops (not chains). It basically worked out that Shop-A was going to source a transmission from "whoknowswhere" as the $4500 option with a 1y/30k warranty and a vague "upgraded" unit for $5500 with a 3y/100k warranty. He said it had a billet converter, but that was all he knew. I didn't like that he couldn't really tell me anything about it. I didn't have warm and fuzzies from that call. Shop-B and Shop-C were going to source the transmission remaned from GM and install it for the standard option and also offered "heavy duty" options. Shop-C's a local shop run by a guy related to my dad's old boss and has been around for 20+ years. He offered a Jasper transmission with a billet converter at "7200-ish" and was also a little vague on the pricing. That's a little higher than I was hoping. Shop-C does nothing but domestic transmission rebuilds in-house and offered me a billet converter and shift kit as his heavy duty option for $5500 3y/100k. My neighbor is a heavy-duty diesel mech and vouched for the guy's shop. Warranty was on par with the rest. I'm pretty much leaning towards Shop-C at this point. I like that he's going to use a billet converter and a shift kit as part of the heavy-duty rebuild. I've thought this thing shifted too slow and mushy since I bought it. He said to bring it by next Tuesday, so I guess I'll sport'n the MIL's Sienna for a couple weeks. I already have the thermostat delete kit and I'm planning to add a mishimoto cooler kit or maybe get a cheaper one and fab up mounts and just bypass the nearly useless factory cooler altogether. Sunday I was out looking at things and noticed that I'm way down on coolant too. The coolant in the tank, the underside of the oil cap, the oil itself, and the exhaust pipe all look normal. I'm assuming I have a leak at the radiator or somewhere else that I can't readily see. I've caught faint whiffs of it for a while, but never seen evidence and figured I was imagining it. ...Good times

I called this morning and the closest dealer quoted me $200 for the diagnostic and between $5000-7000 for the reman. They said they wouldn't comp the diagnostic if I moved forward. I found that surprising, but it's a sign of the times, I guess. That comes with 3y/100k parts & labor warranty like you said... Which seems like a very generous warranty, but I guess it should for that kind of money. He also said it would be there at least 2 weeks --emphasis on the "at least". This is the same dealer that took over a month to do my AFM replacement under warranty. I'll be shocked if it's less than 3 weeks. I got him to transfer me to the service dept to find out what the transmission itself would cost. The service guy said the transmission is in stock and would be about 4500+tax+2k core. It would have the same warranty for parts only which makes sense since they wouldn't be doing the work. I've never done anything this big, but I'm capable and willing. I'd rather pay the dealer, but I also want to put a better cooler and maybe an upgraded torque converter. This dealer won't even put tires on the truck that aren't what it was sold with. I looked at Monster Transmission, but the reviews of them in recent years are terrible. It looks like the owner sold to private equity and they're running the standard playbook of running it into the ground. I'm gonna call some local shops on Monday and see if I can find one that'll do the reman with better parts for similar money.

Climbing a bridge at about 20 mph in traffic and it suddenly felt like I drove over an oil patch or marbles. RPM was all over the place and truck was grabbing and letting go... Well, I got off the bridge and there was clutch material on the dipstick. I limped it home and now I have the forbidden glitter. I guess I took too long to do the thermostat bypass and amsoil, I guess. At 139k miles, her time had come. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out my next move. I'm not really in a position to buy a new truck right now. I do have a camper that I pull and work the truck pretty hard then, but otherwise it's just my daily. I figure I've got 4 options (see poll above). The truck is pretty healthy otherwise, I think. It's had one lifter failure repaired under the powertrain warranty at about 98k, but it's been pretty good since. I'd ditch it for a heavy duty if I could, but that's just not in the cards right now. What do you think?

I have about 130k. It's been done a couple times before. At least once that I remember for sure, but I think a second too. Thanks for your offer, but I already changed it with amsoil before I made this post. I did use the fluid you called out. I'm no stranger to amsoil. I use it in everything except the engine in all of my vehicles. I've always been a mobil 1 guy for that.

I don't know how I missed that it's going through the condenser all this time, but I honestly never knew that. That's wild. It makes sense. I always knew the engine coolant would warm it up when it's cold, but I just assumed the engine coolant was the only "cooler" for the transmission. There's always something to learn. So originally I was considering bypassing the radiator with an aftermarket cooler. But then I saw that kit with all the lines pre-bent and was intrigued. That was also before I knew about the condenser being in play. Your thought about the newer GM part is a good one too, but I'd have to change the lines to use it I think. Unless the innards fit in the thermostat block I already have. I suppose I could just make new line altogether too, but I don't really have the tools for that on hand. I'll consider that. I have a few weeks before my next tow. I'll stew on it. I'm not sure I wanna spend $500 on a cooler and end up needing a thermostat again.

I have a '15 1500 and when I tow my camper (~7k lbs) I'm seeing the transmission hover around 190F and go as high as 205F. This is after I did a complete flush with fresh Amsoil fluid and installed the thermostat bypass. The bypass works great when I'm not towing. The temps have dropped between 20-30 degrees in normal driving. But the radiator can't keep the fluid any cooler when I've got the added load of towing. I'm not looking for it to be 100F all the time, I'd just like to get those towing temps down a little more. I don't have the towing package. So there's no stock cooler other than the radiator tank and was considering this kit https://www.mishimoto.com/chevrolet-silverado-2014-1500-v8-transmission-cooler.html. I'm just worried that now that I've taken out the thermostat, when I go up north for Christmas, I'll run into problems. Any thoughts?