swathdiver

We had a new Ram for a rental for about a month. It rode like a buckboard, like it had 44,000 springs out back! Seats were hard too. Was glad to have my solid axle, 10 year old Sierra back afterwards, much more comfortable truck despite fewer gizmos. The rear suspension is like Dodge copied my Yukon XL but couldn't get it to ride right, even empty, my Yukon XL rides much smoother.

Have you taken it in for service yet?

You ought to have been given a rental.

VIN 7 in 2008 is for the LY7 3.6 motor like Jsdirt mentioned. During this time, the LC9 used VIN 3 until 2012 and of course this engine was used in the full-size pickups and wagons.

Worn hub(s)? Pads hanging up?

Crummy fuel cause that? Deposits that landed on top of the piston maybe? Or was it just not finished correctly while being machined?

Mine are all rear disc and the two Sierras have 6.2s, they came with the 14-bolt. One has 3.42 gears and the other came with 3.73s as its an NHT. It'll be nice to have all the drivetrains the same soon!

City driving kills our mileage. I'll drive a little further to run steadier speeds with less traffic/lights. Less wear on the truck and better mileage. We only get 9 mpg on E85 with 100% city driving, 13 mpg on 93 octane but our trucks are older and unmodified but do not have AFM/DFM or start stop.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions! In the midst of doing it with my Yukon XL which will include the larger 14-bolt axle.

Would you mind sharing your experiences with the 3.73s on those two trucks?

Just guys who've forgotten more than you'll ever know about cars. You should see the latest specs! LOL

Are you aware of the term, Regulated Voltage Control? Our alternators are controlled by the BCM, think of the charging system as a smart charger for an RC battery pack. If you disconnect the battery current sensor, the alternator will revert to a standard output which does not help battery life. What codes did the scan tool reveal?

GM MDI with GDS software on a laptop. Will service all vehicles. mentioned. Tech-2 for the 2012. Voltage charging high all of the sudden and all of the time is the sign of a wore out battery.

Haven't seen those in years.

I think the idle rpms are limited to keep us from damaging things. The way the truck drives may very well be the transmission. I'm commenting to bump this for you and see if anyone else has something to say about it.

The first and last are related to your fuel pump. The P0606 says that your fuel pump control module has failed. A replacement has to be programmed to your truck. It's above your spare tire. The P0521 is related to your oil pressure sensor. As long as the wiring is good, the usual culprit for this code is that your ECM has gone bad but it could be the sensor. I would replace the sensor first if you don't have the proper diagnostic tools and for me, I like to remove the intake and change the sensor. It takes a little longer but I don't have to do the job blindly and kill my back being a contortionist to get back there.

Still having problems since you posted this?

Funny you say that, I had a young man trying to replace his drum brakes on my driveway with O'Reilly parts and they were incomplete. The GM brakes include the parking brake lever attached to the shoe where the parts store's shoe, you had to remove and replace the rivet to swap the original over. Added quite a bit of time to the repair.

Mike, you discovered that your charging system was working perfectly and it was keeping that defective battery going for as long as it could. GMs standard for replacement is 64%, if the battery state of charge will not exceed 64% then it's time to go. I swore off Interstate Batteries decades ago, they just never seemed to last for us but others have had great success. I got 48 and 68 months out of ACDelco 30 month batteries and am now running their ones with a higher reserve capacity. If you have a good scan tool, you can see what the computer sees in the Body Control Module as regards to battery health, the state of charge, start up state of charge, temperature, voltages, etc. Good way to get ahead of a failing battery. There are times when we don't drive one of the trucks much and now we put it on a tender to keep it charged up and to de-sulfate the battery which reconditions it.

This is my daughter's NHT Sierra with 3.73s and the 6.2 motor. It's been running the lift and tires for ten years now without issue and can pull a house down still. She hauls hay with it sometimes and it effortlessly pulls trucks out of the mud when they're out playing in the woods or on the beach. The taller tires (35s) have reduced the axle ratio to being akin to 3.42s. Someday we'll regear it to 4.10s so the gearing will be more or less back to stock 3.73s with the 35s. We talk about going to 4.56s which would be akin to 4.10s but if she goes to 33 inch tires or removes the lift than that would be an additional expense.

The truck you chose was set up for highway cruising, not towing it seems. Then you made it worse with the lift and 35s. Regear for 3.73s and have it tuned to match and you won't miss that Ferd.

If you don't want to go between the fuel pump and ECM or fuse box in the engine bay, you'll have to look for something that the Body Control Module, BCM, under the dash controls. You'll of course need access to the wiring diagrams for your truck. For a few bucks you can get a temporary subscription to them at AllDataDIY and other places as well.

Hmm, well I did some poking around in my AllDataDIY subscription, the shop manual for my truck and came across to diagnostic resets that are done with the dealer level scan tool usually when suspension components are replaced on Z55 or Z95 equipped trucks. One is called ALC, Automatic Level Control Trimset Procedure and the other Bumpstop Setup. On our older trucks, we use Tech-2s and the guys on the TahoeYukon forum used them when they replaced parts of their Z55 suspension and were talking back and forth about the percentage that the dampner actuators moved while they were driving. Well, something to keep in mind once you eliminate the tires. My trucks all have dumb suspensions so I can't see any of that stuff. Keep us posted if you will.

Generally speaking the older the vehicle and the more miles are on it, the more work and money it will take to keep it in top form. Those kids I know with Rangers were always working on them because they were old, not very tough and they crashed them a lot because well, they were kids. Find a nice 2006-2007 and it should get you through high school and college or technical school. Parts are less expensive and more plentiful. I'd rather get hit by a drunk in a big car than a little car.

Ok, I get it, I don't think it's the tires or wheels then. Could it be an out of round hub or axle shaft? Maybe. More than likely is that the suspension needs to be re-calibrated. It's a Z95 Magneride right? I read a few times that the last generation would often need re-calibrating to stay in tune. This can only be done with the dealer level bi-directional scan tool or a Snap-On scanner. The jostling over bumps and train tracks, especially when you feel it up front in the steering wheel is how the alignment is set. I think you need more caster. https://autoquarterly.com/wheel-alignment-what-is-caster/ Reduced Sensitivity to Road Conditions It might seem like a bad thing to have to turn the steering wheel more to get the car to turn, but the truth is that it’s actually a lot more comfortable. Roads are not perfectly smooth. They have a lot of bumps and imperfections, and each imperfection knocks the wheel around. If the steering input was very sensitive, that would translate directly to your wrists and jerk the steering wheel around. Instead, with a positive caster, the steering system can absorb all those road imperfections without moving the car around. On a long stretch of highway, that means you don’t have to make constant corrections to stay on the road.