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Right. Now I remember. They are also a little shorter than the lower TTY bolts, right?

I'm not sure how well re-torquing TTY bolts will work out. Its worth a shot I guess.

You might want to bypass the heater core before you pressurize the system. They have flow restrictors and other things to protect them, because they are very fragile. Some people become suicidal when they realize that the heater has failed.....

Wait to see if it happens again.

If you are making those types of conversions, you may need to replace the proportioning valve as well.

All (most) transmission shops will tell you that you need a new transmission no matter what. I needed a new transmission in a car once, and I took it to AAMCO transmission shop. The "mechanic" rode shotgun around the block, and said YEP - the transmission is shot and needs to be replaced. So I replaced the transmission myself with a brand new one. I took the car back to the same AAMCO transmission shop. The "mechanic" rode shotgun around the block, and said YEP - the transmission is shot and needs to be replaced. AAMCO. A.A.M.C.O All Automatics Must Come Out Anyway, here is a place that will replace the transmission with a rebuilt unit, and install it for free. For $2K. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=2012+gmc+sierra+transmission+rebuilt&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_sop=15

Cant the dealership just swap the hood out for you? They have what.... millions? of those hoods in the same color as yours sitting on a shelf.

You could conceal the blemish. Magnetic hood lights, a bra, a magnetic hood ornament.

I know some people that replace all of their batteries every year no matter what. Seems like a bad idea to me, but to each their own. I have seen batteries fail in 3 years, and others sometimes last 10+ years. I would just buy a battery load tester for $20, and check your battery every other oil change.

You could replace the lifters, and re-used the old VLOOM, and then just disable the DFM with programming or with an OBD2 plug in, but I highly doubt that the dealership would go along with this plan.

My suggestion is that you give up and use a coolant sealer. I have used this stuff plenty of times, and it has always worked. Its not going to damage anything, and if it works - it only cost you $12. Yes, Yes, I know - Band-aids and snake oil are not good- I know. I agree that normally you want to try to fix it properly if possible, but come on - how many times do you want to pull the heads? I had a lady come to me saying that the shop wanted to charge charge her $3,500 to fix her head gasket. She did not have any money. I bought her a bottle of this stuff out of my own pocket and put it in her car. That was 4 years ago and she never overheats and never has to add coolant. I agree that additives are not always ideal - but they do work in many situations. Just pour this in, and call it a day. If it doesn't work, fine take the engine apart again - but you have nothing to loose by trying this stuff.

Scan for pending OBD2 codes. Auto parts store can do this for free.

Ya - Dodge tried to get in on that "different tire size" thing. It worked out about as well as their transmission reliability.

I would an engine flush and then change the oil weight to the heaviest allowed in the owners manual. Probably 10w40 (depending on ambient temps). The engine flush costs $10 at the parts store, and can be added to the oil just before the oil change.

Uhh... Un-fix the loose ground.

Congratulations on your new truck.

197,000 miles is not that bad. I have (3) 5.3 motors. One has 285K, one has 241, and the other has 270k miles. They all run great, no oil burning, not noises. What do you mean its knocking? Lifter? Rod? Broken motor mount? Cracked exhaust manifold?

For the routing of the old cooling lines, keep in mind that you can rout them how ever you want. For example: When you replace the rusted out metal brake lines that run from the master cylinder to all 4 wheels, there is a way to make the job much faster. You leave the old lines in place. Just leave all the rusted lines on the vehicle, and use them as an approximate guide on where to run the new lines. Sometimes you deviate from the path and go over the frame rather than under. So with the oil cooler lines, you can run the hoses where ever you want. The more rubber hose you have, them more options you have. You can have them twist around your driver seat headrest if you want, so that you have a "hat warmer".

Pulling the valve cover and then starting the engine will tell you of an AFM lifter has collapsed.

If you have the ability to take those on and off, then you have the ability to fix them. Total cost: Between $20 and $35. Total time to replace the rubber sections: 15 minutes. Just don't use a hacksaw, you really need the pipe cutter. You could even skip flaring the ends if you had to - by using sand paper on the sections of pipe, to keep the hoses from slipping off. You would need to measure the outside diameter of your metal pipes before ordering the hose. Here is what you would need: https://www.amazon.com/Edward-Tools-Harden-Mini-Cutter/dp/B08WJTN9LY/ref=sr_1_21?crid=2NNIX7PQKDKC8&keywords=pipe+cutter&qid=1642215817&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sprefix=pipe+cutte%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-21 https://www.amazon.com/Expander-Expanding-Universal-Refrigeration-Swaging/dp/B077RT3D79/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 https://www.amazon.com/Mishimoto-Black-MMHOSE-CC12-4-Universal-Catch/dp/B07NPH92J5/ref=sr_1_6?crid=19IV3XPQ16HZT&keywords=oil+hose+universal&qid=1642215963&sprefix=oil+hose+universal%2Caps%2C274&sr=8-6

Auto is not much more than a convenience. You dont really need it. Work around: Don't use auto. Just drive it in 2 or 4 wheel drive.

I'm sure you will get plenty of replies on your post. I would wait until the engine is 100% cold. Then I would start it and then spay starting fluid directly onto the suspected vacuum leak areas. If it revs, then you found the leak. You could also clean the MAF with a can of cleaner from the parts store. Maybe clean the throttle body plate with a can of TB cleaner and a couple rags or toothbrush. I would install the stock intake regardless of any problems. Getting the exact codes would help. Any auto parts store will read the codes for you, for free.

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