dna9656

Heads on Chevys used to leak oil from where the valve cover and the head met, engine oil would collect there and eventually soak any gasket you could install; you have to tighten the valve cover gasket exactly to spec (nobody looked this up) for it not to leak. This is why (since 1986 I believe) the valve covers were held in place by bolts in the center of the cover thus eliminating crush points under the bolts that were on the edge of the head that caused the leak between the cover bolts. I do not know when Chevy went to the style I have on my 06 5.3 but the seal (a very fancy kind of O ring doesn't leak as it's no where near the oil. If the oil isn't leaking from the removable cover I think you must have a crack right under the cover's home. I think you could get that welded up if you can get it oil free. I've never seen or heard of an leak oil from the head gasket area, it's always been coolant.

Thanks you I'm glad and hope it helps! Yes I think so, you can see the needle bearing looking across the lifter from an opposite side; I saw a gap in there and I doubt they were made that way. The Mellings lifters I bought CAN"T loose a needle bearing because they are made more like a sealed bearing. NOTE: I did not find any needle bearings when changing the oil but that doesn't mean I failed to notice it (them) nor were any in the oil pan that I had removed. Maybe they are made that way (with gaps between the needles) but I doubt it. The gap would rotate with the action of the lifter and when the gap reached TDC or BDC it would certainly have ticked according to my theory. But, what do I know....

I agree with Evan above, but it could also be in the circuit connecting the sensor to the gauge, or a bad ground Check your grounds in that circuit, make sure they are clean and tight. Replacing a stepper motor is pretty easy, you pull the instrument panel, turn it over there may or may not be a rear cover (I have an 06 Avalanche but I don't remember) anyway the stepper motors are about the size of a US Half Dollar coin you can get them on Amazon or E bay they are soldered in I believe; If you don't know how to solder on a circuit board you might ask your friends for some help This procedure is most likely on the forum here or other forums if I'm wrong on how to do this. My instrument cluster had many issues, no lighting, stepper motors didn't work; I replaced the stepper motors and LEDs but I ended up buying a used one off the internet, I was trying to get the Escalade EXT panel because it had a transmission (lower left corner) temp gauge but my source didn't have one on hand at the time. Good Luck!

The upper radiator hose will get hot when it opens so if you can monitor both the temperature of the hose and the temp gauge you'll get a good idea of what's going on. You could also tape a thermometer to the upper hose and watch it as the engine warms up. If your temp gauge isn't working it could be the temp sensor or the wiring that connect the sensor and the gauge together.

I'm going to assume you have checked the head light control and dash dimmer switches already. How do you know you have checked ALL grounds? There many, many grounds on a modern vehicle, GM publishes a location guide as part of the service manual, some forums offer free downloads of factory service manuals but seldom a full set. Get some electronic spray cleaner (de-tox is one) and check all the connectors in the problem circuits; pull them apart and look at the terminals, check for corrosion, especially if the plugs are under the carpet and you live in a place the carpet is wet much of the time. This happened to me in Alaska, snow from my boots would melt and the water would soak into the carpet. The water traveled under the seat and soaked a connector for the rear outside lights, I got the seat out lifted the carpet and there was a flat wide connector; I pulled it apart and it was full of green corrosion. I cleaned it and pushed Di-electric grease into the little holes where the connections are made. I also removed the carpet, pressure washed it and hung it out to dry in the almost 24 hour sunshine Alaska has during summer. I also bought floor mats that wouldn't allow water to get on the carpet. I don't know if a relay could be involved but I'd get a good schematic and find out, this sounds like it could be a relay that's tired or has an intermittent connection. Would like to read about how you fixed it! Good luck and good hunting! Dna

Don't wash your car in direct sunlight or when the body is hot from being in the sun. Never wax your car in the sun or when hot from the sun either. Dry the body with a Chami (that's how it's pronounced, prolly not the right spelling) cloth, really a piece of synthetic leather that really sucks up the water. Wax it when it's cool and dry. Barkeeper's fiend can remove water spots on the glass.

I am not all that familiar with your year of Avi but I'm going to share my saga with you. I developed the ticking lifter noise. I bought my truck with 86k miles on it. I'm thinking the ticking started at 1450k. In my research I learned that the needles in the rockers make there way out of the lifters and appear in the drained oil during oil changes. My theory was that when the area where the lack of needles caused a gap there was a tick, so I replaced the suspected rockers, still had the noise. I also read the "O" ring on the oil pick up tube shrank with age and allowed the oil pump to cavitate and caused a ticking lifter sound. the book says to drop the front axle (4 X 4), oil pan, timing chain cover. remove the oil pick up tube and replace the "O" ring that seals the tube to the oil pump. Guys that say they are experts on the 5.3s say you can do this job without pulling the timing chain cover I donno, maybe. I replaced the pick up tube, and the oil pump (Melling units and I selected the High Volume pump) along with the "O" ring. I also found an additional clamp for the pick up tube. The pick up tube is held in place much like a distributor is on a small/big block or in line 6, A "U" shaped collar and bolt, the oil pump is drilled and tapped to accommodate another collar and bolt (available on amazon) so I installed it with thread locker. The book says to replace (no explanation on this) the timing cover. Since I was in there I replaced the timing chain and gear with a Melling double roller unit, I cleaned everything I could get at (Wal Mart spray brake cleaner is cheap and works as well as the $5.00 a can stuff) The tick is gone, my truck runs like a top, I get 20 avg. MPG when on the highway at 55 to 60 mph. My indicated oil pressure on a cold engine at idle is 55PSI and 45 at 60 mph. My compression measured 190 to 200 PSI; not bad for an engine with 180k miles. Recently I replaced the ignition coil on the No. 8 cylinder, I got one off the neighbor's parts truck but have a new one on hand, I should buy a set (cheaper than buying 1 at a time) from PartsGeek.com or Amazon.

Most front axles on 4 X 4s are conventional, meaning they are don't have some form of positraction.You need to know for sure what you have before you can trouble shoot. Now I have no idea if GM offers a posi front end on these axles, they are essentially units for front wheel drive cars (at the 1/2 ton level anyway) because it was cheaper for the auto companies to have one type of front end axle VS. 2Also you could use the McPherson strut, rack and pinion front steering and suspension also (prolly) cheaper than the old way. Also the transfer case became what it is now, we don't have to turn knobs on the wheels to engage the axles to the center section any more. I agree with CAM above.

I agree with Sharps, but I think you have more than one bad ground. I would check the connections of the fuel tank float circuit from tank to gauge, and while you have the tank down and the tank is hopefully closer to empty rather than full change the float/pump assembly. That's where the fuel filter is as well (usually these days) and it prolly could use a new one, it certainly wouldn't hurt anything but your wallet. Try Amazon, Rock Auto, or Parts Geek. The PCM may have poor connections/bad ground(s) and also if you have a computer controlled transmission you could be suffering from poor connections/bad grounds) there as well. Good Luck!

Well, since you have replaced just about everything... Does your truck have a hydro-boost? My 06 Avalanche does. I used to a ASE certified brake qual. but it didn't cover hydro-boost so I'm making an educated guess here ok? I appears the brakes are being applied by some force that's not your foot. The hydro-boost is a a hydraulic power brake vs. a conventional car/light truck power brake that use engine vacuum to provide 14.7 lbs. + of assist. so I think you have a hydro-boost issue. You mentioned salt "up" where you live. Usually salt is along the ocean or on the roads in East and many Mid-West states in the US. So I am unsure of your general location; I grew up in that part of the US but never heard of corrosion directly linked to brake issues unless the car has sat for a long time. I would also suggest you check all brake control electrical connections in the brake system for faulty grounds.. Also, do a internet search for GMs brake system trouble shooting charts and see what you can learn there. I'm thinking after you've gone through all this you will be the forum's go to guy for brake issues.

Sounds like something is backwards. Usually the dim setting is for night and the bright for day, I'd check that out.

Check the right side end of the dash, there might be some fuses there. Can you get a spec on the allowable parasitic load? The radio presets, the computer, maybe other computer(s) maybe the transmission controller if it has one. Get a GM reference for the location of all the grounds and ensure all grounds are clean and tight. Could be a always hot line is shorted someplace....

Take your VIN down to the local GM dealer, ask the parts department to look up the shocks for your vehicle's VIN. Take those GM p/ns down to a PROFESSIONAL parts store besides the one you went to (they should have told you this) and have them cross the numbers or cross them your self on Amazon or your favorite shock maker's web site.

When electrical gets weird it's almost always a bad ground. There are pages in the Factory service manual that show where the grounds are. Check around the different forums and you'll prolly find the data.

Left as in driver's door.

Get a 3" inspection (telescoping) mirror, Tape it to a flashlight and extend the mirror out beyond the end of the flashlight a little. Now get that setup in the door and manipulate the mirror and yourself so you can look around inside the door. Make sure there is no glass in the bottom of the door. When a door glass it's really hard to get it all out. There's are 3 rods in the door all held in place by clips/keepers One for the outside door handle, one for the inside door handle and one for the lock inside the door. It could be one of these clips have become work and the rod is flopping around in the clip/keeper. You can find new clips/keepers at rock auto, Amazon etc.

First thing is dual pipes down stream of one pipe is a waste, the laws of Physics say that flow will never be better than that which is allowed by the smallest passage the gas/liquid flows through; so save your money and forget the dual pipe down stream of one pipe; that's just "marketing". Try getting the GM part numbers for your exhaust and see what they convert over to at the major exhaust pipe MFRs. I'm not a fan of loud exhaust on my truck but I am a fan of low restriction, you can do that with hi flow cats, (maybe resonators?) and a huge muffler(s). On headers, if the exhaust outlet on the head is as big as the inlet on the exhaust manifold headers won't improve flow, but headers are tuned, they scavenge spent gasses out of the engine, and that helps efficiency.

I have a 2006 Z71 Avalanche. As the title says the radio etc. does not shut off when I open either left door, the right doors turn the radio etc. off like is supposed to happen. Is there a relay for each side or is there a wiring problem on the left side only? If so where would i start please?

You can get a key fob based on the year your truck was built. See Amazon.com or auto parts dealers, stay away from the chevy dealer as he will sock it to you price wise. You can marry it to your truck using a procedure that's in the owner's manual or you can find it on youtube I am sure.

You are going to have to get the panel off with the door closed. I have done this on Chryslers and GMs. It's a bit , you should prolly remove the seat bottom and possibly the seat back for more room. What happened was you didn't finish connecting all the rods inside the door. There is the lock rod from inside the door, a rod from the inside door handle and a rod from the outside door handle. After you get the panel off get a GOOD light in the door and an inspection mirror, about 2 to 3 inches in diameter and be prepared to go to war. It's tough to connect the door latch end of the rods. I missed the part where you had an Non OEM handle. I have run into that too.

If you can get a diagram (not a schematic) showing the ground location would be doing it like GM did it. Getting that ground to and common ground may not work or work correctly. I don't know if GM uses isolated or dedicated grounds on anything but the radio speakers. Look around there should be a screw or other indication like a unused connector with a wire pulled out of it.

Vis vi your idle problem: None of that stuff is your problem. Timing chain gear technology hasn't changed is a long, long time. The gear I removed was all steel, no nylon on it, back in the day you might get either. The nylon wore out about 60 to 70k miles. I got a '06 flex fuel motor. The "O" ring on the oil pickup tube allowed for cavitation. There's TSB out on it. You have to remove the timing chain cover to fix it so I changed the timing gear and chain, that crappy idle went away. I also dropped the oil pan because I wanted to change the pick up tube. I suppose it can be cleaned out with solvent and a tube brush. Also there is a clamp (just like the clamp on a small block distributor) that holds the end of the pick up tube to the oil pump (that is crank shaft driven) You can get another clamp to match the opposite side to upgrade the clamping action. So while you're changing the timing chain and gear change out the oil pump for a Melling High VOLUME oil pump, with the wear you got with that kind of mileage I'm sure you would like to move more oil at a slightly higher pressure, I have 55 PSI at cold idle and 40 -45 at free way speeds. You'll get 2 sprockets ( as usual) with the chain, the book will tell you to get a new bolt to hold the harmonic balancer in, I don't know why. If you don't have a balancer puller there is a nice grey (black?) and red one with a case on Amazon for about $26.00. The book will also tell you to replace the t chain cover; again I don't know why. Go slow, follow the Hemmings book (or what ever you use) exactly and you'll be ok. I bought all my parts on Amazon. I think you get a oil pan gasket with the timing chain kit as they want you to drop the oil pan as part of the job. Bwe sure to check what parts are included in the parts you order.

When dealing with exhaust systems all ways soak the nuts and bold with WD 40, or other penetrate. It's not all ways a cure all but it's a help and maybe you won't strip anything. BTW I worked in US Navy Maintenance and they taught us that nuts are a little harder than the bolts/studs they are used on so if there is a stripping issue you can see it on the bolt/stud. Take that for what's it's worth... Doug

Years ago I went to GM's dealer training classes, 4 wheel & all wheel drive class was 1 of those classes. I'm sorry to say they did not cover trouble shooting so much as how it works, they pretty much referred us to the diagnostic charts for trouble shooting. It seems to me you've hit the proverbial nail on the head. When ever a seal goes bad you can figure the bearing behind it is toast too; it could be the reason the bearing went bad, too much slop in the bearing caused the seal to go outta round, thus leak. I'd get into the case before you run out and buy another, it could be it's just the output bearing but that's not how things usually go. Buying a T case off a wreck could give you the same problem (or worse) you have now. As Like to tell people looking at a high cost for a auto repair: You can do a lot of maintenance (if you're doing the labor of not) for what a car payment is; esp. these days. Monstertransmissions.com lists a new NP149 for $1,295.00. Over haul kits are available from them for $84.00 and the master kit for $194.00 but neither comes with the chain, they will be happy to sell you a chain for another $144.00. I suggest you shop around; I saw kits on Amazon.com. Apparently chains don't typically come with the overhaul/rebuild kits. On Amazon they have new case halves with bearings installed. I punched in "NP 149" and came up with parts for it and forum articles you might be interested in reading. Looking at the auto parts dealers i sure as heck wouldn't be going to them, Monstertransmission.com looks like a screaming deal in comparison. Would love to read of your success! Good Luck! Doug https://automotix.net/usedautoparts/2006-chevrolet-avalanche_1500-transfer_case-inventory.html

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