Jet-X

I had a similar intermittent noise problem for 8+ years. I attributed the noise to piston slap. Turned out to be a broken exhaust manifold bolt. Check to see if you have any broken bolts. Driver's side rear is the most common.

Getting ready to purchase new plugs (double platinum, ACD 41-962). I noticed a number of deals on ebay that seem to be to good to be true. A set of 8 plugs for around $24-30. I recall years ago GM issued a bulletin to be aware of fake ACD parts, specifically spark plugs. Is there a way to physically tell the difference between a genuine and a fake? I though it had to do with either the metal color or the stamped markings. I can't remember. Can anyone recommend a known good source to purchase from? Thanks

Thanks for the input guy's. I had know idea they would last that long.

Closing in on 90K miles and wondering if I should be pro-active and replace these parts before they fail? I recall in the past, most people would change them out at ~80K miles.

Here's the link to one of many articles on the subject. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/76-speciality-forums/80-suspension-steering-2001-2010/316107-steering-clunk-fix-priceless.html

Before you replace the lower bearing, try the clamp method. My steering column knocked for more than 10 years. Replaced 3 intermediate shafts and no change. After wasting hours replacing the column bearing to the green one the problem persisted. Found an article on this site that people were using a 2" hose clamp or muffler clamp installed around the column, just above the bearing. Noise was gone. All for $1.30 and 5 minutes time.

I'm replacing my water pump this weekend. This video was really helpful. I have a fan clutch and replacing that as well. https://www.1aauto.com/how-to-install-replace-water-pump-2000-03-v8-5.3l-chevy-suburban-1500-lm7-ls/video/11657

Thanks everyone for the inputs. The pump arrived and I didn't care for the quality of those stock metal gaskets. I picked up the AC Delco parts as you suggested carnau. I agree, the prep is the key for a long lasting seal. The instructions specify no sealant. I'm used to adding a skim coat to most gaskets just for piece of mind, but this time I'll install them dry and see how it goes.

My 2002 has started to leak on the passenger side water pump gasket. So, I decided to replace the water pump with a new AC Delco #252845. This unit comes with new silicon lined gaskets. I don't know if these are still from the original design or not. I also noticed that AC Delco has made a change to the gasket sealing surface on their standalone gaskets #251663, hopefully more robust to improve the seal. The question I have is which gasket is preferred? I've attached a side by side comparison. I don't want to do this job more than once. Lastly, should the gaskets be installed dry, or should the mating surfaces be skim coated with RTV? Thanks

Turn signal flasher/relay? See your owners manual for the location. It's usually under the dash near the e-brake.

That's what I figured. Thanks

Other than disconnecting the battery and cleaning the carbon out in the throttle body cavity, is there anything special I need to do (re-learn procedure?) after I replace the part? I've read a lot of different process variations on what to do as a re-learn, but nothing conclusive other than just replace the part and drive it. Is it plug n play? Thanks

The recirculation door actuator in my '02 Silverado PU failed a while ago with the typical banging noise. I disconnected the power cable because the noise drives me nuts. Right now it's stuck in the outside air mode. Is it possible to close the door manually via the actuator, so that it stays in recirculation mode? Due to the mounting location, you can barely get a hand it there. I was hoping to use a socket extension and just rotate the spindle closed, but I don't know if it will work. Anyone tried this?

I recently pulled a 2500 lb trailer over the grapevine from the north to the south side, which is more difficult to me. I had a fully loaded pick-up too. It wasn't that bad. I was able to keep up with traffic flow. I too have 3.42 gearing.

I have an '02 2WD Silverado w/82K miles, which has been remarkably trouble free most of its life. Yesterday morning I went to start it and it would not idle. It just died. It did this a few times. It didn't seem like it was cranking slower than normal. When I opened the door to get in, I noticed it wasn't fully closed. I decided to drive it (using the accelerator & brake to maintain idle) to see if perhaps the battery had drained overnight and try to recharge it. I drove about 10 miles and made a stop for coffee. When I restarted it, the idle had returned to normal. I drove it the remainder of the day and all was well. This morning it started and idled fine. I'm trying to determine if the cause was in fact a semi-discharged battery or if something else is beginning to fail, such as the idle air control valve, TPS, crank position sensor, etc. I did not observe any faults displayed. Would a discharged battery cause the ECM to function erratically and affect the idle or should I be looking elsewhere? The throttle body and MAF were cleaned about 6 months ago, if that matters. Thanks