Number21

I have a '00 Silverado 5.3L. Last season, the A/C worked fantastic. This year...nothing. I assumed it was out of refrigerant, but, my gauges say it is still full. For some reason the compressor keeps cycling on and off - roughly 1 second on and 10 seconds off, over and over. The coolant lines under the hood get slightly warm and slightly cold, but nowhere near where they should be. Anybody know why it would cycle on and off like this? I know how to charge it, but I haven't got the slightest idea what to check here...

What is then, the point of a discussion board? What could a person possibly ask about a Silverado that hasn't already been covered in some way before on the internet? Why are you here then? Jesus ****ing christ. I never asked if anybody thinks I should keep the LM7 and I don't care if that's your opinion...and you're free to use whatever kind of engine you like for any reason or no reason. That's what's great about Chevy, it's like Legos.

This is part of the issue. It annoys me that it is relatively simple but also relatively expensive. I absolutely cannot use a craigslist mechanic, too many scammers and unqualified people. I literally had to sue a shop that worked on my old truck for several thousand dollars after they broke it more. I do have a local shop that I trust, but, they charge pretty standard rates. (They do however warranty their work and have an amazing reputation)

I have thought about the 6.0, although for some reason I just like the 5.3L. A little forced air and it might as well be a big block. Don't really have a good reason, it might happen. I'd actually really love a stroked 5.3L, I like an undersquare bore, but probably never gonna happen. Really wish they had an OEM 3.780 bore with a longer stroke!

The big thing here is what price I can get an engine for, and of course we all know ebay varies. I might find a good L33 for cheap and take it. But there are far more low mileage newer engines available, often for the same price or less. Or maybe I'll get lucky locally. It will cost more to install, that's just something I have to balance. Cam and AFM delete would definitely cost more, but I want a new cam in any engine, I'd probably have that done to the LM7 if I replaced the head gasket too. I want the truck to run, but I'm not in a massive hurry, it is not my only vehicle, and actually the "K-Seal" head gasket sealer I used has basically stopped the leak in the last 300 miles, but who knows how long that will last.

This is SUCH an ignorant reply for so many reasons! First, we're talking about roughly $2000 in engine and $2000 in labor. That is not big money. Not even close. Secondly, you completely ignore the fact that the reason I am not doing this myself is because I am disabled, so **** you. The cost spent on replacing the head gasket in the truck is essentially wasted, thrown away, never recovered...because it never should have happened, and it causes no improvements. Additionally, it is very possible they could take the head off and find a much bigger problem than just a gasket. I could spend slightly more and get far, far better results and upgraded parts. The cost of the engine does not count, I would have bought one anyway, we're only talking about the cost of labor. What can I say, I'm not poor and I make no apologies for that. Just because I asked a question on an internet forum does not mean I'm taking anybody's answer to the bank. And no, there is not a chance in hell I will let a shop "sell" me anything. We're talking about a cheap junkyard LS not a Ferrari. No, I would not ever be caught dead in a "race shop", nor would I even know where to find such a thing. Let's be honest - it's relatively easy and cheap to install a gen ANYTHING LS into a Ford Mustang. If they can make it work I'm sure it's far easier to do the same in a Silverado.

What is it you think I "want" to do? Long term my goal for this truck is big HP, but that could be 10 years from now. Or next thursday. I change my mind a lot. I was of course not planning on major engine surgery right now, but since I do want to throw some more money at it in the future I might as well get the right "foundation" now. The L33 to me seems like a better engine in many ways, if I can find one for a reasonable price under 100k. Unfortunately it is getting harder to get the older engines with low miles... Why can't I use a Gen 4? What modifications would be required other than the computer and the cam? I've also been thinking about using a stand alone computer anyway. Not a "necessary" thing to have again but neither are leather seats. The thing about newer engines is they are amazingly cheap often with very low miles. I want an untouched factory GM engine because as long as it runs right, and the miles aren't too high, I can probably trust it. If I did this I would probably replace most of the gaskets (not the heads) and cam/timing chain/oil pump, however, this kind of work is much different than doing head gaskets in the vehicle or pulling the engine. I have a muscular problem that makes it very difficult to work on things that are not sitting nicely on a bench in front of me. I can't crouch under the hood and definitely cannot lay under the truck. Since I have to pay a mechanic, it's going to become a very expensive game of "lets do that too while you're in there" if I fix the original engine, whereas I could do most of that myself on a stand. Before it popped I already wanted to get a second engine to have and build on a stand to be swapped in later on. Yes, I know they can easily last 300,000+ miles, but I'd still rather have an engine with a lot less than that. The old LM7 isn't getting scrapped or traded for a core, and I'll probably end up replacing the head gasket myself, in the future. I already have 2 of these trucks, probably will end up with another. Always nice to have a spare engine laying around. I also have an old Jeep project that might like an LS too. I've spent too long playing with turbo diesel trucks, where it cost $2000 to fix something just about every time I fart. That makes LS engines feel almost free in comparison!

I did use some head gasket sealer and it does seem to have helped, but who knows how long that will work. I want it fixed properly so I can trust it. Especially since I would like to do a bit of turbo in the future. I know it's not terribly hard to take off the head(s) but I'm going to have to let a mechanic do the work, I'm too busy right now and don't have a place to do it. As far as I can guess it's going to be a similar labor cost to either fix the head gasket, or just swap the engine. (excluding the cost of the engine itself) But if I fix it, I still have a high mile engine, and it may have a warped head or something. If I can get a low mile newer engine for around $2,000 I would be really happy. Definitely saving the old LM7 for future re-use. I really would like an aluminum block, it's just a basic 2WD truck so it is incredibly light weight, it handles surprisingly good for an old cheap truck!

I have a '00 1500 with the 5.3. Stupid thing blew a head gasket at about 180k. I'm either going to pay a mechanic to fix it or just replace the engine entirely. There are sooo many different 5.3 derivatives now. I'd like to find a lower mileage ebay pull, just a plain OEM engine. What is the most bang for my buck that will be easily compatible with my truck? I'd really love an aluminum block. Would an L83 be a good choice? Is there any reason that would not more or less bolt into my truck? Is there a better option? I know I have to delete AFM on the newer ones and will probably replace the cam anyway. I don't want to have to do a ton more than that though. In the future, I'd like to lightly turbo it - and if the 4L60 goes I want to replace it with an 80. For now though I just want to get it running.

I have a 2000 Silverado. I recently just barely touched the heater hose and the stupid quick disconnect fitting at the core broke in half. (WHY would you possibly need a "quick connect" here?!) A couple problems - I am in the middle of moving in a very rural area. I have access to almost no tools at the moment. I cannot drive my truck. I ordered a set of new "extra difficult connects", and Amazon was nice enough to overnight them. They didn't bother to send the removal too even though I paid for overnight shipping, it's not supposed to be here until monday! I need to drive before Monday. How can I remove the broken off quick connect without the proper tool? Any thoughts? Thinking about taking a sawzall to it, but don't want to damage the heater core. How can I get the stupid thing off without damaging the heater core? Edit: I don't have anything I can use to loop the heater hose around the core either.

I recently bought a 2000 Silverado and have been making some updates to this 21 year old truck. I replaced every single bulb with an LED, makes for an amazing difference! I bought new headlight lenses to replace my old dirty cracked ones from Amazon. Even though they were $100, the light pattern was appalling and after just 2 weeks there is already water in my lenses. I'm going to be sending these lenses back, but now I'm confused what to buy. I don't necessarily want OEM - I like the white/crystal look with colored LEDs for signals. My biggest issue is that I know the OEM light adjustment brackets make it difficult to install certain LED bulbs because of the way they stick out farther than a normal bulb. The only nice thing about my replacement lenses is the bracket is different and allows for more space behind the bulb to install larger LEDs. This is what I need to be able to use the LEDs I already purchased. So, with that in mind, can anybody recommend some good simple OEM like or totally clear lenses? When I look on Amazon for these there are just SO MANY choices, it's hard to tell what is garbage and what isn't. Maybe a particular brand that is really good?

I recently bought a 2000 Silverado 1500. The heat/AC is stuck in middle vent option, no defrost. Other than this it seems to work fine, and I've read about the actuator that probably needs to be replaced. Before I do that, is there any chance the problem could be within the HVAC switch panel instead of the actuator, and if so, how can I check? Additionally I'm not sure how the button for recirculate/exhaust on the blower is supposed to work. When I press it, the LED blinks and nothing happens, regardless of any other settings. Is something broken here or is it just telling me I don't have that option with the bad actuator?? Or is there another actuator for this part? Am I "allowed" to chose recirculate or vent in any mode or is that only for A/C like it is in some other cars? (It doesn't seem to work with A/C either) This is my first GMT800...