Jsdirt

Don't feel bad - they've stopped making quite a few parts for my 2007!

MA has a creative way of charging exactly the same as CA. You first dump a pile of cash at the insurance company, then head to the RMV (Registry of Motor Vehicles) with your insurance paperwork (RMV-1 I believe) - your plates are $60 for 2 years, you pay sales tax (5% on automobiles) based on what you paid for the vehicle (or vehicles KBB value if used - here is where they royally screw you), then $75 for a piece of paper that says you (or the bank) owns it ,. and on down the road you go. Somewhere between 3 months to 10 months later, you get a nice surprise in the mail in the form of an excise tax, based on 5% of the vehicle's value, similar to how CA & AZ do registrations. When my Silverado was new (10 years back), my first excise bill was $515. These days the Silverado is down to $70 or so. Cheaper-to-keep-her, just like marriage. You get one of these excise tax bills yearly, issued by the town, but they go down in cost as the vehicle depreciates. Thankfully they normally value the vehicle much lower than its actual value (at least in my town - YMMV!! Cities will RAPE your wallet clean ...). This is just one way this state extorts $$$ from you ... and there's over 4 MILLION vehicles on the road in MA ... yet, they always cry poverty ....... but I digress ... Carry on ...

I'm going on 3 years with the Range. Did nothing for oil consumption in my case - my issue is ring sealing, not AFM issues (yet ...). Would still buy it again though, just to hopefully delay the inevitable AFM lifter collapse.

I noticed the same on my Polaris Sportsman 800 years back - fine silt stuck to the inside of the intake tube. Not good!

I stopped using K&N several years ago, since I realized they sacrifice a little filtering for more airflow. I'll take a few HP decrease over increased engine wear. Filters are cheap ... engines, not so much!

HAHAHAHAA! That's friggin great!

She's a friggin beauty, Jeff!

I've seen alot of tire failures, but that one is a first for me!

That sucks! My first ever was on my flatbed trailer too. No spare, and no tools! Had to use the spare tire tools and jack from my Silverado's kit in the back seat area. Lug wrench was super loose on the lug nuts, but was able to get all 6 off of there. Had to lay in the shoulder with syringes, cigarette butts, and dirty diapers everywhere, and shoveled that dirty sand down my shirt with every crank of that shitty jack. Tire was still so hot after all that I could barely hold onto it to throw it in the back! I drove 350 miles back home with the rear axle hanging on the passenger side. 50 of those miles were with a Toyota Tacoma on the trailer. Delivered the truck and made it back home without getting an extra tax bill. After this adventure, I installed a pair of Viair compressors in the back of the Silverado. No more wasting time and fuel driving around looking at gas stations that have no air, or no access to it.

Yeah no question - lawyers will be the death of the world. I live under it - MA is run 100% by lawyers! Got to admit though, nothing wrong with mags and carbs - they just plain work. Wish they litigated this for automobiles - would certainly make my life a whole lot easier!!

Sorry to hear that, Ryan! Looks like you're on the good side of town there.

Funny ... lots of other things on Colorados break, too.

Automakers should get training from Boeing, Beechcraft, Cessna, etc. on how to manufacture RELIABLY in the 21st Century! Problem is, starting prices are half a Mil ... but most prop-driven units still use POINTS and CARBURETORS. Imagine that!

The joys of modern automobiles! At least it happened in the perfect place.

Looks good man - congrats! Maybe someday GM will figure out how to retain customers ...

I live vicariously through my buddy, lol .... He's picking up his '11 Camaro tomorrow from Jannetty Racing. More stuff done to it. Was already 700HP at the rear wheels ... who knows what it is now! This guy here has the exact same setup as him, except my buddy has the 6-speed and runs pump gas: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=438754 Should be a pretty nutty ride!

Definitely a great point. BUT ... given the history of my vehicle, it's cause for concern. Like I said, I'm running this turd until it grenades, so one way or the other doesn't much matter. My first 2 oil analysis' were showing high levels of aluminum and iron, suggesting piston, rings, and cylinder wear. That was backed up by excessive oil consumption, only when I let the engine pass 3,500 RPM on hills while towing. If I keep it under 4k, she'll go 6k on a quart. If I set the cruise control and let her downshift to 5k, she'll burn a quart in 300 miles. Definitely a piston ring issue there. I've had alot of vehicles over the years, mostly old, with alot of miles, and NOT ONE of them used oil like this. Only one car leaked close to that - my '83 Skylark. POS FWD 4-banger.

Devo! That was friggin' great! Been a while since I've heard that tune. I remember the first time I saw the video for that on MTV - back when they used to play MUSIC VIDEOS ... imagine that ... anyway, my ol' man walks in, watches them jamming with the flower pots on their heads, then he turns and walks away, shaking his head & muttering obscenities under his breath, HAHAHA! Good ol' days.

Good to know, Steve. Thanks 42 miles on the clock, brakes pulsated - right off the showroom floor. 6+ warranty trips to dealer never fixed it. 4x4 switch was frigged up also right out of the gate. Dealer kicked can down the road until out of warranty, and I ended up eating it. At around 2k miles, the interior began to squeak an rattle worse than any of my 20- 30 year old vehicles. Also around that same time, the driveline developed a "clunk" on light throttle 1-2 upshifts that has got progressively worse as the miles rack up. Lower ball joints failed at 38k. Around 50k my front differential started leaking out the axle seals. At 50k, engine started burning oil when pushed. (piston rings) Also at 50k, upper ball joints, BOTH hub bearings, and one strut failed. Currently, it failed emissions because for some unknown reason, the o2 & EVAP monitors refuse to run, no matter how much I drive it. Only 91k on the truck! I've driven cars that I bought with over 200k on the clock that were 20 years old that didn't have HALF these problems. What a f***ing waste of money!!!

Great info there - I appreciate it. The truck sits alot, so Signature Series probably isn't the best choice. Don't think there's any good choices for something that takes short trips and sits parked for weeks on end. As far as my truck goes, "we shall see" is all I can say. No matter what happens, I'll be running this truck until the thing just falls apart. Never buying another new one, and have no plans to buy another truck at the moment. When/if the engine lets go, I'll cross that bridge when the day comes. Hopefully it's 5 years from now, when it's exempt from emission testing. Will make my repair choices much easier & cheaper. I'll keep fixing this turd until there's nothing left to fix.

It's not you - the whole experience of spending $30-LARGE and getting SHIT in return has me pretty pissed off. I have read post after post from professional technicians from all over the country fixing broken valve springs, pitted cams, prematurely worn out cam bearings, stuck closed AFM lifters, broken valves, and the list goes on. Guess you'll just have to take my word for it. When my engine finally grenades (which will be years down the road, since I drive my well-built '86 Grand Marquis and '93 Volvo 940 when I'm not hauling, and leave the junk in the garage) you can bet I'll have detailed pictures and possibly video of the whole process. GM HAD a great motor, then decided to cheap out on it starting in 2007. You don't see ANY of these types of valve train failures on '06 and prior. They happen, but are extremely rare. '07 up, they are pretty much guaranteed for the most part at anywhere from 91k in my case, up to 160k in other cases. Majority of the ones I saw posted were 110k-130k. Not what I would consider "high mileage". My Grand Marquis has 246, xxx miles - original engine, original tranny, original rear end, and original fuel pump. Those days are long gone unfortunately.

You're going to have to join iATN and read the HUNDREDS of posts on this topic. Just a quick Google search, "5.3 valve spring failure" or "5.3 cam bearing failure" will provide you with plenty of reading. I appreciate you telling me my truck is just fine from across the net, without ever seeing, or hearing, or experiencing anything I have described or linked. You're one special human. Oh, almost forgot .... care to explain my high levels of iron and copper in my oil samples running Amsoil Signature Series 10w-30? Did someone throw a pipe and an old penny in my engine?

Trust me - there is. It's a known issue in repair circles, maybe not the general public. The 5.3 in particular has shitty valve springs, AFM lifters, and oiling system. The failures are common and well known by any garage. I've been watching my cold start-up oil pressure decline (albeit slowly) over the past couple of years, so that backs up my oil analysis findings. I'm running 10w-30, and on a 40° morning, the needle is now under 40 psi. Used to run way up around 60 or more. I've owned the truck since new, so I know exactly where that gauge is supposed to be, hot or cold. Read this - keep in mind, this was 2009 when the issues were just starting to reveal themselves. This is just one post of hundreds across the net. Not hard to find: http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/96854-nbs-53-engine-failure/

Yeah, I figured it was something VERY light.