Newbie Says Hey

miclri · December 24, 2002

Hey. I'm new to this forum and new to truck-dom. Just bought an 03 Sierra ext cab 5.3L Z71. It's a great vehicle. I hear good things about the Oshawa facility where my truck was built.

I'm a bit concerned about the Cold Start Knock (CSK) problem reported by owners of 01 and 02s. I'm crossing my fingers hoping that the problem was resolved prior to my trucks manufacture date (09/02).

I was going to wait til 04 and consider the Canyon but couldn't pass up on the current incentives. I get the GMS pricing and wanted to take full advantage of my GM Card earnings (while they last).

BlueRado · December 24, 2002

Welcome aboard! Glad to have you here.

I had the same concerns about the CSK, but I guess time will tell - only have ~ 4K miles now on my '03. My previous '99 5.3L mostly had the ticking, which was intermittent.

Rumor has it that GM has changed to a different piston or has coated the piston skirt to help alleviate the CSK, but no one has confirmed this, to my knowledge, officially (I say this as maybe it'll ease your worry some - it did mine). Either way, I've never heard of any failures specifically attributed to the CSK - just an annoyance.

I love my '03 too - it's solid, and didn't come with all those nagging issues my '99 arrived with - so far. Mine was built in Ft. Wayne.

Good luck with it and enjoy!