2014. Keep it or sell...

pickupman87 · October 31, 2018

Looking for a little advice/wisdom from other higher mileage 2014 Silverado owners. I bought my truck 3 years ago with the intent of putting 300k+ on it and we're currently sitting at 121k.

Overall I like the truck and it does what I need it to do.

That said, the last 5-7k miles it seems the clunks / extremely harsh downshifts in the transmission are getting worse. Most notably the 2-1 downshift and loud clunks around 35mph and 55mph when light on the throttle. The 2-1 downshift the truck shakes (like popping the clutch going 2-1 on a manual). It's always been clunky but it seems to be getting worse. I had a BlackBear tune done around 100k and had them try to retune to help with the clunking but it didn't help.

Has anyone replaced their transmission out of warranty? Did it help with any of the extremely harsh downshifting? The trans fluid/filter was replaced at 80k by the dealer.

I'm torn because my 99' Silverado was butter smooth compared to this thing.

I could sell, cut my losses, and try to buy a clean 04-06 knowing that it's a proven 300k+ drivetrain. (for about what a transmission rebuild would cost me)

I could bring it in, have someone tear into the trans and hope that the large bill I'll get helps the drivability.

Or I could do nothing, keep driving it as it is, and see how long it goes... Maybe dump some of that snakeoil / magic juice stuff in and see what happens...

Just curious what others in my situation have done.

diyer2 · October 31, 2018

Not in this situation.

If you plan on keeping the truck check this option out.

A dealer re-manufactured trans will have the best warranty but cost the most I think.

A GM rebuilt trans is brought back to new specs when rebuilt. Anything that doesn't meet spec is replaced.

Call a dealer and ask questions.

AAmco and other shops will rebuild a trans and only replace the wear items. This usually is the clutch pack and put in new seals. Any other parts that are bad are at an extra charge.

Call around, ask questions.

GM warranty should be 3 years or 36 K miles, others 1 year or 12 k miles.

TXGREEK · October 31, 2018

Looking for a little advice/wisdom from other higher mileage 2014 Silverado owners. I bought my truck 3 years ago with the intent of putting 300k+ on it and we're currently sitting at 121k.

Overall I like the truck and it does what I need it to do.

That said, the last 5-7k miles it seems the clunks / extremely harsh downshifts in the transmission are getting worse. Most notably the 2-1 downshift and loud clunks around 35mph and 55mph when light on the throttle. The 2-1 downshift the truck shakes (like popping the clutch going 2-1 on a manual). It's always been clunky but it seems to be getting worse. I had a BlackBear tune done around 100k and had them try to retune to help with the clunking but it didn't help.

Has anyone replaced their transmission out of warranty? Did it help with any of the extremely harsh downshifting? The trans fluid/filter was replaced at 80k by the dealer.

I'm torn because my 99' Silverado was butter smooth compared to this thing.

I could sell, cut my losses, and try to buy a clean 04-06 knowing that it's a proven 300k+ drivetrain. (for about what a transmission rebuild would cost me)
I could bring it in, have someone tear into the trans and hope that the large bill I'll get helps the drivability.
Or I could do nothing, keep driving it as it is, and see how long it goes... Maybe dump some of that snakeoil / magic juice stuff in and see what happens...

Just curious what others in my situation have done.

Problem with buying something that old is that you don’t know what you’re getting. I once bought an older model vehicle for an employee of mine that was having a rough time, not my choice but his. It was a nightmare especially for me having to repair it. Apparently it had a lot of hard miles on it with just about everything needing replacement. Keep what you’ve got, unless of course more than the trans issues, trans are easy rebuilds by a professional or throw in a rebuilt one and keep going till you get to 300k. Good Luck

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TXGREEK · October 31, 2018

Btw, I wound up buying my employee a brand new Tacoma 4door 4x4. He is still to this day the best employee I’ve got and hasn’t had a car payment for year and I haven’t had to pay for a repair in all these years Ha! If you can, trade it in, if not, keep it, fix it and be happy till the next repair. Everything breaks just don’t know when

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Donstar · October 31, 2018

Tough call. It all depends on your current financial situation and the overall condition of your truck. You may be at a point where your '14 has enough trade-in value to make a clearance model '18 worth the peace of mind. If you keep your current truck and replace your transmission, other major issues will likely surface. It is surprising how many potential costly repairs lurk in a vehicle!

tnchevy · October 31, 2018

The 99 to 06 are a proven truck but as mentioned earlier, you don't know who had hold of it before so going the used route may or may not work out. If you have the dough I would just trade it in on a new truck but if you really like your truck then get a new trans put in it and hopefully get 4 or 5 years more out of it before any other major problem.

KARNUT · October 31, 2018

I would normally be in the keep it fix it camp. The cylinder deactivation is still unproven for longevity. I used to go by the 5,000$ dollar a year rule in buying used or new. If it’s paid for put a rebuild on it and cross your fingers that the truck will go a year before anymore work is needed. If you buy used you could end up spending more than what payments would be. The mileage you drive plays a big part in all this as well.

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Grumpy Bear · October 31, 2018

So you either bought this truck new or used with very low miles, correct? Point is you know the bulk of it's history. Both how it has been serviced and how you treat it. Ergo you are the most informed person you know concerning this truck. Be as honest with yourself as you would like others to be with you and you're well on your way to making the right choice.

Now you have to reflect on the difference between its 'value' and it's 'worth' to you. If it is simply a matter of $$$$ and cents then a quality remanufactured, as diyer2 pointed out, is certainly a viable option. If hasn't any worth to you then why repair it at all.

KARNUT's point about further problems in light of the AFM also has merit. After a fresh oil change bring the oil to full temperature and get a read on the idle oil pressure. (Tech2 or equivalent) If it is 20 psi or better AND you've been diligent about oil service then the reman becomes even more viable. If it's under 19 psi it gets iffy. Like 'NO' iffy. It would be a good thing to know about any further buy as well that employs the Ecotec3 platform and is AFM active. Straight up 19 is a flip of the coin. IMHO

mookdoc6 · October 31, 2018

Nothing wrong with the Motor? Put a Transmission in it and run it past 200K....better to be out few grand than 30K

Ozer · October 31, 2018

If rest of your truck is in good shape, no issues and you mentioned black bear.. so even when this trans finally goes you get it rebuilt perhaps with better parts + black bear tune.. you will be good to go for many many miles powertrain wise. Friend of my brothers has a bought new 2014 thats over 300k at the moment, its a work truck so they can last a long time.

I say start saving money towards a full trans rebuild and when that day comes make the repairs and enjoy.

oh and turn off V4 mode if you havent already. When mine is on i notice lots more clunks from the trans vs it being off.

Yondu · October 31, 2018

I set off looking for a used 2014 to 2016 and with how much they cost and how hard it was to find exactly what I wanted I ended up with a new one for not much more. Seems like crew cab 03-06s are at least 10k, usually more.

Best deal on a low mileage 2016 that was comparable that I could find was in the 31-32 K range with 30 to 40 thousand miles. I bought brand new for 4-5 grand more. Depending on the condition of your truck you might at only be about 10 to 12k upgrade to a new one.

pickupman87 · October 31, 2018

I appreciate all the responses. To answer a few questions, I've owned the truck since 50 some thousand miles, so not new by any means - but since I've owned it every oil change and service recommendation has been done by the dealer. The truck is paid off now and I'm not really interested in getting back into car payment. The BlackBear tune turned off AFM at 100k, though it does still use oil (normally 3/4 down the dip stick after 5k miles).

I did email BlackBear again to see if they can soften the downshifts somehow (to be fair, when I contacted them prior it was regarding a clunk noise when light on the throttle).

2017Darkness · October 31, 2018

4 hours ago, diyer2 said:

Not in this situation.

If you plan on keeping the truck check this option out.

A dealer re-manufactured trans will have the best warranty but cost the most I think.

A GM rebuilt trans is brought back to new specs when rebuilt. Anything that doesn't meet spec is replaced.

Call a dealer and ask questions.

AAmco and other shops will rebuild a trans and only replace the wear items. This usually is the clutch pack and put in new seals. Any other parts that are bad are at an extra charge.

Call around, ask questions.

GM warranty should be 3 years or 36 K miles, others 1 year or 12 k miles.

GM warranty would actually be 3 years or 100k miles on a reman installed at the dealer

2017Darkness · October 31, 2018

You'll be in the neighborhood of around $3-3500 for a GM remanufactured transmission installed at my dealership. It will carry 3yr/100k warranty that is good at any GM dealer you take it to. The reman trans get all the running updates that GM has to fix the issues since your truck was built.

crushNchowda · October 31, 2018

ironically I believe the crap factory tuning erodes the mechanical bits of the tranny a little at a time, so even w/ a completely rebuilt one I'm not very confident you won't have issues again if its on the stock tuning.

I would say dump it or plan on a paying $3-4k on a full rebuild, billet internals etc. + new torque converter - why not get a higher stall while you're @ it - then follow up w/ a full blown custom dyno tune & call it a day.

There were issues on the 6 speed tranny for years I had similar version in my old G8 GT i think the ring seals were installed upside down from the factory for starters, had harsh/flaring shifts, no engagement at times, etc. all the same crap that GM trannies continue to be known for. The tune fixed 90% of it for me - even WITH the mechanical flaws that were present right from the factory.

Just be thankful you don't have the 8 speed!