2004 Chevrolet Silverado Z71

[workinallthetime]

ok guys, the stearing shaft problem is not a recall because it is not a safety problem, it is a tsb and relube is the correct repair for the problem. shaft replacement was the thing to do for awhile then gm said no more just lube it. i know it sucks but thats the way it is, i have seen trucks in 3 or 4 times before 36k for the problem and really pissed off owners and i can understand why. my 99 had it till i sold it at 140k and my 04 denali has it right now, i have the lube kit in my tool box just havent done it yet.

as for the 04 z71 and things to look out for i would go as soon as possible to the dealer and buy a bottle of the gm fuel system treatment, there is additives in it to help protect your fuel senders wiper surface on the sensor. seems there is an adverse reaction with some fuels and the contact surface of the sensor and the additive will help protect it. I run a bottle through mine every 6 months. I would also recomend checking and changing your transfer case fluid, i cant count the ones i have replaced that were let run dry because no one checked them. i change the fluid in my transfer cases every 30-40k its easy and inexpensive.
i dont personally like the pure mobil 1 oil i have always used mobil synthetic blend 5w-30. I change my oil when the light comes on and have never had a problem with it and have found that it will quiet down the pistion slap a bit. I was told along time ago that pure synthetic does not disipate heat as well as regualr oil and regualr oil does not lube as well as synthetic so i use the blend. I could be wrong but i think as many miles as i have put on gen 3 6.0 engines speaks for itself. i currently drive a 07 1500 max with the new 6.0 in it.
I think its funny how much varience people have in mpg. my 99 got about 12 my denali gets about 14 and my 07 uggg 10 average towing and 14 average driving in the city. d-max owners have told me anywhere from 13 to 22 avg. so i think the truth is somewhere in between and varies from driver to driver.

 

[KICK]

workingallthe time?

not going to start an oil war here , used MOB1 in 93 GMC since day one, on a ten to fifteeen k oil change schedule..... got 247,000 + miles on her , doesn't show any signs of giving up anytime soon.

so it aint the oil

 

[jsborn]

ok guys, the stearing shaft problem is not a recall because it is not a safety problem, it is a tsb and relube is the correct repair for the problem. shaft replacement was the thing to do for awhile then gm said no more just lube it. i know it sucks but thats the way it is, i have seen trucks in 3 or 4 times before 36k for the problem and really pissed off owners and i can understand why. my 99 had it till i sold it at 140k and my 04 denali has it right now, i have the lube kit in my tool box just havent done it yet.

.

I took my 05 truck with 47k miles on it in today for the steering shaft problem and a front end alignment and my dealer replaced the shaft with no questions ask under warranty. Guess it depends on what GM dealer you go to ??

 

[RollingsFarms]

ok guys, the stearing shaft problem is not a recall because it is not a safety problem, it is a tsb and relube is the correct repair for the problem. shaft replacement was the thing to do for awhile then gm said no more just lube it. i know it sucks but thats the way it is, i have seen trucks in 3 or 4 times before 36k for the problem and really pissed off owners and i can understand why. my 99 had it till i sold it at 140k and my 04 denali has it right now, i have the lube kit in my tool box just havent done it yet.

as for the 04 z71 and things to look out for i would go as soon as possible to the dealer and buy a bottle of the gm fuel system treatment, there is additives in it to help protect your fuel senders wiper surface on the sensor. seems there is an adverse reaction with some fuels and the contact surface of the sensor and the additive will help protect it. I run a bottle through mine every 6 months. I would also recomend checking and changing your transfer case fluid, i cant count the ones i have replaced that were let run dry because no one checked them. i change the fluid in my transfer cases every 30-40k its easy and inexpensive.
i dont personally like the pure mobil 1 oil i have always used mobil synthetic blend 5w-30. I change my oil when the light comes on and have never had a problem with it and have found that it will quiet down the pistion slap a bit. I was told along time ago that pure synthetic does not disipate heat as well as regualr oil and regualr oil does not lube as well as synthetic so i use the blend. I could be wrong but i think as many miles as i have put on gen 3 6.0 engines speaks for itself. i currently drive a 07 1500 max with the new 6.0 in it.
I think its funny how much varience people have in mpg. my 99 got about 12 my denali gets about 14 and my 07 uggg 10 average towing and 14 average driving in the city. d-max owners have told me anywhere from 13 to 22 avg. so i think the truth is somewhere in between and varies from driver to driver.

thanks for all the suggestions! i was going to have my transfer case oil changed the next time i changed my oil. ive never owned a truck with this push button type 4wd, does it take the same maintinance as the "old style" 4wd? i went from a truck to where you had to get out and lock the hubs yourself, to a truck that all you do is push a button. ive used the STP fuel cleaner before, wasnt aware GM made their own brand, but i will go buy a bottle today sometime. i can rarely find the Mobil 1 blend so i buy Mobil 1 Truck & SUV 5W-30.

 

[dknarnd]

I do have what sounds like a clunk in the rear when I start from a stop most of the times, anyone experience this?

 

[RollingsFarms]

I do have what sounds like a clunk in the rear when I start from a stop most of the times, anyone experience this?

is it when youre at a dead stop and making a turn? if so, thats the locking rear diferential doing that. no problem, its just what it does.

 

[john_bud]

If it's when you go straight, it's probably the slip joint from the driveshaft sticking then slamming forward. There was a service notice about that, the dealer should fix that for free if you're under warranty. Or you can drop the driveshaft and grease it up yourself.

jb

 

[8561]

is it when youre at a dead stop and making a turn? if so, thats the locking rear diferential doing that. no problem, its just what it does.

Are you sure? I have locking rear diffs on both my Sierra and my Envoy and neither one have ever done that.

 

[em14]

ok guys, the stearing shaft problem is not a recall because it is not a safety problem, it is a tsb and relube is the correct repair for the problem. shaft replacement was the thing to do for awhile then gm said no more just lube it. i know it sucks but thats the way it is, i have seen trucks in 3 or 4 times before 36k for the problem and really pissed off owners and i can understand why. my 99 had it till i sold it at 140k and my 04 denali has it right now, i have the lube kit in my tool box just havent done it yet.

as for the 04 z71 and things to look out for i would go as soon as possible to the dealer and buy a bottle of the gm fuel system treatment, there is additives in it to help protect your fuel senders wiper surface on the sensor. seems there is an adverse reaction with some fuels and the contact surface of the sensor and the additive will help protect it. I run a bottle through mine every 6 months. I would also recomend checking and changing your transfer case fluid, i cant count the ones i have replaced that were let run dry because no one checked them. i change the fluid in my transfer cases every 30-40k its easy and inexpensive.
i dont personally like the pure mobil 1 oil i have always used mobil synthetic blend 5w-30. I change my oil when the light comes on and have never had a problem with it and have found that it will quiet down the pistion slap a bit. I was told along time ago that pure synthetic does not disipate heat as well as regualr oil and regualr oil does not lube as well as synthetic so i use the blend. I could be wrong but i think as many miles as i have put on gen 3 6.0 engines speaks for itself. i currently drive a 07 1500 max with the new 6.0 in it.
I think its funny how much varience people have in mpg. my 99 got about 12 my denali gets about 14 and my 07 uggg 10 average towing and 14 average driving in the city. d-max owners have told me anywhere from 13 to 22 avg. so i think the truth is somewhere in between and varies from driver to driver.

I wish I had known about this fix for the fuel sending unit earlier, I was told about it by the local service manger since my sending unit started to mal funiction in that it "sends" a message that the fuel is empty. I have added one bottle of the fluid workinallthetime spoke of and it is helping. I plan to try another bottle ... this stuff was not cheap at $25.00 per bottle ... but cheaper than dropping the fuel tank and replacing the unit I guess!
Leo

 

[workinallthetime]

ok you dont have to drop the tank, its much easier to pull the bed. 6 bolts and a few elec. connectors, 2 guys can set it back on the back tire and bumper.

rear end clunk, get that checked out. there is alot of "slop" in a 4x4, you have the trans winding up, transfer case chain tighting up, and rear diff engaging. If its something thats gotten worse then you might eant to check it out. the first thing i would do i pull the drive shaft and have a look at the u-joints, then check the backlash in the rear end if i didnt find anything on the shaft. There is a special lube for the slip yoak and i will look up the number if you need me to, but that really has not come into play to much since the 99 body style change. The 90's truck we did that all the time again with a blue smurf greese. There is an updated slip yoak for a problem like yours also, its nickel plated.

kick we were told not to use synthetic oil in those old trucks due to it would eat up the silicone on the intake gasket, glad yours is making it