smart preventative maintenance items

[meerschm]

What items would you recommend an owner replace after 100,000 miles, or other interval, how you would know it was going bad, and what would happen if it fails?

 

[Playsinsnow]

Tranny fluid and filter
Spark plugs ac delco 41-103
Transfer case fluid auto trakII
Front and rear diff, 75w-90 synthetic
Coolant


Personally I do not replace parts until they affect the drive.
at 90k I also did a power steering fluid change, ECT sensor, thermostat, sway bar end links & water pump. That's about it shy of 118k. Brake fluid changed with pads @70k

Check Balljoints, tie rods, and wheel bearings. Stock shocks too. I've done just the rears.

Give it a wax too

 

[CaptainXL]

Shocks are one of the most neglected items which affect wear on many other parts including tires. I change them every 60k of so.

Windshield wipers are replaced every year regardless of brand or composition. They are cheap and can fail at any time.

 

[gmcman]

Separator plate. When you remove the trans pan, thin metal plate above the valve body. This gets hammered by the check balls and can/will affect transmission life.

This is a slightly more involved process but fairly easy to do.

 

[Menthol]

Lube up spare wheel hoist........yearly.

 

[Playsinsnow]

Lube up spare wheel hoist........yearly.

With what and where? I lowered it once maybe 3 years ago to say I've done so, glad I did!, and it was not as smooth as it could be. Wife just got a flat so I'm thinking I should check it again.

 

[RayVoy]

I like to change the front O2 sensor(s) when the plugs are changed. As O2 sensors get lazy, they waste gas.

 

[meerschm]

With what and where? I lowered it once maybe 3 years ago to say I've done so, glad I did!, and it was not as smooth as it could be. Wife just got a flat so I'm thinking I should check it again.

I had to replace mine, and I sprayed some silicone lube on the cable and the lower release part, which is what gets stuck and will not release. you could use some white lithium lube or other grease, but be careful and don't try to just use your fingers, I think some of the parts are sharp.

the owners manual is of use here, and it is good advice to drop the tire, check air pressure and condition. (don't expect a ten year old tire to work very long so good idea to check build code on the spare.)

 

[Playsinsnow]

Cool, thanks. Tire is still oem and bottom of spare gets cleaned with every wax. Tire is in great shape, never been used(f 17k-118k miles) and a week before any 1k+ mile trip I check the psi and again day before to make sure its not leaking. Can't have a flat keep me from epic pow!

Anyone have any sure ways of preventing the spreading of a little rust that has begun to form on the door bottoms? On the inside, bubbling and small rust STARTING. I wipe it religiously now. Rain, wash it gets wiped. But here in MN its like terminal cancer... or is it? Im not looking to obtain tools I don't have. What would going to a body shop to clean it up be worth it? Plan on having it many more years. TIA

 

[ChevyIIfan]

Not in the owner's manual, but you should also flush and replace your power steering fluid and brake fluid every 5 years or so. These fluids absorb water, lessening their effectiveness, and shortening the life of the brake lines and P/S lines.

I actually need to do both to mine.....

 

[Wooluf1952]

Cool, thanks. Tire is still oem and bottom of spare gets cleaned with every wax. Tire is in great shape, never been used(f 17k-118k miles) and a week before any 1k+ mile trip I check the psi and again day before to make sure its not leaking. Can't have a flat keep me from epic pow!

Anyone have any sure ways of preventing the spreading of a little rust that has begun to form on the door bottoms? On the inside, bubbling and small rust STARTING. I wipe it religiously now. Rain, wash it gets wiped. But here in MN its like terminal cancer... or is it? Im not looking to obtain tools I don't have. What would going to a body shop to clean it up be worth it? Plan on having it many more years. TIA

An OEM tire on a 2005 is 8-9 years old. Even a new never used tire is susceptible to dry rot. The last I heard was to replace tires no matter what the tread looks like, at around 6-7 years going by the original manufactured date on the side of the tire. It should be OK as a short term spare, but treat it as you would an old tire and replace ASAP.

 

[Playsinsnow]

An OEM tire on a 2005 is 8-9 years old. Even a new never used tire is susceptible to dry rot. The last I heard was to replace tires no matter what the tread looks like, at around 6-7 years going by the original manufactured date on the side of the tire. It should be OK as a short term spare, but treat it as you would an old tire and replace ASAP.

short term spare? Isn't that what all spares are? Never imagined a using it long term. Saw a rainier today and a few other gmt360s Rollin with their spares. My intention when I get a flat is to buy two new tires, throwing the remaining good tire on axle to the spare (so I have equal thread depth with the tires on an axle). Tire sidewall looks/feels good. That and it serves as a reminder never to buy that craptastic continentals again.

I had the fortunate experience of having a company car that had no spare and a backup car spare was flat. After the 3 new tires the backup car gets a flat while its spare is on another car. Needless to say, car maintenance was re-assigned! Lol

 

[tblazerdude]

I like to change the front O2 sensor(s) when the plugs are changed. As O2 sensors get lazy, they waste gas.

I agree with this completely. I did front (sensor 1, upstream) and rear (sensor 2, downstream). People have had problems with non-OEM sensors, primarily, bosch. Avoid Bosch. I used AC Delco and purchased them from RockAuto Parts Catalog

 

[hockeyman]

People have had problems with non-OEM sensors, primarily, bosch. Avoid Bosch. I used AC Delco and purchased them from RockAuto Parts Catalog

Damn! I literally JUST changed the downstream sensor to a Bosch this past Friday. Ironically, I got it from rockauto too. It was a PITA to get to the connector, but I managed.

I'll keep a closer eye on my mileage now. If it starts to get worse, then I'll purchase and change to an AC Delco Downstream Sensor.

 

[RayVoy]

The downstream O2 sensors is not a big deal with mileage. It just monitors the condition of the cat. The upstream sensor is the one that has the biggest impact on mpg.

 

[Wooluf1952]

short term spare? Isn't that what all spares are? Never imagined a using it long term. Saw a rainier today and a few other gmt360s Rollin with their spares. My intention when I get a flat is to buy two new tires, throwing the remaining good tire on axle to the spare (so I have equal thread depth with the tires on an axle). Tire sidewall looks/feels good. That and it serves as a reminder never to buy that craptastic continentals again.

I had the fortunate experience of having a company car that had no spare and a backup car spare was flat. After the 3 new tires the backup car gets a flat while its spare is on another car. Needless to say, car maintenance was re-assigned! Lol

Sorry, I forgot that not all trucks came with full size spares. My Envoy came with a full size spare. I bought a wheel from Ebay and rotate all five tires.

 

[Playsinsnow]

I have a full size too, meant to imply that folks who leave spares on longer than they should lOoK gOoFy. That and some soccer mom thinking I've lost a hubcap

I've read and heard to rotate all 5. I guess that would give you maximum life and and your axles may prefer this. I'll figure out how to get the spare upfront and only use 2wd. Maybe if I get a spare that isn't hidden, I'll get identical tires all around.