What did you do to your GMT today? [Part II]

[Mooseman]

These old bones did it when they weren't so old and it wasn't pleasant, and I have the scar to prove it.

Didn't do anything to it yet but ordered an A/C compressor clutch. Found a couple sellers on AliExpress however this one was slightly cheaper and had the fastest shipping. Should be here by Aug.10. We'll see how that goes.

26.6US $ |A/C AC Compressor Clutch Pulley for ISUZU ASCENDER SAAB BUICK RAINIER CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER GMC ENVOY 1521182 1520749 10366868| | - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Don't mind the wait too much since the TB isn't being used on a regular basis.

 

[Mike534x]

Unsuccessfully managed to remove the old fan clutch. I attempted to remove the 4 bolts keeping the fan attached to the assembly, well, I didn't know this while replacing the water pump 2-3 years ago. But the idiot previous owner JB welded the fan to the clutch, didn't catch it before since we were able to just pull the shroud/fan out at once with the hoses removed. Shined a light and can just barely see some goop holding it together. So time to check the local Pick N Pulls for a replacement fan, or order a brand new one.

 

[flyboy2610]

Yesterday I finished up the valve cover gasket job on the wife's '06 TB. Got it all back together and had no unconnected electrical connectors and no left over parts!
Also did an oil change, because it was due for one, and also because I couldn't get the oil pressure switch connector reconnected from the top. I could feel the switch down there, but couldn't figure out which way the connector needed to be turned to go over the nib on the switch. It's not very pronounced. During the oil change, once the filter was off it was easy to reconnect.
Once it was all back together again, I started it up and it ran like... !
Gave a code P0300 and P0106, random misfires and MAP sensor issues!
I thought "I KNOW I hooked up that MAP sensor!"
I opened up the hood and knew immediately what the problem was!


During the reassembly, I had hooked up the brake booster vacuum hose, but needed to remove it again to get access to something. Old dopey me never hooked it up again! I reattached it, cleared the codes, started the engine, and it ran just slicker than snot on a doorknob!
So I learned something: If you have a code P0300 or a code P0106 a brake booster vacuum issue could be a potential source of the problem.
I'm having an easy, do nothing at all day today!

 

[Mike534x]

Also forgot to add this to my original post earlier, and I think this should be something to keep an eye out for when purchasing Fan Clutches again.

So the 08-09 Fan Clutch I bought, that is sold and shipped by Amazon. Is NOT actually an AC Delco. I couldn't put my finger on why mine looked off from the RockAuto images....pulled the later model years and spotted the Hayden 2851. Same exact design, down to the orange rubber seal. It seems that Amazon is selling the Hayden clutch as an "OEM AC Delco" part, which makes even more sense that the box was unmarked, no AC/Delco part number/branding on the clutch assembly. So yeah, this needs to be returned as well.

Waited an entire month for a......Hayden unit. Also to add onto it, I paid $112 for this "AC Delco" clutch, when I can buy the Hayden for $82 after tax. So yeah, sending this back. I'm not paying the extra premium when its not what I had ordered anyway...

 

[Mooseman]

So the 08-09 Fan Clutch I bought, that is sold and shipped by Amazon. Is NOT actually an AC Delco.

Was it sold through a third party seller? If so, report it as a falsely advertised. They might not do anything but at least it may prevent another "less knowledgeable" person from getting swindled. At least leave a negative review with an explanation that it is fake.

Drove the Sierra to and from the cottage yesterday and on the way back, filled it. Only needed a 1/4 tank but wanted to fill it before our RV trip Monday. Nice surprise, price of diesel went down to $1.87/L and it averaged a nice 27 MPG of normal driving.

 

[Mike534x]

Was it sold through a third party seller? If so, report it as a falsely advertised. They might not do anything but at least it may prevent another "less knowledgeable" person from getting swindled. At least leave a negative review with an explanation that it is fake.

Drove the Sierra to and from the cottage yesterday and on the way back, filled it. Only needed a 1/4 tank but wanted to fill it before our RV trip Monday. Nice surprise, price of diesel went down to $1.87/L and it averaged a nice 27 MPG of normal driving.

The listing says its a "GM Store", with a ships and sold by Amazon. I posted the product page, it takes you to an AC Delco store, so I have no idea what that's about. But I did submit a review with the images, now to see if its actually approved for posting.

 

[Blckshdw]

Since I had cleaned up the garage Friday night in prep for helping a friend work on their car, this morning decided to take a stab at the overspray on my trim panels. I didn't realize I already had a small bottle of latex paint remover, so I started with that on the rocker. Had to let it set for a minute, then used a scrub brush which seemed to work pretty well. After rinsing it off, there's a pretty decent amount of haze when you're up close. Still some bits of paint, but nowhere near as glaring as before.




I didn't do the back bumper or wheel wells (will probably skip those completely) and may go back over the rockers and door moldings again. That little voice in my head that suggested pulling everything and spraying them gloss black got a little louder too.

 

[flyboy2610]

So the 08-09 Fan Clutch I bought, that is sold and shipped by Amazon. Is NOT actually an AC Delco. I couldn't put my finger on why mine looked off from the RockAuto images....pulled the later model years and spotted the Hayden 2851. Same exact design, down to the orange rubber seal. It seems that Amazon is selling the Hayden clutch as an "OEM AC Delco" part, which makes even more sense that the box was unmarked, no AC/Delco part number/branding on the clutch assembly. So yeah, this needs to be returned as well.

I watched this earlier this morning about some other Amazon products. They keep this up they may start losing clients. (They lost me a couple years ago.)

 

[Mooseman]

The listing says its a "GM Store", with a ships and sold by Amazon. I posted the product page, it takes you to an AC Delco store, so I have no idea what that's about. But I did submit a review with the images, now to see if its actually approved for posting.

I'd drop a line to GM directly advising them that this may be an imposter GM seller. You would think that Amazon would have checked with a name like that and trademarks plastered all over the place. Anyway you could find out from the horse's mouth. Looking at their Store front, they really look legit. Maybe the one you got was a returned Hayden by an unscrupulous douchebag.

I know there have been LOTS of fake ACDelco parts, namely spark plugs, however they weren't from a "GM Store". They are third party sellers.

 

[flyboy2610]

I recall watching a video (can't remember by who) where he mentioned someone who had purchased a part for their European car (BMW, maybe?) from Rock Auto. It was supposedly an OEM part, and it failed. Rock Auto told him he needed to contact the car maker, so he did. The car maker wouldn't warranty the part because Rock Auto was not an authorized reseller, and they didn't know where RA might have gotten the part from.
So just because it's a 'big name' retailer, doesn't mean the part is genuine. Sad, but fact of life.

 

[northcreek]

Putting new front hubs on the wife's Nox, funny how they always seem to go around the 100K mile mark. Got new Timmys ordered from RA. Then my son who stopped by pointed out that the boots were all tattered on the lower bjs so a second order goes in for two ACD joints, both items were at the same location so I blew the combined shipping ....

 

[Mike534x]

I'll try looking up an email, or contact number for GM to let them know. I originally thought the same, that maybe some bought and sent it back. I did try calling Amazon's support, to see if I had the option to exchange it for another, but only sending it back for a refund was given. So I suppose I'll just get the cash back, and just purchase it from RockAuto and trust I get the correct one lol.

Is the Hayden thermal clutch actually at least close to decent, or is it crap like their EV one? My next option was buying a used one off eBay that comes with the fan also for like $60. Not sure if its worth the risk, or just go for new new. Figured for trying out a thermal, getting it for that price isn't bad since I need the fan anyway.

 

[Matt]

Is the Hayden thermal clutch actually at least close to decent, or is it crap like their EV one?

The thermal one is good. I had it on mine for at least 50,000 and was fine until the day I traded it. Just have to have the code tuned out.

 

[Mooseman]

Same here. On the EV fan clutches, Hayden used to be our go-to but were later proven to be lower quality than ACDelco and did not run to specs.

Coolant system failure spiral.

My cooling system repair is almost done. After looking at all the parts I think I can deduct what happened on our trip. I'll post this just as a guide of what can happen and what to check. First Problem: The power wires to the fan clutch broke. The black and white ones. The copper broke inside...

gmtnation.com

They'll work, just not exactly to spec. I think they're still decent but if you need it to run EXACTLY to specs, ACDelco/Behr is the way to go. @JayArr needed it to run right for towing in high heat. I think someone did a comparison with the thermals and the construction difference was the same. No way to know if speed wise they worked the same but also remember someone saying that they thought that they would run faster than the ACDelco, which is not a bad thing except for fuel consumption.

 

[TollKeeper]

Drove the snot out of the Voy over the 3-day weekend trying to find a new car for the wife..

She finally came to the conclusion that a SUV is not a good choice for her anymore with it being the primary mommy-mobile. So we shopped some mini-vans.

Tried to locate a Buick Terraza, but none available in my area.

Found she really liked the Chrysler Town & Country, and the Kia Carnival. NONE of the others on the market did she feel comfortable with.

Nothing was bought, but at least now I have a direction of search.

 

[Matt]

Drove the snot out of the Voy over the 3-day weekend trying to find a new car for the wife..

She finally came to the conclusion that a SUV is not a good choice for her anymore with it being the primary mommy-mobile. So we shopped some mini-vans.

Tried to locate a Buick Terraza, but none available in my area.

Found she really liked the Chrysler Town & Country, and the Kia Carnival. NONE of the others on the market did she feel comfortable with.

Nothing was bought, but at least now I have a direction of search.

A Carnival may or may not be on my short list for MY next one.

 

[TollKeeper]

A Carnival may or may not be on my short list for MY next one.

If it had a AWD option, it would already be in my driveway!
36000 for a well equipped mommy-mobile, I could not complain about it. And a really good warranty!

But we are hoping for a AWD. So I am searching for a Terraza, Montana/SV6, Uplander, Relay. 2005+ only. 3.5 preferred, thou would consider a 3.9

 

[flyboy2610]

If you do go with the Town & Country, here's a good forum with lots of helpful people:

The Chrysler Minivan Fan Club Forums

ChryslerMinivan.net is the best forum for Chrysler Town and Country owners to discuss mileage, price, problems, towing and more. Join now!

www.chryslerminivan.net

I have a '99 Grand Voyager I need to work (EGR issues).

 

[TollKeeper]

Yeap.. Been perusing that website already to find the better years of the Pentastar. It appears 2015 and newer.

We found a 2013 VW Routan (rebadged Chrysler Town & Country), for a very reasonable price. Finances are not working at the moment for a private sale thou. And its also not a "good year". I would also choose to find a top of the line model T&C or Routan, and this one is one level down.

2013 VW Routan - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale

Minivan with low miles-77,000. V6 3.6 L engine. Automatic 6 speed transmission.17 mpg city/25 mpg hwy. Clean title in my name. The Routan is a Chrysler Town and Country under the hood sold under the...

denver.craigslist.org

 

[Mooseman]

We used to have an 08 SV6 with the 3.9 and actually liked it a lot. Very peppy for a van. Only things I had with it were the battery, rear wiper (both replaced on warranty) and the water pump (out of warranty) just before selling it. Taking the seats out was a bitch though unlike Chrysler's hide and go seats.

 

[Mike534x]

@Mooseman That thread was exactly why I sent back that Hayden 3200, literally came across it a few days after ordering it. Since that confirmed the EV clutches from them were bad, I wasn't sure if the thermal ones they offer actually run within spec of the Behr/Delco. I didn't see too many bad reviews, or any testing down between the two outside of the EV ones. I hardly ever tow, so that doesn't matter too much.

Wish there was some sorta module I can plug in to fool the PCM into think the EV was connected, but still the pricing for the re-tune wasn't too bad especially for the PCM core swap.

 

[Mooseman]

The tune is probably the easiest way to go to get rid of the fan codes. Someone here did make something to fake the fan but it sounded more complicated and expensive than the tune.

Thinking back, when I was towing our old camper with the Saab on flat highway in 30c, the temps would go higher above 100c but not overheating with the Hayden thermal. Methinks they're not as good as the ACDelco for keeping the speed up when needed but just ok for.normal driving.

 

[Mike534x]

I may just stick to the Delco clutch then, the extra money is worth it knowing everything will work as it should and be within spec.

Today was disappointing. Been thinking of getting a good spare truck, in case the Envoy needs downtime. So after scouring the internet, came across something eye popping. An 03 Trailblazer Extended, 124k, no rust or body damage with an extremely clean interior, red and gold two tone paint with amber roof lights. It was a North Face...with a V8. Literally drove to find out they just sold it before I got there. So close...yet so far.

 

[TGstring]

Installed 2 new TYC "CAPA Certified" headlights to replace the OEM GUIDE ones that were yellow and old (2002 RCSB 1500 Silverado). For anyone bored enough to read these posts, I got the driver side on amazon.ca for less than $30 and the passenger side from rockauto for like $45 which I added to some other items I needed to order. All in, tax in, like $80 $cdn which I felt was a good deal. The TYC ones i got are the CAPA ones, and they come pre-installed with philips bulbs. installation was simple - both the driver and passenger side needed alignment - you'll need a t15 or a 6 point socket to adjust. While the driver side was a virtual identical match, the passenger side did seem to have a slightly different focus than the OEM GUIDE one I replaced. It just seemed "different", perhaps slightly more scattered. All in all it was a simple and quick job, about 20 mins, all in. I've had good luck with Sylvania Zevo LED headlights and will likely go with some 9006 when I pick up a set. Having new headlights has completely changed the look for the front end.

 

[$ Khalid ! 9130]

Another busy week.

Started out with the codes that I scanned for my Trailblazer. Cleared the light and was gone for the most part of the week. Came up 2 days ago. Went away the next day. Came back yesterday. It’s gone today!! I think the car is just playing games with me.



I am feeling its the spark plug cables causing the interminent CEL.

The Yukon was out of service with a bad transmission again! The gearbox was not making enough pressure to mesh the gears. So had it towed to a shop here. Dexol sponsored I believe. They are the transmission experts right now over here! And what a shop the guy is running. I will let the pics do the shop justice.











Thats a 65 Mustang and 73 I believe Corvette. I have NEVER seen them till date!!

On the TB replaced the liftgate and glass struts. The glass struts are getting harder to find here. And then the tire curse hit me again! I don’t know what it is with me and car tires. It seems I am always re-airing my tires before going anywhere.











Finally the beast is back on the road again. Just received it yesterday. Transmission comes with a 6 month, 12K KM warranty. Dad’s not letting me drive it though

 

[6716]

Wired the brake controller connector in, still need to mount the unit.

 

[808]

Just Dolled up an AC Delco 89029292 U-joint, greased the dickens outta the guts, finished a ding outta the trunnion endo, dry pressed the caps into the aluminum shaft yoke ears, and on the final wrench down for the last snap ring install *CRUNCH* crushed a needle bearing that had fallen between the journal bearing face and the cap. I *Do Not* reccomend following Spicer's guidelines to the "T" on this one. Give the thinnest&lightest&slightest grease skin to the cup O.D. mating surface for the press in. There was some carnage damage to the I.D. of the shaft ears. Just pressed it back out a few minutes ago, and by *The Grace* of God, I had ordered & have a count of #4 U-joints from the AMZN "GM Store" that everybody's been referencing. #2-89029292(now 1) & #2-89029290 Tomorrow's a brand new opportunity to investigate the situation anew. Hell of a day at sea.

 

[808]

Gentlemen may I submit to you "Made in Mexico" AC Delco P/N's noted in my previous post. There I was, bashing my skull in wondering why the centroid of the press fit kept wandering to side loaded digging eccentricity...... kinking in the bore.... well, yes it was dry, this is true. Here I present to you what I unfortunately overlooked as supposed OEM "quality". These examples of the "finished" chamfer/bevel shows exactly what I purchased, and exactly what I should have immediately deposited into file 13 upon delivery. This is the case: *all* end caps from this order were damaged. I could not find 1 without error, and all were sold as "new".

 

[808]

Thusly, O'reilly's. .AND HOW. Apparently, Spicer has had a *dramatic* decrease in Q.C. as well. Uncle Tony *was* right, just about everything on the market right now's closer to vulnerability than solvency these days. -Both- Spicers I opened up at the store truly were only *marginally* less damaged than those from the Mexican AC Delco assembly line. I gotta say though, this Precision is ***PRISTINE***, and their needle bearings have an O.D. that actually exceeds the AC Delco/Spicer, as both were absolutely typical in assemblage features, aside from what was a red grease in Spicer's guts vs blue AC Delco. Calipers told the truth of the cup O.D. at the counter, all is swell. Times have changed. -Breaks My Heart- to look at that beautiful turning on those AC Delcos and know that somehow, that Machinist's excellent strokes were mistreated after the operation. So close.

 

[northcreek]

Did the 100k mile spark plug change on my wife's 3.6 Nox. You have to remove the intake manifold and associated brackets,hoses, etc. to gain access and then it's pretty straight forward. I've seen dealer prices around $1,000 for the job,seems insane. Next the transfer case fluid...

 

[Mike534x]

Did the 100k mile spark plug change on my wife's 3.6 Nox. You have to remove the intake manifold and associated brackets,hoses, etc. to gain access and then it's pretty straight forward. I've seen dealer prices around $1,000 for the job,seems insane. Next the transfer case fluid...

Thats roughly the procedure for my parents 2016 Highlander they picked up earlier in the year, its not a terrible job from what I saw. Definitely holding it off until early Fall. What I'm not looking forward to, is doing the trans service with the "sealed" tranny.

Took the Envoy down into Amish land with pops about 90 miles away to check out a 03 Envoy XL. Paint had a few spots where the clear coat took a beating from the sun but was definitely salvageable with a good medium grade buffing pad and moderate abrasive compound. Looked gorgeous in the pics, but had WAY too many issues for the 4.2k asking price. Tires were definitely shot, steering was wandering due to the tires being trash. A/C didn't work (already knew), I suspect the rear lines were rotted out somewhere underneath. Rear hatch was too far gone in the rust department (paper thin metal towards the edges), and there was a faint smell of gas from underneath the truck while it ran. They said it was the EVAP canister, but I'm more inclined to believe the gas lines going to the fuel pump were rotted out. Speaking of rot, the rear frame where the spare tire was gone. The frame rails leading to the bumper were too far gone. A nice tennis ball sized hole faced me when I climbed under to look at it.
If the frame wasn't shot, and the gas lines being questionable it wouldn't have been bad to grab at a fairly large discounted rate.

 

[Reprise]

Took the Envoy down into Amish land with pops about 90 miles away to check out a 03 Envoy XL.

Are you in a rush? If not, I might be 'persuadable' toward seeing mine go to a good home. (said purely out of indecisiveness, not out of wanting to jack up the asking price.) PM me if you want to start a dialogue about it.

Part of me hates to get rid of it, and part of me says it'd be good to not leave it in the driveway when I snowbird out of here in a couple of months. I just don't drive it anymore, TBH, and the niche it serves me is pretty much covered by the Sierra. I've got that one and the Accord in good long-term running shape, so I could 'make do' with two vehicles for awhile.


(mods: If this counts as a 'solicitation', feel free to delete the post. I'm not looking to formally declare it 'for sale', so no need to move the post to that subforum. Thx.)

 

[808]

Hey y'all I hope you're havin' a fantastic day!!! Carnage to the aluminum yoke ears is *FAR* beyond acceptable tolerance, as the caps pressed into the bores today ***by hand&unassisted by wrench*** with the balljoint clamp. Dire promulgations. I was wondering if anyone's familiar with the exact years of interchange for the driveshaft??? Could 07' work or would this 2008 4.2L LL8 Trailblazer LT require and only accept 08'&09'? I'm back on the "saga" of finding the rare again. I've got a bead on a few items in the surrounding 500 mile radius, but I have yet to dig down deep on all driveshaft exchange/replacement sagas of record. Also, that "Precision" U-joint was BUNK. - P/N 534G IS A NO GO. There is a 65.22mm snap ring deck race<->race mandate requirement on a *MAX* 64.96-65.00 *HARD* slip/shaft yoke void. Also, 3 of the 4 caps were of a different series than the 1. (Clean, no dings, nevertheless, Obscene.) Wound up scrounging through&finishing errors out of 4 of the remaining 14 caps from the AC Delco P/N's - no difference between the AC Delco caps - all feature #32 needles in place of the original #25. Precision got that part right with the #25 ct, but bearing length/cup depths were -all- non interchangeable from original factory->AC Delco->Precision. I could not rob Peter to pay Paul. Fact is, I need a new lathe positioned welded yoke to that end of *that* driveshaft. So. I need another driveshaft.

 

[U EEDIOT]

Hey y'all I hope you're havin' a fantastic day!!! Carnage to the aluminum yoke ears is *FAR* beyond acceptable tolerance, as the caps pressed into the bores today ***by hand&unassisted by wrench*** with the balljoint clamp. Dire promulgations. I was wondering if anyone's familiar with the exact years of interchange for the driveshaft??? Could 07' work or would this 2008 4.2L LL8 Trailblazer LT require and only accept 08'&09'? I'm back on the "saga" of finding the rare again. I've got a bead on a few items in the surrounding 500 mile radius, but I have yet to dig down deep on all driveshaft exchange/replacement sagas of record. Also, that "Precision" U-joint was BUNK. - P/N 534G IS A NO GO. There is a 65.22mm snap ring deck race<->race mandate requirement on a *MAX* 64.96-65.00 *HARD* slip/shaft yoke void. Also, 3 of the 4 caps were of a different series than the 1. (Clean, no dings, nevertheless, Obscene.) Wound up scrounging through&finishing errors out of 4 of the remaining 14 caps from the AC Delco P/N's - no difference between the AC Delco caps - all feature #32 needles in place of the original #25. Precision got that part right with the #25 ct, but bearing length/cup depths were -all- non interchangeable from original factory->AC Delco->Precision. I could not rob Peter to pay Paul. Fact is, I need a new lathe positioned welded yoke to that end of *that* driveshaft. So. I need another driveshaft.

What?

 

[flyboy2610]

He said he needs another driveshaft and wants to know if something other than an '08-09 driveshaft will work.

 

[808]

He said he needs another driveshaft and wants to know if something other than an '08-09 driveshaft will work.

What @flyboy2610 said. ALSO, TODAY: From Pull-A-Part Atlanta. Another opportunity has presented itself to *FRESH* potential. '08 to '08. $ticker to $ticker. Different weights, but it's got 'em both and it's not distorted by a forklift tooth. Gonna go pick up ***GM*** Universal joints tomorrow from the stealership if *they check out* and then this fiasco is wrangled.

 

[Mike534x]

Ordered new front springs. Trying to figure out the front spring conversion rate gives me a headache, but after some digging it looks like the factory ones were 15125844's. After using the conversion chart on OTB, it looks like they fall in line with the Moog 81110's. I'm running 81112's currently, but I don't believe there should be much if any change in the current ride height. I also want to get the Bilsteins installed upfront, since I kept telling myself that for the last two years and I finally want get it done. That and I suspect the Monroe OESpectrums are biting the dust, the rides not as great as it was and the front just doesn't feel right with them anymore. I also think my alignment must've changed as well after doing the UCA's and UBJ's last summer. I'm noticing very minor cupping on the outside edge of the Toyo's, and after having them on for 3k, I'd rather not cause any unnecessary wear to a still new tire. So once that's done, she's going back in to get the alignment checked. Its been about 3-4 years, so its definitely needed.

Also can't remember if I posted this already, but we're ramping up on doing round #2 on the suspension work for my Dad's Yukon. Well...brother's now that he basically took it over lol. So Summer 2017 or 2018, he purchased the Detroit Axle front suspension kit. Too lazy to look it up, but from what I remember the kit came with; front wheel hubs, inner/outer tie rods, upper and lower control arms, ball joints, and idler arm.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago (after 15k total miles), we noticed the steering "wanders" and requires too much overcorrecting to keep it straight. Took it to the shop we use that services the fleet trucks, and sure enough they find basically almost everything has failed. Tie rods have about quarter or so inch of play where they meet, ball joints move freely, and the idler arm is gone too. To add onto an already growing list, the front calipers are sticking with the passenger side one binding up a little too much. So come Fall we'll be having that parked in the garage until it's fully safe to drive again. Detroit Axle was pretty much like "well provide the invoice for the shop so we can warranty the parts", since we did it ourselves there isn't much to provide. So we're just grabbing whats available from Moog and AC Delco and replacing everything that needs to be done. Less learned, DA used to be pretty decent but after 15k of use that seems like a really unacceptable length of time for the parts to fail.

 

[808]

Ordered new front springs. Trying to figure out the front spring conversion rate gives me a headache, but after some digging it looks like the factory ones were 15125844's. After using the conversion chart on OTB, it looks like they fall in line with the Moog 81110's. I'm running 81112's currently, but I don't believe there should be much if any change in the current ride height. I also want to get the Bilsteins installed upfront, since I kept telling myself that for the last two years and I finally want get it done. That and I suspect the Monroe OESpectrums are biting the dust, the rides not as great as it was and the front just doesn't feel right with them anymore. I also think my alignment must've changed as well after doing the UCA's and UBJ's last summer. I'm noticing very minor cupping on the outside edge of the Toyo's, and after having them on for 3k, I'd rather not cause any unnecessary wear to a still new tire. So once that's done, she's going back in to get the alignment checked. Its been about 3-4 years, so its definitely needed.

Also can't remember if I posted this already, but we're ramping up on doing round #2 on the suspension work for my Dad's Yukon. Well...brother's now that he basically took it over lol. So Summer 2017 or 2018, he purchased the Detroit Axle front suspension kit. Too lazy to look it up, but from what I remember the kit came with; front wheel hubs, inner/outer tie rods, upper and lower control arms, ball joints, and idler arm.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago (after 15k total miles), we noticed the steering "wanders" and requires too much overcorrecting to keep it straight. Took it to the shop we use that services the fleet trucks, and sure enough they find basically almost everything has failed. Tie rods have about quarter or so inch of play where they meet, ball joints move freely, and the idler arm is gone too. To add onto an already growing list, the front calipers are sticking with the passenger side one binding up a little too much. So come Fall we'll be having that parked in the garage until it's fully safe to drive again. Detroit Axle was pretty much like "well provide the invoice for the shop so we can warranty the parts", since we did it ourselves there isn't much to provide. So we're just grabbing whats available from Moog and AC Delco and replacing everything that needs to be done. Less learned, DA used to be pretty decent but after 15k of use that seems like a really unacceptable length of time for the parts to fail.

Dude that is *BRUTAL*

 

[Reprise]

Put the Sierra in the garage and went to work on the e-fans.
Didn't take me long to track down what happened (and I have to give credit to another Amazon customer who reviewed what I bought)...

One of the three relay connectors melted. Here's a pic from the reviewer (this isn't my harness or 'me')



With this harness, the leads from the +12v source to the relays (both fused with 40A) and the leads from relays to fans.... are two different gauges.

Working backward, the fan <> relay wires are 8ga.
But the relay <> +12v power wires... are 12ga.
Too much resistance in the small gauge wire... creates heat... and melts the relay connectors.

With mine, only one of the three was melted, but it looked very similar to the one on the RH side as shown here.

As I mentioned in the other post, the two 40A fuses were intact. These run from remote power lead (the red 'battery' box near the alternator, that the alternator connects to, where it's advised to connect to), and the relay plug connector.

I also noticed the corresponding +12v pin on the relay was burned.

So, now, I have a couple of choices...
- Reverse engineer the harness, put in new relays / connectors, and beefier wiring in at least the 12ga connections (I'm sure I could do it, although I'd have a ton of splices... )

- Build my own harness from scratch (basically salvaging only the two plugs that connect to the fan motors)... which I could probably also do, but would take me a longer time (cause I'd want to do a 'pro' style job with it)

- Buy the correctly engineered harness from someone like Nelson Performance, and pay 3x the amount. Spendy, yes... but look at the bullet I dodged here, both from an electrical and an engine standpoint. I'd rather not repeat what happened, again.

And for those asking, the GM harness (for the '05-'07s, which had this as OEM), connect a bit differently... they have a subharness that branches from the main wiring harness, and a subpanel off the main battery box. So that's really not an option, given my '03 (unless I'd go find an '05-'07 harness / battery box and plumb it in... which would be crazy to do).

Since I have some other stuff going on which requires attention, I'm thinking my best / safest bet is to spend the coin and order the better quality one from Nelson Performance.

For those wondering about the item on Amazon which I now recommend you stay away from, it's:

Amazon.com

I'll also link to this post from my writeup, when I installed this several months back, as a warning about this part.

TL : DR; "You get what you pay for"

 

[808]

Put the Sierra in the garage and went to work on the e-fans.
Didn't take me long to track down what happened (and I have to give credit to another Amazon customer who reviewed what I bought)...

One of the three relay connectors melted. Here's a pic from the reviewer (this isn't my harness or 'me')

View attachment 104829

With this harness, the leads from the +12v source to the relays (both fused with 40A) and the leads from relays to fans.... are two different gauges.

Working backward, the fan <> relay wires are 8ga.
But the relay <> +12v power wires... are 12ga.
Too much resistance in the small gauge wire... creates heat... and melts the relay connectors.

With mine, only one of the three was melted, but it looked very similar to the one on the RH side as shown here.

As I mentioned in the other post, the two 40A fuses were intact. These run from remote power lead (the red 'battery' box near the alternator, that the alternator connects to, where it's advised to connect to), and the relay plug connector.

I also noticed the corresponding +12v pin on the relay was burned.

So, now, I have a couple of choices...
- Reverse engineer the harness, put in new relays / connectors, and beefier wiring in at least the 12ga connections (I'm sure I could do it, although I'd have a ton of splices... )

- Build my own harness from scratch (basically salvaging only the two plugs that connect to the fan motors)... which I could probably also do, but would take me a longer time (cause I'd want to do a 'pro' style job with it)

- Buy the correctly engineered harness from someone like Nelson Performance, and pay 3x the amount. Spendy, yes... but look at the bullet I dodged here, both from an electrical and an engine standpoint. I'd rather not repeat what happened, again.

And for those asking, the GM harness (for the '05-'07s, which had this as OEM), connect a bit differently... they have a subharness that branches from the main wiring harness, and a subpanel off the main battery box. So that's really not an option, given my '03 (unless I'd go find an '05-'07 harness / battery box and plumb it in... which would be crazy to do).

Since I have some other stuff going on which requires attention, I'm thinking my best / safest bet is to spend the coin and order the better quality one from Nelson Performance.

For those wondering about the item on Amazon which I now recommend you stay away from, it's:

Amazon.com

I'll also link to this post from my writeup, when I installed this several months back, as a warning about this part.

TL : DR; "You get what you pay for"

That Nelson Performance icon sounds like the way to go!! Congratulations on your comprehensive assessment!! *Certainly a dodged bullet*