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

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,378
WNY
Well, my babied 91 motorhome sold and it's kind of bittersweet because the people who bought it will probably trash it.
I say this because when they came to pick it up I had some extras to put in their van, as they opened the slider I was hit with a cloud of cigarette smoke and the insides looked like a dumpster....alright, maybe I'm exaggerating but, it was sick.
Oh well it had a good life and they did pay up so they can do whatever ....:sadcry:
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Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,103
Ottawa, ON
Swapped the winter tires for the summers on the TB, however, one of the TPMS sensors is dead. I'll have it replaced after tire season is over at the dealership. And the tires are getting pretty old, manufactured in 2015 so this may be their last season. They're still in good condition but it's not recommended to run them more than 10 years. They're Firestone Destination AT.
 

Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
I have the Destination AT/2's on my '04 TB. I really like them!
I almost pulled the trigger one those! Only dislike I had when seeing them was the thread didn't seem as aggressive as the prior A/Ts.

Took the Envoy out on the highway after it basically sat for the last 2 months. Forgot how fun the go fast pedal is when you jump from the I6 to the V8 :celebrate:

Threw a can of B12 chemtool in, and top off the tank with fresh gas while I was at it. Only issue was the CEL coming on, and a slight rough idle that slowly developed. Torque is showing the codes as pending for the Driver Upstream and Passenger Downstream sensors. Looks like my Densos are on the way out after 4 years of use. I cleared the codes for now, and will continue to driver her until they pop up again. I believe the PCM and monitors are a little out of whack from the fuse pulling/battery disconnecting.
 

Matt

Member
Dec 2, 2011
4,039
Did the front rotors and pads on the boys Forester on Saturday. Went to do the rears and found a seized slide pin on the drivers side.

I'm not messing with it so we're ordering 2 new rear calipers.
 

Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,103
Ottawa, ON
Did the front rotors and pads on the boys Forester on Saturday. Went to do the rears and found a seized slide pin on the drivers side.

I'm not messing with it so we're ordering 2 new rear calipers.
Didn't know that GM made the Forester :biggrin:
 

Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
Ordered a new upstream and downstream O2 sensor for the Envoy. Went with NTK, seeing how the AC Delco unit was stamped with the NTK logo for the Trailblazer when I replaced it. Fingers crossed I don't cut my arms up on the heatshield again!

Also went for a car wash earlier, then it started to rain....oh and the door molding decided to snap off during the air dry. Didn't know these were unobtainium. The ones I did find are basically stickers and look nothing like what's on there. I guess I'll be spending the next few weeks peeling these off, and removing the adhesive.
 

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flyboy2610

Member
Aug 24, 2021
534
Lincoln, Ne.
Changed the oil and filter. Not having a garage means I'm at the mercy of wind and weather, and that hasn't been real cooperative on the weekends lately!
This is a map of what the weather was like yesterday afternoon.
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I live in Lincoln. This evening and through Sunday it's supposed to wet and windy! But this morning was dry, sunny, and calm! I figured I'd better take advantage of it! :yes:
 

Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
With the weather getting warmer here, decided to test out the Envoys A/C. Outside air was blowing from the vents, popped the hood and the compressor isn't even kicking in. Looks like the freon leaked out over the last few months, judging by the build up. Going off the spray pattern on the accumulator, and the condenser below it looks like it sprayed out from the Schrader valve. Haven't figured out if this was due to age, or the tech cranking down on it while it was in for an A/C service mid-summer.

Ordered a new orifice tube, and a valve kit from Four Seasons that should be here tomorrow. I may go ahead, and order a new compressor and accumulator. Even before the leak, it struggled to hit 70* (while set to 60 with recirculate on) the last few years. Might go ahead and just suck it up and have one of the shops nearby install it, after seeing the hoops you've gotta go through on the V8 I'd rather let someone else handle it.
 

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BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,261
West central Sask.
Got my TB running as a daily driver again. Noticed a light rattley grinding under the hood. Likely the tensioner pulley needs a new bearing and there is a bit of play in the water pump. This weekend I will swap out bearings and hope its not the pump.

Still have to find time to run her into the shop for the ac and abs....
 

TollKeeper

Supporting Donor
Member
Dec 3, 2011
8,265
Brighton, CO
Its not a GMT... Just wasnt sure where else to post it...

Shop just got done doing a rebuild on one of the fleet trucks, 2016 Volvo VNL with a 13L diesel, 699k miles.
New head, turbo, and a single piston liner.

They asked me to take it out for a test drive..
2 miles later, the front bull bumper fell off. They forgot to put the pins in it.

12 miles after that, the engine grenaded. New inspection port in the side of the block.

They should have done a full in frame, all 6 piston liners, crank bearings, etc.

That was a expensive mistake!
 

flyboy2610

Member
Aug 24, 2021
534
Lincoln, Ne.
Changed the oil and filter in the wife's '06 TB.
Earlier this week she informed me that the HVAC blower motor was not working on any speed. It never has worked on speed 5 since we got it, so I figured that the resistor had finally departed this life. I also decided that since I was going to be standing on my head under the passenger side dash anyway, I would go ahead and replace the blower motor. They aren't terrifically expensive, and they are a potential cause of a failed resistor, so I made the call and replaced that as well.
Here's the resistor. It's not good, but I've seen worse:
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Between the new resistor and blower motor she now has AC on all 5 speeds! :dance:
Something else that needed attention was that the reverse light on the passenger side no workie! 🙁
I bought a new bulb for it about 2 weeks ago, and tried changing it, but that didn't fix it. I did discover that someone else had been in there at some point and did a real hack job on the wiring to that bulb cluster! I took this pic today when I finally had a chance to repair it:
100_0243.JPG

All 5 wires had been cut at some point (I'm guessing to replace the taillight assembly) and then twisted together followed by a wrapping of electrical tape!
Underneath the tape all looked like this:
100_0245.JPG

Ernest Eeeewww.jpg
Eeeewww!!!

I separated all the wires, and used some waterproof butt connectors (the heat shrink type) to reconnect them. Before I installed the connectors I put a 2" length of heat shrink tubing over the wire bundle. I did that to help seal everything up.
The finished job.
100_0246.JPG

I didn't take a picture of the last step, but I gave the whole thing a good wrapping of electrical tape, pretty much covering it from one end of the black heat shrink tubing to the other. It's well sealed and has good strain relief for the wires.
Unfortunately, this did not fix the problem. ☹️
So I'm going to have to dig a bit deeper to find out where the break is. But, hey, I do know one place it's NOT! :thumbsup:
The brake light, turn signal, and hazard flasher work, though. It's supposed to be stormy tomorrow, but I'll get to it when I can.
 

6716

Member
Jul 24, 2012
833
Replacing left front upper control arm, ball joint was bad. I had only planned to do the arms, and just evaluate the ball joints. But it was bad, my buddy said "let's get the ball joint right now" and I kinda didn't want to, just wanted to get the arms and come back another day on the ball joints. So I wasn't thinking clearly, and I didn't pull the axle nut and get the axle out of the hub. So when I pulled hard on the steering knuckle to get the tool on the ball joint, the axle separated inside the boot next to the tripot.

I can replace the axle, though it is so long now the steering knuckle is going to have to come off entirely I expect in order to get it out. The rubber boot is super stretched and extended and even with a little pressure it won't pop back into place. Not that it should or that I should drive on it if it did. Or that I know what is going on inside that boot there.
 

TollKeeper

Supporting Donor
Member
Dec 3, 2011
8,265
Brighton, CO
Just keep pushing, and it will pop back in. Have done this many times will no ill effect.
 
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Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
Found a shop willing to work on the Envoy, without charging me an arm and leg. I'm looking at about $600 for them to install the new A/C compressor and dryer and charge the system. I went with a Denso unit off RA, I haven't seen any mentions on here on the Denso units (some detective work on various SSR forums show that Denso was an OEM supplier for our systems). I'll post back with how it is as a viable replacement to the GM one that's double the cost.

My A/C woes continue, this time with the Trailblazer. Been dealing with the system slowly blowing warm after 20 minutes of ice cold air, and then it eventually returns. Thought it was a bad low pressure switch, which didn't solve the issue. During the times it blows warm, the compressor is disengaged. I suspect the culprit is a worn clutch, will need to find something to tap the face to see if it works or if there's an issue elsewhere in the system.
 

6716

Member
Jul 24, 2012
833
Just keep pushing, and it will pop back in. Have done this many times will no ill effect.

Thanks! That worked. The other side went a lot easier.
 

Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
Envoy was finished this afternoon, this was the first time the shop ever worked on a 5.3 GMT360. They were not expecting the job to be such a pain in the ass haha, said it took most of the day and they removed the passenger side engine mount to get better access.

I'll get pics later, but it's working fantastic. I get about 60* blowing from the vents at idle and it hovers at 40-45* while driving. Prior it would blow 65* constant, and maybe down to 55* while driving. I'm so used to keeping it at 60 on full blast, and I actually needed to lower it because of how cold I was getting (88*F with high humidity today). Definitely having no regrets just going with the new compressor.

I should have the Trailblazer back tomorrow, hoping they figure out if it's a low freon issue or the clutch is going.
 

xavierny25

Member
Mar 16, 2014
6,372
Staten Island, N.Y
A little face off between the Trailblazer and Envoy. 20240606_201703.jpg
The TBSS ac wasn't working really well so I add some refrigerant and all is good again.

The Voy needs some work. Water pump is leaking and sounds like it's about to explode. While I'll be working in there, I'll be replacing the belt tensioner, hoses, idler puller and drive belt. Ordered everything for it yesterday via Amazon and got most of it here today. Still waiting on a lower hose and tensioner which should show up tomorrow at some point while I'm working on it.
 

Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
Trailblazer is back from the shop, they used it for part grabbing and it compressor wasn't shutting off for them (go figure, doesn't wanna do it when it's in the shop). They threw it on the machine, and found it was .9 lbs low. So they recharged it and added dye. Now to just run/drive it and see what happens.

My theory is it's a small leak somewhere. When I purchased it in November, the previous owner handed me the paperwork of everything done and it had an A/C recharge performed by the dealer in early October '23. Fingers crossed it's maybe a bad Schrader valve, or seal somewhere.
 

mrrsm

Lifetime VIP Donor
Supporting Donor
Member
Oct 22, 2015
8,265
Tampa Bay Area
Your inexpensive ($24.00) "Freon Leak Detector" BFF...

 

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xavierny25

Member
Mar 16, 2014
6,372
Staten Island, N.Y
Not today but just this past Friday morning. Replaced water pump, hoses belt and pulleys.
20240607_115257.jpg20240607_115300.jpgPulled off the alternator just to degrease and pressure wash all types of dirt off the front of the block.20240607_115311.jpgGot the last 2 parts delivered while I was still flushing all the old coolant out. 20240607_115624.jpg
It's was all back together and no leaks by mid afternoon but now my ac has a slight whine.😡 Which was probably already there I just couldn't hear it over the sound of the water pump.
 

Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,103
Ottawa, ON
The TB started leaking power steering fluid AGAIN do decided to tackle this yesterday since my son will be using it to tow his newly acquired pop-up camper this weekend. Start by tightening the hose connections on the return lines and cleaned everything with brake cleaner. Still a drip but saw that it was the Dorman cooler that was dripping from the bottom line :mad: . Take the cooler out (I have developed a method of removing/installing it without taking the bumper off) and plugged the lines with plastic squeeze bottle caps. The aluminum line goes through the cooler's steel bracket and rubbed a hole in it. Cut the line before the hole and put some rubber tranny cooler line with worm gear hose clamps. Put everything back together, fill it, start it and POW, a line blows off the metal line. WTF? It was one of the metal crimp clamps. Replace the crimp with a couple of worm clamps, the other end behind the shock tower with a crimp clamp blows with a geyser, fix that one and I bypass the cooler in case something went in it or something. That last line blows again.
By then, my wife is home and she picked up some wings for dinner. Scarf them and down a beer. Go back out and start to think. I then see one of the caps I used to plug the hoses on the ground. Mother:lipsrsealed:! I left one of the caps in the line and pushed it in with the hard line. Cut the line back to the cap, reconnect everything, refill and it's good. Was then left to clean up the mess :frown:.

Since I had removed the fan and clutch to get to one of the lines, I thought I'd try out an EV clutch I had hanging around the garage. Hook up the Tech 2 and command it to 100%, nada. Put the thermal clutch back in. Then checked the A/C, not cooling much and clutch cycling. Hook up the gauges and yep, very low. Refill it and she's good and chill. First time I've had to add refrigerant. If it leaks out again, I'll sniff it out.

And now, I'll I'm saying to myself is
I AM WE TODD DID. I AM SOFA KING WE TODD DID.

Today, I'm replacing the air filter in the TB and the Sierra is getting an oil change and fuel filter before the summer driving season.
 

ultra...good

Member
May 26, 2024
27
NE Wisconsin
I cleaned my fuel system and rotated my tires. At my age that means I poured a bottle of berrymans into the tank, drove 40 miles, took a nap, woke up, (keep these in order) went to the bathroom, drove back home.

Yesterday I cleaned the throttle body and now it runs very, very good. Don't want to ask for trouble but damn. When I got home and put it in park, I thought it died.the rpms dropped a touch and the motor was flat. No noise, vibration. Muffler has a fist size hole, mostly severed tail pipe, and no resonator.
Screenshot_20240612_015545_Gallery.jpg

Screenshot_20240612_015528_Gallery.jpg

I have video of the throttle body I am trying to figure out how to get here. Dirty, yes. Reason for the video was to see the rate of throttle opening, speed and percentage of in relation to pedal. Very surprised. It almost snaps open like a cable. And it opens all the way up. Something has to have been done to pcm I assume.

Video upload- trying to go through YouTube. If there is a better or easier way, please let me know.

AND big thanks to may03lt for the idea of using the camera instead of a person and the reason why. Funny cause it's So Damn True.
 

Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,103
Ottawa, ON
Video upload- trying to go through YouTube. If there is a better or easier way, please let me know.
Nope, that's the method. Post it on YT and post the link to it here. Don't forget to make it public or available with the link. If you have an actual question or a more informative post, I would recommend creating its own thread instead of posting it here.

So on the TB yesterday, air filter didn't need to be replaced as it still looked like new, however the duct connection to the resonator was loose allowing unmetered air into the system, which could explain the lousy MPG lately. Tightened the clamp and I also gave the MAF a quick cleaning even though it was spotless. Found that the seal around it was a little lacking, also possibly allowing an air leak. Shaved a little plastic from the standoffs so the screws could clamp down a little more. We shall see if MPG improve.

On the Sierra, oil change went well, as usual. It had been about 8k KM and the OLM was at about 33%. It would have been too long to get it to 0% IMHO. Have heard of stories of warranty engine replacements being denied at the dealership because the OLM was used instead of actual KM which they say is too long? I document everything and keep receipts of all oil and filters I use.

I didn't replace the fuel filter as that was still at 40%. I rotated the tires (never did it since getting these tires) and they really needed it. The fronts had light inside wear and the rears were worn flat across. The truck's alignment feels the same as the day it was new. They may need replacement before next winter maybe at around 70k KM. Find that these Cooper AT3 wore a bit fast but I like the ride with them and they're winter rated, which is maybe why they wear faster.
 
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Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
After roughly 2 weeks (?) the new A/C Compressor still works like a treat in the Envoy, still takes a tad bit longer to blow cold on initial startup but it gets ice cold when driving so I can't complain about it. The Trailblazer on the other hand, is still having issues. With the temps being in the mid-90's here in Chicagoland this week, I took her to meet up for Fathers Day dinner. 20 minutes soon after, the A/C started to switch between cold->luke warm -> back to cold (after revving the engine), and stayed cold until about 6-7 minutes later where it just went warm. Thankfully we were pulling into a space at the restaurant as it went out. Popped the hood and the dryer was warm/dry, and the clutch wasn't engaged on the compressor.

The system already has dye, and was fully charged from the shop visit last week but no traces of anything leaking out. My only assumption at this point, is that compressor is tripping out from either it "overheating", or the clutch is worn and its causing it to disengage after minutes of running. Mid-70's it works without a fuss, once we're in the 80's+ is when it starts acting up.

So now I need to decide;

Buy new A/C Compressor ($330 on RA)

Gamble on a low-mileage unit from the Junkyard/eBay

Take a 50/50 chance on replacing the clutch with the one from Aliexpress
 
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Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,103
Ottawa, ON

Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
I'll need to test both, I just wrote off the fan clutches since I've never really seen the thermal ones fail.
 

Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,103
Ottawa, ON
If they're thermals, then I would be careful testing them as described in that thread. That's more for the EV fans, however, if you can stop them when they're hot or they're not really pulling a lot of air, then they could have failed. Just be careful.
 
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TJBaker57

Lifetime VIP Donor
Member
Aug 16, 2015
3,316
Colorado
and the clutch wasn't engaged on the compressor.


Have you checked to see if the clutch was being energized? Like check the A/C relay for activation?

Your description sounds a lot like my 2002 behaved some years ago worked fine until the ambient temperatures went into the 90s. At these temperatures my clutch wouldn't engage although the A/C relay was activated. I pulled the front plate and removed the shim in there and it has worked flawlessly ever since.
 

TJBaker57

Lifetime VIP Donor
Member
Aug 16, 2015
3,316
Colorado
So yesterday I fiddled with FOBs a good long time. Having acquired an LGM for test purposes I set about seeing what I could learn.

Found PIDs for "Last FOB used", "Last FOB button pressed", " Lock Command" (lock, unlock, idle), " Lock/Unlock Requested" (current lock status), "FOBs programmed" (1, 2, 3, 4), and another PID that is a bit puzzling as it uses 2 bytes to display the status of switches for glass and hatch open/close status. Being only 3 switches there I would expect only a single byte. With further testing I may discover more status' items are also in this PID. Things like "Wiper Requested" or the like.

Eavesdropped on the FOB programming serial data stream so I now know how to initiate FOB programming, either a single FOB or the usual "All FOBS" variety.

Maybe today I might get to fiddling with the two TCCM I just got and see where the useful data is stored in these two new additions.
 

Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
Have you checked to see if the clutch was being energized? Like check the A/C relay for activation?

Your description sounds a lot like my 2002 behaved some years ago worked fine until the ambient temperatures went into the 90s. At these temperatures my clutch wouldn't engage although the A/C relay was activated. I pulled the front plate and removed the shim in there and it has worked flawlessly ever since.

I'm going to test out the relay tomorrow on my off day, only thing I haven't done was tapping the face of the clutch to see if it comes back on. I'll keep the relay in mind! I didn't bother to check it honestly.

I've got the Envoy scheduled to go back into the shop to get the system looked at again. This morning it was blowing cold at 45-48*F, got out to run into the store, hopped back in and it's struggling to stay at 60*F. Drove on the highway and it took 20 minutes to move from 60 down to 50. So I'm thinking they didn't replace all the seals/valves and it's lost freon. Half tempted to get a can on the way home, and see if it's low.

Fan clutch is good on the Trailblazer, it had good resistance when attempting to slow/stop it after it was warmed up and fought so it's not a fan issue. The Envoy took a bit less pressure to slow/stop the thermal fan, but it seems to be blowing roughly the same as the Trailblazers when running at operating temp. I thought maybe the Envoys issue was the fan, but that's a significant drop in A/C performance after an hour of running errands. So I'm at a loss.
 
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Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
I made a new thread here, so I don't throw this one off topic.
 

ultra...good

Member
May 26, 2024
27
NE Wisconsin
I figured out that my a/c system does not work properly. I figured some things out about that.

84 degrees in direct sun, 90% humidity, sand colored, moonroof closed.

10 minutes at 60 mph. Off 10 minutes. Another 10@60. Lowest drivers vent 95 passenger 80. Held those Temps until shut off, idle for 5 minutes immediately after 10@60, no change.

Can feel cold at the discharge, air not completely blended.

Compressor runs constantly at idle-parked.

Condensation under truck.

I do not need it to work, but I have it, so...........

The air coming out of the vents, it is a dry heat.

Off to read about blend doors.
 

Mike534x

Member
Apr 9, 2012
1,018
I figured out that my a/c system does not work properly. I figured some things out about that.

84 degrees in direct sun, 90% humidity, sand colored, moonroof closed.

10 minutes at 60 mph. Off 10 minutes. Another 10@60. Lowest drivers vent 95 passenger 80. Held those Temps until shut off, idle for 5 minutes immediately after 10@60, no change.

Can feel cold at the discharge, air not completely blended.

Compressor runs constantly at idle-parked.

Condensation under truck.

I do not need it to work, but I have it, so...........

The air coming out of the vents, it is a dry heat.

Off to read about blend doors.
It definitely sounds like one your blend doors are stuck open allowing the heater core to feed into the cabin. A job I'm dreading in the future if/when the actuators give it out one of these days.

Envoy's ready at the regular shop. System was overfilled a half pound, and everything is checking out. I'll know tomorrow if its working as it should when I pick it up. They had some time to get the downstream O2 sensors replaced while it was in the bay, which is good for me since the threads stripped on both upon removal so they were able to re-tap it.
 

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