What did you do to your GMT today?

[reedtchsrv]

Maybe if it's a really cheap radiator.

Considering that the parts, coolant and special fan wrench cost me $250 and my TB has a KBB value of $2,500 at best, 10% of my truck doesn't feel cheap for a radiator!

 

[Reprise]

Spent about 1/2 the day researching the two available styles of water pump for the GMT360/370 w/ 5.3L (at least for early V8 models), the two different t-stats (integrated w/ water inlet neck, vs. 2 separate pieces), why the latter is supposed to be 'improved', and if the different t-stats are interchangeable with the two WP styles. Should make for a write-up with (hopefully) some addn'l info, vs. the existing ones on site.

(And, yes, I now have the correct t-stat for my new WP!)

 

[sawicksted]

Been a while for me but here goes ..... it's been a busy week! I have been neglecting the TB for the past while as I was thinking about taking her "off the road" so to speak but can't find anything I like better anywhere so I decided to put some work back in. Usually I do all my own work but ths time I went to a shop and they quoted me $200 for the labour and the parts were about $850 total so I decided to give them a try. Drives like a dream again!
Brakes all around, 2 rear calipers, rear rotors, front ball joints (all), two tie rod ends, alignment, wash, wax, paint some of the rust, paint frame rails, and rocker guard. Inspection passed!
Next week is the interior / engine bay!

 

[gpking]

I got back from a weekend camping trip. On the ride home I punched it on the interstate to show a 4Runner a loaded-down 6cyl. TrailBlazer is boss, of course, karma caught up and I lost all forward gears except 2nd and my coolant temp gauge went to 120°. This time the SES light actually illuminated so I pulled over to grab the codes:


I don't care so much about the P0128 as I do the P1810. It seems On Board Diagnostics has FINALLY managed to tell me what is wrong with my transmission.

I'll be ordering a new "Automatic Transmission Manual Valve Position Pressure Switch" and replacing it. It resides on the bottom of the valve body, so a simple pan drop is all that's needed.
As soon as Amazon can get the thing to my door, I'll be back to showing 4Runners who is boss.

 

[Blckshdw]

Fired up the new compressor and got to removing that leaky rear tire, found the culprit!



Took a bit of patience with the needle nose pliers, but eventually won the fight and pulled this out...




Went into the toolbox and grabbed my tire plug kit. Got the hole reamed out, plug strip on the hook and ready to go, cracked open the tube of rubber cement that I had used only once before, and squeezed... and squeezed... and squeezed some more... Not only did all of the cement dry out, it evaporated, so I had a tube 3/4 full of air.

Luckily I had a 2nd kit because I had broken the reamer the first time I used it, so there was an unopened tube in there. So the plug is in, and I'm letting the cement cure for a lil bit. Will go refill and mount the tire later after it cools off some more.

Need to source some rubber cement in a better container for the future though. Woulda been mad as hell if I had to turn around and mess with the spare, just to go somewhere to pick up some.

 

[Matt]

Last night took an hour before dinner and changed both hubs...blessed silence.

 

[Reprise]

Was able to swap out my tailgate glass this morning, w/ my buddy's help. Great to have the rear looking 'complete' again, as well as the working CHMSL.

And...the vent actuator reset properly (by itself) - so I will have cool air available for my trip!

See you all in a few days!

For those wanting to view the eclipse on Monday - I am putting together a post helping to show the difference between 'real' glasses, and the 'fake' ones. The fake ones WILL blind you if you use them, so be careful.

If you miss this 'total' eclipse, the next one in the US will be in 2024 - but a smaller area will experience 'totality' than this one will.

 

[Blckshdw]

Shook my head at it... Came out into the garage this afternoon to notice the tire that I plugged last night was visibly low. Uh oh! Gave it the soapy water test, and sure enough, bubbles coming out from the sides. Hoping against hope that it was just a bad plug job on my part, I pulled the wheel and replugged it. No dice, still bubbled.

Luckily there were no issues with the spare hoist, so I threw on the spare, aired that up, and took the wheel to a shop to get it patched. Didn't know that they wouldn't put a patch on a tire that's already had a plug attempted. Apparently the hole made by the rasp is too big... Besides that, my tires are too worn, so it needs to be replaced. Since I have 265/65/17s, they arent in stock and need to be ordered. Hell, then I might as well get a whole new set, cuz they are all similarly worn.

So came back home and jacked up the truck again. Decided to put the spare on the front due to the diameter difference, and have the 2 rear tires be the same diameter for peace of mind. Will have to wait for the next paycheck, then the decision will be... stock size tires, or stick with the plus sized ones?

 

[Tiggerr]

Shook my head at it... Came out into the garage this afternoon to notice the tire that I plugged last night was visibly low. Uh oh! Gave it the soapy water test, and sure enough, bubbles coming out from the sides. Hoping against hope that it was just a bad plug job on my part, I pulled the wheel and replugged it. No dice, still bubbled.

Luckily there were no issues with the spare hoist, so I threw on the spare, aired that up, and took the wheel to a shop to get it patched. Didn't know that they wouldn't put a patch on a tire that's already had a plug attempted. Apparently the hole made by the rasp is too big... Besides that, my tires are too worn, so it needs to be replaced. Since I have 265/65/17s, they arent in stock and need to be ordered. Hell, then I might as well get a whole new set, cuz they are all similarly worn.

So came back home and jacked up the truck again. Decided to put the spare on the front due to the diameter difference, and have the 2 rear tires be the same diameter for peace of mind. Will have to wait for the next paycheck, then the decision will be... stock size tires, or stick with the plus sized ones?

Plugging tires never a good idea IMHO..
Always patch from inside... less damaging than reaming and breaking more threads... plus less failures and last longer...

 

[Mooseman]

I've plugged lots of tires, including a new one, and the plug lasted as long as the tire.

It may have been reamed a little too much.

 

[Blckshdw]

If I had a tire mounting machine, I would definitely go for patching over plugging. But that piece of equipment isn't currently on the mod bug wish list. I think if I had one, I might give Kyle a run for his money on being the resident rim/tire whore (try to anyway) I've plugged a few tires before without any issues, but yeah maybe I was a little too aggressive with the reaming tool. Live and learn (the hard way)

Currently shopping tires around the area to see what my options are. I went out and checked the rest of them, and I'm not down to the wear indicators yet, but I'm not too far off from them either. So some new rubber will be in short order pretty soon.

 

[Tiggerr]

Just putting it out there....
Idk if y'all have "Discount Tire" stores in FL... but they fix flats for free... in the car or off... no matter where you bought the tires.
Seem to remember pep boys doing that too when I lived in TX...

 

[Capote]

Ordered a new 3157 signal socket for the passenger headlight. Seal shrunk and let moisture get into the base, compromising the blades with rust build-up.

 

[Mounce]

Drove her to town and filled her up for the third time since the gas tank recall was done. So nice to be able to fill up again normally without any leakage.

Punched numbers and she's getting 14.1 mpg around town. Disappointed and thrilled at the same time.

 

[Matt]

Not my TB but my wife's 02 Rav4. Changed out the rear springs because the passengers side was broken. Couldn't get the end links off so I cut them in half with the grinder and they'll stay like that for a few weeks (@Sparky I'm going to need to come down in about 4 weeks). Did her oil change and while I was under there, did the transmission with filter change. Toyota, in their wisdom, have a drain plug in the pan...unlike GM.

 

[littleblazer]

Stuff

 

[gpking]

OBD is really a lifesaver this time. For over a year I've dealt with a brutal 1-2 shift and hard TCC lockup, and just general bad shifts. Finally after three intermittent instances of losing all forward gears under hard acceleration, OBD spit out a P1810- TPS switch manifold fault.

I ordered the part from Dorman (which was only like $25) as a hail Mary to fix my transmission. I pulled the pan down, and lo and behold, the TPS switch manifold thing had numerous warped and blown-out O-rings.
I swapped in the new part, and it's like I just installed a new transmission. Seamless but firm shifts (thanks in part to lime-swap too).

I can't believe such a small failure was causing such catastrophic problems...

 

[dna59]

Finally decided to start painting my calipers. Definitely didn't wanna go fake brembo red and just black seemed not worth all the work. I went with a GM silver for the calipers and black for the brackets. Figured silver brackets would be too much silver for me. Also serviced things while there. Now to find motivation to do the rear, those rear calipers are literally crying for a service.

 

[xavierny25]

Finally decided to start painting my calipers. Definitely didn't wanna go fake brembo red and just black seemed not worth all the work. I went with a GM silver for the calipers and black for the brackets. Figured silver brackets would be too much silver for me. Also serviced things while there. Now to find motivation to do the rear, those rear calipers are literally crying for a service.View attachment 81778 View attachment 81779 View attachment 81780

So that's what a 2wd looks like. Lol. Nice work! Those lug nuts need an upgrade.

The brake lines on my 08 Voy are very different or it could just be me.

 

[dna59]

So that's what a 2wd looks like. Lol. Nice work! Those lug nuts need an upgrade.

The brake lines on my 08 Voy are very different or it could just be me.

New closed lug nuts are on the list, but I can't find any locally. So it's either I pay a hefty price to import them or wait until I make a trip to Houston to get some.

 

[djthumper]

Wow! What kind of price would you have to pay to get them to Belize?

 

[dna59]

Wow! What kind of price would you have to pay to get them to Belize?

Id haven't to purchase it online so cost plus shipping to Miami. Then the mail forwarder in Miami charges air freight by the pound. Customs Dept. then charges sales tax and import duty.

 

[xavierny25]

Installed the jdm astar led reverse light bulbs in my ascender tails. There crazy bright. So bright now that my reverse lights are brighter then most ppls headlights.

 

[Mooseman]

The brake lines on my 08 Voy are very different or it could just be me.

They are. He has the aluminum calipers. '06+ are cast iron. Also different pads.

Didn't do anything to mine but did score a spare PCM at the p-n-p off another '07 TB (extremely rare to find in a yard!). Now I'll be able to ship off my PCM to Jeremy for a tune! Was going to park the TB but now won't have to.

 

[Mooseman]

Swapped the PCM, security and CASE relearn. Shipping mine to Jeremy for a tune.

Then, followed this write up and installed the temp and compass mirror. Also the auto-dim will be nice. I pulled the entire wire from sensor to plug so it's all like OEM. Peeling it out of the donor was a PITA though.



So I won't have that light that tells me somebody is sitting next to me, who cares?

 

[Blckshdw]

Took it to the DIY car wash, since it had been quite a while since I scrubbed her down. The rims were filthy, and now had hand/finger smudges on them from my flat tire episode. The bay I was in had some malfunctions, the high pressure rinse feature didn't work

Luckily, the guy working came over and after I showed him, he gave me free time in the next bay. So I threw in some wax, along with some extra wheel cleaner.

While wiping down the door seals, jambs and pillars, noticed this little issue. Guess it was just a matter of time, considering these are still from the old batch of 500 Ebay LEDs I bought ages ago...

 

[Reprise]

Started to drain / replace my rear diff fluid, but after getting the fill plug off, and checking the level - it was less than 1" low, and still looked pretty 'grape-y'. Plus the relative ease of getting the fill plug off told me it had likely been drained / replaced at some point in it's life. (24 ft/lb, and that's what it felt like, comparing the 'off' to the 'on'.)

(as an aside...anyone ever notice how torque specs often seem to be ignored, the first time you disassemble something that was tightened at the factory?)

So... I reinstalled the fill plug, and decided to do something more pressing, since I had the rear end jacked up. Put in the Bilstein HDs - and the existing shocks were factory originals - so after 140K, they were definitely 'ready'.

Very satisfying job - easy to do, didn't take all day. Plus those yellow & blue shocks look purrdyyy...

For the kids at home...59 ft/lb torque - both top & bottom bolts.

Also noticed my spare didn't seem to be holding air (hopefully a bead sealant issue, based on the old tires I had), and while I might have a new-ish fuel tank, the filler tube appears to be factory original. Add another item to the to-do list...LOL.

 

[dna59]

So for months I've debated painting my D pillars. I like the color matched look from the side but didn't like the look from the rear. I like the big glass illusion the black pillars gave it from the rear. Finally a solution hit me. Paint the sides color matched and left the part of the panel beside the rear glass black. Absolutely love the look! Now if you notice the third brake light panel is off. My painter broke it when I took to be repainted black and I really don't wanna pay $100+ on eBay for a used part. However, it has sparked some ideas. I love the look without the panel and brake light and i like how the glass shape at the top looks and how it shows the body color. Downside is looking down from the top the hinges and where the panel bolts onto is visible. Thinking about how to make a panel to cover the hinges and bracket but still highlight the curves at the top over the glass.

P.S. ... The shaved rear bumper step pad and updated rear wiper can also be seen.

 

[Blckshdw]

We're supposed to get a break from the rain today so after work I'll be getting some gas, as I've been putting it off and now my fuel light is on.

I fixed that led that was out in my front passenger scuff plate last night, and when I hooked it up, one in the rear passenger scuff plate went out

Fun fact, when the passenger side B pillar ground is disconnected, the license plate lights come on, and so does the tail light (dimly) on that side. It kinda freaked me out opening the door to a dark garage and seeing that unexpectedly.

Now if you notice the third brake light panel is off. My painter broke it when I took to be repainted black and I really don't wanna pay $100+ on eBay for a used part. However, it has sparked some ideas. I love the look without the panel and brake light and i like how the glass shape at the top looks and how it shows the body color.

Buy an Avalanche LED 3rd brake light, splice the stock connector. Dremel the edge to get the clear lens off, remove the chrome bezel and color match it white. Reassemble, seal with RTV, and call it good.

Edit: at first, I didn't notice your whole plastic piece was gone, thought it was just the light itself. I agree, it does look cleaner without it. The LWB aren't pretty with that piece gone on ours

 

[Reprise]

The LWB aren't pretty with that piece gone on ours

Truth. The rear just looks so bad when it's missing, IMHO.

I just got mine back to OEM spec two weeks ago - had to swap out the entire hatch glass to do it, as the crossbar mount & fastener areas were missing / trashed on the old one from previous 'fix' attempts.

I was the happiest I'd been in a while when the 'surgery' was complete.

FWIW, I've only seen one 'custom' LWB spoiler that I've liked - an obviously hand-fabricated job by the owner that unfortunately deleted the CHMSL (but it did look good, I'll admit).

 

[xavierny25]

I found this "unicorn" yesterday after seeing @dna59 voy with it. Ebay sent me a notification that it was 10% today so yes I went ahead and pulled the trigger on that one.
I had to send the seller a message cause the address on file with ebay is wrong. I haven't lived at that address in 13yrs. Smh. I gotta get that fixed.

 

[dna59]

I found this "unicorn" yesterday after seeing @dna59 voy with it. Ebay sent me a notification that it was 10% today so yes I went ahead and pulled the trigger on that one. View attachment 81837
I had to send the seller a message cause the address on file with ebay is wrong. I haven't lived at that address in 13yrs. Smh. I gotta get that fixed.

Nice find. Think I got mine for $35usd. What I did was drill a hole in it so that I could put my lock pic in it so no one steals it.

 

[Mooseman]

Man, those a rarer than the rear cargo covers. Somebody should repro those.

 

[Reprise]

Man, those a rarer than the rear cargo covers. Somebody should repro those.

3-D printer plus Plasti-Dip ? Yeah, it would be plastic, but they're really decorative, anyway. Include the retention holes, and you could even lock it in place.

(I quickly checked the Bay after seeing this, but no more were listed / available)

 

[dna59]

Not sure who pic this is but it made me order a Buick Rainier gauge cluster this morning. The pic is the Buick cluster with the Saab 9-7 trim bezel. I'm not sure if the Envoy is the same trim bezel but it sure looks the same so I'll be swapping mine onto the Buick cluster. I was looking at SS clusters but the one different color gauge and needle didn't sit well with me....worse the price!

 

[xavierny25]

In the process of an oil change and picked up a magnetic oil drain plug. I went k&n on the oil filter this time. I guess I forgot to place my order on a case of wix filters. Oh well.

 

[dna59]

A lady reversed into me this morning. Idk what she was doing. She had no need to reverse as nothing was in front of her. Got some scratches on my bumper cover and the header panel cracked. Great part is she's insured with the company I work for and I'm actually a claims adjuster so it will be a simple process. I'll buy a new header panel but repair this one for now as it'll take a while to get here. This evening I went from just looking over damages to pulling parts. Started fighting with the below mangled fender and bumper brace/mount. It was never really fixed when the vehicle was repaired after I bought it from auction. This is the last key in getting the front bumper and driver headlight to fit exactly how I want. Tomorrow we'll fight some more.

 

[dna59]

After a bit of help from a BFH the bumper on the driver side fits ooooh so much better as does the headlight. There was a gap between the bumper on the side and the headlight. Also the light was slanted downwards towards the outer part. Tip to any one trying to get a better fit of the bumper... Make styrofoam pieces that go between the bumper reinforcement and the bumper cover. That pushes up the bumper closer to the lights and grille. I managed to polish out the scratches on the bumper and I repaired the header panel so with the insurance settlement I'll buy a replacement grille since the surround separated from the center and the bumper valance Ive been meaning to buy.

 

[Mooseman]

I did nothing. Just posting to test this thread.

 

[Blckshdw]

Drove mine across the county 4 times to clear stuff out of the house in prep for the big storm. Burned a quarter tank of gas, putting me down to a half. Saw a few gas stations that still had fuel, but the line of cars down the street at each one wasn't gonna be worth it. Will hold out until after the hurricane passes, when people aren't trying to buy up so much fuel.