What did you do to your GMT today?

[aaserv]

Thanks MM....I keep reading multiple theories on this. Some say don't turn the wheel lock to lock because you can F it up like that, others say turn the key on before you do it, etc, etc... I got it jacked up big time so I'll give it a try. I did turn it a half turn or so each way about 20 times times yesterday and didnt get any effect at all. Like i say i was scared to try lock to lock. I dont see any reason I couldnt go ahead and put the battery back in and try it like that.
I just think it was pretty dumb of me to put the fluid in knowing I was trapping the air in the bottom of the system doing it like that. But as my ol man used to say "If thats the only problem you got you aint got no problems !"

 

[Mooseman]

And remember, that's with the engine NOT RUNNING. Going lock to lock with it running is definitely not good (but not terrible). I'd do lock to lock not running, let the foam settle in the reservoir and top up fluid, start it (still in the air) and go side to side just short of going to full lock. That should get most, if not all, of the air out. If it still whines a little, I would drive it a while until the rest of what little air is left works itself out.

 

[TollKeeper]

4 days ago there were less than 400 cases in my area today its over 1200 w 34 dead. Im getting a little worried to put it mildly......

Wouldnt read to far into the death numbers. They are combining deaths of other causes at this point until/if they can determine a cause for the deaths of the untested. My father died last week of a stroke. But its listed on his death certifcate as complications from stroke/Covid-19

 

[BrianF]

Ok some good news! Well off to a rough start.... baited a trap in the Tb with peanut butter, usually works. Com home after night shift and find an empty trap, then upon closer inspection, the damn mouse ate all the peanut butter and never tripped the trap. Well I walk to the house and forgot about an icy patch and do this sort of funky white man dance all over the side walk. Anyways, I bait the trap again with some cheese and caught the little prick when I came out a few hours later. I baited the trap again and will check in the morning it there are more.

Now that 360 was desperate for a bath anyway and I will give the interior a really good vacuum and clean in a day or two.

 

[Mooseman]

Sometimes you have to adjust the trigger to be a bit more sensitive.

Nothing on my TB for today. Wish the weather was warmer so I could actually work on it with all this free time.

 

[BrianF]

I used a brand new trap and was thinking the same thing as the trigger was quite crisp. I got some older, well used traps that work like a hot damn. They produce some good numbers.

 

[Sparky]

Aired up the tire (again), emptied the catch can (way overdue), started it and sighed as I dismissed the airbag warning light and TPMS warning light (after this is COVID19 stuff is done I'll get this stuff fixed), drove it to a country trail and took a walk for some fresh air with the family. Did us good to get out of the house for a short bit in some nice weather while still easily maintaining distance from others.

 

[aaserv]

BrianF.........I used the yellow sticky sheets from walmart. 1 under each seat. Whatever you do don't make the mistake I did... Go out there ASAP and ck the glove box!!! I got 2 big ones with the sheets and thought I was done. A few days later I pop open the glove box and found the nest....with 3 dead ones inside.. Like to have never got the smell out...........

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Yesterday was a good day for the truck.
--New sensor to fix the P0014 code
--Took out headlight from being backed into. Found busted mounting panel. Three zipties and its prolly more solid than other side.
--New jb weld gasket on the exhaust flange. Seems to be an every 6 month fix since I never bothered to get it welded right.
--finally re-installed the spare tire and fuel can swings on back bumper. Worked out well.
--Re-locate license plate light....the one failure. Trying to sneak the wiring for license plate light bar into the stock socket using an old led base like I did the last time seemed to work, but then somehow I lost the left PL and both plate lights failed but the fuse is still good. Work on that again later

 

[aaserv]

Got the rack tightened down. Decided to go ahead and take it off the jack stands. Put the tires back on and the passenger side wouldnt roll.. Put both hands on and broke it loose , on about the 3 rd spin I guess I reached all the way to the inside of the tire. Caught my hand between the tire and the upper ball joint post.....Damn near pulled back a nub. Cut the C*** outa 2 fingers and bled like a stuck hog. Got it wrapped and taped but may end up at the 24hr clinic before the nights over.
Every step putting this thing back together has been 1 disaster after another.....

 

[Boricua SS]

beaSSt is still parked for the season but had to fire her up and take her out of the garage so i could keep busy during my layoff. Damn she sounds healthy

 

[Mounce]

Took her down some back country roads to get to the next town for some food on a whim then took her and filled the tank. Was a nice day for a long scenic ride.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Some touch-up on previous work and a 5 minute wash while it started raining. Flat hood so I can redo the cowl.

 

[Matt]

Replacing the upper ball joints today with Mevotech TTX's.

 

[aaserv]

5 stitches to the hand.... Got her down off the jack stands. Tires on, turned the wheels back and forth about 50 times. Still got a scraping noise on the drivers side when I spin the wheel but hoping its just rust on the rotors. Cleaned the throttle body and have the windshield washer tank in the dishwasher right now. Put the battery in and was scared to try to fire it up so I used the dirty washer tank for my excuse today...lol No use putting the airbox and all back on with a dirty looking washer box. Need a piece of 1/4" copper to bypass the water line thru the throttle body, definitely no use for that around here. March 27th and hit 89 degs here today. Think we had 3 days this winter where it got below 30 and all 3 times it was 70 the day before and the day after. Just no such thing as winter in Louisiana anymore.
Just for info also....The washer tank is NOT the same on the V-8's as the I6. And the factory 1 is about $400 I kid you not. And nobody Ive ever found makes a replacement. So if your ever at the junkyard and see 1 its well worth pulling it out and storing it. I got 3 of them now and will pull everyone I see from now on.

 

[Matt]

I think I'm going to pull apart the wiper motor today or tomorrow and clean the contacts to stop the "chatter" on intermittent mode.

 

[tony17112acst]

Fixed the exhaust leak on the Envoy finally! The tick from the front driver side exhaust manifold had been getting louder over the past 2 months, thought it was the lifters but saw the manifold had a gap between the headers that a dime could easily squeeze into....yikes.

Ordered a Dorman 917-142 exhaust manifold clamp, that supposedly fits the front driver side. While the hole for the coolant sensor lined up, the clamp was incompatible. The manifold for the LH6 has a slightly different design from the one used in my Avalanche. There is a bit of a "hump" where it meets the heat shield, this "hump" prevents the clamp from lining up with the screw holes properly causing it to be off about 3/8 to a 1/2". Decided to search again for a fix, but this time searching for a clamp that fits the TB SS, and came across the #KAP108 clamp that fits the 5.3/6.0 (verified to work with the 360/370). Got it today and installed it a few minutes ago. The tick is gone, and it sits flush against the manifold and block. What a difference, and $50 was all it took! Next step is to figure out where the "vibration" noise I'm getting on startup from the truck is coming from.

Mike, I can't tell you how grateful I am that you mentioned those part numbers in your post. I am speding hours trying to solve a puzzle with what fits my 2004 5.3 Buick Rainier and your post finally settled it! I have a Buick dealership telling me the Doorman 917142 fits! But I am afraid to order it, so now I'll just get the KAP108.

 

[Sparky]

Last night located the source of my air leak on the front tire. Hello little nail head. I'll have to get it patched soon but this COVID thing makes it a little harder to do.

Today I used it to bring back a new lawn mower. Grass is growing now and my mower is broken and not worth the work to fix it. I had to make a trip to the depot anyway for some roof supplies that wouldn't be delivered ("hazardous material" a.k.a. a can of spray paint and a couple tubes of roof cement.... really?).

 

[BrianF]

Well no more nice. I had the trap set and baited for a couple more days. No bites, no more mouse shit and the glovie is all clear.

 

[Matt]

Quickest wheel alignment ever yesterday...it wasn't done.

I'm now looking at 1 UCA (bushes gone) for the passengers side and 1 LCA (ball joint toast) on the drivers side. FFS, I replaced those about 2 years ago. Any suggestions on brand or do I just go with Detroit or 1AAuto because I'm getting rid of it sometime this year?

 

[Mooseman]

Go cheapest if getting rid of it.

 

[Beacon]

@Matt what brand did you use last time that lasted 2 years and how many miles is 2 years?

 

[aaserv]

Finished under the hood. washer tank and air box all installed. Had a spare air intake system off an 05 I had got at the junkyard awhile back. Looked newer and little fancier but its just a hair longer turning out the throttle body so it hit the fan blade. But used the mass air flow sensor from it because it looked brand new.
Then went inside and starting putting the dash/ console back together that Id ripped out looking for rats. Got it all done but the radio/A/c center piece. Got a nice kenwood radio out of the junkyard awhile back straight out of an Envoy but wiring it up isnt as easy as Id hoped. Mine has an add on security system and apparently at 1 time had an add on stereo system and there are wires butchered and cut into all over the place. My eyes aren't what they used to be and my patience is even worse so Ill probably bring it somewhere and have the security system uninstalled and the radio installed.
1 of the 1st things i look for when a new car hits the junkyard is non factory speakers in the doors and Ive got a pile of them for both front and rear doors to install.
No real excuse today as for why I didnt try to start it.

By the way........my coolant system has been empty for over 6 months ...Im going to pull a vacuum and refill it.....Im seeing specs saying it holds over 4 gallons. Is that correct? 03 5.3 V-8

 

[Matt]

@Matt what brand did you use last time that lasted 2 years and how many miles is 2 years?

Honestly, NFI. Close to 20K in 2 years. I'm not going to do it myself because when I tried last time I screwed it up and ended up taking it to my guys who fixes stuff I break. So, I'm going to see if he can press it out and if he can, I'll get the TTX's that I got for the uppers.

 

[BrianF]

My wife was out and about the other day with the 360 and now the ABS light is on. I am still hoping for some warm weather to go over my massive maintenance list on the thing but we are in for more frigid weather this week. I don't have a scanner that reads ABS so if I cannot find anything obvious, I may need a dealer level scan done to ID what is the cause.

 

[northcreek]

My wife was out and about the other day with the 360 and now the ABS light is on. I am still hoping for some warm weather to go over my massive maintenance list on the thing but we are in for more frigid weather this week. I don't have a scanner that reads ABS so if I cannot find anything obvious, I may need a dealer level scan done to ID what is the cause.

Bet it's a wheel sensor...

 

[TollKeeper]

...I don't have a scanner that reads ABS so if I cannot find anything obvious, I may need a dealer level scan done to ID what is the cause.

Cheaper than a trip to the dealer with a 1 hour minimum diagnostic..
ABS/SRS/CEL Code Reader
Have one, been using it daily tracking down my ABS light on my Rendezvous, finally determined on mine its the right front wheel sensor or wiring. Still gotta dig in there to find out for sure.

 

[Mooseman]

Or even cheaper, just order a BT ELM327 adapter on Amazon and use Car Gauge Pro on an Android device.

 

[BrianF]

Thanks guys, I like the look and that price for that elm327 and torque pro is like 10 bucks. I like them odds.

 

[northcreek]

You could also sniff out the Rat by using a multi-meter at each wheel sensor connector and compare resistance and potential to ground.

 

[Riktar]

Put my "new" gmrs radio into the Trailblazer. Hats off to Kenwood for making a "remote" kit that allows a person to take the face plate off their radio and provide a nice long (in my case a too long so it's coiled up under the seat) cable to get the radio out of the way since the Trailblazer does not provide many options for installing anything extra in or around it's dash.

 

[aaserv]

Well fired it up today for the 1st time in 7 months. Started right up, smooth as butter and no valve clatter. Oil Pressure went to about 45 and hung there, no power steering whine at all and then.........all downhill from there...

Its STILL overheating....Took a lil longer with the new WP and system flush but in about 8-9 mins it was 240 and climbing. Im thinking fan clutch, I did hear it kick up to high speed once but it seemed like it was for only a few seconds. I should have replaced it while it was down but another $230 right now might as well be a million. It'll have to wait. I may have an air lock also, completely drained and flushed the system while i had the pump off and then it sat for another 2-3 months afterward so I was expecting it to be bone dry. But I only got a lil less than 2 gallons of coolant in it before it backed up to the top of the radiator. Everything Ive read says it should take 4 gallons to fill from dead empty....weird !
I think the starter may be sticking. Got a loud grinding noise from that area the 2nd time i fired it up that lasted about 3 mins before it stopped. That shouldnt be a real biggie as I still have to pull the starter off to put the cover plate on. Hopefully its just not installed properly like everything else thats been done on this car. Ive seen videos on completely removing the starter and it looks like a B**** !
Got a pin hole in a heater hose but that the least of my worries.

On the plus side...so far anyway...Oil didnt spew out of any gaskets I can see. Power steering fluid didnt come gushing out anywhere. I was actually surprised I only had 1 hose leak . 16 year old hoses sitting up dry for 7-8 months I half expected them all to dry rot.
Not even thinking about getting the tags and insurance on it again until this quarantine is over so plenty of time (but no funds) to work the kinks out.....

 

[Mooseman]

I may have an air lock also

More than likely. I had that problem the first time I opened the Saab up. It went into near overheat before the thermostat finally opened and let the coolant through. Last time, when I replaced the pump, I filled it by disconnecting the steam tube and filling it into the top hose into the block directly. Worked like a charm. There are vacuum type fillers available to help bleed the system.

 

[aaserv]

This is a weird 1. Think Ill put up a new thread in the proper location. This overheating problem could be interesting

 

[BrianF]

Took the trailblazer to town with the family. Much to my happiness, the ABS light is off. Once spring hits later this July, I will check the wheel speed sensors and connections. But things like this are not new to me or even this vehicle. With all the snow, ice, dirt, mud, road salt, these codes happen.

 

[Sparky]

Fixed the tire. Had a broken off drywall screw sunk in it.

 

[Reprise]

Not a good day today, with the Sierra... <sigh>

- Found one of the tires leaking air. Removed it, as I was working with other things...and see nothing in the way of a puncture. So I'm guessing a rim or valvestem leak. Will have to take it to the tire shop. Practically a brand new tire, too.
Actually, now that I think about it, it'll probably be the valvestem, as I had them swap the front ones out to steel stems a couple months ago (they were supposed to have installed the steel ones when they mounted the tires, originally.) Will ask them to put some bead sealant on the tire, as well.

- Spent the afternoon trying to remove a downstream O2 sensor with the special socket I got a couple of days ago. Rounded off the edges of the nut, of course.
Then I found out that the one I actually need to replace is the UPSTREAM sensor (checked, and that's the part that was marginal, and that I ordered. Thankfully, I didn't cut the wires on the downstream sensor, so I can just plug that back in, and see how I do on the upstream sensor another day.

- Saved the worst for last... Was swapping the springs on the other new head, and found some damage on / in the CC / seat. Will post a separate thread on this one, as I'm going to solicit opinions as to 'how bad' it is.

 

[BrianF]

So my trailblazer is really acting up. The abs light is on more than it's off and the e brake light is on more than it's off. Also incessantly chimes every 5 or 10 minutes.

Its bizarre and I cannot join down what may set it off, other than I think I need to inspect and clean all the grounds this up coming week. I suspect that all this road salt and other weatherly garbage has corroded a ground or two.

On that note, once they are cleaned, what do people coat them with? Any fan favorites?

 

[Sparky]

Check the switch on the e brake handle. Mine acted funny once a long time ago.

 

[Reprise]

Got the marginal upstream O2 sensor out. A little PB, a little time, a little heat, and one (!) tug broke it free (which makes me think it was not the OEM -- I could see threads visible on this one, while the downstream one that I (erroneously) tried removing was flush with the bung (there's a joke there, somewhere, I'm sure)).

Threads were very smooth on the old one; new ACDelco threaded in with no hangups at all (it had anti-seize pre-applied, as well).

If I were going to complain about O2 sensor sockets, it would be... "why are almost all of them in 3/8" drive?" That's kinda ridiculous, if you ask me.

Came back to look up the torque... 31 ft-lb. Grabbin' a sammich and will head back out. Also got some more pics of the underside of the 317 head for review. There's two valve seats I'm concerned with (same cylinder).