GMT400 Suburban - poor life choices MkII

Finally got over the man-flu enough to get back out into the garage, so I popped the coolant neck off & discovered the PO did actually install a thermostat, however it was a 160* one. I replaced it with a 180* one, and idled it for about 10 minutes to burp the system. I'm letting it cool down a few minutes, then will re-check the coolant & take if for a short drive.

This was a bit easier than burping the Vette,  I would think.   Glad you are feeling better, actual flu or Irish Virus?

In reply to Dirtydog :

Thanks! It was some kind of bug, it hit me 2-weeks ago Thursday, and I spent most of that weekend in bed. The only real reason I worked the following week is because I work from home, and I didn't really have the option not to given some 1/1/18 deadlines. Last Wednesday I started feeling better & thought I'd shaken it, but it's kept hanging around. I think I'm pretty much over the fever now, at least most of the time, I'm just coughing up the last of the crud.

I took the truck for a drive & the temp gauge now goes up to 140*, so it's definitely working, but most likely not accurate. At least I know I can trust that the gauge will climb if the temp does. Hopefully it gives me enough heat for my IL trip in a few weeks.

Every gmt400 ive owned went past full, and i have no idea if its actually a problem or they just do that, i always just ignored it.

My dad said his 93 is 40 or 42 gallons, i borrowed it to drive a bunch of buddies for a fishing trip and when i went to fill it up on thw way back it just kept going and going and going, when i realized how big the tank was a fuel surcharge got added to the passengers

In reply to Opti :

Per Google is says 40 gallons was the only size Suburban tank in 92, so it possibly carried over to 93 also. I reset the trip odo when I filled it last time, so I'm both curious and terrified to see what my average MPG is on this tank.

Time for a small update. Just filled up again - 21.966 gallons($49.40!), 245-miles driven(95% in town)  = 11.15mpg. I'm just happy it's over 10. 

I seem to be losing a slight bit of transmission fluid, but it's not leaking, so that's a bit puzzling. 

The clock is acting a bit weird  I'd set it, but a couple weeks later it got stuck on "2:08" and never changed. The radio would turn on, but there was no volume. The HVAC controls worked fine, fortunately. Then a couple days ago the radio & clock were working again when I got in the truck.

It rained really hard one day last week, and afterward when I got in the truck water sloshed out of the overhead console... I'm presuming it leaked in from the top of the windshield seal. The driver's carpet is also wet, not sure if they're related, as the floor still hasn't dried out. 

The clock and radio, just old Chevy truck stuff. Water in the overhead console? That's crazy. 

In reply to Floating Doc :

I'm more worried about the trans fluid. I'll be checking it more frequently now. 

 Is this a 4x4? I'm not sure about your transmission, but I know on the 4L80E's the transmission will pump fluid into the transfer case when the seal goes bad. (two way seal in the transfer case, no seal on the trans itself)

Edit: Just checked first page. Nevermind.

In reply to Crackers :

I actually think it's a 4L60 non-E, which I'm guessing will be fun if I ever need it rebuilt/replaced since it seems like GM didn't build too many. I need to confirm that the next time I'm underneath it though. 

In reply to Pete Gossett :

You should be correct as 92 was the last year before the E trans came out in 93. I wouldn't worry about a rebuild as the internal wear items should be the same. 

I can't remember if you switched over to the external trans cooler. Have you checked the radiator for trans fluid?

In reply to Crackers :

I did install the external cooler in series with the stock one, so that's possible. 

I drove about 20 miles today without any trans fluid loss, and there's no sign of fluid in the coolant. I'm thinking maybe there was an air bubble trapped in the external cooler that took a while to burp its self out. 

That makes a lot of sense. 

I'd be curious about any possibly trans fluid loss at highway speeds for a longer duration.  Are you seeing any drip marks after driving it?

In reply to FIYAPOWA :

None. I even parked it on the driveway for a few days after using it daily just to make sure. 

I just signed up for an autox this Sunday(in the Vette, not the truck) about 45 miles away, so I'll be testing its towing ability. 

Pete Gossett said:

I just signed up for an autox this Sunday(in the Vette, not the truck) 

Did I click on the wrong forum this morning?

I thought this was the place where people did stupid things like towing a Suburban with a Corvette to track the truck.

ValourUnbound said:

Pete Gossett said:

I just signed up for an autox this Sunday(in the Vette, not the truck) 

Did I click on the wrong forum this morning?

I thought this was the place where people did stupid things like towing a Suburban with a Corvette to track the truck.

 

Only if things go very wrong. The good news is both vehicles share quite a few drivetrain parts and use common tools, so I have that going in my favor.

I was pondering posting this in the Adventures forum, but for the sake of consistency I decided to post it here. I had my first long-distance road trip with the Suburban this week, heading up to IL with my trailer to finalize the sale of our building & haul another load of crap back south.

I started out conservatively, stopping to check the fluids frequently, but after making it all the way there I didn't need to top off anything. The fact an SBC made it that far without using any oil, and with 155k on the odo, makes me wonder if someone has already been through it? There was a pretty strong headwind most of the way, plus some rain, so the ~10mpg wasn't really unexpected. What did surprise me is the truck never once downshifted when climbing hills, which our minivan does constantly with this trailer. Given the minivan has way more HP and torque, that surprises me a bit, though it also has way more gears. It's frustrating, that's for sure.

The only real problems were the blower motor finally crapping out, but on Low it didn't turn(nor squeal like a pig as it does on Med/High), and I had enough airflow through the vents at highway speeds to keep plenty warm. I confirmed the rear brakes are a bit weak & need gone through, and I can feel the shocks showing their age with the trailer behind me.

I headed back home this morning, and even with the trailer the truck never downshifted...except when I hit Marion, IL where it suddenly downshifted twice, pegging the tach. I coasted to the shoulder and confirmed I still had first, then limped it off the interstate.

I texted Pat G. and he gave me some advice on what it could be, but other than flooring the throttle a couple times to try and free the TV cable, there wasn't anything I could do without parts. At one point on a drive around the block, it reluctantly shifted to 2nd, then D; however, when I tried to head back to the interstate it wouldn't leave first.

After some Googling and phone calls, I found a mechanic who answered the phone. Even though he wasn't listed as a transmission shop, it was apparent he knows his stuff as he had some of the same thoughts as Pat did. I limped it across town to his shop, and I think he's the right guy for the job: First, he looks like Hannibal off the A-Team. Next, he's a drag racer with a fleet of 3rd Gen T/As, including a GTA, but he also has a couple 3000 GTs, including a VR4, and he had a '28 Model A in his shop that belonged to a notorious local gangster that he's swapping the diff & a few other odds and ends for the owner. I need to invite him to sign up here...

After calling around a bit, I couldn't find anyplace in town that would rent me a truck to haul my trailer. Rick(the mechanic) said he'll have my truck fixed by the end of next week, and a 1-week rental from Enterprise was cheaper than a 1-way rental back home, so that's what I did. I was upgraded from a Yaris to a Frontier for free(and he gave me a 1/2-tank break on the fuel level too), so the plan is hopefully to leave way early Friday AM, drive back to Marion to get my rig & drop off the rental(590 miles, about 9.5 hours), then head back to Jackson and crash at Jim's for the night before returning home.

Not the day I planned on having, but I made it home without incident otherwise.

I’m going to put a dollar on the throttle valve in the valve body and 50 cents on the governor.  I was hoping i was going to read about how you made it home and only had to stop twice to do the tv cable snap back trick.  

Sorry to here the 'Burb took a dump.  Is the trans smoked or some hard parts?  Hopefully you stumbled into a decent guy, who won't bend you over.

In reply to Dirtydog :

I think it's fine - the fluid is still pink & not burnt, it never slipped or showed any sign of impending doom, and the trans pan wasn't very hot. 

In reply to Patrick :

Well at least having working cruise control in the Frontier was nice - and it's seriously the best one I've ever used. It actually accelerates at the slightest hill to maintain speed, unlike the minivan which waits until you're 1/2-way up, drops two gears & redlines the engine, then overshoots your target speed by 10mph. And thanks again for your help!

Oh, and I might be getting a free 700r4. A friend in IL had the one in his Blazer go out, and the junkyard didn't charge him for a core for the replacement. I was thinking of finding someone to build it up for the Vette, for when I build a 383 for it someday. Depending how things go with this guy & the Suburban I may ask him about it. At least he's right on my route. 

I drove back up to Marion yesterday, dropped off the rental Frontier & got a lift across town to the shop. Rick & his guys had the truck waiting for, though we hung out & talked cars for a while, and I showed them the pic of the Vette from the latest issue. 

The main failure was stripped teeth on the governor, though it was also swedged in place. The throttle valve was stuck too, likely from the governor's debris. They replaced the TV cable, and changed the fluid & filter. They said the fluid looked clean & there was no metal in the pan. Grand total: $248 I'm very pleased. 

Unfortunately they weren't able to fix the lack of TC lockup, but Rick believes he identified the problem - my ABS unit is DOA, and the TC circuit runs through it. I have a hunch that may also explain why my cruise control is completely dead. 

I got a tour of the place too, though didn't take any pics. He has a 95 Vette that's pretty much mechanically rebuilt, but needs interior help(he's thinking of selling it) a couple old GTOs, and an old Grand Prix with the craziest 8-lug wheels I've ever seen.

I talked to Rick about rebuilding the free 700r4 I may be getting & it sounds like about $250 in parts and about the same for labor, so I may be stopping by again on one of my trips through. 

After all that I headed south toward Jackson & Ovid_and_Flem's place, rolling in there about 9:45pm. On the way there I noticed my volt gauge, which so far has always been steady at 14v(not that it's accurate) had dropped 2 notches. It fluctuated a little bit over the remaining 150 miles, but the truck seemed fine otherwise. I forgot about it until I left his place around noon today, when I discovered it was now down about 1/2-way between 9-12v. 

I hit an autozone on the way out of town & was surprised the alt tested fine at 13.6v, but the battery showed a bad cell - even though it was over 12v and has started the truck fine every time. It was 5-years old, so I replaced it anyway, although the gauge was still down 2- notches from 14v. It drove the remaining 140mi home without problem though. 

Damn, don't know how I missed your adventure last week but glad you came out of it ok.