Howdy, I just bought my first Silverado! It's a 2003 2500 with a 5.3 Vortec. I've been a fan of Chevy for a long time. It's got some things that need to be replaced and repaired before I start looking at Mods or anything like that, but I'm interested to see what would work with my truck. Mainly interested in quality of life changes I.E. radio and speakers, LED headlights and taillights and anything else that would improve the truck right off the bat. I have a laundry list of things I already want to do with the truck and I'm excited to get started!

Also any tips on what to look out for with this truck, common problems and things like that would be greatly appreciated!

 

Welcome from Florida.

 

My biggest piece of advice, as the owner of a 1996 C1500 and 2006 Silverado 1500, and former owner of a 2003 GMC Yukon with the same 5.3L engine you have, is to be careful with the transmission. If you are lucky, the prior owner has kept good records and you know that the transmission has been serviced and had the fluid and filter changed at 50-60,000 mile intervals, or less if towing. If not, and if the transmission is high mileage, be careful about doing any extensive maintenance and don't let anyone do a "full transmission flush", as it can cause failures in old transmissions. Just drain the pan, change the filter, and top off at most.

My 2003 Yukon had the transmission go out at 130K miles, and I had to have it rebuilt. That said, the 2006 Silverado has 135K and is doing fine, and the 1996 C1500 has 204K on it and is doing fine as well. So it's kind of a crap shoot.

As far as stereos go, on the GMT800 truck like you have, the warning chimes, blinker sound, and all that goes through the stereo and front door speakers, believe it or not. I was shocked to find that out with my 2006 Silverado. What this means is that if you replace the stereo, you need a little "magic box" adapter to go behind the new one, that can make sure the chimes still work, and that any steering wheel controls you might have for the radio still work as well. I recommend looking at Crutchfield myself, as you can shop by year/make/model/trim and they know exactly what you need, and can sell you a kit that has all you need. Otherwise, you can find all the stuff you need on Amazon, but it takes a bit more work to find all the right stuff.

I have no advice on LED lighting - my son in law just went through all that tricking out a 2005 Colorado, but I'm content with my halogen bulbs for now...

 

Thanks jfmorris for that information. The truck was used as a farm truck for an unknown amount of years. All "services" were done by the owner at their own discretion. No records were kept or anything like that, unfortunately. I've definitely heard some horror stories about the 4L60 transmissions and I'm hoping mine continues to operate as smoothly as it does. Are there any early warning signs I should be on the lookout for that may tell me if my trans is on its way out? Thanks!

I'll also take a look into the radio situation for the company you mentioned. And the "magic box" information is greatly appreciated!

 

In my opinion, upgrading your radio and speakers is a good move. You might want to go for a modern head unit that has Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, or Android Auto. This will make your music sound better and make it easier to use your phone hands-free and for navigation. When it comes to speakers, I'd suggest checking out brands like Alpine, Kenwood, or JBL known for lasting and good sound.

 

Well, the warning signs with the 2003 GMC Yukon transmission were that it suddenly stopped shifting at the right points, even though I could manually shift through L-2-3-D on the steering column. The guys that rebuilt it at the time I think indicated some bands AND solenoids were shot. We pretty much stopped driving it that weekend, aside from me having to haul the carload of 7 teenagers to church since this happened on the way, and it was in the shop on Monday.

Sometimes there is zero warning sign. I had a different make vehicle (Subaru) recently lose the torque converter lockup solenoid while we were 100+ miles from home, leading to the entire dash lighting up like a Christmas tree, and a transmission temperature warning light. We limped a few miles to a place where I could pull off and call my son in law to come get us with a car hauler. I only knew it was the solenoid after getting it towed home on a flatbed and hooking my laptop up to it. The dealer gave me an estimate of over $5000, claiming the torque converter and valve body needed replacement. I did a couple of weeks of research on Youtube, and ended up pulling the valve body, replaced a $50 solenoid myself, did a fluid change (fluid was clean at 115K miles), and its been great ever since - 1000+ miles since the repair at this point. I think a valve body is as far as I personally want to go into a transmission though.

How many miles are on the truck at the moment? That would tell us a lot about what you should think about doing, as far as the transmission maintenance goes...

 

Gotcha. This is my first automatic trans, so i'm still trying to get used to it. That Subaru deal sounds like it was a nightmare, other than the cheap replacement part. My truck has around 180k miles.

 

I would check the trans fluid on the dipstick and see if it looks clean and red, versus brown/black, and also see if it smells burnt, feels gritty, etc. That's about all you can do right now to see how it's been maintained.

These trucks are great and can go 250-300,000 miles without major issues depending on maintenance. I've spent around 4k maintaining my 1996 since I purchased it in 2000 with 54000 miles on it, with the biggest issue being having to replace the intake manifold gasket twice, and other random things (radiator, power steering pump, AC compressor, and routine stuff). But I've also not had a payment on the truck in more than 20 years, so it's all relative! . Currently working through mechanical stuff on it, then thinking its time for a paint job and upholstery after 28 years sitting in the sun...

 

I checked the trans and engine oil. Both are at good levels. The trans oil still has some red tinge to it but not a whole lot. Its starting to brown up a bit. It did not smell burnt and wasnt gritty. The engine oil was about the same. I also opened up the air filter box and the air filter looks brand new. Bright white filter material and the rubber seal looks great. That leads me to belive this truck has been properly maintained

 

I second the Crutchfield suggestion, definitely. I have always been really happy with those folks. I recently put inexpensive JBL's in my doors and they sound just fine to me - though some would complain about them, I am sure. I have really loved my 2500HD so far, and I hope that goes great for you too!