I want to squeeze at least another winter and all of next summer out of my Silverado until I need to result in buying a new one. Once I get my new one this would be my winter beater/work truck and I would basically use my new hoss to get my from A to B trouble free and tow/haul what I need moved.

I am the 2nd owner and have owned for 4 years. Previous owner was a single mid 40's woman who buys a new truck every 7 or 9 years whatever it may be. I have a 1999 Silverado 4x4 LS Z71 5.3L Auto Extended Cab Short Bed. Awesome truck, but every now in then it is hesitant to start up and it searches for a gear here and there. I see complete engines and trannys on craigslist and eBay for $500-$750 here and there and also see some "deals" on fuel pumps and other stuff. Tires are new, interior is clean. Rust is minimal for a 12 year old daily drive up here in Ohio. I have it undercoated. Brakes are brand new and it is solid, but I drive this November to March every year and use it to pull every weekend so I need it to be trustworthy. Anything I should have checked or flushed/replaced with 180,000 miles???

 

put seafoam through your pcv valve to clean out vacuum pump
use marvel mystery oil with every fillup
replace 1 qt of oil with "restore" engine lube with every oil change when puting new oil in
regular oil changes and making sure your air filter is clean will go a long way.
fuel filter replacement
replace spark plugs
use granatelli spark plug megohm plug wires with almost no resistance
change the tranny fluid regularly too

 

Some good things to consider. Thanks!

Should I not worry about replacing/rebuilding tranny or fuel pump until I notice something? Would it just be a waste of money like I think it would to spend $500 on a fuel pump that isn't faulty...?

 

These trucks make it past 200k all the time...I'm at 198k with my 01 and it runs better than when my dad had it.

A few things I'd do are preventative maintenance. Just keep oil changes regular, do a flush/fill on your tranny fluid and change filter, flush/fill on coolant system, seafoam in brake booster and oil(100 miles before oil change), fuel filter change, spark plugs and wires(I say stay oem, they're the best and last longest), check air filter and cabin air filter, clean mass air flow and throttle body. Should be runnin in tip top shape after all this. If you feel the need to replace the fuel pump then do it, the pumps in these trucks (99-02) go out all the time

 

I have a 96 with 258K on it , I use Mobile 1 10w40 high mileage formula. I change it every 5000 and at that time I also use a suction gun and draw out about 2 1/2 qts. of tranny fluid and replace it with castrol heavy duty. Keep the tune up fresh and do replace the fuel filter ( I like Nappa Gold) every 6 months. MMO in the gas every fill up and it should run for many more trouble free miles. I did have a misfire issue but the MMO cleared it up ( sticking poppett valve ). This works for me and it's not overly expensive. I just consider it preventive matainance.

90 Junk That Moves