JK23112

Hello everyone! I am new to Chevy trucks and new to this forum. This is my first post, by the way.


I have typically been a "Ford guy" most of the time (but don't hold it against me - as I have had decent luck with them) and was looking to buy a used full-sized pickup truck, either an F-150 or possibly a 'Super Duty' F-250 with the PowerStroke diesel engine. I drive big rigs for a living, and am a fan of oil burners. Nonetheless, they were too costly or had gazillions of miles on them. Since I don't tow or haul much of anything, a diesel was unnecessary (but I just like them and the abundant torque).

I looked through the classifieds and on-line advertisements and happened to see a Silverado that caught my eye. I went and looked at two of them, eventually deciding to buy the second one (fewer miles, better color and trim level).

It's been awhile since I have owned a GM vehicle, but I have owned a few of them ('86 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight; '78 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight, '64 Cadillac Sedan deVille and even a '78 Chevrolet Chevette); and my family has had at least one GM car in the driveway for decades.

Anyway, I am back in the fold once again and recently purchased a "previously enjoyed" 2004 Chevrolet Silverado LS 1500. It has a maroon/burgundy exterior with a tan/beige interior. The truck is two-wheel-drive and is equipped with a 5.3-liter V8 engine and automatic transmission. The truck has just over 75,000 miles on it and about 3,000 hours on the engine (according to the odometer). I hope it will give me many, many more miles of service, though!


I got it from a dealership, so I don't have any 'service records' and don't know if and when a particular service has been performed. However, all of the fluids look very clean, the interior is nearly immaculate and the exterior has a few minor scuffs and scratches - but no dents or dings. The belts & hoses look decent and the tires have about 1/3 of the tread depth remaining. Even though it is a 2WD model, it has the 17-inch rims that I have only seen (so far) on 4x4 versions.

Here is what I need to know, as I plan to pay the truck off within 18 to 24 months and run it a long, long time:


1. The 5.3L engine has a good reputation for durability and it has LOTS OF POWER for a large truck. I have a good friend who has an '02 Silverado and he claims to get 17 miles per gallon. Is that what I can realistically expect in mixed driving?

2. I use synthetic oil in every vehicle I own; with this one set to get it at the next oil change (a month or so from now). Is Mobil-1 oil in 5w30 viscosity okay for this truck in Virginia's climate?

3. From what I have read, the automatic transmission in the Silverado is pretty beefy - and my truck apparently has a towing package {hitch, power plug for trailer and also a "tow" mode button on the end of the gearshift handle} of some sort. Should I spend the money to have the fluid flushed out even if it still looks 'pinkish' and doesn't have any odor indicative of burning or overheating?

4. What about spark plugs? I assume they are good for 100k (platinum?), but is it a good idea to change them sooner just to have peace of mind? Are they down inside the engine like they are with Toyotas & Nissans? They look to be accessible - at least from peering under the hood at them.

5. How about the coolant? It looks to be a yellow/amber color - and looks new or fairly recent. Is it "long life" coolant, or should I change it every other year as I have done with the old-school Prestone stuff in my other cars?

6. Regarding the rear differential, should I consider changing the gear oil or is it the long-life type that goes for 100+k miles? Is there a way to tell if my truck (again, 2WD) has "posi-traction" or limited slip gears? Is there a way to tell what my gear ratio (i.e., 3.55:1, 2.73:1, etc., etc.) might be?

7. How many zerks or lube points are there on this truck's chassis? I do my own oil changes and want to be able to nail all of them when I replace the engine oil and the oil filter.


8. I often see Silverado (as well as Ford & Dodge trucks) pickups with custom, aftermarket dual exhaust pipes. What does this cost and how much does it (if any) improve fuel mileage and performance? I assume that with a new cat-back dual exhaust system, back pressure would be significantly reduced. Oh....and it just might sound a lot better!



Thanks for the chance to join this forum (such exclusive rules you have here - LOL!) and I appreciate any and all replies. Money doesn't grow on trees, so I know I'll have to take good care of this truck and keep it for a long time.

Take care!

nauticstar87

1. if you take it easy. but expect 15mpg
2.thats fine
3. i would get it flushes for peace of mind.
4. When you change them go with acdelco.
5. not sure, I'll be changing mine to teh green stuff at 75k
6 Check your RPO codes in the glove box, it'll tell you
7. don't know
8. Sounds better, sometimes help gas mileage, anywhere from 300-600 depending how its done.

JK23112

Thanks for the reply, sir! I am going to attempt to learn more about this truck as time goes on. I am not a mechanic by any stretch, but do know the difference between a spark plug and an air filter. LOL!

TTFN!!

"Only two groups of people fear armed citizens: Criminals and tyrants."
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racerx55

1. my 5.3L in my 4x4 gets 17+ mpg as long as you keep your foot out of it
2. - oil is up to you, i use 10w30 synthetic
3. IMO just change the filter if your not sure if its even been done, if the fluid is all good just replace what comes out of the pan, when they do a flush at the dealer you have to request they change the filter also or they wont do it.
4. plugs are expensive (around $13 each) stretch them as long as you can
5. if its yellow / amber its probly been flushed already but must be extended life, GM dexcool is bright orange and good for 5 years / 100k so says the sticker, mine is 5 yrs old and i havent flushed it yet, its good to keep up on, dexcool seems to gel and plug things up when it gets old. im also changing to green when i do it.
6. look in the glove box for RPO code "G80" for the locking rear diff, the ratio i dont know where to find that. you will probly have 3.42, 3.73, or 4.10.
7. my truck you can grease all the steering componets, but not any of the U joints, some you can you just have to look for them.
8. theres a ton of systems for alot of different costs. non of them are cheap IMO

Put in your VIN# here and shawnvw will PM you back within a few days with the build info on your truck. https://chevroletforum.com/forum/general-tech-10/please-look-up-my-vin-26181/

JK23112

Why are you going to green stuff if GM recommends 'Dexcool' (the orange stuff)? I was at Wal-Mart and there was only about a $2 per gallon price difference.

Would I be better off changing to the green stuff and just doing it every other year - rather than orange coolant every five years?

Oh, BTW, I looked at the reservoir and it is more of an orange color than bright yellow or green. Even so, it looks "clean" and is not brown or anything like that.


Thanks for the reply. I'm off to bed and have a long day at work tomorrow....but I'll try to log on Monday afternoon or evening when I get home. I think I will learn a lot from the people at this forum.


"It ain't over until the fat lady sings!"

nauticstar87

The dexcool stuff has been known to cause problems for the Engine. I can never remember what exactly, something to have to do with the aluminum, and the dexcool being corrosive.

racerx55

Dexcool gels up over time and if you or anyone acidentally mixes any old green in with it, it becomes very corrosive and eats away at the gaskets and aluminum. IMO it eats at the gaskets by itself. I read something about it becoming corrosive with age also.
I will never use that garbage other than untill a new vehicle warranty expires.
a 99 grand am with dexcool that was flushed at 4 years and last year, and only has 73k miles i just pulled the heads again for another blown gasket and the whole engine is goobered up with that crap and the heater core and radiator was clogged up with it, it took me almost a week to get everything cleaned out again.
Ive seen it repeatedly since that stuff started being used so i wont use it.
ill stick to the stuff that has worked for 80 years.
my truck still has it in, im getting past the 5 year mark and its turning darker so its time to flush it all out and add the green.

maxxman04

gm never really tested the orange stuff before releasing it. they came up with the stuff at the start of the warranty wars. it was supposed to be another one of those selling points. you know, the ol' "it's virtually maintenance free." but, never being tested for years, they didn't know that it had ill effects over time. i've read and heard rumors that the formula has changed, so it's not corrosive like the old orange stuff, but that won't really be known or proven for a couple more years. switching to the old school green coolant is ok to do, BUT you must get every bit of the orange out of your system. the block, radiator, all hoses, heater core. everything. the orange and green are enemies. they will break each other down, causing the gumming and geling bad. alot of people have never had problems with the orange. lucky them.

JK23112

Well, I think I am going to "flush out" the entire cooling system soon - just for peace of mind. The stuff is not really bad-looking, but is not a "new" shade of orange. Rather than risking mixing green into it and not getting every drop of the orange stuff out of the system, I suppose I'll just flush with orange stuff again - and keep it at OEM specs.

Two gallons of Dexcool (enough to do a 50/50 mixture of 16 quarts total capacity) will probably work.....and it should cost me about $20 plus the time it takes me to do it in my driveway.

Wow! There sure is a lot of information on this forum.

JK23112

Well....I think I will stick with the DexCool stuff (sold at Wal-Mart, which is good) when I flush it, since I don't want to take the chance of 'mixing' any green stuff with the orange stuff. Perhaps I'll just change it more often - like every other year instead of every five years. I think that'll work for me, huh?


I filled up the gas tank. Ouch! My first tank got me 14.2 miles per gallon. Not horrible, but less than what I expected. Gotta average out two or three more tanks to get a more accurate figure, though.

This truck has very nice 17" rims (from a 4x4 model, no doubt), while it originally came with 16-inchers (according to the build sheet I found in the glove box). The tires are 265-70-17, pretty big meats - probably not good for fuel mileage. LOL!


My plan is to have the rear differential oil changed, a new serpentine belt installed and the automatic transmission fluid & filter replaced at a local service center. I have no idea when (or even if) any of those things have been done yet. (I'll do the coolant and motor oil/filter myself, however.)

I plan to keep an eye on this forum, so at least I may learn something new about this truck.

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"Only two types of people fear armed citizens: criminals and tyrants."
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