sajee

To all you chevy 1500 guys.

I am new to chevy trucks and looking to buy a 1500 between '96-'98. I have read lot of engine related problems on '99-'04 chevy 5.3 V8 engines like piston slap, fuel pump, fuel gauge, 4WD switch assembly, 4WD electronic actuator and more. I want to know what are the common problems on the 5.7 V8 found on '96-'98 chevy 1500???

I know the 5.7 have intake gasket problems and fuel pump and fuel gauge issues and ball joints and tie rods going bad for trucks around 120K miles. I want to know does the 5.7 also have piston slap issues and ticking noises like valve lifters problems??? Any other problems I should know when check out before buying.

I am just very hesitant to spend $4K - $5K for about 140K miles plus Chevy 1500 and then spend more money to fix engine problems and fuel related problems over again and again.

Thanks guys.

Here's quote from a GM Technician about the 5.3 piston slap issue:

"these engines are known to have lifter noise [at higher mileage] and
consiquently yours is right at the mileage that most of them start to
occur. usually it is from using penzoil or other parifin base oils over the
duration of the engines life span. the majority of the time what i've seen
personally is lifters sticking in the bores and number one cam bearing
spinning. the oil passage for the lifters is from the #1 cam bearing and
usually this will cause the "lifter noise" you are talking about. the best
way to check this is remove a rocker cover and check for oil to the heads.
there is no fix for the spun brg. since gm does not make a oversize bearing
for the cam. if this is the case the only fix is replace the engine. these
are really simple engines to replace. just remove the intake and front
acessories and they come out fairly easy. the hoods have a "service
position" so you dont even have to remove it. dosen't matter which valve cvr. and yes it's the frt. cam brg.these do not
have adjustable valves and rocker nuts are loctited from factory and
usually don't back off.also one thing i forgot was that with high mileage
the rollers on the lifters and rckr arms tend to flat spot. to remove lifters you have to remove the heads.....

hey i'm in a real hurry so this is gonna be short and to the point, 5.3
engines have a polymer coating on the pistons to
reduce friction and to take up the clearence that gm has to allow between
the pistons and cyl. walls so they could meet the federal emission
standards with thier full size trucks. i.e. more clearance means less
friction. what happens over time and wear with the wrong oil [remember i
said "penzoil"]with parifin base the coating on the piston skirts wears off
and the noise will sound like lifters. use a stethascope[or long
screwdriver] and put it against the side of the block as close to one of
the cylinder walls as you can with the engine running [preferablly cold
startup] and listen if the "rattle" is comming from there. if its louder
around that area than the only fix for this problem is to replace all eight
pistons and bore or hone the block. also it sounds like you are not getting
enough oil "volume" to the top end. these engines will almost spray oil
from push rods while running at idle if there is sufficent oil volume.
normally the underside of the valve cvrs. have a "wash" line just above the
push rod side of them from oil constantly spraying them.

donjuandejohnson

ive got a 96 and learned today i need new ball joints two tie rods and a pitman arm. easy fix

cams 98 silverado

my dads got a 97 silverado and hes got around 160K on it. and the oil pan gasket needs some work, his power steering lines going to and from the box are leaking due to the schmuck that put them on and used crap parts. and he had a head gasket done some years back. he said he went to start the sucker up an it cranked and kaboom. left a dent protruding outwards on the hood. and he needs a new doorshell because he developed some 3 square inch spot of rust lower part. and he needs to get rid of some rust at the top by windshield which i do not see how imma do that besides gut the lining and glass... and you see... his motor has that good ol tick as well. and his is the 350 sbc. and those problems are just lack of maintenance and mileage. my truck is a 98. and this summer im replacing the rocker arms and pushrods to rid the ticky noise that only gets there at running temp. and my pan gasket is fine, my trans is fine, im doin all the body work myself but i have 97K on it. i just did balljoints. this summer im painting the hood (schmuch that did it before me sucked because it chips a lot) and then theres my rear sway bar im putting in and rear brake shoes. so thats just some history on two good trucks and mileage. i know its a lot but in reality im on a budget. i am in school and work part time. cash flow is not very strong since i have court today for a damn speedin ticket (ticket cost 75 but court fees are 210). all in all... its all about taking care of the vehicles needs. if you take care of it it takes care of you. just be happy these arent 5.4L fords... if you skimp on 1000 miles in oil mileage. (go over by 1000) you have a good chance of motor failzor. buddy has a 250 and went over 3000 miles only once with mobil one oil and complete motor fail... so we bought a new one and put her back in... but my point is when looking at a truck ask the owner or who ever all the history on repairs and any accidents and any and everything. you have a right to know about that truck. if it was me, id be asking about every single thing. oh and if you have that mileage on the truck. see if the shocks were replaced. you shoulda seen how bad mine were... i hope all this helps.

sajee

Thank you both for your replies. Yeah its all about maintenance, doesn't matter what vehicle you own. But the thing is, I have checked out over 10 Chevy trucks now all of them the owners do not have any maintenace records. They say that's being done, this being done, but how can I trust if it actually being done. Yes certain parts you can see by looking at them but most are not. Also most of these Chevy 1500 owners with around 150,000 miles want $6000-$7000, keep in mind the rust factor also here in MN. For this kind of money I rather buy a Toyota Tundra or a Tacoma. Anyway I am still searching, haven't found the right truck with some service history and in decent shape.