100k mile Tune Up 2007 5.3L
February 20th, 2014, 4:44 PM
#11
CF Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Garland, TX
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Its personal preference, it was ~$50 for belt and filter so I consider that a minimal cost for preventative maintenance every 12-15 months...
I maintain my wife and daughter's at about 2yrs... but my truck is the primary traveling/vacationing vehicle in addition to being my daily driver, its never let me down except for a couple of jump starts needed for run down battery....
This vehicle has been very reliable for me..
I just realized I am still on all of my original exterior bulbs, except for the license plate lamps that I changed out for LED's and the fog lamps which one did go out... that is pretty good for 7 years
I do need to visit changing the differential fluid...
I maintain my wife and daughter's at about 2yrs... but my truck is the primary traveling/vacationing vehicle in addition to being my daily driver, its never let me down except for a couple of jump starts needed for run down battery....
This vehicle has been very reliable for me..
I just realized I am still on all of my original exterior bulbs, except for the license plate lamps that I changed out for LED's and the fog lamps which one did go out... that is pretty good for 7 years
I do need to visit changing the differential fluid...
I can tell you take very good care of your Tahoe. Nothing wrong with taking pride in your ride! On the differential oil, I pulled my cover to inspect the gears for wear at about 171k. It appeared that when I was taking my truck to the local fast lube and steal...they were not checking / changing the rear diff oil. Anyway, by pulling the cover you can check the gears for wear and it also drains the oil faster. I recommend this method (not every diff oil change but at least every other time or so).
A lot of ppl will say its unnecessary, but after dealing with the fast lube and steal issue, I felt better about it knowing that it all looked good.
February 20th, 2014, 6:50 PM
#12
Administrator
Thread Starter
Thanks 03 Heavy Chevy
Did you need to replace the gasket when you pulled the cover or did you reuse or RTV? how much did you need? I figure at least 2 to 3 quarts
I see that GM uses/recommends a synthetic
Rear Axle
SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle
Lubricant (GM Part No. U.S. 12378261, in
Canada 10953455) meeting GM Specification 9986115
Did you need to replace the gasket when you pulled the cover or did you reuse or RTV? how much did you need? I figure at least 2 to 3 quarts
I see that GM uses/recommends a synthetic
Rear Axle
SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle
Lubricant (GM Part No. U.S. 12378261, in
Canada 10953455) meeting GM Specification 9986115
February 21st, 2014, 8:38 PM
#13
CF Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Garland, TX
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks 03 Heavy Chevy
Did you need to replace the gasket when you pulled the cover or did you reuse or RTV? how much did you need? I figure at least 2 to 3 quarts
I see that GM uses/recommends a synthetic
Rear Axle
SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle
Lubricant (GM Part No. U.S. 12378261, in
Canada 10953455) meeting GM Specification 9986115
Did you need to replace the gasket when you pulled the cover or did you reuse or RTV? how much did you need? I figure at least 2 to 3 quarts
I see that GM uses/recommends a synthetic
Rear Axle
SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle
Lubricant (GM Part No. U.S. 12378261, in
Canada 10953455) meeting GM Specification 9986115
Side note about flushing when removing the cover...... A lot of ppl have said that flushing is bad because it loosens up clumps of gunk / debris / dirt / etc. and can caused problems because of the loose gunk now floating around.
That is where its a flush where the oil and gunk have to come out of the small drain hole and you can't see if you have gunk remaining. But in this case when removing the cover, you can literally visually flush the old oil and gunk out as well as take a good look at the gears to check for wear. Also, if you want, you can take the time to paint the outside of your cover to match your ride.
February 23rd, 2014, 6:43 PM
#14
CF Beginner
Thanks 03 Heavy Chevy
Did you need to replace the gasket when you pulled the cover or did you reuse or RTV? how much did you need? I figure at least 2 to 3 quarts
I see that GM uses/recommends a synthetic
Rear Axle
SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle
Lubricant (GM Part No. U.S. 12378261, in
Canada 10953455) meeting GM Specification 9986115
Did you need to replace the gasket when you pulled the cover or did you reuse or RTV? how much did you need? I figure at least 2 to 3 quarts
I see that GM uses/recommends a synthetic
Rear Axle
SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Axle
Lubricant (GM Part No. U.S. 12378261, in
Canada 10953455) meeting GM Specification 9986115
February 23rd, 2014, 6:46 PM
#15
CF Beginner
I got started on her this morning as the weather has been really nice here the past week, a couple of Starbucks refreshers Valencia Orange and I was good to go ...
The first thing I want to point out is that the #8 as everyone knows is a PITA, I have little doubt that some folks that pay to have this done(tune up), are paying for 8 plugs but only getting 7 done...
I started with the #8 knowing it is the absolute hardest one to do, I would recommend that anyone doing their own, start with #8 to get it done and out of the way.
I pulled the front wheel off to do the even number plugs (2-8), I thought it made access to #8 a bit easier as I was able to sit at the spark plug level and get both hands in at times. (1-7, I did from the top)
I used a pair of needle nose pliers to grip the #8 boot and leverage it against the exhaust manifold (you want to do this on a cold engine) and the boot came right off no struggles
You can easily see the #8 from under the vehicle but you can't really get any tools up that way due to the starter/catalyst/exhaust in the way, again I went at it from the wheel well and its still a PITA but it beat trying to lay or bend over into the engine bay and try and get around the A/C lines.
After removing the spark plug wires, give the area around the exposed spark plug a shot of compressed air to remove any debris that might fall into the spark plug hole when the plug is removed, this is really important if you live or have been in a sandy area, you really don't want grains of sand in the cylinder, or risk getting gunk on the spark plug threads and galling up the threads in an aluminum head
I found it easier to prep my work, I gap checked 4 plugs and set them aside, if you need to adj the gap, I would recommend a small pair of needle nose pliers to adjust the ground electrode, as you don't want to risk damaging the center electrode.
I used a q-tip to coat the inside of 4 of the new wires spark plug boot, plug side, with the supplied silicone lubricant, this makes the boot easier to go on and come back off if needed. I cleaned and buffed (yeah they look sweet, polished) the boot heat shields and re-installed them on the new plug wires.
When installing the new boot over the plug, listen and feel for the "click" of the connector going over and onto the spark plug tip, same goes for the coil end, you should feel and hear a confirming click... If you don't feel it I would recommend taking it off and test fitting it on a plug. The reason I say this is once you fire up the engine and you find you have a miss due to a poorly connected wire, that engine will be a hot SOB already, and you don't want to have to jack with trying to get it seated on right...just sayin'
Pointers/Reminders
*If you drop a spark plug while trying to install it, recheck the gap
*Use the silicone lube on the boot, if its not included get some.
*OHM out the new wire set before installing, it only takes a few minutes to save yourself the headache of a poorly assembled plug wire.
* There is a torque spec for the plugs, but there was not way in heck, I could get a torque wrench on more then 2 may 3 of the plugs... get them snug but not over tight...
* Do not use anti-seize on the threads as it can reduce the electrical conductivity of the plug to ground and cause over tightening of the plug..
The first thing I want to point out is that the #8 as everyone knows is a PITA, I have little doubt that some folks that pay to have this done(tune up), are paying for 8 plugs but only getting 7 done...
I started with the #8 knowing it is the absolute hardest one to do, I would recommend that anyone doing their own, start with #8 to get it done and out of the way.
I pulled the front wheel off to do the even number plugs (2-8), I thought it made access to #8 a bit easier as I was able to sit at the spark plug level and get both hands in at times. (1-7, I did from the top)
I used a pair of needle nose pliers to grip the #8 boot and leverage it against the exhaust manifold (you want to do this on a cold engine) and the boot came right off no struggles
You can easily see the #8 from under the vehicle but you can't really get any tools up that way due to the starter/catalyst/exhaust in the way, again I went at it from the wheel well and its still a PITA but it beat trying to lay or bend over into the engine bay and try and get around the A/C lines.
After removing the spark plug wires, give the area around the exposed spark plug a shot of compressed air to remove any debris that might fall into the spark plug hole when the plug is removed, this is really important if you live or have been in a sandy area, you really don't want grains of sand in the cylinder, or risk getting gunk on the spark plug threads and galling up the threads in an aluminum head
I found it easier to prep my work, I gap checked 4 plugs and set them aside, if you need to adj the gap, I would recommend a small pair of needle nose pliers to adjust the ground electrode, as you don't want to risk damaging the center electrode.
I used a q-tip to coat the inside of 4 of the new wires spark plug boot, plug side, with the supplied silicone lubricant, this makes the boot easier to go on and come back off if needed. I cleaned and buffed (yeah they look sweet, polished) the boot heat shields and re-installed them on the new plug wires.
When installing the new boot over the plug, listen and feel for the "click" of the connector going over and onto the spark plug tip, same goes for the coil end, you should feel and hear a confirming click... If you don't feel it I would recommend taking it off and test fitting it on a plug. The reason I say this is once you fire up the engine and you find you have a miss due to a poorly connected wire, that engine will be a hot SOB already, and you don't want to have to jack with trying to get it seated on right...just sayin'
Pointers/Reminders
*If you drop a spark plug while trying to install it, recheck the gap
*Use the silicone lube on the boot, if its not included get some.
*OHM out the new wire set before installing, it only takes a few minutes to save yourself the headache of a poorly assembled plug wire.
* There is a torque spec for the plugs, but there was not way in heck, I could get a torque wrench on more then 2 may 3 of the plugs... get them snug but not over tight...
* Do not use anti-seize on the threads as it can reduce the electrical conductivity of the plug to ground and cause over tightening of the plug..
February 26th, 2014, 11:56 AM
#16
Administrator
Thread Starter
Just a follow up, it could have more to do with the fact we are finally seeing temps back in the 70s-80s but my current tank of gas is yielding me about 18.4 mpg per the DIC... I had been in the 16s-17s range prior to the tune up...
but my current tank of gas is yielding me about 18.4 mpg per the DIC... I had been in the 16s-17s range prior to the tune up...
February 26th, 2014, 2:34 PM
#17
CF Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Garland, TX
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think your DIC developed a lying stutter
LOL
Congrats to getting that though!
Did you ever change the rear diff fluid?
February 27th, 2014, 1:16 PM
#19
CF Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Garland, TX
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I know what you mean.....I've got maintenance to do but i schedule it for nice weather......I'm ok with sweating but when I bang my knuckles in cold weather it seems to hurt more.....LOL
February 27th, 2014, 7:27 PM
#20
I was just out in 50 degree weather bangin knuckles on my tranny. Today is in the 20's and tommorow's supposed to be the coldest day yet!! You guys are down there in 60'sand 70's. Lmfao. Really???