Anyone know anything about Chevy trucks?

Discussion in 'Other Automotive Tech & Talk' started by Jamie Miles, Jun 4, 2009.

  1. FoMoDave

    FoMoDave Maverick Owner

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    I have a freind here in Cumming that knows everything about Chevy trucks and can find any parts you may need in the future.Pm me if you need his #.Do you have any thing you would want to trade for my two Mavs ? see my post in community center. Any projects for sale?
     
  2. Hawkco

    Hawkco Genuine Car Nut

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    I have a 2001 Suburban and a 2001 1/2 ton Silverado. They are great for daily drivers and light duty. The truck available for real work, hauling, and towing is a 95 F-250. At 11 mpg, it ain't a great daily driver.
     
  3. Jamie Miles

    Jamie Miles the road warrior

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    Well, I haven't driven the truck much over the past few weeks, got in it today, drove it around town some, hooked up the redneck trailer and hauled the Allis Chalmers back down to Terry's so he can put a new belt and tires on it. I probably shut it off and restarted it 5 times while I was driving it around today. Got down to Terry's, backed the trailer into his yard and shut the truck off. It sits there maybe 15 minutes, and he says he wants to take the tractor over to his dad's, so we get in the truck, and as we do, he asks how the truck has been doing. I told him I haven't driven it much lately, but it's been doing great.

    Yea, right...

    I hit the key and absolutely nothing... truck won't crank over. We screw around with the thing for a half hour or so, check all the fuses and fuseable links, check the neutral safety switch, check the battery, can't find anything wrong. I get up under it and try shorting the starter solenoid with a screw driver, still nothing. Terry gets in it and turns the key while I'm shorting the starter solenoid, and it fires right up. :rolleyes:

    Didn't shut it off again until I got home. When I got home, I shut it off and started it back up 3 times with no problem. I guess if it was going to break down again, Terry's front yard couldn't have been a better place for it to happen. :rofl2:

    This damn thing is haunted. :biglaugh:
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2009
  4. Andysutt

    Andysutt '72 Comet GT

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    My Z-71 did that... many times

    Turned out to be a bad battery connection, that you "thought" was tight but wasn't.

    It would start at random times that way also, even not being near the battery connection. It did this to me at the racetrack once, and was I was pretty pissed off about it.

    Id suggest replacing both the battery connections and upgrading to a bigger starter wire anyways, the factory sized one isn't very big and I noticed it started alot better once I replace that as well.
     
  5. Jamie Miles

    Jamie Miles the road warrior

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    Well, the battery is actually extremely old, has a sticker on the side that says Oct. 2002 on it, and it's just a cheap Everstart battery. On top of that, the truck sat for 3 months down behind Terry's uncle's house where who ever went and got it off the side of the road dumped it off at, and when we went and got the truck the battery just barely had enough juice in it to make the radio play. It was pretty much totally dead. No telling how much Terry's uncle cranked it over when it quit running, plus sitting nearly dead for 3 months, and being almost 7 years old, I get a gut feeling the battery may be crapping out... It was putting out like 12.59 volts when the truck wouldn't start. The starter and battery cables are all newish looking, as is the alternator.
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2009
  6. Andysutt

    Andysutt '72 Comet GT

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    I still say replace the battery connection on the positive side. Mine looked brand new and seemed tight, but it wasn't for some reason. Just my 2 cents. lol

    I dont want you to go thru the same crap I went thru.

    If your already going to replace the battery, it couldn't hurt.
     
  7. Jamie Miles

    Jamie Miles the road warrior

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    I guess when I go pick up a new battery I'll grab a new cable as well. Have been planning to replace the battery since I bought the truck, I know this one is on borrowed time since it' so old, even though it still cranks over fine most of the time. I just haven't driven the truck enough to bother getting a new one yet. Need to do the front brake pads and rotors as well. Gotta quit procrastinating. :rolleyes:
     
  8. Andysutt

    Andysutt '72 Comet GT

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    I can relate to that.. lol
     
  9. Andysutt

    Andysutt '72 Comet GT

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    You wouldn't happen to have a "second" battery tray would you? One that goes on the drivers side for dual batteries?
     
  10. Jamie Miles

    Jamie Miles the road warrior

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    Well, I'm in NC and the damn thing won't start again. I've tried everything, cleaning the battery connections, different battery, getting under it and shorting the solenoid while my brother turned the key (worked last time at Terry's), and it's not even trying.
     
  11. ford84stepside

    ford84stepside Lone Wolf

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    Sounds like the starter may have a bad spot on the armature. It stops on that one spot and then won't turn. I have seen them stop like that and then all the sudden go to working for no apparent reason.
     
  12. Andysutt

    Andysutt '72 Comet GT

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    Seen that once before also
     
  13. Jamie Miles

    Jamie Miles the road warrior

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    Seems to be heat related. It only does it after a long drive pulling something heavy. Let it sit for about 45 minutes, and it fires right back up. The solenoid is right up against the exhaust manifold. Why they would design it like that, is beyond me... starter looks practically new though.
     
  14. Andysutt

    Andysutt '72 Comet GT

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    I think it was mentioned already in this thread, but find yourself a heat shield for the thing. You can get them at junkyards, or even buy them I think.

    They work, I killed a starter by leaving mine off before, and ended up putting it back on.
     
  15. facelessnumber

    facelessnumber Drew Pittman

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    I had a '91 Olds Bravada that I swapped a 350 into. I burned many a starter on the headers, and it took me a while to figure out that's what was going on. It acted like a weak battery, a bad connection somewhere... But no, exhaust was cooking the starter. Eventually the last new one I got, I covered it in header wrap and that was the end of it.
     

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