My New truck, 2004 silverado. Anyone know anything I should about it?

[Gagecampbell82]

Today I traded in my 94 s10 with a 2.2l 4 cyl (sigh) back to the car lot I got it from last month because I've had so much trouble out if it. And the oil pump went out and I was not going to pull the engine and put a 4cyl back in. 

So I traded it and a few hundred bucks added to the down payment on a 04 silverado 1500 2wd (extended cab 4-door or 2 "Half doors") with a 4.8l vortec and an auto  (assuming 4l60-E but I will have to confirm). It will come out to about $6,500 over about 2 years.

Was this a good deal? The only thing not working is 1 tail light and both tag lights.And the heat isn't great (assuming it's the door actuator thing because the vent selection does nothing. ) and there's a chip of plastic broken out of the heater core box on the inside that's taped back on. Which I will attempt to fix.

Do any of you guys know anything about these that I should know. it seems like a great truck.

[Gagecampbell82]

The only bad spot other than scratches is a dent in the back of the cab and one in the top of the bed, something happened to it because it has what looks like rattle can clear coat on it. But oh well. Haha.

[fitz]

What state are you in?
In Mass a dealer can't sell the vehicle with a non working tailight and license plate lights.

[Gagecampbell82]

Alabama, I don't think we have any laws like that. But I'm unsure. Today I replaced one of the tag lights, it's a 194 like in a square body dash and I only had one. I pulled the taillight And the bulb is blown, 10.99 for 1 regular or 20.99 for 2 leds, so I'll have to pick some up.

[Engineer]

'04? Hmmm...... Can't think of anything on the 1500s. There were some minor issues on the 2500s like the Duramax LLY, (some would overheat) and the transfer case pump rub (also random). Obviously nothing that affects you.

It seems that several '03~'05s had instrument cluster failures across all models though. IIRC.

[Gagecampbell82]

I read something about the instrument cluster problem but luckily mine works fine, I thought I heard a lifter tick this morning, but I did some reading and it seems that some 4.8s just have a random tick that " doesn't affect engine life" but would you suggest a certain weight oil in it?  It has about 215k miles on it.

[travisr1988]

-The clusters have issues, although my 2000 hasn't had an issue yet.
-make sure the driveshaft carrier bearing is good.
-center console lids are weak.
-heater issue is likely the little motor at the bottom of the box in the center, mine would stay hot if I turned it to hot at all, grandpa replaced that motor (i believe that's what it is) and it works fine now, it's like a motorized diverter valve.
-intake vacuum leaks are common.

Like yours mine is a 4.8L auto extended cab.

[Jason S]

My '05 2500HD had a problem with harness connector at the HVAC blower motor that was repaired under warranty (manual dual climate system). It also seems that every 2005 Chevy/GMC work truck with the manual dual climate temperature control has had a problem at that same connector.

[LTZ C20]

My '05 2500HD had a problem with harness connector at the HVAC blower motor that was repaired under warranty (manual dual climate system). It also seems that every 2005 Chevy/GMC work truck with the manual dual climate temperature control has had a problem at that same connector.

This is a fairly common issue on all the these trucks of this body style, including tahoe and suburban. It applies to single manual, dual manual and dual auto HVAC systems. The blower motor just gets worn out and causes high resistance in the connection between it and wiring harness connector. It's not a big deal tho, if all fan speeds are working, don't worry about it until you have a problem, you may never have an issue. Every vehicle does NOT have the problem, just alot experience the problem. My 03 Tahoe when we sold it six months ago had 203,000 miles, I don't remember if we ever had to replace the motor and connector, I don't think we did and we bought it brand new from the dealer I work at. Don't fix what isn't broken. This applies to the instrument cluster as well. It is fairly common but does NOT happen in every vehicle. I pretty sure the tahoe had its original cluster also, all functions worked when it sold.

Best thing to do is keep it clean, don't let leaves and debris, dirt and dust build up in the cowl area or under the dash, stuff that could get in there and make it hard for the blower to run efficiently, don't switch back and forth to different fan speeds repeatedly in a small time frame, and shut the blower motor off before you shut the vehicle off and make sure it's off before you start the vehicle again. This prevents a surge of power that can speed up the possibility of failure. Same for cluster, don't cycle the key alot starting and stop the engine, the clusters do a function sweep every time you start the vehicle, multiple starts in a row can cause premature wear on the stepper motors in the cluster. Also, the temperature sliders on the HVAC head, don't slide them up and down alot in short period of time like the blower motor, it can cause the HVAC head to wear out sooner or cause the temp actuators buried in the dash to cycle alot more than necessary and they will fail sooner, same for the mode selector knob.

Use the system as it is intended too but do not abuse it and it you might not ever have an issue. There's no better way to stop a problem than to prevent it from happening.

[Gagecampbell82]

Thanks for the replies guys! My fan speed selector goes dumb sometimes and either won't go on 5 (high) or it will stop and I just switch it back to 4. That'll be good enough for me now. It also has The manual dual hvac setup. And possibly The towing package. I'll be checking  some rpo codes soon. The only "problem" with my gauge cluster is that the light for the volts gauge (I think)  is a little dim, but I assume that's because it is in the top right corner. Overall I really like the truck. And I've been dying to get my hands on a gen3 or gen4 engine. I don't plan to do any performance upgrades. It's only a 4.8 and is a daily driver. Although I've seen some impressive numbers from them. But the regular maintenance will be rewarding I hope.

[travisr1988]

I read something about the instrument cluster problem but luckily mine works fine, I thought I heard a lifter tick this morning, but I did some reading and it seems that some 4.8s just have a random tick that " doesn't affect engine life" but would you suggest a certain weight oil in it?  It has about 215k miles on it.

Mine is a 4.8L with 217k on it, makes a ticking noise as well, it is believed to be an exhaust leak at the manifold though. It has great oil pressure and runs great warm, a little rough cold, but it hasn't let me down yet.

[LTZ C20]

My tahoe was a 4.8 also, they are good engines. As for the tow package, are you referring to the trailer tow/haul mode button on the end of the shifter handle? If so, that is standard on all of these trucks, tahoes, suburbans, my tahoe had it too. I've never seen one of these without it.

[Gagecampbell82]

My tahoe was a 4.8 also, they are good engines. As for the tow package, are you referring to the trailer tow/haul mode button on the end of the shifter handle? If so, that is standard on all of these trucks, tahoes, suburbans, my tahoe had it too. I've never seen one of these without it.

Thanks ltz. I didn't know it was standard, so I assume the reese hitch and the hookups for the thin flat and larger round trailer lights were standard too.

[LTZ C20]

The tow/haul mode button on the shifter is standard yes. Lots of trucks also came with a hitch and the 7way trailer plug. If it has a Reese tow hitch that is not standard. I believe the "tow package" was the tow/haul button with a factory installed hitch and the 7way plug. If it has a 4 way plug also, that has been added. Look underneath at how the hitch is mounted. The bolts should look similar in appearance to other bolts such as those holding other parts of the truck together. If they look like large bolts that could have been purchased at a hardware store then the hitch has been added aftermarket. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Just look on the hitch for the class rating and weight loading label, make sure it is with the limits of the trucks towing weight abilities.

[Gagecampbell82]

Thanks,  when it stops raining I'll give it a look. On my way home from cashing my check and xmas bonus my heater core started leaking  (my luck) but only with the blower on. After I turned it off just a small drip every now and then. Which I believe is from while it was leaking. It didn't leak bad just a small maybe knee cap sized puddle before I seen it.