So in looking at replacement trucks for my '98 rcsb ... I do get a little excited about the SS Silverado's

Specifically 6.0 liters, and AWD (winter "capable" needed here in UT)

Has anyone owned one or have any experiences ?

I heard they don't get to good of mileage, but that's not too huge of a concern, as I don't put too many miles on my truck.

Any input appreciated



~DaVe

I rebuilt an LS2 out of a Trailblazer SS a couple years ago. I'm guessing the drivetrain is similar in this, but I don't know if it has a front sump oil pan like the TBSS did? I'm guessing it doesn't since these trucks came in 4WD trim and I don't believe they used a front sump pan. If they do, I'd run away. The TBSS are known for starving for oil during hard launches. That's ultimately what munched the engine that I rebuilt. It spun a bearing.

They are the older LQ9

Ah, I had a 6 liter in my 2007 C3500. It was thirsty and they "neutered" 1st gear (it would only spin the tires if the roads were really wet). But it was a solid truck and towed all kinds of stuff all over the place for me. Mileage wasn't great in my truck (8-12 average with a best ever of 14.007 on the freeway...calculated as I filled up). And mine required premium or it would knock (even unloaded when climbing hills).

This era of GM LS truck is notorious for overzealous torque management in the ECM.

Heh, yep! You catch yourself 'leaning forward' a bit in anticipation of accelerating off a stop, when the truck doesn't roll out as you'd expect it. It's a weird, but definite feeling. Luckily, most of that can be tuned out, which makes for a MUCH more fun vehicle!!

It's drive by wire so they just minimize the available throttle opening. You just can't have full throttle, or not quickly.

Now I'm wondering if dialing back TQ management actually raises gas mileage. It would probably help the city more than the highway if so.

Many of the torque management systems pull timing (as I understand it). If you're pulling timing to artificially limit power, you're likely wasting fuel mileage. I don't know if they have any tricks to offset that, but usually running an engine with the timing retarded doesn't do anything good for efficiency.

So it sounds like the torque management could easily be tuned out with HP Tuners ? ..> I don't want to blow up AWD transfer cases or the 4L65E, BUT it would be nice for the the 6.0 to move "a little" ?

~DaVe

People were used to just letting their teens borrow their pickups like it was a 165hp '83 F-150 with an open diff and 215/80/15s or something. You can't do that with LS or it's going to come back broken without TQ MGT!

Good trucks

My brother enjoyed his
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGpdGo4SLQo

I missed out on a Silver 2005 (what I'm really after) on Autotrader

This one is pretty close to me ! ...

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/ve...=true&Log=0

Just don't know if I can handle more black vehicles

~DaVe

That's awesome! That's a ton of torque.

Well I found another 2005 AWD Silver Birch metallic SS w/ 85k miles ! ... the 30ish hour round trip drive to go get it starts tomorrow afternoon.

I hope it's a good truck, I had planned on driving my current '98 rcsb into the ground but now I can atleast sell it for something.

~DaVe

Very cool. 30 hours? I did 10-12 hours to get the Camaro....30 is a haul.

I'm anxious to see how you like it once it's home. Have a safe trip!

That's nuts. I did 3 hrs/220 mi each way last week to get my wifes new crv.... that was enough for me. haha

30 hours round trip? Come on guys, those aren't real road trips. Last year two buddies and I went from San Antonio to Tacoma for a nice square body Chevy crew cab. 5256 miles in 5 days. That was a proper go pickup a car road trip.

Holy crap man! Why don't you just have it shipped? It can't cost much more than what you're going to spend on gas, food, hotels and beer (once you're in the hotel).

Nope rental was ~89 + ~40 in gas ... no hotel or beer 30+ hours straight ... gas back was the most expensive part ~130

... and the truck has issues ! I'm not happy but lately that's been par. Ugh

Sry to hear. What's the issues

That had to be quite a journey.




What's the story with it?

I spotted an SS on my local craigs for $7000 at a "wholesale lot" but there wasn't much info and it was here in Columbus so I didn't say anything. I didn't know you were willing to drive like that! Of course, I'm like another 10 hours away.

Finally mostly recovered from the trip ... Monday's graveyard shift was rough (11-7:30am) ...

I did things quite backwards on this whole deal .. returned the rental car to the airport in Sioux Falls, SD, and THEN went to the dealership ... 12 mile "test drive" in the SS.

They then shuffled me inside to complete the paper work ... my mistake for not checking over the truck THOROUGHLY I was a done deal and then I started looking closely (I had left and went to a near by gas station / convenience store). I found so many cosmetic issues that I actually went back to the dealership and tried to get out of the deal ... long story short it was too late (my salesman had already left as soon as I did, and the sales "manager" and finance lady were real pieces of work (this is me being nice!) .. OK OK, so lots of paint and body things to fix ... deal with it .. some peoples version of nice is different than my elevated standard.

Started driving home ... again LONG story short I made it 14.75 of the 15 hour drive back (lucky I made it "home" really) ... lots of problems along the way check engine lights, tires with 20 psi, IP cluster issues, etc. etc. etc.

THEN all hell broke loose somewhere in either the transmission, transfer case, front diff., CV axles, ??? Almost made it to Sunday dinner at my moms, but had to go get my old truck to tow the new one to her house (Sunday afternoon).

Monday was spent talking with my bank and a lawyer to try and get out of the deal ... without getting counter sued by the stealership, I'm stuck with it

Hopefully today I can get it into a repair shop and have it diagnosed, (I though about starting to try and figure it out on my own, but just don't have it in me to work on it at this moment).

Lots of life lessons on this deal, I have just never bought and sold enough to know what the hell I was doing UGH ! .. I just hope I can get it repaired, and sell it with a loss somewhere in the 4-5k range (which will probably end up 8k the way my luck is going)


~DaVe

I take it this was in a state that doesn't have the 72-hour law where they, by law, have to take the vehicle back within that time frame. What sucks is that driving around with "XXXX dealer sold me this POS and wouldn't take it back after only an hour" signs all over it since it won't have any impact that far away.

As far as I could tell I had no legal action to return it, the 72 hour lemon law was on new vehicles only (I only had help from a Utah, lawyer, I never contacted a SD lawyer)

I called the local tow company to have it taken to a shop today (I use the same tow company most times as the owner lives up the road from my mom) .. The tow truck (flatbed) had the transmission out of it ! .. I straight laughed on the phone my luck is contagious ? lol

~DaVe

Ouch. That's a rough one. Sorry to hear it.

I used to sell cars. Did it in college for four dealers, one of them twice. So I should know better, but I bought a car from someone I didn't think would cheat me and then realized it didn't run right when I picked it up. It was supposed to be "perfect, mint, etc" and I didn't check it since it was someone I thought I could trust. When I got in it, it missed HARD at anything over 1/3 throttle. I babied it home and put fresh gas in it, but it needed plugs, wires, fuel filter, etc and then it ran fine. I should have driven it, but it started and sounded fine. Why would I need to drive a low mileage car? That's when I learned never to trust anyone....ever.

Sorry to hear of the woes of the sale.

Dealerships are manipulators 1st and foremost. Whether you're buying new or used. Service and parts department are the same.

Unreal what they think they can get away with... legally and conscience wise.

Maybe just fix what ya need to and enjoy it. Only lose money if ya sell it.

It sucks, but it's definitely a life lesson.

My "buy it sight unseen" story is nowhere near as bad. I found a E350 V10 passenger van in St. Louis (5hrs) and (to me) it was a smokin' deal. Pictures showed it to be in nice shape and had a picture of a almost new tire. I was going on vacation to FL for a week in two days, so I called the salesman, worked it out that I would send a check and the paperwork would be ready for me to sign when I came down in about two weeks.

When I arrived, the van had one new tire and 3 40% tires on it, one of the rear side windows had evidently been replaced at some point because the glass had about half as much "privacy" tint as the others. I tried to haggle at that point but they said "It's already yours, the paperwork is done and we have your money".

I probably could have got out of it as I hadn't signed anything, but it was still a good deal. I drove/towed with it for 3 years, put 20k miles on it, and sold it for the same price minus taxes/maintenance.

Got it towed down to a repair shop today.

I keep thinking that's the "cheapest" way out ... try and get it fixed and just make the monthly payments, BUT I just don't know if I could ever trust it again ... Or even LIKE it again, at this point I'm still pretty pissed off.

I guess it proves poor man have poor ways, I tried to upgrade my truck to something "nice" and ended up with just a bunch of debt (for me "a bunch" is different) ... Most of my friends have $40k+ diesels but I guess that's a different story all together.

~DaVe

Is it really that bad? What exactly is wrong with it?

Quoted from above (he's having it diagnosed shortly):

Sorry, he did say that. It was way too early.

Transfer case was worn out / needle bearings pushed out of the rollers / chipped teeth / etc. he's rebuilding that with all the case saver parts, etc. ...

Trans was blown to bits, output planetary parts in the pan,

It had/has been replaced before (silver painted GM reman unit) must have been the "internal trans repair" at a dealership at 46k miles, we looked up parts (before I bought it) and it seemed like it was just a shift solenoid, BUT they probably warrantied it and that was just the "work order fix" (from my days as a service writer) ...

It is still the heavier duty 4L65/(70)E so aside from new billet shafts it will have the "better stuff" ... he thinks someone must have been neutral dropping it for AWD burnouts, ... which would have been a lot more fun if it was me !

~DaVe

Annnnd that's why they come with Torque Management.

I love my 02 z71. After the racecar build it will be a perfect candidate for a single turbo on the stock 5.3l.

According to the trans shop, there was some MAJOR neutral drop abuse or something that torque management wouldn't have done anything for

That'll do it. I wonder if anybody's been in the computer.

I will probably find out soon, if I can't get it sold ...

I got it back from the Transmission shop today $2400 total for the trans and the transfer case rebuild, (I think he gave me a pretty sweet discount) ... Went and visited dad on my way home, and then went and got my old truck, still have no love for the new one



p.s. the color matched vent visor was removed shortly after the photo, still working on a set of stock tail lights, and undecide about the door handle chrome trims (I would remove them but, might leave them on while I list it for sale)

~DaVe

It looks beautiful up there with the mountains. I hate that Ohio is so flat. I grew up with hills (but not serious mountains).

I understand wanting to sell it. I was that way with the car I was unhappy with as well. Played with it a bit, but didn't actually do anything to it. Then unloaded it.

What are you asking for it? The Trailblazer SS seems to have quite a following (something approaching the Buick Grand National...but on a much smaller scale). I don't know if the trucks are as popular. Put it up on some forums and see what happens? Try the various truck forums, that's my best guess. I suspect someone will drive out to see you to get it.

Cache Valley is a NICE place to live ! I take it for granted most of the time.

I think I will just try and drive it while I list it for sale, i just don't know if I should sell my '98 rcsb at the same time and end up truckless for awhile ? (might not be a horrible thing in the summer)

I did mess around with some vinyl I had today, since it didn't cost me any money:

Before:



AFTER:


I've only driven it about 20 miles since the repairs, and probably only about 30% TPS since I'm kinda scared of it now. (my wallet is really afraid !)

I plan on asking what I paid for it $16,500, that way I'm only out the TTL, Repairs, and cost to go get it.

~DaVe