1997 Suburban

 
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Post by nut » Sat. Sep. 10, 2022 2:41 pm

And easy to work on. Half the battle today is getting to the part you need to change.


 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Sep. 10, 2022 4:51 pm

StokerDon wrote:
Sat. Sep. 10, 2022 9:23 am
Nice job Rob. I've never seen the belt tensioner seize before.
I never have either, but the parts store website has the following:

Service Tip: Always replace belts and tensioners together. Old tensioners will reduce a belt's lifespan.

 
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Post by Retro_Origin » Sat. Sep. 10, 2022 10:16 pm

nut wrote:
Sat. Sep. 10, 2022 2:41 pm
And easy to work on. Half the battle today is getting to the part you need to change.
This is why people buy subarus. They don't ever bother trying to squeeze in and around to access everything. You just pull the engine. Every time. Plugs? Pull it! Valve cover gasket? Pull it! Head gaskets? Pull it!

....not entirely true...but I had one and the only two things easy to get at was the alternator and the oil filter....having two heads on a small sized car seemed to ask for issues.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Nov. 14, 2022 8:22 am

Update.

After a few weeks of dealing with a brake pull issue I narrowed it down to the rubber hose that goes to the passenger side front caliper. It must have been partially collapsed inside and not allowing the caliper to release correctly. Two new hoses installed, stops nice and straight now.

Now for the bad news…I started the Suburban a few days later and heard a loud exhaust leak. Found a broken exhaust manifold bolt on the drivers side. Unfortunately it is broken off flush with the head. I am not confident that I can pull this off myself, especially if other bolts break in the process. I will get a quote from a local shop and then decide what I am going to do. I am not just going to “run it”, as I have done that before and found that it just makes the repair harder when you are finally forced to deal with it.

 
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Post by freetown fred » Mon. Nov. 14, 2022 11:42 am

Seriously put HEAT to those remaining bolts --for the broke one--either drill & easy out OR just drill all the way through!!! That's how we roll in Freetown--BUT--you don't live in Freetown---Sooooooo beins your in Chazy--let someone else do it right!!! ;)

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Nov. 14, 2022 12:02 pm

The reason I want to farm it out is because I have done all the stuff you listed before. It is a not a fun job and very expensive if you make a mistake. I don’t have a close quarters drill that can get in there, and the last thing I want is to screw up the threads in the head. It sure isn’t like working on a tractor with the manifold at eye level.

I have found a repair kit that looks promising. It bolts on the back of the head and has a clamping bolt to hold the manifold in place.

 
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Post by freetown fred » Mon. Nov. 14, 2022 12:11 pm

I wish you much luck. :clap: :lol:


 
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Nov. 26, 2022 12:37 pm

The manifold repair kit did not work out. Although it seemed well made and probably works on many vehicles, my Suburban happens to have a different EGR tube than most of these engines and there is not enough clearance to use the repair bracket. I talked to the guy that made the bracket, he said the assembly line must have switched to a different fitting for a very short time because he has only run into this a few times, and they were all on 1997 models with a 350. Oh well, I returned the repair kit and called a local shop to have the manifold fixed the proper way. If the manifold repair bill is not too bad I will be replacing the headlight lenses sometime in the near future. They are very cloudy and one side is full of moisture.

In the meantime I performed the "4 hi" mod on the headlights. Instead of having 2 low and 2 hi, it is now 2 low and 4 hi. All it takes is one relay and a few feet of wire.

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Post by StokerDon » Sat. Dec. 03, 2022 9:17 am

Rob R. wrote:
Sat. Nov. 26, 2022 12:37 pm
In the meantime I performed the "4 hi" mod on the headlights. Instead of having 2 low and 2 hi, it is now 2 low and 4 hi. All it takes is one relay and a few feet of wire.
Nice Mod!

That is one area where these older truck need a lot of help, headlights. Especially this time of year when you leave for work in the dark and its dark by the time you get home.

-Don

 
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Dec. 03, 2022 9:45 am

StokerDon wrote:
Sat. Dec. 03, 2022 9:17 am
Nice Mod!

That is one area where these older truck need a lot of help, headlights. Especially this time of year when you leave for work in the dark and its dark by the time you get home.

-Don
You are sure right about that, seems like the roads are always dark and wet this time of year. This modification made a big improvement. Something else I noticed is how much brighter the low beams are when powered via that relay, straight from the battery. Maybe at some point I will make a harness so the headlights are all powered “direct” instead of going through the headlight switch.

 
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Post by SMITTY » Sun. Dec. 11, 2022 8:13 pm

If you want them real bright, get yourself a set of S-V.4 LED headlights. HOLY CRAP are those BRIGHT! We put a set of 9004s in the 940, and it was a literal night / day difference. Looked like a candle from the 1800's vs. staring at the sun. :lol: See pics - I can't explain it better.

That's a SWEEET rig! That GMT-400 platform was the last good, solid truck GM has EVER built, bar none. I always see them over 300k lately. My own '94 K1500 I used to have had 266k on her when I sold her. The OE ball joints, hub bearings, and U-joints all made it OVER 200k miles. I couldn't even reach FORTY THOUSAND miles with my POS GMT-900 (2007). Hang on to that one! It'll outlast any of the modern junk 10 to 1 easily. Just be sure to oil that undercarriage up, because they WILL dissolve, and FAST too since it spent it's life in AZ.

Brakes on every 400 series truck sucked, so if you got them working good, the only thing that'll make them better are a set of braided steel hoses to replace all the rubber ... but I saw you just replaced them, so maybe next time. Also, EBC Yellow pads will make that thing stop NOW. You'll be amazed! Downside is lots of brake dust and VERY expensive. I had them on everything (except our Marquis - that thing will put you through the windshield on Fisher-Price toy brake pads!), until I upgraded the Silverado system to a Wilwood. That system is GREAT! As it should be for the money I spent. Have over 15k HARD miles, and I can't emphasize "HARD" enough, between towing at stupid speeds, and driving like it's a 2k lb. Miata on a race track, and the pads have ZERO measurable wear! Friggin AMAZING.
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Post by grumpy » Sun. Dec. 11, 2022 10:12 pm

Braided hoses are a thing of the past, J1401 is all you need.

Yellowstuff pads rock if you can get them..

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. May. 15, 2023 1:31 pm

This past weekend was “gear oil” weekend. I changed it in all 3 of our vehicles. The old Suburban was last, and it took as long as the other two vehicles combined. No drain plug on this one, and I had to spend an hour hammering the cover flat and scraping off all the excess silicone from whoever was in there last. This differential has a magnet in the bottom of the housing, right under the ring gear. I don’t think the magnet had ever been cleaned, it looked like it had grey moss growing on it! Once I had the cover back on and let the silicone setup, it was time to decide on gear oil. I had enough 75w-90 leftover from the other two vehicles for this, but after doing some reading I decided against it. The 75w-90 I have is made to work with limited slip differentials. My Suburban has the G80 locking differential, and per GM it should NOT use an oil that contains a limited slip additive (friction modifier).

From the service bulletin:

The use of any additive in locking rear axles (G80) is not recommended. Rear axle additives are designed for use in limited slip differentials which are normally installed in cars. All light duty trucks equipped with RPO G80 make use of a locking differential and the use of additives will delay the engagement of the locking mechanism and may decrease axle life.


I asked my brother what he had for gear oil in his shop and he found a pail of ultra tacky 80w-90 that contained no friction modifiers. There was just enough to get the Suburban topped off and back on the road. Hopefully I don't need to back inside this axle, it has had several repairs over its life but seem to be in good working order.

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Post by SMITTY » Mon. May. 15, 2023 2:31 pm

I've been using Permatex Anaerobic Sealer on my rear diff covers the past 5 years or so. RTV always leaked after a year, and was always a BITCH to scrape off both the cover and housing. There's something in Amsoil Severe Gear that attacks RTV - every single one of my vehicles leaked like clockwork around the same time. That anaerobic sealer stays mushy, unless in the absence of oxygen - only then does it cure to a thin, hard, plastic-like substance. And for your next oil change, the cover comes right off with nearly no effort, and cleanup is done in minutes. I'll never use RTV again.

That G80 is a piece of garbage. Our 940 has it, and it was done right - 250k miles, still plenty of friction material left on the discs, governor still perfect. My Silverado at 97k miles (when the spider gears spit the tips of their teeth off into the side gears and magnet) was complete metal-on-metal, and the governor looked bashed up where it locks in. I've heard of many catastrophic failures of the G80 mechanism, too, that destroy rings and pinions. Another "great-on-paper" GM brainstorm. I shitcanned my whole carrier for a pneumatically controlled Ox Locker when I found all the metal in there. G80 is gonzo.

I always love coming in the house to hug the wife after an afternoon of differential services. :D They should make that smell into a cologne! :lol:

That's used motor oil all over the last pic of the diff cover, not leaky gear oil. Gotta keep this thing alive another 30 years to justify all the expense! ;)
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. May. 15, 2023 3:14 pm

The G80 definitely doesn’t hold up well in the 10 bolt axles like your Silverado has , but I haven’t heard of many problems with it in the 14 bolt with a vehicle that is otherwise stock. My Suburban has almost 180K on the differential, and the G80 is original. The problems with this axle have mainly been axle seals and the pinion seal, but it did get a new set of axles and bearings early in its life. I wonder if it got hot with all the towing it did over its life.

GM actually put out a service bulletin years ago about some synthetic oil and RTV not being compatible. I had a tube of Permatex Ultra Gray, so that is what I used. It should be fine with the conventional oil I used, but if I ever have to remove the cover I will take your advice on the sealant.


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