Tow Vehicle Laid Up

[Waynes345]

I know there are a fair amount of Chevy tow vehicles out there and thought I'd pass along my current problem. I've got a '04 Z71 Tahoe with about 80,000 on it. Recently had to fill the coolant reservoir a couple times but could see or smell no evidence of coolant leakage. Check engine light went on the other night and the reservoir was down 2/3 gallon again. Took it in and the fault was for "lean". Pressurized the system and no leaks. No CO in the coolant. Pulled the valve covers and there was sludge in the top end. Evidently GM used a couple of head suppliers and the Castech heads are prone to developing small cracks. That's what the problem is with mine. GM issued a TSB about it, but it seems most of the mechanics don't know about it. Bottom line is the heads need to be replaced. What a bunch of crap, three grand or so heading into the holidays. Well at least it wasn't the Outback engine.

[deerfield]

Waynes345 - Sorry about the tow vehicle engine trouble and expense. $3,000 is a lot of money any time. My '99 Suburban has 147k miles. It does cost to maintain and repair, but still easier on my cash flow compared to buying new or carrying a loan or lease. Was on ACL web site last week and noted that the lake is ranked among the best for bass fishing in the nation. Not that we would ever use our boats for such a purpose. By the way, who would have ever thought that KSM and his buddies might be relocated to Thomson prison in northwestern Illinois just south of ACL? Not making a statemeent here one way or the other. Was in DC earlier this week and watched Holder on the Hill for the Senate hearing. Will be interesting to see how this moves forward. Back to your post, hopefully replacing the heads will get you squared away for 80k more miles. - Deerfield

[Suprahunter]

Wayne
Put a good block sealer in it and run it The stuff they have today is amazing. I wouldn't put new heads on a 80k engine . For 3k you could replace the whole engine.

[viking]

Man - that's a bummer. A chunck of change anytime but especially going into the Holidays.

[maxpower220]

GM issued a TSB about it, but it seems most of the mechanics don't know about it. Bottom line is the heads need to be replaced.

Doesn't that mean the GM has some stake in replacing a known problem? They did warranty work on my 02 Avalanche (repaint the plastics) due to a TSB. I had to go all the way to a Regional rep for GM to get it approved, the local dealer didn't want to work on it.

Also, if you need to go ahead and replace it, I would call around to many shops. Also, you could think about trading it in on a newer used truck.

[Waynes345]

Waynes345 - Sorry about the tow vehicle engine trouble and expense. $3,000 is a lot of money any time. My '99 Suburban has 147k miles. It does cost to maintain and repair, but still easier on my cash flow compared to buying new or carrying a loan or lease. Was on ACL web site last week and noted that the lake is ranked among the best for bass fishing in the nation. Not that we would ever use our boats for such a purpose. By the way, who would have ever thought that KSM and his buddies might be relocated to Thomson prison in northwestern Illinois just south of ACL? Not making a statement here one way or the other. Was in DC earlier this week and watched Holder on the Hill for the Senate hearing. Will be interesting to see how this moves forward. Back to your post, hopefully replacing the heads will get you squared away for 80k more miles. - Deerfield

I ordered the parts and will have it put back together next week. I did think about putting some stuff in it and see if it seals up, but it's a nice truck in good shape and I'd better get 200k out of it so I hope it's money well spent. As far as ACL goes, it's a great bass fishery, though as far as I am concerned this was a bad year with the crazy weather. I split expenses with a buddy of mine on an old pontoon, and if I wet a line, it's usually off that. As far as the prison goes, I didn't realize it was that close. I say bring 'em on. They built that place and it has nobody in it. Put them in there to rot.

[deerfield]

Deerfield, here is a bass I caught a couple weeks back at our lake

By sled491, shot with COOLPIX S210 at 2009-11-26

You caught? Uh, uh, I don't think so. Bet one of your fine kids caught that monster and are entertaining you by letting you hold it for the picture. By the way, glad to see you were not using the Outback for this little outing. That would be sacrilege!

[james yarosz]

SLED,just curious,why do you have a "cherry picker" on your boat.

[Razzman]

That's a boom to hoist on the beer cooler!

[Waynes345]

Dude that sucks. I had 220 000 on my Diesel before I ran into that concrete barrier. Vehicles today will last a long time if you look after them.

Sled - Got the truck back Friday morning and drove to Brule in the UP for a race camp for the kids. Ran great and changed the oil today. I hope to get another 100k on it before I have to do anything else, or run into a barrier.

That's one heck of a bass