Need Chevy truck Advice (year 2000)

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have mentioned I'm looking at buying a different truck (in the beater thread). The one I'm thinking 'strongly' about is a 2000 chevy Silverado 2500 regular cab 2x4 (I'm not ready to post the asking price yet, but it is reasonable).

My Brother's friend, who I trust, he lives in Michigan and has inside knowledge of the car industry, anyway he told me that GM had quality issues during this era... anyone else know of this?

Here are the details of the Truck, that I know far,

I inspected this truck 3 years ago, and haven't looked closely at it since. My friend(Gary) tried to sell me this truck many times over the last 3 years, but I had recently bought the 1971,that I've talked about many times before, and didn't need a second truck. Also, I just thought this 2000 truck sat too high for my taste, almost 6" higher than my 71.

I've seen Gary driving it around town a few times. I swear he told me the engine was the smallest V8...So, at that time, I assumed it was the 4.8 ...but in our phone conversation yesterday, he said he thought it was a 350 (5.7), but they didn't offer that, that I could figure out. I questioned him, and he is sure it's a small block (he owns 7 antique/restored chevy trucks), So anyway, I'm assuming it is a 5.3 as that was offered in the Base model from what I've read...and this truck is soooo plain, it must be a Base model.

Anyway, other details about it, fairly low miles for the vintage (144k), about as rust free as a Minnesota truck can be. The Seller (gary) is a USPS carrier and he bought it from a old retired guy, that he knew well, due to him being on his postal route. Gary said the old guy used it like a car (now before you all question the story, my friend is very honest and I trust him).

I'm hoping it had regular fluid changes, that is an unknown. Gary has drove it very little since he bought it, just used it around town to haul leaves and brush to a compost site, His impression of the the old guy is that he seems like one of those guys that would be "on top" of vehicle maintenance, the truck sure looks like it.

Anyway, I'd love to hear some advice, I am going to look at it seriously on new years day.
Thanks

[frankenfab]

They have the problem with the fuel gauge going out, that requires the pump to be changed. Emergency brake wears out fast (on rear disk brake equipped), and expensive to service. Some problems with instrument clusters.

I have a 2000 GMC Z-71. Still think it is a great truck

[FredBuddy]

We have the same truck, only 4x4, and fewer miles. Normal type repairs over the years considering its been driven on gravel roads and winter road salt. Starting to rust, tho. Still going strong, doesn't use oil, and the guys at the local service and repair shop constantly bug me to sell it to them.

Wife likes the extra height. I rarely get to drive it.

[MarkP]

In 2000 they had both body styles the CK trucks (88 -99 body style) and the Silverado's the CK would have the Vortec 350. Similar to 2007 when they had two body styles same model year. The intake gasket was probably already replaced as well as the fuel pump. I think some HD's in the later years had front bearing issues as well. (CK series) Other than that the truck is old enough the initial problems should be a mute point.
Front suspension components may be getting loose and ready for replacement.

I always wanted a 99 or 2000 K2500 crew cab looked pretty hard for a decent one in 2005 and ended up getting an 03' Crew Cab for less than I could find decent older trucks. I lover the older body style and interior. Still have a 95' Tahoe that I bought new.

[NSB]

I retired from General Motors as a quality engineer after 30+ years of service. I went to work for Ford after retiring from GM and worked there for five years as a quality manager. Ford builds better quality vehicles than GM. GM has always had something going on regarding quality on every vehicle they built. I could tell you stories about things I've seen, but I won't on here. Anyway, after retiring and knowing what I know about quality (a lot), I've been driving Honda's since retiring. The only vehicles I'd even consider buying anymore are Honda, Toyota, Subaru, and KIA. That GM truck you're thinking about is at the end of its life at this point. Look for a used Toyota truck if you're just looking for a basic truck. That one's a money pit waiting to open.

[Stmtrn]

Yes, some of the early models had a few bugs being new models. With 2000 or newer they became pretty reliable. I've seen several with 200000 plus still in service. Like has been said, fluid changes are the most important item to longevity. Have worked as mechanic for 30 yrs with Gm and drive a 2001. I really like the 5.3 engine.

[pressonregardless]

That GM truck you're thinking about is at the end of its life at this point. Look for a used Toyota truck if you're just looking for a basic truck.

The last two Chevy trucks I had were sold with over 225,000 on them & neither had ever had anything done to them other than regular maintenance, both were running fine when we parted company. Not sure why you would think this one with 144,000 miles is on it's last legs. I did look at a nice 2003 4x4 Toyota a while back but discovered the darn frame was full of holes. Seems that 'Yota trucks have had this rusting frame issue going on for quite a while now.

OP, sounds like a decent truck to me.

[NSB]

Just basing my comments on experience with GM products from a lot of years working in the quality field. Happy to hear some people enjoy better luck than can be expected from a truck with high mileage. Fact is, it's not just mileage that determines how well a vehicle will last. It's age and usage to a larger degree. This truck is seventeen years old. Also used in an area where a lot of salt is used on the road. It's definitely a beater at this point in its life.

[jonas302]

As a mechanic that is one of my favorite models and for the right price would buy one in a second, never in 2wd of course hehe They are simple and affordable to work on every corner garage will work on them Its older so I wouldn't expect it to be trouble free we have 5 of them at work right now with the oldest topping out at 335,000 miles of snowplowing and construction work
I drive Fords though they all break at some point especially when the salt eats them apart

[labradigger1]

Mines not a 2000 but an 2003. 240,000 miles and still carries 50 psi oil pressure at idle when warm.
Never rebuilt, just maintainence.

[mac1911]

It's a 16 year old truck . No matter how well kept its going to have some problems.
GM has always kept us busy.
Wheel bearings , front ends and plenty of electrical. Transfer cases at nauseam .
Almost every truck 10yrs old in my area are rusted/rotted and replacing the main grounds and making sure all contacts are to clean bare metal does wonders. Most fuel pump failures are caused by poor grounds and high current draw.... have fun.

[swheeler]

Jack up the radiator cap on that chevy and drive a Ford under it, no more problems!:bigsmyl2::kidding:

[ascast]

I retired from General Motors as a quality engineer after 30+ years of service. I went to work for Ford after retiring from GM and worked there for five years as a quality manager. Ford builds better quality vehicles than GM. GM has always had something going on regarding quality on every vehicle they built. I could tell you stories about things I've seen, but I won't on here. Anyway, after retiring and knowing what I know about quality (a lot), I've been driving Honda's since retiring. The only vehicles I'd even consider buying anymore are Honda, Toyota, Subaru, and KIA. That GM truck you're thinking about is at the end of its life at this point. Look for a used Toyota truck if you're just looking for a basic truck. That one's a money pit waiting to open.

I drive Chevy trucks by default, i.e. I was given a few and have bought more of same to swap stuff out as needed. The quote above, I would certainly agree with regarding cars, but nobody builds a truck like ford,chevy,dodge.

[Fishman]

I have a 2000 Silverado z71 with 300k on it, owned since new. It has been a fantastic truck. Over the years I have replaced the following one time each
power steering pump, water pump, ac compressor, front and rear brakes, 4wd push button, drivers side power window switch, and just recently both front wheel bearings.

notice there aren't any repairs on the drive train. It is the 5.3 l v8 with a 4 speed overdrive auto. I did have to replace the shift solenoids one time which was no big deal. I have used this truck but not abused it, at least half of those miles pulling something or rough duty.

I would buy another in a heartbeat if mine broke.

[jsizemore]

4L60E transmission always needs to be rebuilt once. Fuel pump can be a problem too.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Thanks for all the comments so far. Helps a lot.

While at my friends farm today, for Christmas celebration. I got lots of advice for what to look for, when I get to look at the truck on New years day. While most of what they offered was stuff I was aware of, it's good to hear anyway. I am more anxious now, that ever, to have a close up look at this truck and crawl underneath it. When I gave it a once over (3 years ago, the truck had 134k mi on it then), I recall thinking, dang...this is a clean truck, inside the cab and under the hood, no outer body rust visible. I didn't craw underneath it, but I surely looked into the wheel wells, I don't remember seeing anything disturbing at all, which is crazy for that many miles, and all of them are supposedly Minnesota miles.

As to number of miles, if many of these trucks go til 200K, I should be golden. I put about 1500 miles (per year) on my 71 truck in the four years I had it. Although I am retired now, a truck may get more use than my car ...and surely the car will get much less miles per year, due to no more commuting ...I might even consider selling the car?

===============

In 2000 they had both body styles the CK trucks (88 -99 body style) and the Silverado's the CK would have the Vortec 350.

...SNIP
Mark,
While I typed "Silverado" in the OP...so be honest, right now I am not sure if it's a C/K or a Silverado. I haven't seen the truck recently, and don't recall what the body style looked like. I know it's a 2000, that's it.

[Lakehouse2012]

My opinion would differ from NSB... 144K is basically One "life-cycle" and it is very easy to maintain the vehicle to 2 "life-cycles". I'm an Active GM employee and while its easy to point fingers at someones specific issue, there is ALWAYS an underlining Root-cause... It's true that truck is what we call a GMT800 and it uses the first gen 5.3L V8. fuel performance is never going to meet sticker numbers, but these can still be solid trucks!



I retired from General Motors as a quality engineer after 30+ years of service. I went to work for Ford after retiring from GM and worked there for five years as a quality manager. Ford builds better quality vehicles than GM. GM has always had something going on regarding quality on every vehicle they built. I could tell you stories about things I've seen, but I won't on here. Anyway, after retiring and knowing what I know about quality (a lot), I've been driving Honda's since retiring. The only vehicles I'd even consider buying anymore are Honda, Toyota, Subaru, and KIA. That GM truck you're thinking about is at the end of its life at this point. Look for a used Toyota truck if you're just looking for a basic truck. That one's a money pit waiting to open.

[rondog]

I've had a 2000 Silverado 1500 LS 2wd Extended Cab since Xmas 2004, just traded it off 2 weeks ago. It was a good truck, but the heat/cool control blend door crapped out early. I think it was broke when I got it. That took a pro to fix, and wasn't cheap.

I replaced every part of the steering and front suspension except the lower control arm bushings, chasing an annoying bounce in the ride. Never found it.

Every light bulb in the face of the radio burned out, EVERY ONE. Same with most of the rest in the cabin. Essentially, every little "grain of wheat" bulb in the cabin fried. PITA to replace, never got around to it.

The fuel pump went Tango Uniform too. It's in the top of the fuel tank, up against the bed. Either drop the tank or raise the bed to replace it. If you don't keep plenty of gas in the tank, the pump will overheat and fail. No joy.

But I never had any engine/drivetrain problems, she just ran and ran. Had 185k on it. I do believe a set of Bilstein shocks would be a good upgrade for this truck.

I now have a 2014 Silverado 1500 LT 4x4, had 22.5k on it. Beautiful truck in excellent shape, I love it! Night and day difference between the two.

Oh, before the 2000, I drove a 1972 Chevy C10, 350/350, lwb. No frills, but a great truck nonetheless! THAT'S one I wish I could have held onto. Would have made a great restomod project.

[Lloyd Smale]

don't listen to the predudice that comes in these posts. Both the 4.8 and the 5.3s are bullet proof motors and so were the 5.7s that came before them. You can compare quality control till the sun sets. theres good trucks and bad trucks that come from all the manufactures but you have to go a LONG way to get a better, more reliable, long lasting and fuel efficient motor then the LS based chev small block. Its hands over fist better then any v8 ford ever made with maybe the exception of the coyote.. Just look how many of them find there way into hot rod projects compared to ford v8s or dodge hemis (another good motor) By the way my best friend is still plowing his road with a rust old 1999 that has 275k on it and the motor was never touched. Its falling apart body wize and isn't safe on the road anymore but that motor still purs like a sewing machine and doesn't burn oil.

Ive owned a 1999, 2003. 2006 and now a 2015 Silverado and they were all great trucks and are still on the road today. Yup you can buy a ford with there overly complicated turbo v6s. Or a Toyota that is 5 years behind the American v8s in technology. Last to go to fuel injection last to go to multi port injection, last go to direct injection, last to put an auto tranny with more the 4 gears. At least 3 or 4mpg less fuel economy. Or buy a good American v8 like a Silverado or hemi that has a proven v8.

By the way I got a chuckle out of the recall thing. I think Toyota is the king of recalls in the last few years.

[Lloyd Smale]

and make sure you don't put that steel radiator cap on any of those aluminum body panels or you may need some dent removal!!:Fire:
Jack up the radiator cap on that chevy and drive a Ford under it, no more problems!:bigsmyl2::kidding:

[jsizemore]

I bought my '93 C1500 with 218,000. Parked it with better then 450,000. I got the present 2003 with 212,000 on the odometer. I've replaced the transmission, fuel pump, and stepper motors in the instrument cluster. Changed the dexcool to the green stuff and changed out the water pump because of a drip at the bushing but that was before the coolant change over.

I donated the '93 to a local high school shop class for their class project.

Great trucks.

[tomme boy]

The first gen 5.3 had piston slap problems. The oil return holes were too small and the rings and piston overheat and carbon builds up and you get ring jacking. GM knew this and half a** fixed it on the next gen motor. But the holes were still too small

[garym1a2]

Shift solenoids, went bad on me in the 4l60e tranny. One shop wanted to replace tranny, other shop just replaced them, its an easy job.
.
I have a 2000 Silverado z71 with 300k on it, owned since new. It has been a fantastic truck. Over the years I have replaced the following one time each
power steering pump, water pump, ac compressor, front and rear brakes, 4wd push button, drivers side power window switch, and just recently both front wheel bearings.

notice there aren't any repairs on the drive train. It is the 5.3 l v8 with a 4 speed overdrive auto. I did have to replace the shift solenoids one time which was no big deal. I have used this truck but not abused it, at least half of those miles pulling something or rough duty.

I would buy another in a heartbeat if mine broke.

[Lloyd Smale]

not what I was told. I was told it was a piston skirt change that was the fix for it. Bottom line is theres thousands of them out there that had a bit of slap (I had one) at start up. Went away after a few seconds of running and MANY of those motors went well over 200k with no problems caused by it. The ford v10 had the identical issue when it came out as did the 3.3 Chrysler motor. I know of at least one ls motor that's putting out over 500 rwhp with over a 100k on it that had a bit of slap at start up from new and it still does it today. Bottom line is theres a good many engines that when are introduce have teething pains. Just look at the 3.5 ecoboost. They totally redesigned that motor after a year or two. I remember back in the 70s dad bought a new ford truck. It had the 300 6cyl which was known to be a bullet proof motor. In 77 the produced a bunch that were bored to tight in two cylinders and had lots of failures. Dads threw a rod at 6k and the replacement engine went out at 13 k and he had to fight ford tooth and nail to get it replaced. He went without his truck for over 4 months fighting them because they said the warrantee was expired. He ended up having it rebuilt (correctly) localy and fighting ford to pay the bill. they ended up paying for the parts and no labor. Ask him if he will buy another ford. Did that make the 300 6 a bad motor? Hardly it was a great motor. Did that make all fords junk? hardly.

Bottom line is the Ls motor is as bullet proof of a motor as ever has been built. It is the motor of choice for hotroders wanting big power. Why? Because its capable of putting out north of 600 hp and will live a long life doing it. Bottom line is ford tried to compete against it and gave up and went to the turbo 6s. the Ls motors are the best motors Gm ever made and arguably the best v8 motor ever built. Bottom line is if you go to a car show your will see MANY old fords with chev small blocks in them. How many old chevs do you see with a ford v8. I have yet to see one personaly. I'm into jeeps a bit lately and have seen many jk conversions with hemis and ls motors and haven't seen a single one with a ford motor. Why because people who ACTUALLY know motors know that the ls cannot be beat in making power and making it reliably and lasting about forever. Ford and Chrysler have made v8s for YEARs but the motors that they are compared to are the GM v8s. Allways has been since I was a young boy. You can nit pick and try to find fault but theres a pile of those old ls motors still running down the highway with a ton of miles on them and a pile of people who swear by them. I wonder what the owners of those tiny boosted fords are going to be saying 20 years from now about them:Fire:
The first gen 5.3 had piston slap problems. The oil return holes were too small and the rings and piston overheat and carbon builds up and you get ring jacking. GM knew this and half a** fixed it on the next gen motor. But the holes were still too small

[mac1911]

Another key thing to look it at is all the lines.
Brake,fuel, trans Chevy and Ford has kept us very busy with rotted lines. Good thing is GM makes a nice kit with lines all pre bent and it's not to expensive. Saves a lot of aggravation.
The fuel lines are a bit more stubborn to replace.

[6bg6ga]

First of all a check of the vin number will tell you the engine size provided someone didn't swap something else in place of it. Secondly your looking at a vehicle that is soon to be 17 years old. It sounds like you are expecting it view it as a new one. Its not. Its going to be a used vehicle and as such its going to have the flaws associated with a vehicle of that age. All vehicles have flaws that stand out and having said that you could happen to buy a vehicle that won't have the flaws associated necessarily with that year and model. Flip a coin and it will tell you as much as trying to figure out what the flaws are for a particular vehicle that your interested in.

[SGTM9]

I own a 03 GMC Sierra with 200k 2wd 4.8. Love the truck. I replaced the break lines fuel pump and a couple front wheel brgs. Do the oil change regularly. I dont treat her very nice
somtimes. Its a truck. She hauls and tows anything i throw at her. This is my daily driver. When I get the last miles out of her I will replace it with another GMC. Btw have had the truck 8 plus years.

[Digger]

With this thread I now know what to look for ....
Have a 2000 Chevy Short bed 4wd , Z-71 with 80 thou on it .
Picked it up at a dealer in San Jose a few years back.
Has the 5.3 in it and it has done some off road travel here in these parts of Nevada.
Very nice ride , has been my go to in bad weather , snow covered roads.
As have been mentioned earlier here in the thread , it has the cold morning "piston slap" but disappears in a few seconds .
After I had it for a while , looking closer at the slip that it came with from the factory .... it was delivered to Hawaii and with that it was treated with anti salt spray on the under carriage from the factory.
Deduced it was probably bought by some one in the military then shipped over here later.
Very nice truck so far , sits next to my 76 chevy 4wheeler that I keep for serious ,nasty back country travel ... the "beater" .

[Minerat]

My 2000 Sileverado 4x4 6 liter had 2 miles on it 1/2/200 when I drove it off the lot. It had 217458 on it when I sold it to a friend who wanted it for hauling cows on his ranch. It had a heavy towing package. In 17 years I replaced the front bearing & master cylinder under warranty, replaced the brakes at 185K and the Front differential U Joints at 155K, The radiator, Water Pump & heater core @ 175K, The fuel Pump @ 75K & changed the oil every 25K wheatear it needed it or not (mobile one). I used 5 sets of tires on it. It still still pulled a heavy trailer with a Honda Rincon & a full hunting camp (7000 Lbs) up the west side of Vail pass at 55+ in 2015. Over the life of that truck it average 10.5 mpg on 85 octan gas. I sold it cause I figured I wanted a newer truck when I retired. If I get as much out of my 2016 Silverado HD High Country 4x4 6 liter then I'm set for life.


I hope if you take it you get as much trouble free use out of it as I did mine.

[jmort]

I have mentioned it many times but my crews ran the 6.0 Chevy/GMC 2500s
They would easily go 250,000 plus miles of rough abusive treatment. The daily usage in heavy construction exceeded anything any rice-burner ever made could do once, let alone every day for 250,000 plus miles. I would get a 6.0 Chevy/GMC any day.

[tomme boy]

not what I was told. I was told it was a piston skirt change that was the fix for it. Bottom line is theres thousands of them out there that had a bit of slap (I had one) at start up. Went away after a few seconds of running and MANY of those motors went well over 200k with no problems caused by it. The ford v10 had the identical issue when it came out as did the 3.3 Chrysler motor. I know of at least one ls motor that's putting out over 500 rwhp with over a 100k on it that had a bit of slap at start up from new and it still does it today. Bottom line is theres a good many engines that when are introduce have teething pains. Just look at the 3.5 ecoboost. They totally redesigned that motor after a year or two. I remember back in the 70s dad bought a new ford truck. It had the 300 6cyl which was known to be a bullet proof motor. In 77 the produced a bunch that were bored to tight in two cylinders and had lots of failures. Dads threw a rod at 6k and the replacement engine went out at 13 k and he had to fight ford tooth and nail to get it replaced. He went without his truck for over 4 months fighting them because they said the warrantee was expired. He ended up having it rebuilt (correctly) localy and fighting ford to pay the bill. they ended up paying for the parts and no labor. Ask him if he will buy another ford. Did that make the 300 6 a bad motor? Hardly it was a great motor. Did that make all fords junk? hardly.

Bottom line is the Ls motor is as bullet proof of a motor as ever has been built. It is the motor of choice for hotroders wanting big power. Why? Because its capable of putting out north of 600 hp and will live a long life doing it. Bottom line is ford tried to compete against it and gave up and went to the turbo 6s. the Ls motors are the best motors Gm ever made and arguably the best v8 motor ever built. Bottom line is if you go to a car show your will see MANY old fords with chev small blocks in them. How many old chevs do you see with a ford v8. I have yet to see one personaly. I'm into jeeps a bit lately and have seen many jk conversions with hemis and ls motors and haven't seen a single one with a ford motor. Why because people who ACTUALLY know motors know that the ls cannot be beat in making power and making it reliably and lasting about forever. Ford and Chrysler have made v8s for YEARs but the motors that they are compared to are the GM v8s. Allways has been since I was a young boy. You can nit pick and try to find fault but theres a pile of those old ls motors still running down the highway with a ton of miles on them and a pile of people who swear by them. I wonder what the owners of those tiny boosted fords are going to be saying 20 years from now about them:Fire: Most of these that failed it would show up before it had 60K miles on them. They would start to use oil. The skirt wore out because of the rings would be pushed out accelerating bore wear and the famous piston slap was born.

This is straight from Jasper Engines Tech man that stops at the shop I used to work at. They have pistons made just for them that have larger oil return holes to stop this. There was something else with the cam bearings they changed to get extra oil to them.

[Lloyd Smale]

wasn't really saying you were wrong. I will say though that the problem is very much overblown on the internet. Very few of them actually became an oil burner because of it. About all of the early ones had that piston slap at cold start up but like was said this isn't just a problem with ls v8s. MANY other motors did it too and like I said MANY Ls motors were put in vettes and Camaros and beat on and still went well over a 100k. Bottom line is its one of the best motors on the market today and has been since the beginning. It lasts as long as any ford, dodge and yes even Toyota motor and gets better gas mileage then any of them. Add up that 3 mpg it gets better then the Toyota v8 over a 200k life span and you see how much money you saved. Like I also said its the motor of choice for hot rodders, jeep conversions ect. Heck ive even seen guys racing mustangs with a ls motor transplanted in them. How many chevs can you show me with a ford v8 put in them. Another overblown problem with them is the 4 cly cutout. When I bought my 2015 I talked to the chev mechanic about it before purchasing it. He said that they used that for about 5 years and hes had exactly one person that had a bad motor that MIGHT be blamed on it. Id bet if you went to the local ford, ram or even Toyota garage and asked the mechanic if he has replaced an engine in a low miles v8 truck that they all could give you an example. Bottom line is if its mechanical it can break. If it weren't so they would all give you a 300k warrantee when you bought one.
Most of these that failed it would show up before it had 60K miles on them. They would start to use oil. The skirt wore out because of the rings would be pushed out accelerating bore wear and the famous piston slap was born.

This is straight from Jasper Engines Tech man that stops at the shop I used to work at. They have pistons made just for them that have larger oil return holes to stop this. There was something else with the cam bearings they changed to get extra oil to them.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I went for a drive today, while running some errands. I drove by my friends place, I didn't enter his driveway, due to closed gate, but I could see the truck parked next to the garage.

I could only see the front. It has the Grill style of 1996 to 2000 C2500 with single headlights (not the Silverado style). So I'm 99% sure it'll have the 5.7 (350). Also, just a guess, but am thinking it's a HD, since it sits high for a 2x4.

While searching the Grill style, I see most all google images of a white C2500 (in those years) have paint delamination issues, It seemed hood/roof front edges (exposed to freeway sandblasting) were most common on the images I found. I recall (3 years ago), seeing missing splotches of pain, inside the box of my friends truck, I don't recall any paint problems outside the box.

[firefly1957]

Glencoe I looked up engine options and according to this a 2500 may have a 6.0 L engine i worked in the plant that made these in Pontiac Michigan if it is still running good i would bet it will for some time to come . It was the previous model that had to thin a frame and some other bad issues and there are still plenty of them on the road today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Silverado Sometimes these have bad information but i think i well could be a 6.0 L in a 2500.

[historicfirearms]

My 2000 Yukon was nothing but headaches. When I sold it this fall it had 105k miles on it. Piston slap, intake manifold gaskets, instrument cluster, speed sensor, wheel bearings, starter, fuel pump,. AC pump, and all of the fuel lines and brake lines rusted out and needed replacement. This was a two owner adult owned truck, not abused at all. Not to mention all the problems we had with my wife's Malibu. After GM took the Obama bailout, I vow never again will I buy a GM vehicle.
Ford isn't all that great anymore either. My 2013 f150 work truck just blew a transmission after 135K miles and also needs catalytic converters.

You know what I would buy in a heartbeat? A stone simple truck, no power anything, manual transmission, keep it simple stupid. If it's not on the truck, then it can't break.

[kmrra]

Buy a 99 or 2001 , but not that one , I have one and it has cost me more than any truck I have ever owned , and the mechanics told me the same thing , worst model they made

[Tenbender]

When the seller said " 102,000 miles " and only it's third engine you know you have found an above average Chevy ! :oops:

[tomme boy]

If it has the 5.7 Vortex. Find out if the fuel lines under the intake manifold ever been replaced. That and the distributor shaft bushings and AC compressor are the main problems with that motor.

[Lloyd Smale]

typical blind predudice. Probably owns a rice burner
When the seller said " 102,000 miles " and only it's third engine you know you have found an above average Chevy ! :oops:

[Lloyd Smale]

kind of chuckle when guys think a truck that brake lines or gas lines rot out running in salt country for over 15 years is a reliability issue. Or claim they had to do brakes or wheel bearings or replace steering components on a truck that had over a 150k on it. If you don't need to replace things like that on ANY brand of a truck your obviously not using it as a truck. You really cant believe that Toyota or Ford uses some magic brakes or bearings that last forever. Bottom line is if your looking at ANY vehicle with over a 100k on it you can expect to be replacing wear items soon. If you don't it just means the previous owner already did it. You sure cant expect a truck with 200k on it to be as reliable as a new one for a 1/5 the price. Bottom line is there all reliable today. Much more so then the vehicles of the 80s and earlier. I kind of chuckle at guys who bad mouth a brand because there dad or grandpa had troubles with that brand back in the 70s. ALL OF OUR dads and grandpas had problems back in the 60s and 70s.

I chuckle too at the guys who brag on there Toyotas because they were more reliable 20 years ago then a chev or ford. So much so that Toyota sits back and doesn't even try to compete with the technology of the newer American trucks because there buyers are about brainwashed. Look around you. Look at construction sites, farms, fleet vehicle owners like utilitys. How many of them do you see driving Toyotas. If they were better don't you think they would dominate those businesses that have stock holders to answer too. Nope you see chevs and fords about 90 percent of the time. Why? because between cost of buying and cost of maintaining them and fuel economy the fords and chevs are the best bang for the buck. Pay attention too to who buys those jap trucks. Yuppies, liberals and young men and women that don't have a clue what makes a truck a good truck. That don't care if there neighbor has a job or not. Don't care that there putting a lot more money into the Japanese economy then they are the economy here. I'm sure ill get some comebacks on this one. But I can take it. The truth is right in front of your nose. Just look around for a while and youll see that I'm right. As to the ford vs chev thing, its about silly anymore. There both darned good trucks. they both have advantages in certain category's and they both last just as long and are just as reliable as anything from japan and get better gas mileage and cost less to boot. I'm a chev man. Allways have been allways will be but ill be the first to say that a new ford or Ram is a good truck too. But this guy doesn't do sushi or Toyotas and flys an American flag in the front yard proudly.

[rondog]

First I've heard about this "piston slap". On my 2000 Silverado, I figured it was just a sticky lifter.

[osteodoc08]

Overall, I've good service out of my GM products. I had the 6.2L in my wife's 2013 Yukon Denali drop a rod through the block at 6x000 miles and replaced under warranty. Had several small issues and some fuel pump and line issues. We traded it on a 2016 and so far so good but I just did its first oil change.

I've typically bought Ford products and I've had overall fewer problems with them and within our family.

Every manufacturer has had teething problems. Every model has its quirks however I feel all 3 domestics build a decent full size truck. In that early 2000's model id look at GM or Ford with the 4.6L. The 5.4L has had issues over the years including shallow spark plug threads in older 5.4L and cam phaser issues in the 2004+ years. The new 5.0L coyote motor has been stellar.

[Lloyd Smale]

The new 5.0L coyote motor has been stellar. have to agree. The coyote is the best motor ford has ever made.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I bought the 2000 Chev C2500 from my friend today.

Both doors have a little rust on the bottom, but the Cab, Rockers, and cab corners are clean.
The Driver side front fender has a bit of rust showing through the paint in "front" of the wheel well, by the bumper (I thought that was a strange spot?)...but the rest of the fender well is clean. The passenger front fender is clean as well as the rear fenders are clean.

The 5.7 starts easy, cold start this morning at 15º, Popped right off and runs nice and quiet. Drives great too, almost like a car. The transmission shifts smoothly. The 5.7 and it's Vortec fuel delivery (throttlebody injection?) is a bit doggy compared to my 71 with the hot rod engine...but then again, I didn't stomp on the accelerator either. also, it has a good solid feel on the brake pedal (I've had plenty of vehicles with poor brakes, beside the recent "complete" brake line replacement, it had a full brake job about 12k miles ago. The tires have about half tread, so I should be good there for a while. It's a 17 year old "plain" truck in otherwise terrific condition.


http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/2%20frt%20DRV_zpsnkvmbltn.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/2%20frt%20DRV_zpsnkvmbltn.jpg.html)

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/drv%20door%20n%20interior_zpstn5ob7hz.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/drv%20door%20n%20interior_zpstn5ob7hz.jpg.html)


Driver side door
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/4%20drv%20door_zpslumyipli.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/4%20drv%20door_zpslumyipli.jpg.html)


passenger side door
http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/8%20pass%20door_zpslvt14jgr.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/8%20pass%20door_zpslvt14jgr.jpg.html)

[jsizemore]

New vehicle to start the New Year. Way to go.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

well shucks, Dead battery in this truck yesterday morning (-10º).
one of the battery terms had some corrosion and it was a tiny bit loose.
It's a Diehard. Do They still make Diehard batteries?
there is no Date of purchase on it? I wonder how old it is?

Anyway, that morning, I cleaned both connections and put a thin layer of grease on the cable ends and sideposts and bolts, then charged it for a an hour and then used it for running errands for an hour or so.

It's snowing today, so I'll just let it sit...and will try starting it tomorrow.
I suppose it'll be best to replace it...I hate walking home :(
The good news :-D The farm store has a "Friday the 13th" sale on Friday, everything in the store 13% off.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I sold my old truck tonight (1971 Chev C20 Camper Special). So if any boolit casters see it driving around the Owatonna, MN area, it's not me.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?323273-Beaters&p=3885782&viewfull=1#post3885782



edited: Oh, I bought a new battery for the 2000 C2500...didn't seem worth the risk of running aorund with a 'suspect' battery.

[garym1a2]

The Chevy 5.3 and 5.7 are good motors.

[MarkP]

Nice looking truck; Your 5.7 will be port injection (Vortec) 87 - 95 had the throttle body injection.

[Firebird]

I have a 2000 Silverado 4x4 2500 standard cab and 8 foot bed with 160,000 that I bought new. The engine should be either the LQ4 6.0 litre (the last Chevy V8 with iron block and heads), the 8.1 litre big block or the 6.5 litre turbo Diesel, these three engines were the only ones offered for the 3/4 ton that year. It's also a single year model as the following year Chevy started calling the 3/4 ton trucks the HD model and some of the parts changed. Despite what some internet parts catalogs show, the 1999 3/4 ton was the previous truck generation with the 5.7 litre (350 small block) and nothing interchanges properly. The 5 speed manual transmission is the NV4500 (all engines), this tranny has a syncro granny low gear and fifth is an overdrive. An automatic transmission is the 4L80E if gas engine or the Allison automatic if a diesel.
This engine does have the piston slap problem, and yes, the gas gauge lasts 1-2 years then goes crazy and it's easier to replace the entire pump assembly than it is to just replace the sender unit. I never bothered replacing my sending unit etc because it was all over the internet that the "fix" was temporary. My gas gauge currently shows empty when the tank is full, when it gets down to about 7/8 the needle will very slowly - repeat very slowly - climb to show the correct reading, then instantly fall back to empty and again start slowly climbing. This cycle takes about 10 minutes when the tank is half empty. Yes, the brake lines will rust out and some trucks got recalled for new brake lines if it was sold in the upper mid-west where they salt the roads in the winter, other parts of the country didn't get the recall.

[Lloyd Smale]

Little advice for you conserning the rust. Just take a DA or for that matter any kind of sander and remove tape off and scuff up about 6 inches all the way along the bottom of the truck and repair any rust through holes. Then buy yourself a upol raptor bed liner kit from ebay or amazon. It even comes with a spray gun and is real easy to get professional results with. If you leave it your going to shortly have holes in the truck. The kits only about a 100 bucks and would be a good investment for you if you plan on keeping it for a while. Theres enough in the kit to do 3 coats on an average truck bed. It comes in a couple bottles so you can mix enough to do 3 coats on your lower body and have enough left over to do another truck or to redo it down the line. Ive done 4 trucks like that, two truck beds and the whole inside of my 2000 jeep tj. Its so easy to get good results with I think a monkey could spray it. You will need at least a 3hp compressor to do it right.

[rondog]

For the rust, consider a product called Ospho, which is just phosphoric acid. It kills rust by converting it from iron oxide to iron phosphate, turns it black. You can then paint over it. Can pour it inside the doors too to kill the rust from the inside. Check it out.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Little advice for you conserning the rust. Just take a DA or for that matter any kind of sander and remove tape off and scuff up about 6 inches all the way along the bottom of the truck and repair any rust through holes. Then buy yourself a upol raptor bed liner kit from ebay or amazon. It even comes with a spray gun and is real easy to get professional results with. If you leave it your going to shortly have holes in the truck. The kits only about a 100 bucks and would be a good investment for you if you plan on keeping it for a while. Theres enough in the kit to do 3 coats on an average truck bed. It comes in a couple bottles so you can mix enough to do 3 coats on your lower body and have enough left over to do another truck or to redo it down the line. Ive done 4 trucks like that, two truck beds and the whole inside of my 2000 jeep tj. Its so easy to get good results with I think a monkey could spray it. You will need at least a 3hp compressor to do it right.


For the rust, consider a product called Ospho, which is just phosphoric acid. It kills rust by converting it from iron oxide to iron phosphate, turns it black. You can then paint over it. Can pour it inside the doors too to kill the rust from the inside. Check it out.

About a decade ago, I used a product called Neutrarust on a couple different rusty metal outdoor projects and worked well, goes on white, then turns black. Sounds like Ospho, maybe? (I don't know the details, just knew it worked).

My close friend who is a veggie farmer in the summer and does auto-body in the winter, self-employed since 1975, doing antique cars and tractors mostly. He has used Neutrarust with mixed results, as well as many other products like it. When I showed him the truck, he suggested Chassis Saver. He says this stuff is incredible. He said for a truck like mine, that'll never be a beauty queen, he said, just brush it on and pour some down inside the door. Precautions need to be taken, as this stuff doesn't come off. He said avoid contact with skin or clothes you don't want to throw away, and/or any surface of the truck you don't want it on. For a auto-body guy, who's been in the business for 4 decades, I suspect that statement means something.

http://www.magnetpaints.com/images/Chassis_Saver3b.jpg

http://www.magnetpaints.com/underbody.asp

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have a 2000 Silverado 4x4 2500 standard cab and 8 foot bed with 160,000 that I bought new. The engine should be either the LQ4 6.0 litre (the last Chevy V8 with iron block and heads), the 8.1 litre big block or the 6.5 litre turbo Diesel, these three engines were the only ones offered for the 3/4 ton that year. It's also a single year model as the following year Chevy started calling the 3/4 ton trucks the HD model and some of the parts changed. Despite what some internet parts catalogs show, the 1999 3/4 ton was the previous truck generation with the 5.7 litre (350 small block) and nothing interchanges properly. The 5 speed manual transmission is the NV4500 (all engines), this tranny has a syncro granny low gear and fifth is an overdrive. An automatic transmission is the 4L80E if gas engine or the Allison automatic if a diesel.
This engine does have the piston slap problem, and yes, the gas gauge lasts 1-2 years then goes crazy and it's easier to replace the entire pump assembly than it is to just replace the sender unit. I never bothered replacing my sending unit etc because it was all over the internet that the "fix" was temporary. My gas gauge currently shows empty when the tank is full, when it gets down to about 7/8 the needle will very slowly - repeat very slowly - climb to show the correct reading, then instantly fall back to empty and again start slowly climbing. This cycle takes about 10 minutes when the tank is half empty. Yes, the brake lines will rust out and some trucks got recalled for new brake lines if it was sold in the upper mid-west where they salt the roads in the winter, other parts of the country didn't get the recall.
Thanks for your input firebird, if you've read the whole thread, you'll find out (as I did), Chevy also put out a C2500 in the older C/K body style in 2000, besides the Silverado. Photo's on post #44 and yes, it's a 5.7 (350). I'm not sure if it was mentioned in this thread or other places on the interweb, where I have been discussing this, but some knowledgeable chevy aficionados claim Chevy had extra parts, so even though they came out with the Silverado, in 2000, they also cranked out a bunch of basic "work" trucks with the old body style parts they had laying around...and my truck is basic, hand-crank windows, no Key Fob...manual door locks, an after market radio has been installed, so I'm thinking it came without a radio as well...Also, I was really surprised when I discovered it has the old style "sealed beam" head lights.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive used the rust stop products but to be effective you cant just brush over rusty metal. Ive done it and up here in salt country it might buy you a year and youll find it flaked off and rust trapped underneath. You also can get inside of rocker panels or frame rails with it to stop rust from that's on the inside coming out. If you do use it you about have to wire brush the metal to bare removing at least 99 percent of the rust. What ive found is your better off wire brushing, using an acid etch primer and putting coating of bed liner on top. The bed linner is a much tougher finish that resists rock chips and scratches which expose bare metal and allow rust to start. An acid etch prime will stop rust as well as any of the rust stop products and is a heck of a lot less messy to deal with. Either way both need a durable top coat or you wasted your time.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I cut up a Hackberry tree and a downed Elm log today, and got to make the first haul with the new truck.

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/16716352_10211983080036326_7222130973687289883_o.j pg?oh=b1089d4eb5f5f4e94637bc54a80c0801&oe=59318715