Ugh! New parts…

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

any4xx

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2023
Messages
172
Reaction score
314
Location
Vail, AZ
Some of you may remember my month long saga of getting my ‘95 K1500 Sierra to idle and accelerate properly. Bunch of new parts (seemed to) get it idling properly. More importantly, my off-idle stumble is finally gone.

Fast forward to last week. I finally installed all of my new A/C components and charged the system. It’s HEAVENLY having cold A/C here in southern AZ. BUT… now when the A/C is on the idle is very unstable, hunting regularly. Yesterday on a whim I swapped in another IAC valve. Idle is now again steady under all circumstances. So my brand new SMP IAC valve was defective. It worked just fine when the A/C was not functioning, but as soon as I got the A/C up and running it started acting wonky.

I love the quality of new parts….
 

351FUN

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2020
Messages
659
Reaction score
916
Location
US
When replacing a prox switch at my old job we'd always grab two in case one was bad. Coworker had a machine down (this costs $500 a minute) for over an hour because he swapped the prox, no good. Swapped again, no good. Continued troubleshooting, kept coming back to the prox, got a third one, running. Two in a row were bad out of the box, and that was with the german models we used to use. Right before I left we started getting them from a company in alabama, and you can guess the quality of those.
 

98 Nitro

I'm Awesome
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Messages
417
Reaction score
250
Location
Indiana
SMP usually is pretty good, but just like AC Delco has a cheaper and a better line of parts-so does SMP. Parts with a T at the end are the cheaper line. Just curious if was the T part # or it was just a bad part?
 

any4xx

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2023
Messages
172
Reaction score
314
Location
Vail, AZ
SMP usually is pretty good, but just like AC Delco has a cheaper and a better line of parts-so does SMP. Parts with a T at the end are the cheaper line. Just curious if was the T part # or it was just a bad part?

I had no idea they had two tiers. AC1T is what I got.
 

PlayingWithTBI

2022 Truck of the Year
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
9,552
Reaction score
14,679
Location
Tonopah, AZ
ACDelco has 3 tiers;
Silver (Advantage), Gold (Professional), and ACDelco Original Equipment(GM Original), whenever possible I'll get ACDelco Original but, they're spendy.
 

Caman96

OEM Baby!
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2020
Messages
6,634
Reaction score
12,837
Location
The Hub
Call me crazy, but my first go to, is to search for a NOS original. Acdelco Original Equipment typically the 2nd choice, unless there’s an aftermarket that’s clearly an upgrade.
Those IAC’s are pricey, they can and should be cleaned occasionally.
 
Last edited:

any4xx

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2023
Messages
172
Reaction score
314
Location
Vail, AZ
And it just gets better…

When I got this non-running truck a couple of months ago the very first thing I did to get it going was to replace the fuel pump and fuel filter. That did get the truck running and I’ve been chasing other issues ever since. Recently it occurred to me that the only time it has REALLY run badly is when I have less than 1/4 tank of fuel. Just to be sure I ran it way down again a few days ago. Sure enough, once I was low on fuel it started running poorly. Sooo, weak fuel pump, right?

This morning I jacked up the bed and replaced it again. Sure enough the truck ran just fine on about 1/8 tank. Another problem solved. Quick drive to the gas station to fill it up. After filling it up my fuel gauge is only reading 1/4 tank. I cross some railroad tracks and it goes up to 1/2 tank. So I get off onto a bumpy dirt road and the gauge rises to Full. Great… Bed coming off again.

Got back home, lifted the bed and pulled the pump back out. I discovered that the float arm wasn’t completely snapped onto the plastic hinge and was binding. I was able to snap it in properly and it seems to be working correctly now.

Again, just ranting a bit more about the quality of “new” parts.
 

HotWheelsBurban

Gotta have 4 doors..... Rawhide, TOTY 2023!
Joined
Sep 18, 2019
Messages
9,686
Reaction score
17,583
Location
Houston, Texas
Some of you may remember my month long saga of getting my ‘95 K1500 Sierra to idle and accelerate properly. Bunch of new parts (seemed to) get it idling properly. More importantly, my off-idle stumble is finally gone.

Fast forward to last week. I finally installed all of my new A/C components and charged the system. It’s HEAVENLY having cold A/C here in southern AZ. BUT… now when the A/C is on the idle is very unstable, hunting regularly. Yesterday on a whim I swapped in another IAC valve. Idle is now again steady under all circumstances. So my brand new SMP IAC valve was defective. It worked just fine when the A/C was not functioning, but as soon as I got the A/C up and running it started acting wonky.

I love the quality of new parts….
Ugh, I don't wanna hear that....cause I used a Standard Ignition/Motor Products one on Rawhide. The truck ran better after I changed it out, but even after this, a new TPS, new plugs and several extra wire separators around the distributor cap, it's still idling rough and surging sometimes. Has not thrown any codes though, and you can get in the throttle hard off a standing stop, like leaving a light or pulling out of a driveway, and it immediately smooths out and runs great!
And yes we are using the AC; it was officially 92° in Houston today!
 

Caman96

OEM Baby!
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 17, 2020
Messages
6,634
Reaction score
12,837
Location
The Hub
Yeah, not sure the brand I just removed from mine, but it was just installed 2 1/2 years ago by Chevrolet Dealership I got truck from. I’m pretty sure it’s not GM part. 2 1/2 years is still unacceptable.
 
Top