First Project Truck!! 1998 Z71

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JakeZ71

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Update!!!! For the first time in four months, it's road legal!!! Finally out of school for a while, and will be making money since I can actually have time to work now. So, out it comes! Took it for a drive to take my younger brother to work and to get gas. I was smiling like a little kid! Until the heater blower cut out, at least... lol. It's 12* here!

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JakeZ71

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Truck update!
The heater blower now works (bad switch) and the wipers now work (new pulse board). The radiator has also been changed out with a used one from a local mechanic, so now it doesn't leak any fluids! I've also gotten a sweet folding aluminum tonneau cover installed that I picked up when I bought the engine. The list is finally getting shorter!

The only things it really needs now is the 4x4 fixed (front actuator isn't getting a signal) and there is a whine in the rear of the truck that I need to investigate. I have the oil to change the diff fluid both front and rear, so as soon as its stops snowing, the diffs are getting gone over.

After that, I think all I have to do is drive it! It's now fully insured and plated (which was a HUGE step for me, and a long time coming.) I live in the part of Ohio that has to be E-checked before you can buy plates, so getting a pieced together 20 year old truck to pass--and with flying colors, I might add--is kind of a big deal.

On the negative side... In a moment of questionable judgement, I sat down and added up all the receipts for things I had done to the truck. :nutkick: Ouch!! Baaaad idea!

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drewcrew

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Truck update!
The heater blower now works (bad switch) and the wipers now work (new pulse board). The radiator has also been changed out with a used one from a local mechanic, so now it doesn't leak any fluids! I've also gotten a sweet folding aluminum tonneau cover installed that I picked up when I bought the engine. The list is finally getting shorter!

The only things it really needs now is the 4x4 fixed (front actuator isn't getting a signal) and there is a whine in the rear of the truck that I need to investigate. I have the oil to change the diff fluid both front and rear, so as soon as its stops snowing, the diffs are getting gone over.

After that, I think all I have to do is drive it! It's now fully insured and plated (which was a HUGE step for me, and a long time coming.) I live in the part of Ohio that has to be E-checked before you can buy plates, so getting a pieced together 20 year old truck to pass--and with flying colors, I might add--is kind of a big deal.

On the negative side... In a moment of questionable judgement, I sat down and added up all the receipts for things I had done to the truck. :nutkick: Ouch!! Baaaad idea!

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NEVER add up the receipts. I quit doing that years ago. No good can come from it.
 

JakeZ71

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I've been busy with school and work, so I haven't really been doing much with the truck other than driving it.:driver: However, it has been unseasonably warm here in Ohio, so I had the chance to do a couple of little things to it.
I went ahead and go the filter I needed to install my Spectre cold air intake on the truck. I have a feeling it won't do much performance or fuel mileage-wise, but it certainly looks cool!
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The day after I did that, my gf volunteered to wash and vacuum it for me, so now it looks great! The green paint really sparkles now, I'm amazed how good it still looks after 20 years. (Rust not withstanding).
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Girlfriend did good! I think she's a keeper :Big Laugh:

Now for the bad news..
I still haven't fixed the 4x4.
I still haven't changed the diff oil.
And the whine? Three mechanics have said it's the ring and pinion.

Despite all that, I still love this stupid truck! The seats are insanely comfortable, and at highway speeds it flat out cruises. It runs great, and acceleration is certainly brisk. Now, if only I could figure out a way to get more than 15mpg!
 

Thatfordguy

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These trucks definitely are cruisers. Insanely comfortable seats. My gf lives and hour away so mine definitely gets the miles put on and hey 15mpg isn't to bad I've gotten a lot of 14mpg with mine
 

JakeZ71

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I had a bit of a scare this weekend... On my way home from school friday night, the truck just randomly shut off from 60mph. No noises, no warnings, nothing. Just, dead. Also, attempts to restart proved futile.I figured maybe the alternator had gone bad, killing the battery, so I called my father and asked him to bring me jumper cables and a chain. Upon exiting the vehicle, however, it became apparent the alternator wasn't the issue--the entire underside of the truck was covered in oil! Worse still, there was no oil on the dipstick. The oil cooler line on the inlet side of the cooler had blow off at a crimped fitting, spraying all the oil out of the engine at speed.


in short, I thought I had blown up my engine, through no fault of my own. I was pissed, as the oil cooler line was brand new when I swapped the engine, and the problem was obviously the fault of the factory. However, I figured i'd have a hard time getting Dorman (the mfg) to buy me a new engine. To say I was depressed would be to put it mildly.

However, the next day I went to work (I work at the NAPA Auto in Lodi and Wooster, Ohio--stop in and say Hi sometime!) and got to talking with my co-worker, Tony. Tony was a GM master tech since forever, and was working on these trucks when they were new. He seemed to think these trucks had a program in the ECM that would shut down the fuel pump when the oil pressure dropped that suddenly. There might still be hope for my truck, he said.

Turns out, Tony was right. I replaced the cooler line, filled the truck with oil, primed the fuel lines, and hoped for the best when I twisted the key. Not only was the motor not seized, it wasn't affected at all by the whole ordeal. It fired up and idled just as quietly as it ever had. Not even an extra tick or squeak! The pcm had killed the pump before any damage had been done. The truck was fine.

In fact, the truck was better than fine. While I was under the truck, I started looking at the transfer case to see if i could figure out why the front axle wouldn't engage. As it would happen, there was a plug on the top of the t-case that never got plugged in--once connected, the 4x4 worked flawlessly. I may or may not have driven the truck into my father's field to, um, test its capabilities... for science, of course. It worked flawlessly!

So, TLDR; Truck blew oil cooler line, tuck dead, OP sad. Fixed oil cooler line, truck not dead, OP not sad. Fixed 4x4, committed shenanigans. Truck is now muddy, OP is now happy.
 

skylark

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Dorman makes crap hydraulic lines. The best thing to do is take original lines to a hydraulic shop and have them replace the soft line.
 
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