96 GMC K2500 Suburban Restoration (with a couple of mods)

[BlueManLou]

Alternatively you can measure voltage drop, and you can do it without a milliohmmeter. I'm glad you took my ribbing in the spirit it was sent in.

For everyone else spectating, us AGE troops referred to Avionics as "pointy heads" because they were taught all sorts of engineering-level stuff. If they really wanted to be d!cks they'd point out that their career field required a higher ASVAB score to get into. They viewed us AGE guys as hammer-wielding-repair-monkey-artists. They could never figure out how we fixed electrical circuits with hammers, but they also didn't want to get close enough for us to fling poo at them, because we definitely would. AGE is actually pretty close to Avionics in ASVAB requirements, we just never got the same respect because we didn't turn wrenches on the aircraft themselves.

If it wasn't for AGE troops, us pointy heads couldn't do any decent troubleshooting... Hard to test systems without a -60 or c10 unit...

 

[South VA]

My go to shop guy Jim mentioned last summer that the oil cooler lines were leaking, and should be replaced at some point. So, being busier than expected and with camping season starting next month, plus knowing how long it takes me to actually do stuff that I'm not familiar with pretty much anything, I decided to drop it off and have them do it. The labor for replacing the lines seemed reasonable.

While it was in the shop I also had them check the ABS light, since they'd recently worked on the system. I figured, as @OutlawDrifter suggested, that it would likely be something minor and therefore inexpensive. It turned out to be a front wheel sensor that had to be replaced.

The mysterious fluid leak near the driver's side wheel, that happened and then stopped, turned out to be a leaking output shaft seal. Which is apparently not a simple thing to replace. They also discovered it had a worn out 4WD actuator.

The resulting bill, while not quite eye-watering, was significantly more than I expected.

However, as suggested above, I consoled myself with the knowledge that had I done the work myself, between figuring out how to change that seal and the 4WD actuator, dealing with the other things that are going on, and then doing the actual work, would likely have run into weeks.

All of which has me reflecting on just what is it that I am comfortable with doing myself? Right now I'm feeling like it's not all that much.

The fact is that I have practically zero experience dealing with drivetrains, including axles, differentials, transfer cases, and transmissions. They intimidate me. On the other hand, I have successfully rebuilt a few VW engines; but that was back when they were simple air cooled things. No great shakes there. I've replaced brake shoes, drums, and disks and rotors, but don't have any real experience with ABS brakes. I have learned a few things on this vehicle about electronics, and have a beginner's knowledge of wiring. Thanks in part to @Road Trip, I now know what a Western Union splice is, and a few other related things.

But the simple fact is that I can't afford to keep taking the Subdivision to the shop for repairs. It's not sustainable, particularly with my being retired. I'll have to do more of whatever comes up myself. My hope is that the major stuff is behind me, and that any remaining items needing attention will be both less complicated and fewer in number. Wishful thinking? We'll see.

Once again, in hindsight, my initial budget for restoring this vehicle and making it road trip ready has turned out to be laughably low. Looks like I'm still paying tuition for this learning experience.

But to end on a positive note, I sure like the way it drives and looks! No plans to list it.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

If you list it and buy different, you get to start the process over again.

Guys like Smokey Yunick didn't even have any formal training, and he did work for the BIG 3. We all have to start somewhere, I thought I was mechanic in high school...I wasn't. It didn't happen overnight, but over time you get more comfortable with tearing things apart and putting them back together. Somebody had to do that before it was sold at the dealership the first time...you can do it too. Researching a project and having the patience to take your time doing it are valuable lessons/tools. I'm a sufferer from analysis paralysis...I over research whether I'm repairing or buying.

Keep at it, every time you fix/replace, your giving yourself more miles(and smiles, cause it's a K2500 'burb)!

 

[South VA]

If you list it and buy different, you get to start the process over again.

I get that, and it‘s something I don’t want to do. At this point, I feel like I’m close enough that I’m determined to see this through.

Guys like Smokey Yunick didn't even have any formal training, and he did work for the BIG 3. We all have to start somewhere, I thought I was mechanic in high school...I wasn't. It didn't happen overnight, but over time you get more comfortable with tearing things apart and putting them back together. Somebody had to do that before it was sold at the dealership the first time...you can do it too.

Thank you for this. When I was much younger I was way more comfortable taking things apart and putting them back together. Of course the mechanics that I worked for then would help me out when I got into a jam.

Then decades passed without much wrenching beyond oil changes, and I’m back to being a beginner. Oddly enough, it’s a relief to say that.

Researching a project and having the patience to take your time doing it are valuable lessons/tools. I'm a sufferer from analysis paralysis...I over research whether I'm repairing or buying.

Apparently I didn’t research this vehicle purchase enough. I honestly believed (as did the PO, I'm convinced) that it was in better shape than it was. Driving it home from Arizona seemed to confirm that belief. Many lessons learned there.

As for wrenching on parts of the vehicle that I've not messed with before, taking my time and doing the groundwork first is good advice.

Keep at it, every time you fix replace, your giving yourself more miles(and smiles, cause it's a K2500 'burb)!

Again, thank you. It helps, a lot.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Apparently I didn’t research this vehicle purchase enough.

My comment was more directed at researching (youtube, tech manual, etc) the repairs themselves. I've come home with vehicles that were not what I thought when I bought them, that's unfortunately the gamble we all take.

This one about got me in a fist fight with a general manager of a high end car dealership, if I wouldn't have been a couple of hours away by the last straw, I'd have drug him out in the parking lot and thrown him over the hood. Headlight adjusters were all broke so the lights were aimed at the ground, the ashtray had a self-tapping screw through the backside to hold it up so I couldn't even open it to plug in my Garmin or phone. Wing window on the passenger side had a penny wedged in it under the window felt to hold it place due to a broken post....the list goes on. I cleaned it up, fixed all the garbage that was wrong with it and it shipped to Texas after sending the buyer 80+ pics and going over every detail, dent, and scratch on the phone with him. That one was sold to me with known hidden problems. In the end it all washed out, one of the few I didn't flip for a profit.

You must be registered for see images attach

All used vehicles have issues, that's why all of mine get all the fluids changed when I get them home the first time to baseline them. Somebody got rid of it for a reason.

 

[South VA]

That is a seriously nice truck.

My comment was more directed at researching (youtube, tech manual, etc) the repairs themselves. I've come home with vehicles that were not what I thought when I bought them, that's unfortunately the gamble we all take.

Understood; I just veered off in the other direction, since you also mentioned buying. Took me back once again to marveling at the fact of that first road trip.

For me to be able to do much of what Jim’s shop just did would take some serious study on my part. Although I have the GM Service Manual (both volumes) I find it easier to follow some parts of it more than others. Maybe it’s just a style of writing and organization that I’m not used to. It doesn't come as easily to me as it apparently does to some other folks.

I've found youtube to be a great resource, when viewed with a critical eye. I'm amazed at the breadth of material to be found there.

And, fortunately, this forum has a bunch of knowledgeable folks who are quite willing to help. I’ve looked at a couple of other GM forums, but it seems that gmt400.com is where the hard core spends its time.

This one about got me in a fist fight with a general manager of a high end car dealership, if I wouldn't have been a couple of hours away by the last straw, I'd have drug him out in the parking lot and thrown him over the hood. Headlight adjusters were all broke so the lights were aimed at the ground, the ashtray had a self-tapping screw through the backside to hold it up so I couldn't even open it to plug in my Garmin or phone. Wing window on the passenger side had a penny wedged in it under the window felt to hold it place due to a broken post....the list goes on. I cleaned it up, fixed all the garbage that was wrong with it and it shipped to Texas after sending the buyer 80+ pics and going over every detail, dent, and scratch on the phone with him. That one was sold to me with known hidden problems. In the end it all washed out, one of the few I didn't flip for a profit.

You must be registered for see images attach

All used vehicles have issues, that's why all of mine get all the fluids changed when I get them home the first time to baseline them. Somebody got rid of it for a reason.

Again, that is a seriously nice truck, once you got it sorted out.

From what you described, I would have been pissed too. Probably a good thing you were a couple of hours away from that guy!

 

[fancyTBI]

In ‘18 I couldn’t do much of anything. My dad was always there helping me out. He says I swapped the motor on my ‘92 but he did a ton of work. I learned a lot. Flash forward to ‘23 I was doing a lot on my own because he was traveling a lot for work.

I had never done any front end work before. Ball joints, bushings, you name it. That was all on me, my dad on occasion via a phone call and a picture, and of course the forum. It took me a long time to do. I look back and think “yeah that was harder than it needed to be, but I learned a lot!”

I’m still no pro. It takes time. A confidence booster from a simple win is always great.

After doing the work last year I’m pretty confident with my ABS removal work I’ll be doing soon. Sure there might be a learning curve but whatever.

And I don’t think there is any shame in taking a vehicle to the shop. In the winter I don’t do my oil changes, always the dealers problem.

 

[SNCTMPL]

It sounds to me like your dad did a good job.

 

[Orpedcrow]

It sounds to me like your dad did a good job.

In more ways than one.

 

[South VA]

In ‘18 I couldn’t do much of anything. My dad was always there helping me out. He says I swapped the motor on my ‘92 but he did a ton of work. I learned a lot. Flash forward to ‘23 I was doing a lot on my own because he was traveling a lot for work.

I had never done any front end work before. Ball joints, bushings, you name it. That was all on me, my dad on occasion via a phone call and a picture, and of course the forum. It took me a long time to do. I look back and think “yeah that was harder than it needed to be, but I learned a lot!”

I’m still no pro. It takes time. A confidence booster from a simple win is always great.

After doing the work last year I’m pretty confident with my ABS removal work I’ll be doing soon. Sure there might be a learning curve but whatever.

And I don’t think there is any shame in taking a vehicle to the shop. In the winter I don’t do my oil changes, always the dealers problem.

Thanks. Your encouragement is appreciated. At times I get overwhelmed and need to hear that.

And to echo @SNCTMPL and @Orpedcrow, I'd agree that your dad did a good job.


Speaking of taking it to the shop, the Subdivision is going back on Monday morning. It sometimes won't shift from 2HI to 4HI. Since they replaced the 4WD actuator, I'm guessing it may be related to that.

Thanks to all of the rain we've had, the ground is sodden and using 4WD is necessary to avoid spinning the rear wheels and tearing things up. So I'm using 4WD pretty often these days.

Most of the time, on level ground, it successfully completes the shift after a delay where the 4HI light blinks, then goes solid. According to Jim, a roughly 10 second delay is normal. Mine seems to take a bit longer than that, but it usually engages.

However, the one place that I'd really like 4WD is on the steep driveway to the house renovation project I'm working on. When I pull off the road and into the driveway, I push the 4HI button, and it blinks. And blinks. And blinks.

Tired of waiting, I finally tried going up the hill while the light was still blinking, and was rewarded with several deep clunks as it apparently tried to shift into 4HI. I quickly pushed the 2HI button and made it up the hill, creating some pretty good ruts in the process. No bueno.

The fact that (so far) it fails to shift into 4WD on a hill should help in diagnosing the problem. Interestingly enough, I couldn't find any mention in the shop manual of the blinking light on the transfer case switch.

We'll see what Jim finds Monday morning.