30th Sep 2010, 16:26
Have a 97 Z71. Love the truck, hate the tranny. Had it rebuilt with 130,000 miles. Have 140,000 on it now. Started shifting hard from 1st to 2nd when hot. Put new cooler on, still having problems. Any suggestions?
16th Nov 2010, 15:08
I have a 1998 Silverado that I bought in 1999, it has been a gem of a truck. It had 25000 when I bought it, and now we are at 172000 and running everyday. I have put two fuel pumps on it and a alternator, and that is it, we have been blessed.
16th Nov 2010, 17:39
Re: "hard shifting when hot"
Only 10K on re-build... did you get a warranty? If not, I recommend changing the trans fluid AND FILTER. If that fixes it, change it again in 5 to 10K, then every 25K.
13th Dec 2010, 23:07
My 1998 Z71 had 258k on the clock when a guy ran through an intersection and totaled the truck for me. That was a year ago and it would be safe to say that I would still be driving "Old Bud" today.
31st Dec 2010, 18:21
Like a lot of the other owners here, I too have had the intake leak. I was a GM service Manager for years, and an ASE certified Master Tech. I found the intake leak by taking a flashlight, and from the bottom, you will see a white trail above and around the oil filter. This is the Dexcool trail.
Now I have a 1996 Silverado 5.7 Vortec 2 WD loaded, presently it has 225,000 miles on it. The main problem with mine is the fact that I have replaced the fuel pump and sending unit 4 times in a period of 6 years. The 4 pin connector that connects the upper harness to the lower harness inside the gas tank is a BAD design, and a fireball waiting to explode. Mine had about an inch of burnt wire at the connector this time. I contacted the Chev Customer Service number, and got an idiot on the line, and first thing he asked me was what did I want Chev to do for me? I told him I wasn't looking for money, but wanted to let them know about a very serious problem before someone gets burnt up or killed. He said that I could take it to our local dealer and they would inspect the wiring on the truck, to which I replied, I know more about the vehicle than any of the mechanics at the dealer, at which he was surprised. Also he said it would cost me out of my pocket to have it checked, at which time I had to laugh at him. I would love to know exactly how many of these trucks have had the fuel pump problem, and see if any has caught fire.
Oh yeah the jerking shift from 1st to 2nd is a recall, but Chev won't recognize that either. Mine is doing it now since the fuel pump harness burnt up about a month ago. Please feel free to email me with any similar fuel pump harness problems, I have spoke to my attorney and he says if enough people get together, we might can sue GM over it. bnlbrant@tds.net
9th Jan 2011, 02:37
My 97 Silverado was purchased in Jan of 10. The truck had 200,000. The engine is a 350 out of a 2001, with 83,000 on it.
I've hauled over 120 face cord of firewood, my pop-up camper, and all the wood I've cut for next year.
All I've had to replace have been the brake pads, rotors and the back brake parts,.
I've worked this truck hard, and I am very pleased with the performance.
5th Mar 2011, 22:34
I recently got a 97 c/k1500 z71. It has 164,000 miles on it, and when it gets hot, the transmission will shift hard 1 and 2.
I hate it, the truck is a piece of crap. I want to send it to the junk yard.
Now the 4 wheel drive won't work; the button just blinks when I try to put it in 4 hi or 4 lo.
Here I go, going to spend 100 bucks on a Transfer Case Shift Motor so it will go in 4 wheel drive.
When I get it fixed, I'm going to put it in the biggest mud hole I can find. Why can't someone run a stop sign and total it out, saving me the trouble.
16th May 2011, 18:38
I'm not sure about the other trouble. But my 97 had the hard shifting in lower gears. I took it to a transmission shop to be looked at. He installed a cheap "shift kit" and an external transmission cooler.
That was well over five years ago and 200,000 miles. No problems since.
Hope it helps.
26th Jun 2011, 08:17
Hi, I have the same problem with my truck, did you get any answers?
pontiacnut@telus.net
19th Aug 2011, 19:31
Add another '97 350 to the infamous intake gasket list. I am the third owner, at 123k miles. I too had the mysterious slow leak, then on the way to work it blew. AFAIK, this is the only non-normal repair on this truck other than body damage from a deer. (SE Kansas, very common LOL).
Occasionally I will notice a hard shift between first and second (auto trans.) Suppose it is time to change the fluid and filter to see if that helps, it's about that time anyway.
I also have the wiper problem... hah.
14th Jul 2012, 16:30
My 1997 Chevy K1500 5.7 had 425,000 miles before I replaced the engine. Still has the same transmission!!!
18th Jul 2012, 22:30
My godson owns a 1997 Silverado with nearly 200,000 miles on it at the moment. He recently made the 6-hour drive to visit me in it. It is like new inside and out, and the engine and transmission have never had a repair.
23rd Jul 2012, 03:52
The 97 Silverado's seem to be consistent! I have owned mine since 1999, and am on my 3rd transmission, broken interior door handles, wiper washer relay, and now what I think is an oil cooler line that is leaking. It's the line that is on the driver's side, and connects to the top connection (not the rubbery radiator hose). It's steel and covered with like some kind of braided insulation. I have seen some posts on here that indicate the radiator needs replacing, when it seems like just that line that is leaking would need to be replaced. Thoughts?
And where does the other end of that line go.. 97 Silverado top connection, driver's side.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.. Tired of topping off, leaving a mess in the driveway and topping off again. It seems to not leak when the level gets down 4 or 5 inches in the radiator, but that's only gonna cause other issues.
Thanks, Bob.
4th Aug 2012, 20:20
I have the exact same problem on my 98 Siverado from 1st to 2nd and sometimes third!! What did you do to fix it, and if so, what was the problem???
4th Aug 2012, 20:43
I have a 98 Silverado with the same problem shifting from 1st to 2nd!! Will this after market sensor solve this issue? And if so, what is it called and where do I get it???
24th Sep 2010, 11:11
Windshield wiper problems.
I have a 97 Chev with 200k miles, and it has started giving the hard shift between first and second gear, which is why I came here.
In an attempt to help some out with wiper motor problems: mine did this a few years ago, and I added a ground strap from the firewall to the case of the motor, and it has been fine since. I first had the same problem and fix on a 91 S-10, so I assume that Chevy has had reoccurring problems with this.