17th Mar 2008, 17:32

I own a 1996 Silverado 2WD Extended Cab, Long Bed with the 5.7l V8.

I bought it new in 2005, and in just over 180,000 miles, it has given me little trouble.

Brake booster failed at about 100K, water pump failed at 150K, and the intake manifold gasket is just now failing.

Other than that, it's just about as sound a vehicle as it was the day I drove it off the showroom floor.

I recently had an oil analysis done. With the exception of coolant contamination from the leaking intake gasket, all "wear metals" are still within acceptable levels. I'm impressed.

My Previous Truck was a 1990 Silverado of basically the same configuration. I drove it 120K miles and never had a significant problem with it either.

I will not be surprised to get at least a quarter of a million miles out of this vehicle. Durable would be a gross understatement.

6th Apr 2008, 19:27

I have a 96 Silverado 5.7L and I had trouble with misfiring. I replaced the plugs, wires, cap and rotor and the ignition coil. It ran great for two days then began missing a little. It got worse everyday. Then it became hard to start and quickly it wouldn't start at all. I found I had no spark and replaced the distributor cap again. Immediately it started and ran great for a week. Now its missing again and I suspect the distributor cap. I'm using OE parts, do I need to buy a racing cap or something?

20th Apr 2008, 23:26

I have a 1997 z71 5.7 vortec. I just bought the truck about two months ago and have only been able to drive it a total of about two weeks. The first problem was the torque converter ($750). I have also had to replace water pump and power steering pump. I also have the same steering problem, the steering has a slight break in it. But I think it might be because I have 22" wheels with mud tires. The most recent problem is the famous "LEAK". I belive it's the intake gasket but not sure. As soon as I put water in it it's coming out around the valve covers. Any suggestions?

21st Apr 2008, 00:21

I own the Chevy Silverado 1500 1997 model. I have all the problems mentioned above except electrical. The Differential went out around 70K. It pulled to the right with only 2000 miles on it. Driver side door broke again this week! Today the front brakes went out and Pep Boys tells me the intake valve needs replacing. Air conditioner keeps loosing charge. Wipers won't work when it rains, only in dry weather. This is my last Chevrolet product. I loved the 78 Caprice which 3 generations in our family used. 2 teenage boys took turns with it. We were sad to see it drive off and talk about it 10 years later.

The last of Chevrolet's quality product line if you ask me.

I hate to go there but looks like imports next time around.

25th Apr 2008, 16:06

I have owned a 1997 Silverado 1500 4x4 for about 5 years now and I've come to the conclusion that there is only one thing wrong with it - it is not a Ford. I'm really disappointed with this truck. I am not even going to begin to list all the problems I have had. Let's just say many of the comments I have read just about say it for me. You would think that by the time the 95's thru 98's rolled off the assembly lines, Chevy would have figured it out. Well they didn't. Nice going Chevy. The only reason I'm keeping it is because it's paid off.

25th Apr 2008, 20:47

Well I have a 97 Silverado. Bought it at 77000 miles and it currently has 130,000. I don't drive it harshly at all.

At 80,000 I had the transmission redone after reverse completely went out.

I've replaced the radiator, water pump, fuel pump (inside gas tank), all the basic repairs (battery, starter 2X).

I had the pull to the right side, which I fixed by changing the front and rear brake pads.

The driver's side door handle is currently broken.

The window kept coming off track.

The air conditioner has never worked for me, even though I "got it fixed" once.

Recently, the ABS brakes would activate when going at very low speeds. I just fixed that problem by taking out the brake fuse. But the major problem I have now is that the transmission doesn't shift after it has warmed up. It'll stay in 3rd all the time unless I manually shift.

Fortunately, I have been able to work on all my problems. I think the only thing that hasn't happened is the leak out of the intake manifold. Anyway, the transmission has enough fluid in it, what is the problem with the transmission?

8th May 2008, 11:38

I am the same poster that posted on april 25th with the brake and transmission problem.

I have no idea what happened but after I took the brake fuse out the transmission works perfectly. I put the fuse back in and sure enough it stays in 3rd gear.

If your truck is shifting hard try pulling the brake fuse. you won't have anti-lock brakes but the transmission might work.

15th May 2008, 23:25

I posted my remarks March 3, 08. The dealer figured out my starting problem - it was the neutral/safety switch on the transmission. It took them three visits to finally fix it. I totally agree with the guy who is disappointed that Chevy couldn't get it right with these trucks after making them for ten years. I'm now very certain that Chevy doesn't have the quality that Ford does. I visited the Carsurvey site regarding Ford trucks and there aren't nearly as many complaints. Also on another site I visited, a mechanic loved Chevy's - they keep him in business. He even made light of the fact that Ford outsells Chevy but he still works on more Chevy's. I believe it. I think that says it all. If I could afford an '01 - '03 F150 4x4 I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

28th May 2008, 15:39

I bought a '97 SLE K1500 in 2000 with about 50k on it and outside of normal wear parts, I am only now having to fix things. Not bad considering it now has 240,000k. So much of it has to do with sensors it's silly. I am tempted to fix up my '81. Simpler to repair.

1997 GMC K1500 Sierra SLE 3rd door

1992 GMC c1500 Sport truck Sierra SE

1981 GMC C1500 Sport Truck Sierra

1975 3\4 ton Sierra Camper Special.