A few questions......

[Jolie]

Should be getting our 94 K3500 6.5L TD back in the next few days from the mechanic......yet again. This time the high/low shift fork in the t-case broke along with the cross member by the t-case.

We have replaced a bunch of stuff on this truck including:

Dualmass flywheel & clutch (replaced with Luk kit)
Vacuum pump & oil pressure sending unit
alternator
IP & lift pump & fuel filter
all fluids have been changed

Now the question.....is there any other weaknesses that I might not be thinking about that are typical to GM trucks? We would like to keep this truck, but its a dang money pit.

The good:

It runs great, I mean really great, always starts on 1/2 crank, cold, warm, doesn't matter.

The bad:

It seems to have a problem *going*, first it was the clutch/flywheel, then the vacuum pump, then the IP, and now the high/low shift fork.

Have we managed to replace all the *problem* areas? Any insight would be appreciated. I guess on the bright side, we own it outright. :rolleyes:

Truck is a manual trans with low gear, 4:10 rear end, 4x4, with 150k on it.

[Shad]

You got to drive it now to get your money out of it! I myself have in the past "given away" vehicles because I was frustrated with repairs then regret it later. Looks like you have done a lot of work, don't give it away now. Even if you drve it for 4-5 years you are money ahead then buying a new one.

[LanceW]

ground wires and battery connections are known to cause trouble- there are articles in the member's area about battery connection upgrades, or you can at the very least make sure they are clean and solid. Also, the ground strap from the passenger's side of the block is often missing or disconnected, and can cause electrical problems.

do a search on "windshield wiper"- the circuit boards in the wiper controller somtimes have cracks- easily soldered.

If you're pulling a trailer with a lot of marker lights, you might want to add a relay to the wiring harness- our horse trailer has been hell on the dash switch. This is cheap too.

Yours is at an age where you could be looking at some front suspension components, especially if it's been abused.

Refer to the "troubleshooting" part of the member's area here- That covers a lot of ground.

[catmandoo]

has the timing chain been changed, thats alot of miles

[Jolie]

Not sure I'm glad I asked or sad. Timing chain? These things have one? It'll probably break it on the way home.

I tell ya, this truck is a piece of work. Its previous owners didn't believe in maintainance, we drained the tcase and it was black gloppy fluid that came out...put in nice fresh synthetic and 2 weeks later it breaks the high/low shift fork. My husband is really starting to think the thing is possessed. When its being good, its great, but when it wants to be a pain it sucks us dry.

We know about the suspension, we did a front end on our 96 GMC. This one though still has the original ball joints, which has left 2 mechanics scratching thier heads since the ball joints are still in good shape. Front end is tight, rear end is in great shape, its just everything in between that's the problem. :rolleyes:

The trailer we pull doesn't have very many running lights, so I think that will be fine.

I'll pass on the info about the other stuff to my husband and watch him groan.

Sad thing is he really likes the truck, its exactly what he wants, a 1 ton diesel manual transmission, but its giving him a headache I think. We've owned it since June and have only managed to put 3000 miles on it in between its down time. I still get the urge to strangle the guy we bought it from.

Thanks guys....now I'm going back to banging my head on the desk.