thmsj46 Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Hello, I recently bought a 03' Silverado SS, Arrival Blue, with 39k miles. I wanted to introduce myself..My name is Tommy, I live in Cincinnati, OH and I traded in a 04' Lexus IS300 for this truck, I'm looking to get a boat within the next six months..I love the truck, I was originally looking for a Z71 Silverado and found a "deal" on this one. I've done some searching on the site and found info about the steering wheel clunking. I noticed this during the test drive and mentioned it to the salesman. He said GM is aware of the problem and recalled the issue for replacement of parts originally..Now they just grease the steering shaft. That seemed to fix the problem on mine.. I've searched for this as well but didn't find an info. When I drive exactly 35 mph to 50 mph the truck seems to "Humm" with the gas pedal pressed and stops as soon as I let off the gas. I feel no vibration in the steering wheel or pedal. The RPMs are right about 1100-1300. Has anyone experienced this before?? I do have a limited warranty through the dealer but I wanted to go in with some knowledge of the situation/problem before-hand. What I know about the truck is that it was owned by a gentleman in his 60's bought it brand new in August of 03', put low miles on it and traded it in on a flex fuel. Clean Carfax report and salesman said it was garage kept and never wrecked. My pic of the truck is too large to upload, I'll will fix that and edit this thread with pic of the "Blue Beast" Thanks, I appreciate any comments or suggestions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF-03-SS Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Welcome Tommy. Can't wait to see some pics of your future boat hauler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brobradh77 Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 welcome and sorry i dont have any answers for ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 GM has a replacement shaft out to fix the clunk, gonna need one myself soon........not sure about the humm, make sure the air cleaner lid is secure welcome to the site and get some pics up soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Bowtie Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Tell the service dept. about ur steering column "clunk" noise, they will replace the intermediate shaft. Is the truck ALL stock? No custom exhaust or an air filter mod? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thmsj46 Posted November 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Tell the service dept. about ur steering column "clunk" noise, they will replace the intermediate shaft. Is the truck ALL stock? No custom exhaust or an air filter mod? Yes the truck is all stock. I'm trying to the think of the best way to describe the noise... It seems to be coming from the front of the truck, maybe even favoring the passenger side (don't hold me to that). Have you ever heard a water line make a noise, how it humms/whines through the pipe. Thats kind of what it sounds like and it's only between 35-50 mph and it quits soon as I left off the gas and starts right back up when I'm on the gas. I don't notice it so much when I accelerate up to those speeds just when I maintain those speeds. I live 2.5 miles from work mostly 25 mph speed limit so it's not everyday I have to deal with it, but I went to go get some dinner and had about a 2 mile stretch of 45 mph and it started to get pretty annoying. I thought maybe it might have been the gas the dealer was using, they said "Ah yeah you can run 87 in that". Well luckily those cheapsters only gave me 3/8 a tank when I bought it. I put 93 on my next fill up but when 93 went up to nearly $3.50 I put 89 in (Always Shell gas). Again there's no "feel" to the noise and the RPM's are low around 1100-1300. I found a pic that was sized correctly, tell me what you think.. Thanks for responding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixxerrider Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Welcome to the site. Nice looking truck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerJJ Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 It may be the front differential groaning. Try changing the fluid out. While the miles are low, that fluid is still 4-5 years old. That might help. Change it to Mobil 1 Synthetic. If you search the How To thread, you will find a write up of how to do this. Welcome to the site and good luck with the truck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss04Flores Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Yes the truck is all stock. I'm trying to the think of the best way to describe the noise... It seems to be coming from the front of the truck, maybe even favoring the passenger side (don't hold me to that). Have you ever heard a water line make a noise, how it humms/whines through the pipe. Thats kind of what it sounds like and it's only between 35-50 mph and it quits soon as I left off the gas and starts right back up when I'm on the gas. I don't notice it so much when I accelerate up to those speeds just when I maintain those speeds. I live 2.5 miles from work mostly 25 mph speed limit so it's not everyday I have to deal with it, but I went to go get some dinner and had about a 2 mile stretch of 45 mph and it started to get pretty annoying. I thought maybe it might have been the gas the dealer was using, they said "Ah yeah you can run 87 in that". Well luckily those cheapsters only gave me 3/8 a tank when I bought it. I put 93 on my next fill up but when 93 went up to nearly $3.50 I put 89 in (Always Shell gas). Again there's no "feel" to the noise and the RPM's are low around 1100-1300. I found a pic that was sized correctly, tell me what you think.. Thanks for responding. i had the same problem the dealership said i had a bent axcel and fixed it and it was under warranty. i never heard the noise again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thmsj46 Posted November 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 It may be the front differential groaning. Try changing the fluid out. While the miles are low, that fluid is still 4-5 years old. That might help. Change it to Mobil 1 Synthetic. If you search the How To thread, you will find a write up of how to do this. Welcome to the site and good luck with the truck! Thank you for the advice. In your experience would it be cheaper to have this checked on my own without going to the dealer? I think they wrote up some garbage $200 deductable fee for any warranty work done. I don't know that I would want to risk this myself, I have minimal tools and Zero mechanical/car repair experience..but maybe now is the time to start... Thanks again, you guys have been very helpful. I haven't searched on this but I'm assuming you guys meet up occasionaly show off the trucks, drink a couple beers?? I've been watching some YouTube videos of these trucks Suped up with Super Chargers, etc...WOW!!! Love to see it in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NashSS Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 (edited) Mine does the same thing except i can only hear when say I'm going through drive through at a fast food place and mine is also a 03 arrival blue. It might make the sound around 45ish but I have a intake and exhaust so I cant hear it By the way be prepared to open up that wallet and let the mods begin. You might not have much of an idea of what to do to the truck but being on here you will get caught up in the mod bug! theres no escaping it EDIT: mines only has 23k miles also but I know exactly what sound your talking about and I would guess its the front diff. just havent got around to change the fluid Edited November 12, 2007 by NashSS (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thmsj46 Posted November 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 i had the same problem the dealership said i had a bent axcel and fixed it and it was under warranty. i never heard the noise again Hmm, front axle I'm assuming right? I'm writing all this down to give the dealer things to look for. Thanks for all the input guys! Makes me even happier with the truck having a forum like this to refer too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desrtrat Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Thank you for the advice. In your experience would it be cheaper to have this checked on my own without going to the dealer? I think they wrote up some garbage $200 deductable fee for any warranty work done. I don't know that I would want to risk this myself, I have minimal tools and Zero mechanical/car repair experience..but maybe now is the time to start... Thanks again, you guys have been very helpful. i would take it back to the dealer for them to repair. bad front ends are common on 03-04 bearings and cases. if you have a $200 deductible, then it's cheaper than $12-1300 for repairs.. good luck, and good to see another BLUE SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thmsj46 Posted November 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Mine does the same thing except i can only hear when say I'm going through drive through at a fast food place and mine is also a 03 arrival blue. It might make the sound around 45ish but I have a intake and exhaust so I cant hear it By the way be prepared to open up that wallet and let the mods begin. You might not have much of an idea of what to do to the truck but being on here you will get caught up in the mod bug! theres no escaping it EDIT: mines only has 23k miles also but I know exactly what sound your talking about and I would guess its the front diff. just havent got around to change the fluid Cool so I got two replys with the front differential fluid, I'm going to go that route first. Awesome I'm starting to feel better about the situation. I had some concerns giving up my car that I know was taken care of for a used truck. Lol, I'm going to try to stay away from the Mod bug for awhile at least, saving up for that boat...for now a.ka "The Honeymoon" don't know how I talked her into that one, lol. I could do an intake or something, no major bolt ons under the hood yet and I love the way the exhaust sounds already!!!! Does anyone else ever haul anything with their truck? The truck is a beast so I know it will pull near almost anything, I'll probably be in the 3500-4500 pound range with the boat and it's rated to tow....6500 or 7500 right, so I should have no problem. Thanks Guys.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holty Posted November 12, 2007 Report Share Posted November 12, 2007 Don't worry, you won't have a problem towing. Alot of guys on here tow alot heavier loads than that. If you really really wanted to be safe, get a aftermarket tranny cooler. As far as your front end problem goes, i'm betting its the front diff. I think litterally 70% of sss owners have had this problem. When i first bought my truck, they had to rebuild the front and rear diffs before i would agree to buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.