scrapinby Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 I bought my truck about 6 weeks ago. I've noticed a few things that I would like to get to the bottom of. Some people have accused me of being OCD, especially when it comes to my vehicles. It's a 2003 Sss with111,000 miles. Any help would be appreciated. Start up. When I start it up when it's cold, it makes a ticking/slapping sound for about 30 seconds. During this time, it absolutely falls on it's face. I have learned to just let it warm up for a minute before driving. If I put it in gear immediately it almost acts like it wants to stall out. It kind of sounds like piston slap, but from my reading that is usually an issue in cold weather. It's been jungle hot here lately. Vibration/Rattling I have a rattling sound coming from the back of my truck. It sounds like an exhaust heat shield. I climbed under the truck (not easy with my fat ass), but could not find any loose exhaust heat shields. The sound is pretty intermittent, but when it's doing it, it does it most often at about 1000 RPMs. Ride Height I've read a lot of people talking about lowering the back of their trucks to level them out. My truck is pretty damn level. I'm wondering what the previous owner did to it. I think he may have cranked the torsion bars up to lift the front end. I have the stock 275/55/20s. I measured from the ground to the bottom of the fender, running by the middle of the wheels (hope that makes sense). On the driver side, the front fender is 34 3/4" off the ground. The rear is about 35". The passenger side is a little higher (typical Chevy lean?). Here's a pic of the height Bed narrower than cab This one isn't too big of a deal. I think I'm the only one that notices it. Anyhow, the bottom of the bed is narrower than the cab. Specifically, the passenger side cladding is inside that of the cab by about an inch. The driver side is perfectly smooth. From under the truck, it doesn't look like the bedside has been damaged in any way. I'm kind of at a loss on this one. I'm sorry if these issues have been beat to death. I tried to do a search, but the words I used didn't really come up with anything. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodclot Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Bed narrower than the cab? Do you mean the bed doesnt sit flush with the cab? If its farther on one side and narrower on the other side, that means that the bed was most likely removed and just positioned bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapinby Posted July 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Bed narrower than the cab? Do you mean the bed doesnt sit flush with the cab? If its farther on one side and narrower on the other side, that means that the bed was most likely removed and just positioned bad. Yea, it's flush on one side, not on the other. If I split the difference it might fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruiser04 Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 looks to me like torsion bars were cranked like u stated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris B Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Yea, it's flush on one side, not on the other. If I split the difference it might fix it. My truck is the same way the front bed cladding angles in were it meets the cab .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Let's begin with your running problems.......some minor valve train noise is common, especially on a cold start up. What brand of oil filter are you using? Please do not say a Fram, they are known for having faulty anti-drain back valves that can cause a dry startup, which would cause alot of noise initially. If your idle is screwey and the truck stumbles, give your MAF sensor and Throttle Body a good cleaning...... Is your exhaust stock? Did you check for any loose clamps/bolts or any pipes contacting the frame? The rattle you are hearing could be a catalytic converter that is starting to desintegrate internally, which is a common issue with higher mileage trucks. Here is a little test....slide under the truck and wrap on each cat with a closed fist(when they are cold of course), if you hear a rattle, that means the cat is coming apart. In terms of your ride height, that is normal, last I measured, the rear of my SS sat about 1/2" higher then the front. The beds of a majority of these trucks were not installed straight from the factory, I know mine is about 1/4" or so off, and yes if your truck is leaning to the left a bit, that is the typical "Chevy lean" from the added weight of fuel on the driver's side..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapinby Posted July 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Thanks Fireman. I don't think the oil filter is a Fram. I couldn't read it, but it's a yellowish color. The oil was changed at a GM dealer before I bought it. I'm half deaf, but the sound seams to be coming from the bottom end. I thought it was the A/C compresser at first. I'll clean the MAF sensor and throttle body some time this week. The exhaust is stock. I banged both cats, and no loose sounds from them, but when I hit the driver side cat, I could hear the rattling coming from farther back in the truck. I'm going to have to get a buddy to bang that cat while I figure out where the rattle is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmJake Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 The lean problem is because you're a fatass. Would a thicker oil stop the engine rattle? That's a good looking truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapinby Posted July 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) Well, I had two friends that are both professional technicians look at it regarding the ticking/slapping/vibrating issue. It was doing it pretty good today. The first one thinks it's a lifter, although he didn't sound certain. He thought the sound was just resonating through the exhaust. Even if it is what he thinks, he's not sure what to do about it. He said at minimum, all of the lifters and cam would have to be replaced. If I do that, there's no telling how much metal found it's way through the engine. The other options would be to replace the engine, or dump the truck before it gets bad. The other friend is convinced it is a baffle blown out in the exhaust, causing the rattle. He had a Silverado SS and said he had the exact same issue with his truck at 8,000 miles. I really don't know what to think. Edited July 27, 2011 by scrapinby (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapinby Posted August 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) For those of you keeping score at home, here's the update. I had the second mechanic inspect if further to figure out exactly what it was. He said it was the right side (passanger) catalytic converter. I picked it up Friday afternoon and was trying to figure out how I was going to fix it, and where to get the parts over the weekend. I filled it up with 93 octane on Saturday night (I had been running 89 octane), and within 5 miles it started running like crap. It absolutely fell on it's face over 3500 RPMs. The check engine light flashed when it started running bad. I drove it right home and parked it. I drove it to the shop and dropped it off on Sunday. It ran terrible at all RPMs to the shop, and the check engine light was on solid the whole way there. It felt like it was starting from 3rd gear because of the total lack of power (it wasn't, that just describes the feeling). He's going to check to get to the bottom of this today or tomorrow. If it's the cats causing the problem, they're coming off. Edited August 1, 2011 by scrapinby (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Based on your last post, it is most likely a bad cat.....cut those puppies out and let her breath! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissfans03ss Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 <br />Based on your last post, it is most likely a bad cat.....cut those puppies out and let her breath! <img src='http://www.SilveradoSS.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Chevy_anim.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br /><br /><br /><br />If you're cats are broken and clogged she will fall on her face, you can put your foot to the floor and the truck will only go a few miles an hour. Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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