GM's junk gauges

[67camaro502]

Anyone heard if GM is going to take care of their screw up :hammer: with the gauge cluster in the 03-06 sierra/silverados?
I went to the dealership and they had 4 trucks in today and 3 yesterday with the same problem and the cost to fix their own F#@$ up is $500. Thanks

[toxicz28]

What is this screw up you refer to?

[Samckitt]

Don't know if GM is going to fix their fcukup. But I too am having problems with the speedo in my 03 1500HD. I called the dealership too & found it was going to cost $500 to replace it. OR I found a guy on ebay that you can send you gauge cluster to & he will fix any burnt bulbs, replace any a stepper motor that is bad, with a new design (or for an extra $40 he will replace all of them), update the software for it & recalibrate them. All for about $120 (Plus $40 if you do all stepper motors). He will ship it out the same day he receives it. He has 3466 feedbacks & only one is negative.

Check auction number 330078937577.

That is the route I am going to take.

[67camaro502]

What is this screw up you refer to?
The gauge shows anywhere from 0-100 mph off. today mine showed 120 with the truck in park and when I started driving the needle went backwards. too hard to do math and drive at the same time.:hmm:

[Samckitt]

Mine has read 0 while I was driving about 50 & has said 10 at a stop light & 85 while doing about 30. So mine has been all over the place. Except going backwards as 67camaro502's did.

[68sixspeed]

The guy doing the ebay auction is one town over from me- he did a gauge panel for a guy I work with and it works fine now. (his problem was with the odometer area)

[trapin]

Are you being charged this $500? Is your warranty up?

I feel your pain. Last year I had to replace my catalytic convertor on my Silverado after just 4 years of ownership. Cost me $750. I wanted to drive that damn truck through the front lobby window of the dealership I bought it at I was so freaking pissed off. Doesn't matter what car or truck you own though....none of them are perfect. Just ask the 300,000 or so poor sapps that had to take their Toyota's back in for a whole array of recalls over the past year.

[Steve68]

It not just the gauges, there's the 4.2L fan clutch, should have been a Nation wide recall, the 4L60E transmissions, and other parts, If you have a Envoy or TrailBlazer there's lots of little things, I will now knock on wood because ours dosent have half the problems out there, whew!

[67camaro502]

Are you being charged this $500? Is your warranty up?

I feel your pain. Last year I had to replace my catalytic convertor on my Silverado after just 4 years of ownership. Cost me $750. I wanted to drive that damn truck through the front lobby window of the dealership I bought it at I was so freaking pissed off. Doesn't matter what car or truck you own though....none of them are perfect. Just ask the 300,000 or so poor sapps that had to take their Toyota's back in for a whole array of recalls over the past year.
YEA I had a 50,000 mile warranty and it didn't start acting up til I had 51,000 miles and the dealer told me I should of got a longer warranty

[toxicz28]

The gauge shows anywhere from 0-100 mph off. today mine showed 120 with the truck in park and when I started driving the needle went backwards. too hard to do math and drive at the same time.:hmm:

Gotcha! No problems with my '03 Avalanche...... yet.

[6'9"Witha69]

I don't want to say anything and jynx myself . . .

[Steve68]

When the dealer told you should have bought a longer warrenty you should have choked him there on the spot!

[67camaro502]

When the dealer told you should have bought a longer warrenty you should have choked him there on the spot!
I had my 5 year old daughter with me or I would have

[BADVELLE]

I have an 2006 Sierra, no problems.

[bookends]

this is good to know. I'm in the market for a new truck. I'm looking to lease a one ton p/u through my business, I love the king ranch interiors, but I've had problems with Ford standing behind their trucks on problems that should have been recalled. now it seems GM is doing the same, I guess I'll be getting a Dodge.

[BADVELLE]

this is good to know. I'm in the market for a new truck. I'm looking to lease a one ton p/u through my business, I love the king ranch interiors, but I've had problems with Ford standing behind their trucks on problems that should have been recalled. now it seems GM is doing the same, I guess I'll be getting a Dodge.

I would say that if you are swayed by a few people that have posted about a problem, you probably were not going to buy a GM truck in the first place. I would say that if I saw thousands of owners complaining, I may look into the issue, but I for one have had no issues and I have 24K on the truck now. I have had my problems in the past and a couple with this truck, but over all I have to say that I would buy another one regardless. You have to remember, they all have there own problems, they just are not going to be the same problems. Keep that in mind when you go buy your Dodge! BTW, I don't work for GM, just like the product.

[BADVELLE]

YEA I had a 50,000 mile warranty and it didn't start acting up til I had 51,000 miles and the dealer told me I should of got a longer warranty

I would recommend finding another dealer when you buy your next truck, this one evidently does not value you as a customer, otherwise they would have taken care of this issue!

[Samckitt]

I have had 2 S-10 trucks, & 2 4x4 Silverado's. The first s-10 had almost 200K miles on it with no major problems, the second was an S-10 SS that had about 60K on it before I traded up, that Silverado had about 150K miles on it with no major problems, & my current 03 1500HD has 80K (according to the odometer, actually more because of bigger tires) & the only problem I have had with it is the intermediate shaft that GM has greased, (twice after warranty was up) & now the speedo. Definetly would not deter me from buying a Silverado again. Except that I am not impressed with the interior of the '07.

[67camaro502]

I would say that if you are swayed by a few people that have posted about a problem, you probably were not going to buy a GM truck in the first place. I would say that if I saw thousands of owners complaining, I may look into the issue, but I for one have had no issues and I have 24K on the truck now. I have had my problems in the past and a couple with this truck, but over all I have to say that I would buy another one regardless. You have to remember, they all have there own problems, they just are not going to be the same problems. Keep that in mind when you go buy your Dodge! BTW, I don't work for GM, just like the product.

I hope I don't jink you but most of the problems happen after 35,000 miles according to some research on the net and it is a major problem not just with the trucks but some cars and suvs as well so before your warranty is up I would reccomend having the dealership take a look at it.

And yes when I buy my new truck in a few months I am going to a different GM dealership

[BADVELLE]

I hope I don't jink you but most of the problems happen after 35,000 miles according to some research on the net and it is a major problem not just with the trucks but some cars and suvs as well so before your warranty is up I would reccomend having the dealership take a look at it.

And yes when I buy my new truck in a few months I am going to a different GM dealership

I hope you don't jinx me either, but if so, that is alright, we will deal with it somehow.

[BADVELLE]

I have had 2 S-10 trucks, & 2 4x4 Silverado's. The first s-10 had almost 200K miles on it with no major problems, the second was an S-10 SS that had about 60K on it before I traded up, that Silverado had about 150K miles on it with no major problems, & my current 03 1500HD has 80K (according to the odometer, actually more because of bigger tires) & the only problem I have had with it is the intermediate shaft that GM has greased, (twice after warranty was up) & now the speedo. Definetly would not deter me from buying a Silverado again. Except that I am not impressed with the interior of the '07.

I agree with you on the new interiors, no matter which of the 3 they offer. Of course, I am sure they will grow on me, but will probably take a couple years. I never got used to the Chevrolet styling (b/4 this recent change), but the GMC was less drastic, so I bought the Sierra. Anyway, I really like the new styling, but the interiors have turned me off, at least at this time.

[justanova]

Are you being charged this $500? Is your warranty up?

I feel your pain. Last year I had to replace my catalytic convertor on my Silverado after just 4 years of ownership. Cost me $750. I wanted to drive that damn truck through the front lobby window of the dealership I bought it at I was so freaking pissed off. Doesn't matter what car or truck you own though....none of them are perfect. Just ask the 300,000 or so poor sapps that had to take their Toyota's back in for a whole array of recalls over the past year.

did you have over 80000 miles on the truck? the reason I ask is I believe it is mandated by the govt. that cats be warrantied by the manufacturer for 8yrs/80000 miles. We do alot of cats under the 8/80K at the BMW dealer I work for.

[trapin]

Yeah...I was definitely over 80,000 at the time. Afterwards I found out that in non-emission states you can just take the covertor off and replace it with a length of pipe and then edit the PCM accordingly for less than half the price. Next time it goes, that is the route I'm taking.

[BonzoHansen]

Glad my Camaro has a speedo cable! :)

My 93 K1500 has 160,000 on it. Runs great.

[BlackGMC]

I have had my truck in for warrany work twice with the gauge cluster problem, mine is an 04 with 32k on it. Thank goodness the warranty is covering it. However if is did not I would just buy a new cluster from here.

http://www.jpcustoms.com/store/customer/home.php?cat=270

Just unplug your old one and plug in a new one!!! You are supposed to get the cluster updated with your mileage. But if you pick the right one it has a tranny temp gauge built in.

[Samckitt]

I'de still rather spend the $120 to have mine fixed with new upgraded stepper motors rather than spend $300.

[6'9"Witha69]

Remeber that the new Silverados come with the 100,000 mile warranty. So definitely don't let anything keep you from a Silverado/Sierra. Also, I am at 58,000 with no issues at all (other than that damn tailgate strap recall).

[andrewb70]

It not just the gauges, there's the 4.2L fan clutch, should have been a Nation wide recall, the 4L60E transmissions, and other parts, If you have a Envoy or TrailBlazer there's lots of little things, I will now knock on wood because ours dosent have half the problems out there, whew!

I replaced the clutch fan on my 02 Trailblazer at about 50K miles. I am also on my 3rd transmission.

Andrew

[sinned]

The fleet I manage has about 120 GM trucks; over half have had cluster problems. So many in fact, that the dealer set me up an account with the local authorized repair center. Now I just go to them directly. They charge me 175.00 for all cluster repairs including shipping both ways.

[Samckitt]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but for those of you with ~2000+ GM trucks, how many of you have had the intermediate shaft replaced or lubed? I have had it done 4 times now, twice it was out of warranty & they still fixed it. Well the last time was soon after going to 305/70/15 Mickey Thompson tires & they said it was probably because of the larger tires. I'll probably have to either do it myself next time or pay to have it done.

[toxicz28]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but for those of you with ~2000+ GM trucks, how many of you have had the intermediate shaft replaced or lubed?

Intermediate steering shaft??? Lubed once, replaced once.

[malibuplotter]

i hope i don't sound like a tard here but... whats the intermideate shaft? i have an 02 thats been worked hard (like a truck should be) and i'm just wondering what should i be looking out for, why did the dealer have to grease it? is something thats a pain to get to or something?
what are the signs/symptoms of a shaft that needs replaced or lubed is it expensive? again i hope i dont come off as sounding stupid here and i appreciate you're patience and advice.

[Samckitt]

As toxicz stated, it is the intermediate steering shaft. The service bulleting states the problem as a "clunking" that is felt in the steering wheel. Mine was mostly felt on gradual right hand turns. It feels like something catching when it is supposed to slide smoothly. It is the shaft between the steering box & the shaft from the steering column.

[toxicz28]

i hope i don't sound like a tard here but... whats the intermideate shaft? i have an 02 thats been worked hard (like a truck should be) and i'm just wondering what should i be looking out for, why did the dealer have to grease it? is something thats a pain to get to or something?
what are the signs/symptoms of a shaft that needs replaced or lubed is it expensive? again i hope i dont come off as sounding stupid here and i appreciate you're patience and advice.

The shaft was originally designed to be a greaseless/ maintenence free unit, however it didn't end up that way. If you drive the truck the most, you'll know that something is just not right with the steering. A bind, a drag, a clunk, etc. all symptoms. My wife picked up on it before I did (but she drives it more). As for the cost, I can't answer that question because mine was under warranty.

[Analog-kid]

My 03 Sierra had the intermediate shaft replaced under warranty it's the only problem I've had with the truck in 48000 miles.

[BADVELLE]

I have had my intermediate shaft lubed 1x, needs to be done again or replaced.

[Samckitt]

I wonder if a zerk fitting can be put on this assy to allow lubing it without taking it apart.

[6'9"Witha69]

So that is what I have felt in the steering. It is very intermittent but only felt in turns where one of the front wheels also goes into bump. Very subtle.

[67camaro502]

I have had my intermediate shaft lubed 1x, needs to be done again or replaced.
Mine needs to be done do you happen to know what they charge for that
thanks
Chris

[Samckitt]

Sorry, don't know the cost. It only takes them about 25-30 minutes, so shouldn't be too much.

[malibuplotter]

thanks for clearing this up for me guys, my truck does have a strange clunk rattle in the steering column, mostly in city driving sounds like it's not to hard to lube, i'm sure now that this body style is done with gm will forget about a perminent fix, think the aftermarket will come up with anything?
flaming river wanna step up? theres millions of these trucks on the road.

[Samckitt]

Seems like someone told me or I read it somewhere that flaming river did have a replacement for it. Seems like I read that & that summit carried it. Now I will have to look.

Found this real quick at summit. It is made by borgeson:

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=BRG%2D937&N=700+4294908216+4294849065+4294924641+115&autoview=sku

[CamaroAJ]

i work at a chevy dealer and i have replaced so many clusters in the full size trucks its not even funny, 2000-2004 mostly

GM is not replacing or lubeing the shafts anymore. all we do now is unbolt it under the hood, stoke it half-a-dozen times and put it back together.

[andrewb70]

GM is not replacing or lubeing the shafts anymore. all we do now is unbolt it under the hood, stoke it half-a-dozen times and put it back together.

Is it OK to be stroking an unlubed shaft a half doen times?:smoke:

Andrew

[BADVELLE]

i work at a chevy dealer and i have replaced so many clusters in the full size trucks its not even funny, 2000-2004 mostly

GM is not replacing or lubeing the shafts anymore. all we do now is unbolt it under the hood, stoke it half-a-dozen times and put it back together.

What ever it is you are doing is not working!

[CamaroAJ]

What ever it is you are doing is not working!

yeah your tellin me....on my truck i filled it with wheel bearing greese and got all the white greese out. so far so good, maybe GM should pay me the millions insted of one of there guys for the fix.

[BADVELLE]

yeah your tellin me....on my truck i filled it with wheel bearing greese and got all the white greese out. so far so good, maybe GM should pay me the millions insted of one of there guys for the fix.

Hey, thanks for the idea, I am going to try that, beats another trip to the dealer!