My Project Tahoe

[DadsToy]

After replacing the Mode air motor. I wasn't happy with the amount of air coming from the vent. So I investigated the blend door motor to make sure it was working correctly. Works...So in doing so I discovered the cabin air filter box. Thought I would change it. Let's just say it might be the original one. So you all might want to take a look at yours if it been over a year since you replace it.


There are 2 of them in that box. The new one I order from Amazon came with 2 to a set. Much improvement in air flow.

All the stuff that fell out. Also had to vacuum the box out.

 

[DadsToy]

Santa brought me this light. Has bluetooth speakers built into the lights. The lights have about 4 different settings. Also an emergency red flashing light. The lights can be removed via magnet mount. Rechargeable USB battery. I link it to my phone and play pandora. The sound is awesome. Now I can work almost hands free without fighting for a light.

 

[DadsToy]

Well you all have given me the encouragement to carry on. Thanks. I thought I would try one more time at the steering issue I had on hand. The sloppy play in the wheel. The Junk Yard route was a bad idea. From now on. Unless I need a part on hand like right now. I don't think I'll be doing major parts from the PPL. Only plastic interior parts.
So I broke down and purchase a remain Steering Greer Box unit from Oriely's. I have to share this. I order it on Thursday and got it Friday morning!! I order it online and it had a 20% discount code at the top for home delivery. How can I go wrong...type in the code and yep got 20% off. I wasn't believing the next day delivery. But sure enough. BY 9am it was setting on my front porch. Oh and free delivery!! The whole unit was only $20 more then the PPL unit that was a piece of crap.
I took your advise and took my time. I even turned the shop stereo off. Just relax, thought about it and just got it done. Took me a little long than I thought it would. But it feels great that I fix it and I saved over $1500.
I will tell you this. If you should ever do this project. Make sure you get the replacement shaft nut and a new Pittman arm. That arm will not come off. I had to remove it from the old unit before turning it in for the core. That ever happen. I cut on it, heated it and even used the puller tool. Must have beat on it for an hour. It will not come off. Even the one from the PPL wouldn't come off. So thankfully I had ordered a new Pittman arm. I also replaced the Idler bracket and arm. So the whole front end is all new.
Man it made a huge difference. It steers so easy now. The play in the wheel is gone. It used to drift from side to side and was hard to handle on the road. I am so glad that is fix. I flush the power steering pump before running the new unit. If you haven't done a flush on your power steering fluid. You need to. I am also going to add a inline filter.
Now it time for a shot of Rum and Tylenol.

Old unit, New unit.

New idler. The old fluid. Was dark and burnt. This is supposed to be clear.

So while I was under the car. I spent about 30 minutes or more scraping the crud off the front of the engine. I have a bad front crank seal leaking. This was all over the timing cover. There is still a lot more on there. I'll get to it when I replace the cam and top engine rebuild.

 

[Rocket Man]

That’s awesome you persevered. Also, glad that took care of your steering issue. Nice work.

 

[justchecking]

.... time for a shot of Rum and Tylenol.
View attachment 390121

I actually thought this was the rum until I read the details...

 

[DadsToy]

I actually thought this was the rum until I read the details...

LOL.....But I am feeling every bit of it today.
That steering box is heavy. The steering wheel is about a 1/4 off. I knew going into this project I might have an issue with the steering wheel being off. So going to drive it a bit and let things settle in. If it goes down the road straight and the alignment is in check. I might have to move the steering wheel to get it straight again. But you never know when you mess with the steering components. Things might got out of wack. Then it will be another trip to the alignment shop. I used to do it myself. But for $70 bucks its worth my time to let someone else do it. Cheers...to overcoming and achieving successful project fix. Whats next? Oil leaks, engine rebuild, Brake rebuild/upfit, or replacing the rear springs to something different.

 

[Caddylack]

Now it time for a shot of Rum and Tylenol.

I feel obligated to say this:

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is one of the biggest "no-nos" to combine with alcohol. It's extremely toxic to the liver.

Any other pain killer would be better.

My friend's dad died in his late 30s from liver failure, and the doctors said it was because he had a habit of combining alcohol and Tylenol. Nobody ever told him it was dangerous.

 

[DadsToy]

Life is getting in the way of this project. I finally went and have the car aligned again. So its straighten out. Steering play is gone and drives great. Easy to steering and don't have the death wobble any more. That steering box was wasted. Just used it to tow a small camper and did really well. But going up hill it struggle a little. I think a turbo would help with that

 

[DadsToy]

Oh no, I have the lifter tick. At first thought it was an exhaust leak. When you first start it up you can hear it. Then about a minute later it goes away. Only does it on a cold start. Oil pressure is good. I even tried oil additives to see if that would help. So looking at cam swap, lifters, rockers, push rods etc. Will have to pull the heads. That is the part that sucks. Wish there was a way to replace the lifters without removing the heads. So out scouring for a complete cam kit on ebay that has all the gaskets, cam and other hardware. I think I'll be all in for around $668. Use a sloppy stage 2 cam kit. But other than the cold start tick. Engine starts and runs like a top. The only other issue I am pondering is to replace the oil pump and timing chain/ gears. Have to drop the oil pan to get to the bolts for the pump. Wonder how hard that is going to be to drop the pan. Seems like more work that isn't needed.

 

[Geotrash]

Oh no, I have the lifter tick. At first thought it was an exhaust leak. When you first start it up you can hear it. Then about a minute later it goes away. Only does it on a cold start. Oil pressure is good. I even tried oil additives to see if that would help. So looking at cam swap, lifters, rockers, push rods etc. Will have to pull the heads. That is the part that sucks. Wish there was a way to replace the lifters without removing the heads. So out scouring for a complete cam kit on ebay that has all the gaskets, cam and other hardware. I think I'll be all in for around $668. Use a sloppy stage 2 cam kit. But other than the cold start tick. Engine starts and runs like a top. The only other issue I am pondering is to replace the oil pump and timing chain/ gears. Have to drop the oil pan to get to the bolts for the pump. Wonder how hard that is going to be to drop the pan. Seems like more work that isn't needed.

Bummer about the tick. As long as it's only at startup, you likely have some time left but new lifters are in your future, and with that mileage I agree that a valvetrain refresh seems a good idea. Dropping the pan is more hassle than I like, but after doing it 3x now, I can do it in an hour or so. A new oil pump is a good idea, if for no other reason than to have a fresh o-ring on the pickup tube.

Sloppy Mechanic Stage 2 kit like this one?

Those cam specs aren't optimized for a truck that will see towing duty and will also give you pretty good idle chop. For towing, I would want a smooth idle and cam specs optimized for low to midrange power. Of course that may not be what you want, and that's okay too. I just found a lopey idle to be uncomfortable at traffic lights when I had my Yukon set up that way. I ended up getting a stage 2 truck cam from Cam Motion and I love it.

Whatever you do, use only genuine GM lifter trays. I had 2 cam failures in a row thanks to cheap aftermarket trays letting the lifters twist in their bores.