Trying to pass smog in cali :(

[SLCHOE]

Good to know! Thanks.

 

[mattt]

Bringing this back on topic, without the sidebar commentary about dealerships, and still hoping someone will give up the diagnosis procedure. I've searched online and found that for other vehicles, but nothing for GMT800's yet. Thanks in advance.

 

[SLCHOE]

Getting a diagnosis from a GM dealer in order to do your own repairs should not relegate a customer to 2nd class status. If that's something that is routinely costing the dealer too much money, then they should increase their diagnostic charge. Let's face it, most dealer rates are significantly higher than private shops, and of course much higher than a DIYer. Not all of us can afford to pay a dealer big bucks to keep a necessary vehicle on the road, so an accurate diagnosis followed by our own repair is the best that we can do.

I paid GM for a diagnosis on a transmission that seemed to be suddenly dropping into neutral while driving. Their diagnosis was that the tranny was toast; they quoted me $3500 to rebuild or $4200 to replace. I took it elsewhere and had a used trans installed for $1500 (didn't even ask THIS place for a diagnosis, since I already had a diagnosis; who better than GM, right?). On the way home, it dropped into neutral! Turned out the issue was the transfer case encoder motor; the trans was perfectly fine. I have no doubt that the dealer would have charged me the full $3500 for the unneeded trans rebuild, AND then another $800 for the "additional" encoder motor problem that they conveniently "found while rebuilding the trans". In fact, they may not have even touched the trans (yet still would have charged me for it).

On another forum (a Hummer forum), a female owner took her H3 in to a GM dealer to diagnose a rattling sound. They told her that the timing chain needed replacement, to the tune of $4000. They also told her that ONLY they could do the repair "because they had a patent on it"!!! After informing them that she was going to take the truck elsewhere for a 2nd opinion and wanted a printout of their diagnosis, suddenly the service manager changed the diagnosis to a serpentine belt tensioner for a few hundred $. And then he STILL upsold the woman for an overpriced brake job!

Sorry, but while dealers may hate it when a customer gets a diagnosis and then runs, customers hate it when they get jerked around by dealers for unnecessary expensive repairs, and with the complexity of today's computerized vehicles, even backyard mechanics that may be perfectly capable of doing their own repairs still often need some help with the diagnosis.

I don't understand why you quated me on this as I:

1) Run an independent shop

2) Dealers charge more than I do.

3) While I dislike when people get $100 diags and then run, it's still $100 in my pocket and I gave the customer a good picture of the problem whereas a code-read from a parts store would only give them a bunch of seemingly unrealated codes.

 

[SLCHOE]

Bringing this back on topic, without the sidebar commentary about dealerships, and still hoping someone will give up the diagnosis procedure. I've searched online and found that for other vehicles, but nothing for GMT800's yet. Thanks in advance.

Don't search specifically for "GMT800" If you have a GM 5.3L search for that. These engines were used in many vehicles and not limited to the GMT800 platform..

 

[mattt]

Actually a 4.8L in 01 Silverado.

 

[SLCHOE]

If you don't have the tools to do the further diagnostics, and it sounds to me like you don't, take it to a well respected indy. The well respected ones will charge you a flat rate (like I do of $100 88used to be 8288 and tell you exactly what is going on. The tools you need cost 10-20X that just for one of them and you still would need the knowledge to decipher the data as it pertains to your issue. Get the diag and do the repair yourself.

 

[4x4van]

I don't understand why you quated me on this as I:

1) Run an independent shop

2) Dealers charge more than I do.

3) While I dislike when people get $100 diags and then run, it's still $100 in my pocket and I gave the customer a good picture of the problem whereas a code-read from a parts store would only give them a bunch of seemingly unrealated codes.

No insult intended, hope it wasn't taken that way. I quoted you because you said that "Techs/shops hate when customers do this". As I said, even a competent backyard mechanic doesn't have all of the equipment to diagnose some issues on today's computerized vehicles. I have to save money where I can, and if that means getting a professional diagnosis and then "running", so be it. And as you also say, it's still $100 in your pocket.

 

[mattt]

If you don't have the tools to do the further diagnostics, and it sounds to me like you don't, take it to a well respected indy. The well respected ones will charge you a flat rate (like I do of $100 88used to be 8288 and tell you exactly what is going on. The tools you need cost 10-20X that just for one of them and you still would need the knowledge to decipher the data as it pertains to your issue. Get the diag and do the repair yourself.

What additional tools are you referencing being needed? In my driveway diagnosis, it appears that all components of the system are actually working, at startup, which is apparently when this system is designed to kick in. If all components are functional, the problem may be in the computer not running the self test of this system.

I'm still wondering if it's not self testing this system is related to the A/C in this truck not being functional. There are so many other inter-related "if-then's" in the drive cycle from what I remember.

 

[SLCHOE]

No insult intended, hope it wasn't taken that way. I quoted you because you said that "Techs/shops hate when customers do this". As I said, even a competent backyard mechanic doesn't have all of the equipment to diagnose some issues on today's computerized vehicles. I have to save money where I can, and if that means getting a professional diagnosis and then "running", so be it. And as you also say, it's still $100 in your pocket.

None taken and I agree.

What additional tools are you referencing being needed? In my driveway diagnosis, it appears that all components of the system are actually working, at startup, which is apparently when this system is designed to kick in. If all components are functional, the problem may be in the computer not running the self test of this system.

I'm still wondering if it's not self testing this system is related to the A/C in this truck not being functional. There are so many other inter-related "if-then's" in the drive cycle from what I remember.

I'm not going to go back and quote the last 3 replies each from each of us but I'll summarize. Updated calibrations are released for a reason and many of them are released to address specific codes(s) and/or symptom(s) while others just for improvements for performance/fuel economy. You may have a sensor that is aging and going out of parameters intermittently to set a pending code but not long enough to set a hard code before it puts itself back in good standing with the PCM again. This repeats over and over.

For you to have not have had a complete drive cycle performed sor SAI to complete tells me that you have an intermittent pending code. When the pending code sets, ALL EMISSIONS MONITORING comes to a HALT, the code must be reset and then the monitors start over again. IF there is a newer calibration out there for your vehicle, I would strongly recommend it as the engineers sometimes allow more error into certain sensors/signals before flagging a code. IT doesn't hurt anything and is best to have the newest calibration anyway (think of it as like having the newest update of your PC operating system). Give it a shot. If it still won't set, you're going to need to drive and have real time notification of any pending codes that pop up and interrupt the cycle.

 

[mattt]

I'm not looking for a rehash either, and I'm not sure who the "us" is in "each of us" unless you're speaking in 3rd person. I do not see the need to go pay a shop to load a newer version of calibration. If it's that important, then GM should compensate dealers to load it at their expense. If/When GM got it that wrong....it's up to them to make it right, even though they don't see that, which is why I do not buy anything new GM any more. Government Motors already fleeced us for enough.

What I was asking about was what tool did you make reference to being required to do further diagnosis? What tool is required for further diagnosis?

In regards to drive cycle and emissions monitoring....every single other I/M ready check did complete, it's just the damn secondary air system that will not complete. I have cleared/reset a few times and had the same result.....every I/M monitor goes to OK besides Sec Air System.