Questions about GMT800 2000+ Silverados

Looking for a new 1/2 ton tow rig / home depot / lowes truck. Will tow a Miata on an open trailer around northern California.

I'm new to GM trucks but am interested in the 2000+ Silverados - particularly with the 5.3 and RWD.

Seems like the locals don't know if they have a 4.8 or 5.3...
How can I tell the difference between the 4.8 and 5.3 when I check out the truck?
Does the Z71 package automatically mean that it has the 5.3?

Anything particular to look for in a test drive?

What's the difference between the LS and LT option package?

Which option package has cruise control?

Thanks.

amg_rx7 wrote: Looking for a new 1/2 ton tow rig / home depot / lowes truck. Will tow a Miata on an open trailer around northern California. I'm new to GM trucks but am interested in the 2000+ Silverados - particularly with the 5.3 and RWD. Seems like the locals don't know if they have a 4.8 or 5.3... How can I tell the difference between the 4.8 and 5.3 when I check out the truck? Does the Z71 package automatically mean that it has the 5.3?

Check the SPID sticker for RPO codes. LM4, LM7, L33, L59 are 5.3L. LR4 is 4.8L

In my opinion it doesn't really matter. 4.8 and 5.3 are pretty close in specific output. For the occasional towing I don't think you'll notice a difference. A 5.3L means you cross the mountain at 65 mph. A 4.8L means you cross it at 62 mph. The 4.8L is rated (depending on year) at 270-285 hp and 285-295 tq. The 5.3 is rated at 285-310 hp and 325-335 tq. You'll never notice the difference.

Anything particular to look for in a test drive?

Nothing specific. GMT800s are pretty bulletproof. Failures will be obvious.

What's the difference between the LS and LT option package? Which option package has cruise control?

There is Base, LS, LT, and LTZ. Within that range there are options you can spec for each one. As far as I know, cruise control is standard on LS and higher. Its very hard to anticipate what a truck will have. The dealer or buyer might have specified an LT with leather heated seats and towing package, or someone might have ordered a Base model with power windows and locks. There aren't any set rules. For the most part, if it is anything more than a base-model work truck, it will likely have cruise.

Engine, check vin number the 8th digit I think, you'll have to look up which letter is which engine, might have displacement on the hood sticker too. The only way to tell the engine itself apart is to look in the bores or pull the heads, the 4.8 got flat top pistons and the 5.3 got dished. If you've driven both you can feel the difference, or at least I recall feeling a difference, the 4.8 is a little more wound up, less grunt, as you'd expect with the shorter stroke. 4.8 would be fine for you as Curtis said though, good negotiating point.

EDIT: On inspection, front suspension parts don't last forever, neither do the transmissions (typically about 150k if not well cared for). Rust in the cab corners.

Thanks fellas. Very helpful info.

I tow about 1-2 times a month on average.

amg_rx7 wrote: Thanks fellas. Very helpful info. I tow about 1-2 times a month on average.

Me too. I traded my 98 F150 with a 4.6L for a 2002 F150 with the 5.4L. The 98 4.6L was 220hp/265tq. The 02 5.4L is 260hp/350tq. It means I pay an extra $100 a year in fuel to cross mountains 2mph faster while applying that much more stress on my transmission.

When it comes to street or racing peformance, worry about hp and tq. When it come to towing, forget it. When I moved from L.A. to TX, I had a 26' box truck with a 24' trailer. Total combined weight was 38,000 lbs and change. It had a Cummins 5.9L that made 180hp and 375tq. I never had any issues except one mountain where I ended up at 50 mph at the top.

People think you need so much oomph to tow things, but you really don't. It might feel great to accelerate "like nothing is there" but it is a trade-off.

I have a 99 GMC Sierra 1500 ext cab 4x4 Z71 - with a 4.8.

In 99, they made the old and new style trucks. This is the new style. I have 280,000 miles on my 4.8 and it still runs strong. I have a 18 foot metal car hauler. 78 Z28 has been in tow (and now driveable again and dragstrip ready). 2 years ago I towed a 79 GMC Sierra shortbox to the challenge from Knoxville to Gainesville without any problems.

I do have a Spectre cold air intake and a cat back Dynomax system (Ultro Flow) single. Both were worth the money.

The prior owner (I bought it with 140,000) towed an enclosed trailer and 66 Chevy Nova.

You can also tell engine difference by the emissions sticker on the air cleaner. It will say right on it 4.8L or 5.3L or 6.0L, etc. One thing to watch out for on these trucks is gauge clusters, they seem to go with frequency and will cause a host of other problems. They aren't cheap and they do have to be programmed by a dealership. Also, although they are extremely rare, if it has Quadrasteer (It'll have a weird flared bed and a Quadrasteer emblem on the C-pillar) walk away very quickly. The system is very troublesome and a lot of the electronic parts are NLA, but you will still have to maintain the rear rack, rear tie-rods, rear ball-joints and rear C-V axles even when it doesn't work.

Z71 is a 4x4 package, isn't it?

OHSCrifle wrote: Z71 is a 4x4 package, isn't it?

It's an offroad package, not a 4x4 package. I have seen 2WD Z71s.

Check for rust around the rear shock mounts and the frame crossmember too.

The 4L60 on these is enough to make me go for the 3/4 ton version with a 4L80. About 15 years ago I sold my last 1/2 ton pickup, I've only owned 3/4 and full ton since then. A 1/2 ton truck will do everything you want it to do, but the 3/4 gives you peace of mind.

If you do go with the half ton Chevy, make sure you put on the biggest trans cooler you can find, keep the fluid topped off and fresh, and don't tow hills in OD.

stay 2wd. i am not sure i could recommend one after the amount of $ my avalanche took to keep on the road, but it may have just been my truck. the engines are incredible, the dash is laid out well, the rest is meh.

volvoclearinghouse wrote: The 4L60 on these is enough to make me go for the 3/4 ton version with a 4L80. About 15 years ago I sold my last 1/2 ton pickup, I've only owned 3/4 and full ton since then. A 1/2 ton truck will do everything you want it to do, but the 3/4 gives you peace of mind. If you do go with the half ton Chevy, make sure you put on the biggest trans cooler you can find, keep the fluid topped off and fresh, and don't tow hills in OD.

Weird, we had excellent luck with the 4L60 in our GMT-400. It went 280,000 miles in our extended-cab, short-bed K1500 (outlasted the rest of the truck), and wasn't ever serviced after 100,000 miles. And that truck was used as a workhorse, we would have a cord and a half of white oak in the bed and the driveshaft would hit the cab bottom over bumps.

And no matter the transmission, you should never tow in Overdrive.

On these trucks, making the leap from 1/2 to 3/4 ton means some pretty dramatic differences, good and bad.

The 2500hd got a 6.0 liter, better trans with a bigger cooler, bigger brakes, and a bigger axle with 4.10 gears. That's good!

They also get 12 mpg and ride like a bale wagon. That's bad.

There is also a 2500 that wasn't HD, not as common and I don't know the specs on those.

I currently have a 2500HD as I spec'd above. It has done one hell of a job for me over the last five or six years I have owned it, but I think my next truck will be a half ton because the negatives stated above.

Around here there are a lot of beat down abused trucks available. That's what mine was. They can be brought back to fighting shape, and parts prices aren't bad, but it's still in your best interest to find a clean one.

Check for rust, EVERYWHERE. Up here, 8 out of 10 trucks of this vintage are missing the rockers and cab corners at this point. Rear leaf spring mounts also like to disappear, and I've even seen frames compromised.

A friend of mine just replaced his rockers and cab corners on his 2005 last summer. His truck looked worse than my CSX did, and that was the worst rocker rust I've ever seen!

Check brake lines for rust.

SilverFleet wrote: Check for rust, EVERYWHERE. Up here, 8 out of 10 trucks of this vintage are missing the rockers and cab corners at this point. Rear leaf spring mounts also like to disappear, and I've even seen frames compromised. A friend of mine just replaced his rockers and cab corners on his 2005 last summer. His truck looked worse than my CSX did, and that was the worst rocker rust I've ever seen!

Rust?, the year 2016 and rust is still an issue on a $30k+ (when new) vehicle!?

My 99 (gmt400) and my Dad's 05 (gmt800) Suburbans don't have a spec of rust but we live in arid Utah with no salt on the roads.

drainoil wrote:

SilverFleet wrote: Check for rust, EVERYWHERE. Up here, 8 out of 10 trucks of this vintage are missing the rockers and cab corners at this point. Rear leaf spring mounts also like to disappear, and I've even seen frames compromised. A friend of mine just replaced his rockers and cab corners on his 2005 last summer. His truck looked worse than my CSX did, and that was the worst rocker rust I've ever seen!

Rust?, the year 2016 and rust is still an issue on a $30k+ (when new) vehicle!?

It's so bad now that I'm more surprised when I see one WITH intact outer rockers! Also consider that the GMT800 trucks are almost 10-15 years old now. Still, I can't believe how rusty they get. To me, they are the last Chevy trucks that have a manageable size before they started turning into locomotives like all the other half ton trucks. I would love to have a clean one myself someday.

Side note: there are exactly zero 2002-2008 Dodge Ram trucks in New England with intact rear wheel wells.

Same with Fx50's even here in Maryland. Every one of them has rotted out rear wheel arches.

I've had some rust in the rockers (worse on the non 3rd door side, yes mine was a 3rd door and not a 4th door). Rear wheel arches I will have to patch this year. This is from inadequate water drainage.

The tow/haul mode is a great feature also when towing.

I just sold a 6.0 2500 extended cab. It was a great truck for nearly 7 years. But thirsty. It took everything I could throw at it. I've replaced it with a 2004 Duramax 2500hd. Without even trying, I'm getting 125km more per full tank (same size tank).

The 1500's are great trucks, but definitely won't stand up to the abuse that the 2500's will. As mentioned, trans is weaker, but also front diff (if 4x4), and rear diff are significantly lighter duty. But they are also much better on fuel. More than you would guess.

As far as things to look out for; any problem they have is likely to be discovered on a good test drive, they don't really have any hidden issues that I'm aware of.

In reply to 2002maniac:

None of our Suburbans at work have any rust but every pickup rusted to nothing.

I'm in Cali so don't really need to worry about rust. :)

I definitely want to stay 1/2 ton this time. Already had a 3/4 ton Ford that I want to 'down-grade' from.

Alright, bought a new-to-me truck yesterday. Figured I'd update this thread and continue to ask some maintenance related questions.
Specs:
- 2001
- 5.3
- 170k miles
- RWD

The truck is very clean. Especially the interior. Drives nicely but front shocks are a little worn and a fresh alignment would help a bit.

The PO is a "chevy guy" and did a lot of maintenance. After I paid him and signed paperwork, I went through the maintenance list one more time and asked what coolant he used. Learned he used Dex Cool.

Questions:
Is Dex Cool specified for this engine / truck? I thought that was an 1980s thing...

Anyone have a link to a good how to procedure for flushing / changing transmission oil? Doesn't need it right now but I'd like to read up on it.

Is there a good Chevy truck forum where I can find other good troubleshooting procedures and How-Tos?

Thanks.