Cool that yours is tight. I've got these columns in lots of projects...and only one is what I'd call "confidently tight." That's one thing you don't have to fix right away!
The thought has crossed my mind to put a TPI on top of the engine in mine. I don't think I'll do it...but I've thought about it ;). If you did, it would be cool!
I'd flush the PS before swapping it, even if you know you're going to swap it. Steering boxes don't flush very well so I'd flush it a couple times, (idling/driving a couple hours between flushes to loosen stuff up) before swapping it so you don't cycle gack back into your fresh pump. All you have to do is pull the return line off the reservoir and stick it in a bucket, cap off the nipple and turn the wheels lock-to-lock a couple times, engine off, to flush/evacuate the system.
Since it's not completely dead, and these run fine on cheapy Dextron ATF, I'd flush it a couple times and see what it does. Then flush it again right before swapping the pump if you feel it's needed.
I'd definitely get the better pump, ideally locally. I've had lots of reman pumps come in DOA.
Make sure to turn the wheels lock-to-lock to purge air *before* you try to start it or you will likely damage the pump. Simply prefilling and starting it is insufficient.
Also, having a strap wrench to hold the pulley while swapping it makes worlds of difference.
Also, also, I don't know/remember if yours will have it, but some GMT400's have a variable orifice gizmo on the back of the pump that has to be swapped from your old pump. If you do, you'll need to order the seals for that separately.
It's pretty easy to identify if you have it. There will be a small cast adapter on the back that the line screws into with a solenoid and wire connector. If you don't have it the high pressure line just screws directly into the back of the reservoir.
In reply to ClemSparks :
Honestly if I ever needed to ditch the TBI for whatever reason, I'd probably swap this to carb too.
In reply to Crackers :
Thanks, I would have screwed that up for sure!
Ive not looked at the PS lines yet, is it easy to tell which one is the return? On the Vette's external reservoir one line is at the top, which I presume is the return. Will the Suburban be similar?
Usually The return line slips over a nipple fitting and has a simple hose clamp. The high pressure line has a steel fitting that threads in. I'm pretty sure that's how these trucks are, too.
In reply to ClemSparks :
Thanks!
I know the truck is rated to tow 7000lbs - not that I plan to ever do that - but with an external trans cooler & towing in D would it survive repeatedly towing ~5k?
I ask because my initial plan was to get a ~12' enclosed trailer to finish moving our junk from IL, but I'm finding used 16' to 20' enclosed trailers for anywhere from $1-$2k. So I'm thinking I should just find one big enough for the Vette & be done, rather than trading off a moving trailer for an open car hauler.
I forgot about the wobbly tilt. I fixed my 89, 93 and my 9C1. I almost remember the torx bit size (I want to say it was a T25 but not positive).
Yeah, what Clem said. High pressure side is a hard line with a ferrule and an o-ring seal, low side is just rubber hose with a clamp.
As bonus, the clamp is usually a PITA to reach too.
Pretty much no chance of the trans surviving towing an enclosed trailer in "D" unless you're going downhill or light load on flat ground.
Wind resistance is a equal or larger issue than weight with enclosed trailers.
For reference, much over 5k on an open trailer turns these into a bit of a dog. 5k in an enclosed trailer is likely to turn into a Roadkill episode.
In reply to Crackers :
To be clear I mean D as in 3rd, not 4th/OD.
Also, I'm thinking 5k is total load - 3k for the Vette(3075 precisely) plus probably 1600-1800 for an open trailer, or 2k(?) for a smaller enclosed one?
Pete I know you know the Open trailer will be Below the Roof line and though Open Not as Much Drag , the Enclosed will be a little bit Above the roof and Is a Bit of a Wall Plus the Air coming off the Back Is all Drag. That Said the Man I work for Pulls an Enclosed to California and Back with His Burb and though a Big Block 502 The Trans Is a 4l60. I believe yours is also plus his trailer is 28 Ft. His stuff is newer but 10 years old. Put a Trans Temp Gauge on it And watch It For awhile till you learn what's Normal for it.
That will probably work, but I'd definitely put a big ass cooler on it.
Some of the HD models came with a decent cooler you can probably find in a junkyard. With luck you can maybe even get the lines since I think their arrangement is similar enough between the 60 and 80 trans'. At least the front half so you don't have to dick around fitting them through the core support.
In reply to Crackers :
Good to know about junkyard cooler options, I'll definitely be installing one before any heavy or long-distance towing.
with good truck brakes and good trailer brakes you should be fine with the enclosed trailer
I just found out there's a NOLA autox on 12/10, not sure I'll have time/money to get this thing ready to tow by then, but it would be a good opportunity to try it out.
I wouldn't hesistate to tow 5k with a 700R4, provided you lock out overdrive while towing. I've pulled that much with the wife's '91 Burb (same drivetrain) and it handled it fine, even through the hills of PA. And I towed that much with my old '77, though that was just a 350/350TH setup.
Just make sure you've got a good cooler.
From what I've read, the issues with the OD aren't necessarily towin in OD, but the shifting in and out of OD while towing. If you're on flat land or downhill, and the truck has the power to keep up, you can leave it in OD while towing- provided you shift back to D before the transmission does when approaching a hill. That is, let off the gas, slow down, shift from OD to D, wait for things to settle down, then back on the gas.
There's a few tricks you can do to the trans to help it, too. I got the Trans Go shift kit for it and had a trans shop near me put it in, along with a change to synth fluid and new gaskets and seals and adjust the clutches. They charged me about $350 to do this work, and I think the Trans Go kit was another 50 or so. This was on a trans that already had 185,000 on it.
And yeah, the wife's '91 had the wobbly tilt, too. I understand it's somewhat of a trick to fix it...so, again, I punted to the mechanic. $95 and it's "confidently tight". ;-)
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
Speaking of tilt - I verified the truck has it last night. I also verified it doesn't wiggle. At. All. I'm completely in shock.
It's almost like the whole interior has less miles/years on it than the rest of the truck.
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
Yeah, light load, and only make 3-4 E36 M3fs (up or down) on decel and you can nurse it in 4th. But hard upshifts under load is homicide.
I got the hitch installed tonight. I was pleasantly surprised it's actually the correct hitch for the truck, although most of the hardware he gave me wasn't. The nuts for the carriage bolts were missing, but fortunately I had some. One of the bolts was stuck up above the gas tank & I had to drop it an inch to finesse it blindly back into place, but that was the only real struggle.
Oh, and it's sure nice to be able to use the creeper underneath it without jacking it up.
I'm no expert, but wouldn't it have been easier to remove the balls before clogging up the undercarriage?
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
They're not as obscured as it looks, and honestly removing them never crossed my mind.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
I hope thats NOT what she said!
I made some progress today, but ran into one problem - apparently because the truck has 4-wheel ABS a software tool is required to hold the ABS module open to fully bleed the system. So it looks like I'll be limping it over to Firestone tomorrow to fix it. Might have them align it too, as it has about 1.5" of toe-in.
The good news is I got the new calipers & pads installed, as well as an LF wheel bearing - I would have replaced both, but they only had 1 set in stock & it was the noisy one. I also flushed the PS system and it seems way better.
I think the size of the truck masques the massiveness of these wheels. Check out the difference between them & the 275/45-18s from the Vette.
I was really curious what they weigh...
Yeah, they're heavy.
Maybe you can sell them to someone who has a Donk. I was going to say you got some....... But I was beaten to it.
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