Tip for drivers of older Chevrolets like my 97 Tahoe

[..]

My oil pressure gage started going doolally and the CHECK GAGES light came on.

Checked dipstick and oil was extremely low. 

Put hand on oil filler cap to remove it and the whole oil filler tube span out of the top of the engine. 

The high temp RTV sealant at the engine end of the oil filler tube was FUBAR. 

Oil had been misting out of there so no smell and no drips below the vehicle.

Cleaned off the old RTV and applied new. Screwed the tube back in, topped up the oil and BINGO

Oil pressure back to normal. 

[HayHauler]

This is one time that an idiot light saved the day.  Glad you seemed to have caught it in time. 

Hay
Jimmyt

[RoadKill]

Should have a thick rubber gskt at the valve cover,not silly sealer. The gasket is a very tight fit so that the cap unscrews before the tube does.

[keepinon]

Should have a thick rubber gskt at the valve cover,not silly sealer. The gasket is a very tight fit so that the cap unscrews before the tube does.

Yup, works that way on the wife's '99 Tahoe, near 170k & has never worked loose. But something else to watch now.

[junior]

its a good thing that i own an '88 back before they improved everything...........lol

another place you want to watch for oil loss is the rockercover gasket 

[Cruzen]

I'll have to go out and check my 55 Belair.

[wdvalk]

I have another tip for chevy owners,BUY A FORD

[Cruzen]

I have another tip for chevy owners,BUY A FORD

I could go on with this one for days but all I have to say is how many 1955-1957 Fords have you ever seen restored or still on the road running?  How many 1955-1957 Chevy's do you see?  For that matter how many pre 1965 full size Fords do you ever see on the road.  Does anyone even remember what a 55 Ford lookes like?  Then there was that little competition between the Ford T-Bird and a car Chevy called the Corvette.  In 1955 Chevy finally put the V8 in the Corvette and in 1957 added the 4 speed and Zora Dontov settled that controversy by driving Ford out of the sports car business till 1964.  The 57 Chevy tail fin is the most recognized automotive symbol of all time though some folks get the year wrong.  A 64 Mustang sellls for around $15K.  A similar condition 64 Corvette sells for around $40K.  It is estimated by SEMA that there are four times as many Chevy engines in hot rods than Ford products and most of those hot rods are original or fiberglass clones of Ford bodies.  It used to be more like a 6 to 1 ration but apparently some rod builders are finally embracing the 5.0 Ford motor in much the same way as they liked the 283-350 Chevy small block.  Oh one more thing.  The small block Chevy motor was in production longer than any other detroit engineered motor and the basic configuration is still in use today.  That's all!!!  Nuf said.  Time to fire up the 55.

[YoungPUP]

" Buy a Ford buy the best drive a mile walk the rest"
" FORD  Fix Or Repair Daily"
"98% of all Fords are still on the road today. The other 2% actually made it home..."

Chevy?  Chevy? Chevy?
Anything?
Going Once...
Going Twice....

[olddog1946]

I have another tip for chevy owners,BUY A FORD

That there ain't no FORD in your profile pic, lol...

I have a 97 Tahoe 2WD with 276000 miles on it...motor rattles for a few minutes after start up, factory used rtv to seal intake ends, and previous owner had injector work done, which the mechanic (?) screwed up by putting in the old style rubbers and rtv to seal the intake and didn't do it properly, so it squirted out the back end leaks oil pretty bad..but not bad enough for me to fix it yet, lol...still runs excellent,,did have to replace the water pump and had a ball joint fail , luckily right in front of my house.. I LOVE MY CHEVY'S

[..]

My old 97 5.3 litre, 305hp, V8 157,000 mile Tahoe gets a constant 15 mpg around town. I don't go above 2,000 rpm unless I need to hustle a little

Friends NEW 2011 Jeep Liberty 4 x 4 has a 3.7 litre, 210hp, V6 and is rated at 15 mpg around town.

THAT'S PATHETIC. That 14 years on there's NO improvement in mpg.

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

I have a 90 V-10 Blazer. It was the last year of the old style with the removeable hard top. The axles and trans case and the trans. have been rebuilt but the 350 engine is the original and the timing chain is the only thing that has been changed in 325,000 miles. Only bad thing about the old truck is with a 6in lift kit and 36in tires is that it's hard for an old guy to get in and it loves gasoline.

[scoot]

One word,
AMC


1976, 63,000 miles. Runs like a over fed elephant.

[olddog1946]

One word,
AMC


1976, 63,000 miles. Runs like a over fed elephant.

Even if it does go belly up, you can turn it over and make an aquarium out of it... 

[Valkahuna]

I have another tip for chevy owners,BUY A FORD

I could go on with this one for days but all I have to say is how many 1955-1957 Fords have you ever seen restored or still on the road running?  How many 1955-1957 Chevy's do you see?  For that matter how many pre 1965 full size Fords do you ever see on the road.  Does anyone even remember what a 55 Ford lookes like?  Then there was that little competition between the Ford T-Bird and a car Chevy called the Corvette.  In 1955 Chevy finally put the V8 in the Corvette and in 1957 added the 4 speed and Zora Dontov settled that controversy by driving Ford out of the sports car business till 1964.  The 57 Chevy tail fin is the most recognized automotive symbol of all time though some folks get the year wrong.  A 64 Mustang sellls for around $15K.  A similar condition 64 Corvette sells for around $40K.  It is estimated by SEMA that there are four times as many Chevy engines in hot rods than Ford products and most of those hot rods are original or fiberglass clones of Ford bodies.  It used to be more like a 6 to 1 ration but apparently some rod builders are finally embracing the 5.0 Ford motor in much the same way as they liked the 283-350 Chevy small block.  Oh one more thing.  The small block Chevy motor was in production longer than any other detroit engineered motor and the basic configuration is still in use today.  That's all!!!  Nuf said.  Time to fire up the 55.

You are kinda jumping all over the map with your pricing games, comparing the cream of the crop to some generic Fords. Try throwing some 55-57 T Birds into that mix, or any year Mustang Shelby. 

Hey, I'm just sayin'. I love all old cars, and personally don't own them or buy them because of what they are worth, rather I buy them and love them because the are unique, and mean something to ME. That's the only person they need to make happy. ME!

Besides, when I do go to a car show, which is seldom, since I'd rather drive my car than sit and talk about it, I hardly ever see another Mercury Cyclone. But... there are always at least a couple of dozen Tri-year chevies. Nothing like exclusivity, I guess. ???

[scoot]

I have another tip for chevy owners,BUY A FORD

I could go on with this one for days but all I have to say is how many 1955-1957 Fords have you ever seen restored or still on the road running?  How many 1955-1957 Chevy's do you see?  For that matter how many pre 1965 full size Fords do you ever see on the road.  Does anyone even remember what a 55 Ford lookes like?  Then there was that little competition between the Ford T-Bird and a car Chevy called the Corvette.  In 1955 Chevy finally put the V8 in the Corvette and in 1957 added the 4 speed and Zora Dontov settled that controversy by driving Ford out of the sports car business till 1964.  The 57 Chevy tail fin is the most recognized automotive symbol of all time though some folks get the year wrong.  A 64 Mustang sellls for around $15K.  A similar condition 64 Corvette sells for around $40K.  It is estimated by SEMA that there are four times as many Chevy engines in hot rods than Ford products and most of those hot rods are original or fiberglass clones of Ford bodies.  It used to be more like a 6 to 1 ration but apparently some rod builders are finally embracing the 5.0 Ford motor in much the same way as they liked the 283-350 Chevy small block.  Oh one more thing.  The small block Chevy motor was in production longer than any other detroit engineered motor and the basic configuration is still in use today.  That's all!!!  Nuf said.  Time to fire up the 55.

You are kinda jumping all over the map with your pricing games, comparing the cream of the crop to some generic Fords. Try throwing some 55-57 T Birds into that mix, or any year Mustang Shelby. 

Hey, I'm just sayin'. I love all old cars, and personally don't own them or buy them because of what they are worth, rather I buy them and love them because the are unique, and mean something to ME. That's the only person they need to make happy. ME!

Besides, when I do go to a car show, which is seldom, since I'd rather drive my car than sit and talk about it, I hardly ever see another Mercury Cyclone. But... there are always at least a couple of dozen Tri-year chevies. Nothing like exclusivity, I guess. ???

Exactly  For the same reason I ride a Valkyrie, and not a black Harley

[Cruzen]

I have another tip for chevy owners,BUY A FORD

I could go on with this one for days but all I have to say is how many 1955-1957 Fords have you ever seen restored or still on the road running?  How many 1955-1957 Chevy's do you see?  For that matter how many pre 1965 full size Fords do you ever see on the road.  Does anyone even remember what a 55 Ford lookes like?  Then there was that little competition between the Ford T-Bird and a car Chevy called the Corvette.  In 1955 Chevy finally put the V8 in the Corvette and in 1957 added the 4 speed and Zora Dontov settled that controversy by driving Ford out of the sports car business till 1964.  The 57 Chevy tail fin is the most recognized automotive symbol of all time though some folks get the year wrong.  A 64 Mustang sellls for around $15K.  A similar condition 64 Corvette sells for around $40K.  It is estimated by SEMA that there are four times as many Chevy engines in hot rods than Ford products and most of those hot rods are original or fiberglass clones of Ford bodies.  It used to be more like a 6 to 1 ration but apparently some rod builders are finally embracing the 5.0 Ford motor in much the same way as they liked the 283-350 Chevy small block.  Oh one more thing.  The small block Chevy motor was in production longer than any other detroit engineered motor and the basic configuration is still in use today.  That's all!!!  Nuf said.  Time to fire up the 55.

You are kinda jumping all over the map with your pricing games, comparing the cream of the crop to some generic Fords. Try throwing some 55-57 T Birds into that mix, or any year Mustang Shelby. 

Hey, I'm just sayin'. I love all old cars, and personally don't own them or buy them because of what they are worth, rather I buy them and love them because the are unique, and mean something to ME. That's the only person they need to make happy. ME!

Besides, when I do go to a car show, which is seldom, since I'd rather drive my car than sit and talk about it, I hardly ever see another Mercury Cyclone. But... there are always at least a couple of dozen Tri-year chevies. Nothing like exclusivity, I guess. ???

I was comparing production vehicles to production vehicles however I understand what you are saying about exclusivity of the Ford products but first off I am talking about production vehicles which are notable.  The Shelby Mustangs that bring the big bucks were not assembly line vehicles.  At least not by Ford.  I am not sure if even the Mustang II Shelby’s were assembled by Ford.  Ford also produced some other speciality vehicles such as the 1963 Ford Lightweight Galaxy or the 1964 Thunderbolt that bring good prices but again they were not assembly line products.  If you consider back shop projects then you can check out the pricing on the original Chevy Corvette Grand Sport cars. There’s way too many zero’s on those prices to count.  Then like the Shelby Mustangs there are the Yenko or Chicago based Nickey Chevrolet or New York based Motion Performance super cars of the 1970’s.  Or the Corvette big block all aluminum L-88 Corvette which was a production car thought few were actually produced.

Though I own tri-five Chevy’s as well as a couple of Corvettes and was an officer in the Desert Classic Chevy Club here in Phoenix/Scottsdale I like most vintage cars.  Some more than others.  Many I raced against in the 1960’s – 70’s.  One of my better friends here in Arizona restored baby Birds (55-57 T-Birds) till he passed away several years ago.  I especially like those cars of any manufacture that are driven and participate in events such as our Route 66 Cruise here in Arizona.  It’s a great time cruising that historic road with all those vintage cars.  My lady and I have also done that trip several times on the Valk but it’s not as much fun for some reason.   

[Valkahuna]

Like I said, I like all old cars. Not a Chevy or GM hater. I also had Vettes, and got tired of seeing myself coming at every turn. To each their own.

You can buy all the body panels to make a complete new body for the Tri-Chevies, or Camaros or Chevelles for that matter. Just too bad most of those panels come from China. The problem is that everything that can be sold for lots of $$ will be made or re-made in big numbers. I guess that brings up another of my pet peeves in the old car hobby. Lots of over-restored cars out there, that are being pawned off as "All Original". They are only "Original" once.

Oops, sorry for hi-jacking the thread about '97 Tahoes. I had a '97 Yukon that had a cracked dash with 3 miles on it when I bought it brand new. The dealer replaced it and it kept cracking about every 3-5,000 miles.   ??? The stealer finally figured out that the bosses the dash screwed to were welded out of place. So... they tried leaving the screws loose, and then it rattled. Also had the GMC "Squak" in the driveline due to the fact the splines were sticking on the drive shaft yoke. It was so bad that under braking, the rear of the truck suspension jacked up, and then, when accellerating hard, it would finally make the splines slide of the yoke, the truck would "Squak" and settle back down. GMC came out it a new Nickel plated Yoke, but they wanted me to pay for it. Yeah, right!!!  Also had suspension issues. Not a happy 60,000 miles until I had enough.

Never did have any oil leaks on the Yukon. Later I had an '04 GMC Sierra 4X4 with the 5.3. Great motor, and I loved the truck. No oil leak issues, although it did have porous heads, which made anti-freeze mysteriously disappear. Still a great truck though. I sold it at 100,000 miles. Man, I did love that truck, and even though it's been gone a year, I miss it a lot!

[justooneez]

should probably keep quiet, but cant resist

anyone know what the ford pinto is short for?

Paid Inspector Nicely To Overlook

 

[wdvalk]

blah chevy blah,thought we were talkin late model,late model chevys are made by the same people who make soda cans,best selling trucks by a landslide would be the f series

[R J]

" Buy a Ford buy the best drive a mile walk the rest"
" FORD  Fix Or Repair Daily"
"98% of all Fords are still on the road today. The other 2% actually made it home..."

Chevy?  Chevy? Chevy?
Anything?
Going Once...
Going Twice....

(F)  -  Firkin
(O) -  Old
(R) -  Recycled
(D) -  Dodge.

[wdvalk]

wow ,you can spell,im impressed

[RoadKill]

Ford,Chevy,Ford,Chevy,F..... all GENERIC!  Remember when Oldsmobile was an Oldsmobile and a Mercury was a Mercury ?  Now you just have to decide on what name badge your Mitsubishi wears   

The REAL cars are none of the above! 

[wdvalk]

Chevy vs Ford	powered by Aeva

[wdvalk]

Ford Super Duty vs. Dodge Diesel	powered by Aeva

[flcjr]

So this post has gone off track but being a gm tech for 17 years I can bet my next paycheck that this was not the source of the low oil level in your tahoe. you have anther problem !!!!

[..]

So this post has gone off track but being a gm tech for 17 years I can bet my next paycheck that this was not the source of the low oil level in your tahoe. you have anther problem !!!!

Nope. Seems that was the problem.

Oil level has been fine since.

[MNBill]

+1 jlcjr He said the intake was leaking externally and if the intake on the Tahoe is leaking out of the engine it is probably leaking internally too. Love my Chevies but intake gasket replacement is cosidered routine maintance, 3.0 Lumina, two 4.3 Blazers my children drove. On the Duramax, approaching 100000 miles I hope the head gaskets hold out another 50000 (fingers crossed here) but it still beats the 6.0 Ford diesel in quality.

[Robert]

My 91 GMC c1500 with 350 and 185k is still the daily driver at work.   I like Fords and the new ones go for alot of miles but need the engine repaired you'll wind up replacing it.

[Jess Tolbirt]

well i remember when i was turning wrenches bac from '75 to around '83 or so i had to go to work for chevy dealer because there wasnt enough work at the ford dealer to keep busy...we could always count on chevys breaking down,,

[flcjr]

That was my guess too with out seeing it but I see now way the oil filler could leak enough oil between oil changes to cause that problem unless oil changes are every 10000 miles. I would suspect that the old syle intake gasket broke and sagged inbetween 2 and 4 or 3 and 5 and the engine is sucking oil into the intake ports there. The oem gaskets are made much better and I have not seen them fail once installed properly.  If you want to keep your headgaskets intact on your duramax do not use any kind of power up device or programmer they have proven to be the cause of headgasket failures.