I will come right out and say it...I am a noob mechanic!

Been struggling with keeping my 5 sp truck in tip top shape, and have made a few repairs the past month:

New EGR tube
Re-welded exhaust to manifold
O2 Bank 1 & 2 sensors replaced

Last spring replaced:

New plugs and wires
Fuel filter
all 4 shocks
front rotors pads/back pads only


But still having problems with low end performance, and also a overall bumpy ride. Power doesn't seem to kick in until I get it over 2500 rpms. Once it kicks in all is fine, but the hesitation is annoying. I miss the days when I could snap peoples heads back with torque. The gas pedal itself feels like it has some vibration in it as well. Any suggestions/repairs to help free some power?

I consulted a service repair shop about the bumpy ride...Guy looked at the front end and decided it was the pitman arm....So last week I bought one..took it over to my friends garage and he decided the original arm was fine. So its not been replaced. Front end according to him looks fine, nothing is out of place that is noticeable. He suggested an alignment, which is something I HAVE NOT done yet (taking it in tomorrow for that, will definitely post feedback). My other question is would a bad alignment cause a bumpy ride, and cause the steering wheel to jerk left/right over railroad tracks/potholes/small curbs/driveways??

 

Ron, what year is your truck, and how many miles does it have?

Yes, bad allignment will cause all kinds of problems depending on how bad it is.

Just a bit of info for you to know. Our 4.2 truck makes more power in the high end. Basically, you can really feel the power between 2500 and 5500 RPM's. Our redline is 5500 RPM's. If you really want low end power there are a few choices for you:

2 Stage Diablo Chip - $230 -- Nice low end and all around power. I know from experience.
4.10 gears with an LSD rear end - $??? -- Very nice low end power.

Supercharger - $a lot -- obviously the most low end power

Refer to the sticky at the top of our forum entitled Power Recommendations

 

hmm my sig did not come through on the intitial post...

The truck is a 1997 4.2L with 95,000 miles

 

ever have any gasket problems with the truck?

 

Nope, no gasket problems have occurred... Should I look into this more?

 

yea, find out whether or not they have been replaced, not another 97'er wanting to fix gasketss....

 

First off, I purchased the truck in December 1999, with 45,000 miles. Truck was owned by a friend who was a salesman at the dealership. In March 00' I went in to a lubestop for my first oil change and they said my oil pan was leaking. Next week took it in for service at the Dealership, as I had purchased extra 36,000 warranty..Good thing I did that. Bill came to $1000.17, and I just had to pay a $100 deduct.

They replaced my rear oil pan and all the seals/ silicone gaskets for it. Next they removed the manual transmission, and installed a new rear main crankshaft(full circle type).

Thats all the service I ever needed from the dealership during the extent of the extra warranty.

Some more info about last months repair shop visit. They had also removed my exhaust manifolds and resealed them as well as well as the EGR tube.

There have been no leaks from any fluids in my vehicle other than the oil back in 2000.

I have had the same tires for 3 years/30,000 now, and they still have a 1/4 inch of tread on them, and no signs of improper wear in tread. 265/75/R16 AT Roughnecks. I am going to replace them in fall for better winter driving though...

Thanks for everyones feedback/help

 

That sounds like a long living truck in the making . What do you want feedback or help about man? We will be sure to help but to me it sounds like you are good to go!