2004 Chevrolet Silverado Z71

[RollingsFarms]

just curious how many owners of these there are on here. figured i'd ask some "free" questions about proper maintinance for long life. ive had my truck for a little over 3 years(bought new in March '04) and have 42,600 miles so far. only problems were replacing guages(speedometer failure) and a few other minor details, all covered by warranty. i am very happy with the truck, and i hope to make it last for many many years and miles to come. any tips or suggestions to make this happen?

 

[8561]

I have an '03 GMC Sierra Z71 with about 53,000 on it. It's been pretty decent. I tow mine a fair amount so I change the transmission fluid/filter every 25-30K mikes. In case you haven't done it yet, the clunking noise you hear in your steering wheel is an intermediate steering shaft. Some can be lubed, others need to be replaced.

 

[RollingsFarms]

i like the GMC's. when i was shopping, i had it narrowed down to the truck i have now, and a GMC that was identical to my truck. i just couldnt justify or talk myself into spending the extra $$$ for basically the same truck with a different frond end and name on the front. are there any true differences between the two other than appearance? i havent heard a clunking noise in my steering column, nor do i have any "road noise" coming from the window seals as ive heard many people mention. maybe im lucky and got a truck that was made on a Wednesday?lol ill be sure to listen for rattles and squeaks though, thanks for the heads up. the only problems ive encountered were the guages failing at 36,000, and the pedals developing surface rust at 19,000 miles. i change my fuel filter every 30,000 miles, use Mobil 1 synthetic(the one for 4x4 trucks and hard use).

 

[8561]

If you haven't done a steering shaft at 42,000 on an '04, you're one of the very few. You'll hear and feel a clunking in the column. If my memory serves, it has something to do with the routing of the exhaust that causes additional heat and negatively impacts the greasing in the column.

As far as differences Chevy to GMC, I'm not aware of significant differences that aren't appearance based. I went with the Envoy over the Trailblazer for my wife, and I believe they are mostly cosmetic as well. The real reason on the Envoy was because it was the only one in '05 that I could find with the 5.3 V8 during the employee pricing days. Dealer had to go two states away to trade for an Envoy with a V8 for me.

 

[Chuck_Lind]

Have a 2005 Silverado Z-71 with the 310hp engine, tow package, 4WD, 4:10 rear-end, etc.

Great truck...love it!! I've towed over 7000 lbs. 500+ miles and it was easy.

I get around 18-20 on the highway driving 60 mph or so. In towing...around 12-14 mpg.

Only have 14,000+ miles on it so far; plan on keeping it for a long time.

 

[8561]

I can't figure out why I don't get better mileage with mine. Mine is the 5.3 V8 ext cab with a 3.73 rear end and I get 16, maybe 17 with it. I live a couple miles from the Interstate and I do push 75 most of the time, so that's probably why. I tow a 23' hybrid camper in the summer that runs over 6000 lbs loaded and the mileage drops down to 10 or 11.

My wife's Envoy V8 has the 3.42 rear end as well as Displacement on Demand and I get 17-18 with that.

 

[RollingsFarms]

I can't figure out why I don't get better mileage with mine. Mine is the 5.3 V8 ext cab with a 3.73 rear end and I get 16, maybe 17 with it. I live a couple miles from the Interstate and I do push 75 most of the time, so that's probably why. I tow a 23' hybrid camper in the summer that runs over 6000 lbs loaded and the mileage drops down to 10 or 11.

My wife's Envoy V8 has the 3.42 rear end as well as Displacement on Demand and I get 17-18 with that.

i'm in the same boat as you...i generally get 16-17mpg around town. i one of the main reasons i bought an '04 instead of waiting for the 05's was because of the 3:73 rear end. thats the smallest id ever have in a truck since i do some towing around the farm. 4:10 would suit me better, but they are hard to find and i didnt have time to specifically order a truck, and couldnt find one that i liked that had the 4:10 in it.

 

[George2615]

Quote by 8561:
I can't figure out why I don't get better mileage with mine. Mine is the 5.3 V8 ext cab with a 3.73 rear end and I get 16, maybe 17 with it. I live a couple miles from the Interstate and I do push 75 most of the time, so that's probably why. I tow a 23' hybrid camper in the summer that runs over 6000 lbs loaded and the mileage drops down to 10 or 11.


I had an 02 1/2 ton EC 4x4 with locking diff, (but not a Z71)3.73 and 4.8 engine. Best I got not towing was 15.5 MPG and about 8 MPG towing 6500#. Traded it in for an 05 3/4T EC 4x4 Duramax / Allison and now at 27K I'm averaging 20 MPG empty and 14-15 towing

 

[jayhaitch]

So then explain why my '01 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer, 5.4 Triton, 3.55 rearend with all synthetic fluids in the driveline only makes 16-18 US mpg hwy and 11-13 pure city? GM's do seem to make better mileage than Fords or Dodge's. I think my rather lousy fuel consumption must be due the pseudo-AWD feature. There is no pure 2wd. When in 2wd, it's actually always spinning the transfer case gears by my understanding, and if the ECM notes rear wheel slippage, it activates a solenoid that locks up the front wheel for quick 4wd. It does work well, but I assume the extra driveline losses with this configuration is why the mileage isn't better.

I'm getting about 12 mpg towing my tandem utility trailer with OD off.

I can hardly wait till the Big 3 wise up and make a torquey mid size 6 cylinder diesel for half ton pickups/full size SUV's.

If Mercedes can make a 388 ft lb 6 cylinder diesel sedan that's faster than the gas powered model, come on Big 3, more diesels!

PS: Chuck Linds's 310 hp 4.10 geared fuel consumption makes me want his truck

George2615's mileage shows underpowering a vehicle can actually increase fuel consumption. Stomping on the gas all the time to keep it moving also uses fuel. More power Scotty!

 

[George2615]

So then explain why my '01 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer, 5.4 Triton, 3.55 rearend with all synthetic fluids in the driveline only makes 16-18 US mpg hwy and 11-13 pure city? GM's do seem to make better mileage than Fords or Dodge's. I think my rather lousy fuel consumption must be due the pseudo-AWD feature. There is no pure 2wd. When in 2wd, it's actually always spinning the transfer case gears by my understanding, and if the ECM notes rear wheel slippage, it activates a solenoid that locks up the front wheel for quick 4wd. It does work well, but I assume the extra driveline losses with this configuration is why the mileage isn't better.

I'm getting about 12 mpg towing my tandem utility trailer with OD off.

I can hardly wait till the Big 3 wise up and make a torquey mid size 6 cylinder diesel for half ton pickups/full size SUV's.

If Mercedes can make a 388 ft lb 6 cylinder diesel sedan that's faster than the gas powered model, come on Big 3, more diesels!

PS: Chuck Linds's 310 hp 4.10 geared fuel consumption makes me want his truck

George2615's mileage shows underpowering a vehicle can actually increase fuel consumption. Stomping on the gas all the time to keep it moving also uses fuel. More power Scotty!

That was what I thought when I originally bought the 02. A small V-8 with 3.73 gears rated to tow 8500# would get better mileage than a bigger engine. Boy, was I wrong. That engine surely had to work harder and got less MPG.