Chevrolet - Avalanche :: 2003 (5.3L) Suddenly Started Losing Oil
Dec 23, 2012
My 2003 Avalanche (5.3L) suddenly started losing oil, 2 quarts since my last oil change (3,000 mi). There is no evidence of it leaking and no apparent smoking, so when I went to get my oil changed today I was telling my mechanic about it. They couldn't find any evidence of a leak either. Then when the pulled the fill plug on the transfer case fluid poured out, a lot of fluid. They are the only ones that service this vehicle so we were puzzled as to how it could be overfilled, especially by so much. Then I got to thinking, the engine has lost about two quarts of oil and the transfer case has mysteriously gained a bunch, possibly two quarts. So the question is, is it possible that the engine oil is somehow moving into the transfer case?
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My 03 Chev Avalanche is giving me a P0300 code (multiple or random misfire). With no distributor or individual coil is this something I can fix myself or is it shop time?
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I'm a single mom and really dependent on my car for my job and my kids... I have a 1995 Chevy Camaro 6-cylinder, and I am having engine problems... in the mornings, my car starts fine, but if I drive more than a few minutes and turn it off, she doesn't want to start up again. It turns over just fine, but it sputters and refuses to stay started. After a couple of tries, I can get it going, I rev the engine, and a cloud of dark smoke (not blue and smells like gasoline) comes out. I also smell gas strongly when the engine idles after everything smooths out. Sparkplugs, fuel filter, oil, air filter, belts, hoses, all have been replaced recently, catalytic converter is only four years old, and car has 178,000 miles on it. What I may be dealing with? I'm also losing acceleration/power when I try to speed up...
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Two weeks ago, my '05 Malibu suddenly shut off as I started up from a light. I was low on gas and assumed that was the problem. I went straight to a gas station & filled up, and it seemed like everything was ok. However, twice in the last 3 days, it has happened again (with plenty of gas in the tank)--once going uphill on a highway and once rolling along at 30 mph on a city street. The engine and traction control lights come on and the message center says "Engine disabled" or "engine power reduced". I tried driving slowly with "power reduced" but it immediately switched to "disabled" and shut off. So far, if I pull over, shut everything off, and wait for a minute, I can start it again and drive on with no problem.
My dad has an '04 Impala with a somewhat similar problem, but instead of shutting off, it won't start. Nothing happens when you turn the key. If you wait about 20 minutes, it will often start and run fine. He had the engine computer replaced and it was great for a few months, but now the problem is back. He can often tell when it's going to have an 'episode' because either the security or traction control message will come up. Is this the same issue my Malibu has? What issue does my Malibu have?
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i recently purchased a 2007 Chevy Avalanche 4WD (75K miles) and much to my chagrin, in the first week, i detected a noise that has steadily become worse. the dealership (a Chevrolet dealer) has not been able to determine the cause. I've had it back four times already. The noise always occurs between 45-60mph (not rpm-related) there is a groaning sound and it is accompanied by a vibration in the steering wheel. it is especially notcieable when going around turns in the road at these speeds.
The dealer said it might be related to the alternative fuel management (DOD), but i deactivated the AFM and the noise is still there. I suspected wheel hubs but they checked and said the hubs are fine. The other day as i heard the noise i dropped it out of overdrive down into "3" and the noise suddenly disappearred. All gear shifts are fine, but this was somewhat alarming. I am beginning to think this might be related to the transfer case or front differential? maybe this would be good for "Stump the Chump" ?
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My avalanche ac is not working correctly. The ac is not cold at all and blows out hot air when it stops. I refilled it with freon and it still doesn't get any colder. What might be the problem? And also even though I turn the ac up high, it doesn't blow very hard. (I used the gauge when refilling freon, so no overfilled).
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I have a 2002 Avalanche 2500 4w drive with the 8.1L engine. The problem is that it is leaking oil, but only after a long drive. Plus the leak happens like a spray after the car has been sitting for more than 20 minutes. The oil is leaking from IN FRONT of the driver's side front tire and I can't see any oil up on the car. The oil leak only leaks for a short time and then stops until the next long drive. The truck has 118,000 miles.
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Have a 2002 avalanche Z71. Transmission was rebuilt 33k ago. It currently shifts a little hard going from 1 to 2nd. Real problem shows up between 40 mph and 50 mph. It suddenly shifts into overdrive which drops the engine rpm waaay down and starts lugging the engine.
Took it back to the guys who did the rebuild. They drove it around and noticed that the computer reported no codes. They claimed it was the TPS and said to replace it. I did. Problem is still there.
Took it to a highly trusted mechanic. They said they think the valve body needs replacing but they don't do transmissions. The guy they recommend drove it around and he thinks it is the torque converter.
I am wondering what causes the computer to decide when it is time to shift into overdrive and I am wondering if there is some sensor that has gone whacko and needs to be replaced instead of starting to tear the transmission apart.
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I have a 04 chevy avalanche, when I turn on the cold air the drivers side blows hot air and the passengers side blows the cold air.
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I have a 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche with the 5.3 V-8. When one goes to start the engine it continues cranking (sometimes) after the engine starts and you let go of the key . Sometimes it only does it momentarily; sometimes you have to manually bring the key back so it stops cranking. I have gotten several opinions. Some say ignition switch in the steering column; others say starter/solenoid; others say electrical problem such as a relay. Problem is it only does it sporadically and it never does it when I take it to the shop. What the problem is ?
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I don't know how the story ended with the 07 4WD Avalanche with the unidentifiable noise - he said, "The noise always occurs between 45-60mph (not rpm-related) there is a groaning sound and it is accompanied by a vibration in the steering wheel. it is especially noticeable when going around turns.."He went on to say that he checked the hubs and they were fine, and decided that he would replace the tranny. I sure hope that fixed it.I had the same problem on my 07 4WD Avi, and the hubs checked just fine, smooth as silk, with no loose play at all. But on a 1000+ mile trip just a few days later, the groaning and vibration grew worse, but only when I went around a left curve. I barely made it to my destination - the right hub failed. If it had been groaning and vibrating when turning right, it would've been the left hub. I replaced both at the same time.
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I have a 2004 Chev Avalanche. Several times recently my check engine light comes on, the truck dings 3 times at me and a dash script tells me to tighten my fuel cap. I do and the light goes out within a few hours or the next day. I have changed fuel caps twice. This week the light came on, has not gone off and at least 3 time it has told me to tighten the fuel cap which I have done.
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I have an 02 Avalanche 1500 4wd z71. It has 173000 miles. Noticed a clunking noise under driver side when slowly taking off. If I floor it there is no sound at all. This only happens when vehicle is on 2wd mode. If I put it on auto 4wd there is no more clunking. The noise sound like two pcs of bare metal are hitting each other. What this could be.
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I have a 2003 Tahoe that I love but is driving me crazy with a "Reduced Engine Power" message. I am driving along and suddenly it dings at me, the message center says "reduced engine power" and I am losing speed. It goes into a "limp mode" in which I cannot accelerate, it cannot pull itself up a hill, and the engine misses badly. I can pull over, shut it off for a couple of minutes and then start it up and run again just fine until it decides to do it again.
There seems to be no rhyme or reason, one day it did it 4 times w/n the first 20 miles, then ran 100 miles w/o doing it at all. I recently took it on a trip that normally takes me 1 1/2 hours, it took 2 1/4 hrs that day because I had to pull over so many times. I was having to stop every 3-4 miles by the time I got there. My usual mechanic has completely given up, told me to trade it. I have had it to another mechanic for over a month now, 3 times he has thought it was fixed, but it wasn't. One time, I didn't even make it the 5 miles to my house before it acted up again.
One other note on this: this past trip I made, I left early in the morning and my lights were flickering high/low. . . this went on for several miles. Finally my lights quit flickering, then I lost engine power, pulled over, shut it off. When I started it back up, the lights started flickering again. The cycle seemed to continue, once the lights would settle, the engine would lose power. I took it to a parts store and had the battery and alternator checked. They said both were fine. (Had never noticed the light thing before, but I can't think of a recent trip after dark.) How I can pass along to my mechanic?
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I have an 03 with a 6.0 diesel, going down the road and started losing power and then died. Won't start, and I don't have a scan gauge. Several sources said ipr valve, and from videos on youtube I thought may be a good place to start. I bought a socket and pulled the valve, to check the screen. There is no screen whatsoever on the ipr. The oils clean, as I had changed it about 200 miles ago, and I ran a magnet in the hole looking for a screen, couldn't find anything so I used my fluid pump in the hole. No trash, screen or anything. Do some ipr valves not have screens? What would be my next step??
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I have been puzzled to why my truck isn't running right. We were driving down the highway one day and*then all of the sudden it starts running really rough. I changed MAF sensor, plugs and plug wires, oil change, fuel filter and air filter. Still doing the same thing. What this could be? 2003 ford sport trac..
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My 4.2 liter F150 suddenly started missing under load. A little background: It is a late 2003 and has 75k miles. It has been in my family since new, and I have had it for the last 4 years. This truck is as stock as they come, and has been well maintained.
On my way to work yesterday, it began missing. Not bad at first, but got worse. It misses while under load and under acceleration. The "check engine light" never came on. I have not put fuel in in several days, and it ran fine until now, so I doubt it is bad fuel. I started the engine after dark and looked for arcing. None visible, and I even sprayed the wires with a mist of water. I pulled the plugs and they all look normal. The gaps were all way too large, so I regapped the plugs to .054". I pulled the coil pack and it checks within range with my VOM. Can the coil pack be the problem even though it checks out on the bench? Can the large plug gaps have contributed to a coil pack failure?
Where to start. I HATE just throwing parts at this thing, and I don't like wasting money... If I let one of the auto parts stores run a scan, will it show a code even though I have no check engine light? I used to think of myself as a pretty good diagnostician, but then again, when I used to spend a lot of time under the hood, those cars had points, condensers and carburetors...
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I have a 2001 F150 4.6L auto. This truck suddenly started running rough. Cleared all codes and re-scanned after starting truck. The codes are as follows; P0135, P0155, P0443, P0740, P0743, P0758, P1451, P1460, P1747, and P1760.
My question is; is it normal to have this many DTCs come up at once? Could my PCM be faulty causing this problem? Can you swap a pcm from the same year truck with the same options without reprogramming?
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My 2003 Malibu engine will stop running all of a sudden while I'm driving. It has happened four times and I need to know why before the car kills me. The accelerator pedal goes limp and within ten seconds the check oil light comes on, the check engine light comes on, the power steering quits and then the engine dies. AAA mechanics had this car for four days and couldn't figure it out. My local mechanic has had it for five days and hasn't figured it out. I have looked on the internet and I am not alone. But there is no definitive solution to this problem. BTW, it's not the fuel pump.
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I was driving my truck then all sudden truck started losing power then slowly died. I restarted it, it was a lil shacky then died again. Iunscrewed the fuel filter and looked in the housing and there was lil fuel in bowl i turned the key to on position and bowl did not fill with fuel looked as if it were shooting some bubbles up(air) could it be outta of fuel???
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I am fairly new to powerstrokes, but have a general understanding how the 7.3l operates, and how the fuel system works.
The problem i am experiencing is a crank, no start. The truck has been great for the year and a half that i have owned it. Always cranked great and never any starting or running issues. One day upon cranking, i started the motor; it started normal running good for a minute until the motor suddenly started shuttering and then the motor shut off, happened rather quickly. The truck started up immediately after that and died....repeating the shutter until dead. Now the truck will not start.
Specs on truck:
2002 7.3l
230,000 miles
Manual transmission
Here's what i have replaced so far:
New parts include:
IPR (motorcraft)
ICP (motorcraft)
EBPV (napa)
CPS (napa)
IDM (reman)
Here are some of the diagnostic values i have collected during cranking: (FYI: i am a little confused on what the values mean and what they should be in order for the motor to start):
ICP: 2218 psi
ICP duty cycle: 41%
EBP: 265 kpa
battery voltage: 12.0
Rpm: 355
Things i have checked so far:
Oil is new and level is good.
WTS light cycles as normal.
Fuel bowl is full and over flows with cap off while cranking.
Fuel tank is above half.
Glow plug relay is good.
I was throwing a code for the PCM, but i removed the bully dog tuner and the code has since cleared.
HPOP oil is an inch below full.
I made a gauge set and dead headed HPOP yielding 1500psi.
Upon cranking i am seeing some smoke, i guess, but its kind of hard to tell from the drivers seat.
This is where i am at so far. I don't have a way to buzz test the injectors or tell if they are leaking past the orings. I have the valve covers removed, but i have been putting off pulling the injectors to replace the orings.
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