I own a 1997 C1500 Chevy Truck that has been nothing but trouble from day one.in the 19 months since it went out of warranty I've spent approximately $1500 on repairs for all sorts of nitpicky crap - tail-lights, battery, alternator, belt, belt idler-tensioner, various fuses that blow repeatedly - but by far the most troublesome aspect is its cooling system.
Today I picked it up from the dealer's shop after they had 1) pulled the radiator and had it "rodded" out and flushed, 2) replaced the water pump, 3) replaced the thermostat, 4) replaced the heater core, 5) flushed the engine block and all the hoses, and 6) replaced the heater nipple. All this because the heater quit putting out warm air.
About a year ago I had it in the shop for the same problem, the cause of which they said was a coolant leak in which the intake manifold gasket would need to be replaced. I raised hell with them then and brought to their attention the question "If the coolant is leaking out from the intake manifold gasket, how is it that the engine isn't overheating?" After much hemming and hawing they said they would be able to fix the problem for about $90 instead of the originally quoted $380.
The bill I'm looking at for today's little foray is $700 and change. The supposed cause they gave me this time is that the entire cooling system was plugged up with "gunk and crud" (their exact words) and the water pump was leaking at the joint where it is put together. What has yet to be explained to my satisfaction is why the corrosion in the cooling system resulted in the first place? I have not added anything to the cooling system since I bought the truck new, because it has not needed any coolant according to the mark on the coolant reservoir located near the firewall. If neither I nor anyone else has added anything to the cooling system, it must be a defect owing to chemical/material incompatibility.
I know that GM has been using a new type of antifreeze/coolant the last several years. Even the service advisor at the dealer told me that the 97 and 98 model trucks are prone to cooling system trouble and he surmised some problem with the antifreeze himself. One of my good friends was the service manager at a Honda dealer until recently and told me of encountering the same sort of problems with 97 and 98 model GM trucks that they took in on trade or had bought at auction.
Has anyone else experienced any problem like this?
What am I to do?
"Like a rock" my ass; more like a mudpie!!
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