Silverado gas tank strap failure!!

[bwag]

Yesterday morning on the way to breakfast a loud scraping noise started coming from under my 2000 Silverado shorty. When I stopped to troubleshoot ,I found my gas tank sitting on the ground with both straps rusted off.Thanks to a ratcheting cargo strap I got the tank lifted up and was able to drive to a local service station.We lifted it up and were able to install 2 new straps without a lot of trouble. Just a heads up to all the pickup drivers, the factory straps were dipped in some sort of rubber coating and rusted off without any tell tale signs on the outside.If you have a high mile truck do yourself a favor and change your tank straps before they fail. The gas station techs claim they are changing a lot of these along with the rusty rear leaf spring shakles.

[PxTx]

I've seen a trend of rusty brake lines and gas tank straps on all of the domestics trucks from about 1999 to ? At least 2005, but time will tell where it stops. I think they probably had the same supplier. NE states probably are sei g it first. Thanks for the reminder.

[Xplantdad]

Wow...thanks for the heads up!!

[Salvatore]

did brake lines and other support straps on my 1998 GMC Sierra. My rust issues surfaced on the way back from BBBenny's mountain top home in Lehighton. What a roller coaster trip down. Good thing for double reservoirs. Other than that, it went 251,000 miles with no real or hardly any rust issues anywhere.

[Mr.Nickey Nova]

All three of my 40 plus year old cars have there original fuel and brake lines with no issues.My 05 Silverado on the other hand are all rusted, including the frame is getting bad.GM safing money on using cheaper materials?? I say...

[PxTx]

I'm not sure any 40 year old vehicle would hold up any better given the elements and road treatments they put on the roads. The issues I see don't seem to be happening in warmer climates. Before we blame GM for cheap steel, let's acknowledge a changing environment could be a contributing factor.

FYI, Toyota has had a major frame rot issue on trucks within the same vintage.

[Tommy]

I have 494,000 miles on my 95 silverado and the underside looks as good as the top side. I just don't drive it up North.... We don't salt our roads in Alabama, we use sand and in the last few years they started putting that messy spray on the roads in some areas. I used to work in Murray, KY around all the car rebuilders that were bringing cars back each week from auctions. I saw almost brand new trucks on lifts having all the fuel and brake lines replaced from rust. Tank straps were bad and the frames had patches welded in and undercoated to hide things. All these trucks and cars were coming from Northern States. Even the big car carriers trailers were falling apart and wouldn't pass DOT inspections from the rust in the frames. The few times I got caught up North in my truck in the winter it almost made me sick.


Tommy <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/3gears.gif

[Big Block Bill]

We replace rusted brake &amp; fuel lines all the time on anything over 5 years old. It doesn't matter if it is a GM, Ford, or Chrysler. I had a Tech leave me (Wife had health problems &amp; needed to live in a warmer climate) and go to a Palm Bay Florida Chevy dealer. He says they get 2 year old cars &amp; truck in all the time that are stored by the Ocean with rusted brake lines. GM says it is an &quot;Environmental Problem&quot; and NOT a design flaw, so they will not warranty the repairs. So its not just the &quot;Rust Belt&quot; vehicles that get rusty lines &amp; straps

Bill

[twertsy]

Very disheartening how they pawn off design flaws on owner / driver habits. When you have some spare time, read This thread (http://www.raptorforumz.com/showthread.php?t=14208) on F-150 Raptor frames bending. CLEARLY a design flaw, but automakers won't step up.

[Mr.Nickey Nova]

Never had these problems with my 80 Blazer or 85 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup.Both sat outside all the time, same as my 05 truck,and same climate.I started seeing the issues we are talking about with my 92 Silverado, which i owned for 13 yrs.

[PxTx]

I suspect newer road treatments like the stuff Tommy mentioned. The call it brine up here. Anytime before a storm they go out with these tanker trucks and you see the lines on the road where the streams of this juice are laid. I don't think the stuff is very good for any metal.

I would love for my trucks to get a hard lune and strap overhaul for free. I'm just not convinced that GM ownes the problem or solution. The fact is, I own the 2001 truck and the 2000 Yukon and they have been really great trucks with a low cost of ownership. Other than this one issue- the trucks have exceeded all expectations.

[Mr.Nickey Nova]

Alot of local towns around the Chicago area are starting to use the brine treatment.State and county roads i haven't seen this yet.My truck has been a good truck also,except for a wheel bearing replacement at 23,000 miles,not good.Waiting for the other one to start making noise.I hear this is a common problem with Chevy trucks.

[njsteve]

I think all this rusty brake line talk jinxed me! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/no.gif

It's been an eventful day to say the least. I was heading down south to pick up my latest acquisition this morning. I got five miles out of town with my 1995 K2500 Suburban and 24 foot enclosed trailer. I went to stop at a 4 way major intersection when the light just turned yellow. The brake pedal went to the floor. The front steel line burst three inches from the brake hose. Luckily there was no one in the intersection and I was able to stop the truck with the trailer brakes.

The other lucky part was that I was 100 yards from my buddy's garage and he was able to create a new steel line, remove the old one, install it and bleed the brakes, all in one hour. I was then on my way, again. I got down the Southern Jersey and picked the car up and got back home around 4:00 PM. I'm exhausted.

Does anyone make brake line kits for these trucks or do we have to fabricate the entire system from scratch?

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2013/09/full-1359-6401-p1010055.jpg

[resto4u]

Call Right Stuff. I got new lines for my 93 chevy truck. Roger

[Big Block Bill]

1995 K-2500 Suburban! With a Big Block there is nothing like them. Ordered my first (1993) then a 1999, then a 2005, and I just got a 2013 with a the biggest engine they make, a 6.0 dreaded Small Block! It is constantly hunting for a gear while towing, sounds like a Circus Organ. My dealer told me GM is no longer making a 2500 Suburban ever again, so it was now or never. Some of the main fuel lines are still available, but we have not been able to get any brake lines through Chevrolet, we make our own.

Bill

[njsteve]

I bought the 95 K2500 Suburban brand new. I loved that one-year-only Atlantic Blue color. 120,000 miles on it now. Spent two years in Florida and the rest up in the East Coast. Luckily most of the rear lines are good due to GM's standard self-rustproofing option (leaking rear end seal). I used that truck to bring my kids home from the hospital when they were born and just dropped my daughter off at college with that truck. (When we dropped her off at college, she said if I told another person that &quot;hospital story&quot; again, she would scream.) <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[njsteve]

Looks like Classic Tube sells the kit for the K2500 Suburban: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cst-ct1215-ss/applications/?prefilter=1

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Big Block Bill</div><div class="ubbcode-body">a 6.0 dreaded Small Block! It is constantly hunting for a gear while towing, </div></div>

Not with a 4.10 gear! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif

[Big Block Bill]

Every Big Block K-2500 Suburban I had previously was ordered with a 4:10 gear. In 2013 the only gear available was a 3:73. I can't complain about the fuel mileage when I am not towing a 10,000 lb. Boat or 8,000 lb. Car Trailer though, 17.5 mpg verses 12.5 mpg with the Big Block. This new Suburban does has a 6 speed transmission and it is better appointed inside with Navigation and dual DVD's. You got to Love technology, but I sure miss the torque of the Big Block!.

Bill

[68l30]

Fyi,

Remember to check your spare tire cables too. I had one break on my 94 and always check and lube the one on my 04. The hook rusted right off and I lost the tire at 70 MPH , while trailering. It kicked up and jammed under the tongue and made a heck of a mess.



BIG

[Jeff H]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Looks like Classic Tube sells the kit for the K2500 Suburban: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cst-ct1215-ss/applications/?prefilter=1

</div></div>

Steve, I think I went with the Classic Tube SS lines for my 2001 Silverado. It took a lot of loosening and re-tightening to get them fully seated in the ABS module so they wouldn't have a slow drip. That would be my only complaint. I did all the work myself in the driveway but my truck also has a 1.5&quot; body lift and that helped a lot with the sections that go over the frame between the body.

[njsteve]

Yeah. I hate stainless steel lines because they are so damn hard to get to not leak.

The guy at Classic Tube said they don't make the lines in regular steel because no one buys them. I told him that no one buys them because you don't sell them! He couldn't understand my argument.

He also said you have to tighten them twice as tight as regular lines. Oh really? What happens when you are tightening them into something like the soft metal ABS module and not a cast iron master cylinder????? <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/mad.gif

[PxTx]

I've never uses SS lines for that reason. Someone told me they sell special copper seat washers to help them seal.

Dealer still stocked my 2000 Yukon lines as of 2011.

[njsteve]

I replaced all the brake lines, calipers, and rubber hoses in the 1995 Suburban over the weekend. It took 12 hours at my buddy's shop. When we finished late Saturday night, I noticed that we must have bumped the fuel lines because several of them were wet and dripping diesel fuel. Turns out we then had to replace all of the diesel fuel lines as they had the exact same rust condition as the brake lines. On Sunday we spent four hours remaking them by hand from 5/16&quot; and 3/8&quot; tubing.

We had to drop the fuel tank to get to the ends where they were crimped to rubber lines for the final foot or two to the tank pickup. Those crimped ends were so fragile that if you bent them more than a couple degrees off angle, they snapped like they were made of glass. Very scary! The worst sections were where you could not see the rust on the lines.

Here is the moral of the story: if your brake lines are rusty, then your fuel lines are just as rusty if not more.

[Tommy]

Not many people buy a 6.5 Turbo Diesel new and still own and drive it 18 yrs later... Your either one of the lucky ones or you have become a good GM diesel mechanic in the last 2 decades.


Tommy <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/3gears.gif

[njsteve]

Yes, the first part by sheer luck and the second part by sheer desperation.
<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

It's been a great truck. 120,000 miles on it in 18 years. Been through several injection pumps early, while under warranty, when they wouldn't just admit they had a heat sinc problem and just replace the PMD module. It has the PMD relocated behind the front bumper, leaky oil cooler lines replaced three times (by me) and just well maintained. At 100,000 miles I replaced the injectors and glow plugs. It didn't appear to have needed it, though.

A year ago I installed the Heath Diesel computer chip (OBD-1 system) and boost controller. That really picked the power up and also reprograms the 48LE trans and lockup converter. It went from barely 180 hp to around 225 (I estimate it but it really is a noticeable improvement without putting too much boost into the engine). It pulls much better now and can actually make it up the big hills in PA without having to run down the one hill at 90 to get up the next hill at 50.

Mileage has always been around 13 (empty) and 10 mpg towing a loaded 24 foot trailer.

Oh, and over the weekend I also replaced the original brake proportioning valve that GM refused to recall on all of its pickups and Suburbans 1992-99. If you complained about the fact that 95% of your braking was being done by the front wheels and that it pulled to one side under hard braking, they pulled your prop valve and replaced it with one that more evenly distributed the braking pressure.

Owners (like me) who only found out about the problem years later when they wondered why, at 120,000 miles, they still have the original rear shoes with 3/8&quot; of material left on them, got left out in the cold.

The rear drums have never been off and are now rust-welded to the axle flanges. I just bought new drums, shoes, springs and wheel cylinders in the event we can find a sledge hammer big enough to get those 75 lb. drums off the truck.

Here's a link to the article describing the problem:
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/63-gm-d...5-24-001-a.html (http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/63-gm-diesel-engines/21-6-5l-diesel-engine/231646-suburban-owners-brakes-pulling-tsb-99-05-24-001-a.html)

[britgrnz]

Steve, where did you get the prop. valve,and did it seem to work? I've been dealing with these GM trucks regularly.I know how it ts with rusty brake drum removal problems.Around here i call it Wisconsin lock tight.Thanks.

[njsteve]

I bought the new Delco prop valve on amazon.com and paid around $165 for it. The braking has improved now that the rear brakes are actually being used. Stops straighter, too

[njsteve]

I rechecked and actually I paid $130.

Just search for &quot;ACDelco 12548265 Brake Valve&quot; (for the 1995-99 unit)on Amazon and you'll get a bunch of results.

[Big Block Bill]

GM came out with a bulletin back in 1999: #99-05-24-001A that has you install a Brake Combination Valve off of a 1/2 ton part # (92-94) 15650150 or part # (95 &amp; newer) 12548265. We had great success with this on any GM 2500 Pickup, Van, or Suburban with a GVW 8600 lbs. &amp; over. The rear brake shoes have to be replaced and both drums machined or replaced at the same time due to glazed linings or the repair will not work any better than the old Brake Combination Valve.

Bill

[njsteve]

It already works better. We just have to figure out a gentle way to remove the old drums that are rusted to the flanges. I have all the new rear brake parts ready to go.

[budnate]

Steve, set up your sprinkler head aimed at the axle flange and the rust remover sauce and let it go for a couple days might work?.

[njsteve]

It already has the built-in, leaking axle seal, gear lube, rust preventative, sprayer that has been working for the past 18 years. The portions of the lines where the gear lube didn't hit, were the spots that ended up rusting!

[budnate]

I had one of those also for awhile but up front it coated the whole underside of the truck well before I could fix it, decided to leave it as a rust preventer, pita to work on now but that's the trade off,

but seriously my thought is to help get the drum off the axle using that liquid rust remover you used on your resto on the TA.

[njsteve]

Finally got around to the rear brakes today. We had the torches, die grinder, and big sledge hammers ready to go. I was dreading the labor that was going to be involved in this endeavor.

Something miraculous happened, though: I sprayed the wheel studs and hub area with PB Blaster, waited a couple minutes and then rung the mounting hub area of the 18 year old drum with a 2 lb. sledge hammer several times. I heard thud, thud, thud, RIIIIIING! and the darn thing came right off! I tried it on the other side and the same thing happened. Both drums slid right off the hubs! HOLY S@&amp;T! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/shocked.gif

Even with 121,000 miles, the original rear brake shoes had 80% of their material remaining. But they were polished from the years of barely being used due to the defective original combination valve. Since I already had the brand new 75 pound cast iron drums in the boxes, I used them, along with the new set of 13&quot;x3-1/2&quot; shoes, springs, adjusters, and wheel cylinders. (all bought from Rockauto.com). Hopefully the scrap metal guy won't get a hernia picking up the old drums next week.

The truck stops noticeably better now. When you hit the brakes, it is a much quicker and &quot;flatter&quot; stop, instead of the previous nose diving when 90% of the braking was being done by the front discs.

So now the truck is ready for the haul to MCACN in a month.

[Alss]

Guys..also check the spare tire cable on GM trucks..they rust and break also..had a spare come out from under the truck in front of me while pulling the trailer..was a puckering moment for sure!

I have fords and gms..both are suffering from line failures both brake and transmission from corrosion..check them good..lines may look good, but check under the clamps..NE stuff for sure

[black69]

hey on a similar vein to the gas tank straps, our 2001 chevy tahoe lost its brakes the other day. 180K miles, spent 3 yrs in dry california, and the rest in chicago suburbs. They went out immediately, and we lost control of the car, <span style="font-weight: bold">we got very lucky</span>. One of the rusted lines blew out mid section that sat on the frame.

I am on day 3 of replacing 4 of the crispy lines and I am replacing the hoses to the calipers. <span style="font-weight: bold">The originals I could just grab with a glove and rip off the frame and they came off in pieces, they were that brittle</span>.

If you have a GM 2000-2001 vehicle, check your lines for scaling.
The old rusty 71 cuda I used to have, had better brake lines than this dam tahoe!

[Donnie]

I have an 04 with NO rust, but I do preventive maintenance. http://www.rustcheck.com/

[PxTx]

I would love to see some pics! I've got some rusty lines, but no failure yet. Sure would be a great proof to the products you use if things actually appear as I'm expecting them to.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I'm starting to worry about my '04.....

[budnate]

not just the Chev's, Dodge guys have been having the same problem for awhile now..... <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/thumbsdown.gif for some reason it likes to hit the area behind the fuel tank first, it hangs tight to the frame rail, guess it gets wet and stays wet back there longer.

[67 Nova Boy]

I just did front and rear gas tanks/filler necks/lower straps/rear frame shackles/all brake lines/Calipers/backing plates/rotors/rear wheel cylinders/ball joints/front inner/outer u joints/front fenders/rear quarter patches...all rusted from the really cool little white lines in the streets that they put down in the winter on my 96 F250.

I hate that stuff that they put down! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/thumbsdown.gif

Dave
67 Nova Boy

[PxTx]

I'd say you got things covered Dave!

At work we just had an old Hino GC ( heavy duty toyota) loose a tank strap due to rust. I don't think our environment discriminates. The moral I'm picking up here is really for younger vehicles we all plan to own for a long time. I need to look intp rudtcheck and other PM steps.

[njsteve]

An addendum to the prior posts: If your fuel lines and brake lines are rusty and you replace them, make sure you drop the tank and replace the sending unit as well. The factory fuel lines have a rubber section that is crimped onto an additional length of steel line that connects to the sending unit outlets. The other day after filling the truck up with diesel I saw a puddle under the front of the tank where it was running down from the topside. Looking through the fenderwell with a flashlight we could see that the outlets were corroded so I ordered a new sending unit for $70 from rockauto.com. We dropped the tank and this is what the sending unit looked like. We were also not happy with how the tank looked so I ordered a new one from rockauto which should be here next week. Lots of crud was in the bottom and after checking with a mirror inside we saw corrosion on the inside ceiling of the tank.

Here's the old sending unit:

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/06/full-1359-12626-photo_1.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2014/06/full-1359-12627-photo_2.jpg

[VintageMusclecar]

Just went through the same thing on my `95 7.4 Suburban a couple of years ago. I'd really like to replace all the hard lines on the chassis, but no one reproduces them.

[njsteve]

The aftermarket makes the full set of stainless steel brake lines. The fuel lines were relatively easy to do with just the lengths of modern steel lines. Not a lot of bends in the suburban, and the factory frame brackets keep them clipped into location.

[VintageMusclecar]

I've only found lines for 4WD, and mine's 2WD.

I need to crawl under there and take a good look, see if I can fab them myself (joy).

[ss427copo]

When I bought my C2500 98 Burb from the original, senior owners out of Texas, when it was shipped to me I was astounded that the underbody looked like it just came off the assembly line. Still look pretty damn good today. That was 6 years ago with 74k on it.

[njsteve]

Lucky man!

I bought mine in Florida in 1995 but we moved up north in '97 and then the salt took its toll. The body is still beautiful in its original Atlantic Blue and silver paint but the frame is crusty and the salt devoured the mild steel fuel and brake lines. Luckily the &quot;self rust-proofing&quot; option (leaking rear pinion seal) has rust proofed the underside.