Swapped '01 5R55E with another '01 5R55E, but they aren't compatible.

[Silver X]

Thanks Don and thanks for the earlier encouragement too.

The PS lines have never been disconnected. I thought there somehow might be air in the lines, so I cycled lock to lock about 20 times last night. Didn't help and the wheel still shuddered at the end of the test drive.

Strangely though, the steering is back to normal tonight. Couldn't get it to shake at all at any speed. The constant squealing is back too. Not sure if that's due to all the rain today and high humidity. Can't pinpoint the noise, so it may or may not be the PS pump. Doesn't squeal when the belt is removed. This truck is frustrating sometimes.

At least its driveable now.

 

[Cobraguy]

Is your steering issue a pump problem or a linkage problem? I understood it to be when you hit a bump or got to certain speeds, etc, the steering wheel would start jerking back and forth on you. That is rarely ever a pump problem...and is usually something wrong with the linkage or bushings. But you also seem to be describing a pump problem. Two different issues?

 

[Gatorblazer]

Mine did the shudder when I had to roll it out of a parking deck to load on a towtruck (it would fit inside). My fuel pump died and I had to roll and turn it down 6 levels. Every time I had to turn, I had to turn the key to get a little steering assist. If I slowed down to just use manual steering, I would lose momentum and have to push again.

To solve the shudder, I added a little fluid, cycled the wheel, and it went away. That was two years ago and I have no troubles.

 

[Silver X]

The steering problem went away. It was there when I shut it off after the test drive, but gone when I drove it the next day.

I don't know what it was, but I didn't do anything to fix it. I tried to make it happen again at various speeds, and took it down a bumpy dirt road....nothing. Must've been air in the lines from turning it so much with the engine not running.

 

[CDW6212R]

"...Must've been air in the lines from turning it so much with the engine not running.
" That was likely it, I have had that happen also. I think that the rack and pinion design is more sensitive to that.

 

[Silver X]

You know, this thing is really starting to bother me. I'm just going to continue posting here, because I don't feel like starting new threads for each problem....more venting than anything, really.

Everything was fine yesterday, except for the squeal. I took it to work this morning, (about 30 mile drive) to see if there are any other issues to deal with. Sure enough several things started acting wierd.

*The windshield wipers only work on their highest speed. In any other position, they shut off mid-windshield like power is cut completely.
*The ABS light flashes randomly. Kind of like a flicker, not a pattern.
*The speedometer bounces around when I'm stopped. It sits at zero then twitches up a few MPH every couple of seconds. Doesn't matter if in gear or parked. Behaves fine when moving.
*My radar detector resets every 3 seconds. It is hard-wired behind the dash, not plugged into a 12V outlet. Also resets everytime I use the turn signals. When accellerating, it works normally. Turns off while braking.
*My XM unit quit working. This is all hard-wired behind my dash too. I'll have to replace the power cord because the end that plugs into the HU is messed up somehow. The XM works when plugged into my G6's power cord.
*My front pass door speaker quit. It'll pop back on if I adjust the balance and fade to only that speaker. Then it'll quit again after a couple of minutes.
*My steering wheel is now a couple degrees off center. Steering is REALLY loose now too. Any little bump pulls the truck off-center...worse than your normal bumpsteer from wider tires. It was good before it sat several months. I'll have to check for bent tie rods and get an alignment.
*Pass side headlight is all fogged up and has water inside. Never had that problem before.

Most of the electrical issues seem like a ground problem. Although, nothing was disconnected during trans R&R, except the battery ground. I'm going to check and clean every ground I can find. I might also replace the alternator, since I think it is the squealer.

Just sucks, because I have to have everything perfect for a 600 mile trip in a couple of weeks. I don't need anymore gremlins popping up during the trip.

 

[CDW6212R]

I hear that Mike. Try to start with isolating any add on systems. Check fuses and main connections, pull the added circuit fuses if they have them. Wiggle the ignition key while running to be sure it is centered. Lots of little issues can come from one or two things like those. Just keep looking it over and drive it at the same time. It's easier to find problems when it is drivable.

 

[Silver X]

This is driving me crazy!

NONE of the electrical problems came back on the drive home from work. Still have the squealing & the other mechanical problems.

Difference is it was dry out with low humidity on the drive home. I'll check the grounds, then make sure no wiring got pinched when the engine tipped back. Hopefully I can find the leads for my multi-meter.

My dad told me to check the alternator output. He said if it isn't regulating properly, it can cause strange problems.

If I can't find anything unusual, I'll hose the truck down and try again wet.

 

[CDW6212R]

That's very good advice about the alternator. Do a basic test of the voltage when off and cold, then while running. Turn on some accessories also to check the capacity of the alternator.

 

[Cobraguy]

Check the alternator...but I would think of a few other problems you would be having if that were the case. I think you're dead on the money with a ground problem. It may not have anything at all to do with your trans swap. Get your hands on a factory wiring diagram. That will have a section that shows where every ground on the car is. Start by cleaning and tightening them all. Also, the GEM might be involved here. Now, here is something that might surprise you. On my 99 at least, the speedometer gets it's signal from the ABS module. What's neat about that is you can lose all but one of your speed (ABS) sensors and it will still output to your speedometer. Where you're also getting an ABS malfunction, that might be an area to look. Let's hope you don't need a module. My God they are expensive. Let me know if you have to have one. I have a brand new one I may be able to help you out with for about half price. But again, I think it's probably a ground somewhere and not the module. Next start looking for power supplies and see if something is loose. This could be difficult to find because it could be a pin pulled loose in a connector. I've even had wires break inside the insulation. I actually bought an expensive tool to diagnose that problem. It puts a noise on the wire you can follow with a headset. The noise quits when you hit the break or bad connection. Good luck...these problems can be a nightmare.

 

[Silver X]

Transmission update...

Everything is pretty good and shifts are alot quicker/harder than before...except for a wierd 2-3 shift. At light throttle, everything shifts normally and can barely feel the shifts. With medium to full throttle, all gears shift firmly enough to kick the front end up a little. The 2-3 shift hits firmly initially, but then seems to let go very brielfy, then re-engage. Kinda feels like a rubberband. It isn't like the old 2-3 flare. I'm wondering if the shift pressure might be too high. I also don't know how to adjust that other than with the Xcal2. Towed a trailer with a few thousand pounds this week and it was fine.

I put the stock program back it for the past week or so, to make sure the Xcal2 wasn't jacking up the shift pressure too much. Shifts felt nearly the same, but it was a total dog to drive around. Needed alot more pedal to get moving and keep moving. I put the "93 octane torque" program back in it last night with a full tank of 93 and it felt like a whole different truck. Pulled the trailer much easier too.

Thinking about replacing and/or repositioning the aux trans cooler soon. The stock one is mostly blocked by the bumper and fascia, so can't be all that efficient. I'd like to get a trans temp gauge too, but my wife is already complaining about how much I spent on the trans. She's lucky I didn't have to pay someone else to do the work! Sometimes there's no reasoning with women...

 

[Silver X]

Update on the other problems:

I checked all the grounds and connectors I could find, and they were all tight and clean. Then I replaced the alternator and all the electrical issues disappeared. Didn't bother having it checked, since it had over 100k miles on it anyway. The accessory squeal is still there though....that wasn't the alt. So that is either the PS pump, water pump, or AC. Everything else has been replaced recently. I'm not too bothered by it since it goes away after a few minutes now. Seems to be going away quicker the more I drive it.

The brakes squeal constantly now and the suspension squeaks over bumps too. I already lubed all the ball joints and replaced a couple of bushings that were torn up, but that didn't help. My "to do" list seems to be growing faster than I can knock stuff off it. Sucks letting the truck sit for a long time...everything dries out or gets rusty.

 

[CDW6212R]

All very true, my only real problems are with keeping up with maintenance of unused vehicles.

 

[410Fortune]

when you replace a tensioner or idler pulley they can squeak at start up for a bit, until the black paint all finally wears off...

 

[Silver X]

More updates.

The trans is doing fine. Pulled a few very heavy loads with no problems. Can't wait till we're done with the landscaping. All these loads of rocks/dirt/mulch/wood/blocks/etc are killing my truck...and my back. We still have the back yard left to do.

More unplanned things I had to fix after the trans:
*Replaced damaged yr old LS diff with new Torsen unit. (axle housing was full of water)
*Replaced damaged rear axle shafts and all bearings. (major scoring on axles from damaged bearings)
*Replaced alternator.
*Replaced both front hub asys. (one side fell apart, did the other just in case)
*Replaced all brake pads and rotors. (also backed off e-brake shoes, so no contact)
*Alignment.
*Front sway bar endlink again. (1yr old, but bushings fell apart. made sure not to over tighten this one)

Now the truck drives much better. Went on the road trip and everything was great. Zero problems. I almost put my Mustang tires on for the trip, but decided to leave on the 33s. It would've looked retarded on 25.5" tires and ~2" of lift.

Gas mileage averaged 20.54mpg over 820 miles of approx 80% hwy and 20% city driving. My speed was set at 74mph (according to GPS) for most of the hwy driving. City driving, I tried to keep the RPMs below 3k. There were a few full throttle runs up to 90, while playing with some other cars. Hey, I tried to resist.... Mileage is better than it ever was, even though I wasn't exactly babying it. I used to get 16 hwy/12 city before the repairs. Got a best of 19mpg on a trip once, back when it was new and completely stock.

Rest of the to-do list:
*fix exhaust leak (3 of the 4 exh manifold nuts won't tighten all the way. Studs started to bend, so I stopped.)
*replace engine (timing chains are getting really loud. Really had me worried on the trip)(another $1k)
*replace all body mount bushings (all are blown apart)(~$150)
*replace all sway bar bushings frt & rr (they are oblonged and squeak)($?)
*maybe body lift (still undecided)