Thread: My I-beamed Chevy

I towed my friends HD flatbed over 350 miles round trip this weekend, beat on my truck and nothing failed do to my workmanship or engineering, so I'm pretty proud off myself. I know a lot of you guys do this every weekend, but I don't so this felt like a good accomplishment. I did have a couple problems that were out of my control. After about 20 miles my CEL came on. stopped for some jerky and RZR gas and checked it to find they were all O2 codes. I drove with a bad mass air for the last few months, so I thought maybe the extra fuel in the exhaust killed them. Lost overdrive the last 45 miles to where we were going, even after we stopped and I put a quart in the tranny. I had already put a quart in it the week before it was low and the truck doesn't leak, so I'm not sure where it is going. On the way home I got overdrive back, but the truck still didn't feel like it was pulling with the power it should, so I will be planning on going through and rebuilding the motor and tranny as money allows asap.

im not positive on this but towing in OD dosent seem like the best idea

yea best would have been to keep it out of OD. atleast for any hills

I always keep my cehvy in 3rd with a big load. With the smaller loads I will put it in OD every know and then if its flat and the cruise is set.

Ya on the way back I just shifted it out of OD when I felt like I was overloading the powertrain, right before it would downshift itself and or a hill was coming up. I occasionally tow cars on a dolly with my Taco and it does it no problem.

Why don't you want to tow in OD. Its got a 4L80E I thought those things were built for that kind of abuse.

Originally Posted by ovrebo1

Ya on the way back I just shifted it out of OD when I felt like I was overloading the powertrain, right before it would downshift itself and or a hill was coming up. I occasionally tow cars on a dolly with my Taco and it does it no problem.

Why don't you want to tow in OD. Its got a 4L80E I thought those things were built for that kind of abuse.

Yea 4L80E is a good transmission its one below the allison,but OD is mostly meant for keeping the engine at the lowest possible RPM to increase fuel mileage, towing in OD really isnt the best idea for where you live with alot of hills, for one with the transmission shifting back and forth to transfer torque for the pull, it heats up the transmission quickly makes it hard on the torque converter and trans oil pump to keep the fluid flowing and to try and keep it cool enough through the trans cooler is just to hard on the whole transmission with it in overdrive, few ways to decrease the heat is to get an upgraded torque converter and a larger trans cooler, install a shift kit, and if you have a programmer adjust the shift points to shift later in the lower gears so it builds more torque and will make it alot easier on the transmission and youll burn alot less fuel too, but think with the mileage on the truck its time for a rebuild!

Well it was an HD model, so it has 2 trans coolers, in and in front of the radiator and an engine oil cooler. At the suggestion of a shop, I had them put a used tranny in a few years ago with only 20-30k because I have and still have some drive train noise I can't figure out. I hate that shop with a passion now, so I have no idea how good this tranny really is.

if its a clunk noise sounds like it might be a pinion bolt loose or maybe a bad u joint , text me more details about it, might be able to help ya figure it out

No there's no clunk noise. Its a wine like the pinion is set up wrong or is bad, but I've put in 3 sets of gears, all new bearing, different axle housing and a tranny and the noise has never changed, its done it pretty much since I put a 9 inch in it and the tubes that go from the back, up to the cab, and I did all that pretty much from day 1. You can't hear it from the outside, so I guess it just has to do with the fact that everything is solid mounted.

My 9 inch wine like an abused step child I just run it. Hasn't failed me yet. I think it's either the gear set or the back lash but then again 9 incus do make noise from what I've heard.

^ rear end sounded like that after wes had it re geared! run it tell she blows!

Ya. I've tried for years to fix it and nothing has changed it. I've added more tubes to the cage. I set it up on a jig and cut the ends off and straightened it. I've ran it on jack stands and adjusted the pinion angle with a jack while it was in gear. I filled the housing gusset with foam. I filled all the empty spaces in the cab with spray on undercoating and dense foam. I covered the inside of the roof in dynamat. I've ran all sorts of different fluids. Give me a lil bit and I'm sure I can remember more things I've done.

Oh I see idk maybe it is cause everything is super solid, what about the carrier bearing have you changed that when those go bad they can wine

I've changed that bearing and have even used a totally different center section

i think he meant the center support bearing on the d-shaft if you are running a 2 piece. I havent noticed my 9" wining, but i also cant hear much of anything over all the wind noise and rattles. lol

Oh, ya. I've had the driveshaft rebuilt a couple times, years ago. I did end up not going to the shop that built it though since another shaft I had built for another truck was checked by a second shop and it was bad. I think about a year and a half ago that second shop I was at peaked under my truck and said the center support bearing might look like it was bad. Like I stated before though, absoulutley nothing I have changed has ever changed the sound.

Yea dude it's just in the rear end. Idk I was gonna try bearing and a diff brand gears next time. But for now ill take my chances on it grenadine. When you row like that do put helper bags in or just make sure there's Lil tongue weight.

I pulled and cleaned all the O2's today. I also noticed the tranny vent line was clogged with IDK what. I'm not sure when I'll drive the truck next. I ordered the parts to rebuild and make my alternator into a 220 amp over the 105 stock.

hows it ride when its loaded is the back softer than usual or did you adjust your bypasses for the extra weight? just curious, im gonna get going on mine this weekend hopefully, im trying to balance my ranger build and my jeep build, too much to do and not enough time.

I always have the the most compressed setting, set to stiff as anticipation for when I jump it and its going to bottom out. I think it worked out well for towing too because the truck rode great. Also the truck still had about an inch or two left in the back it never used after all my playing around.

The front uses all of its travel, probably because the truck tends to nose dive once in the air. I'm going to try and stiffen up the front so it only uses 100% of its travel when I really sky it.

Where do you guys go? Looks like Grand Junction in the videos.

Originally Posted by mbeekman85

Where do you guys go? Looks like Grand Junction in the videos.

Pueblo motorsports park or PMI, I'm not really sure what to call it. I had a hard time finding info on it. I ended up going because my friends girlfriends brother sugested we go.

It was tons of fun and a wide open free for all like GJ. Not as big though.

Went to Pueblo again. Had a blast. I finally made the steering in the spindle double sheer. I got the truck stuck. First time I'd been stuck and wasn't able to dig or rock my way out in I don't know how many years.

you got some nice pics... on your gear noise... its really hard to not have that 9 inch whine with anything lower than a 5.14 and if you do you got lucky, i have done alot of them and 9 outta ten they whine so its pretty normal.... that is if thats where your whinning is coming from

I was so happy to be home last night after driving on the highway for hours with that noise. It gets louder with speed and at 80mph, its pretty dang loud.

Guess I got lucky with my nine it doesn't wine at all but I filled.it with royal purple oil, maybe you got a bad bearing idk

Just a thought have you changed the oil in your different in a while maybe it has moisture in it and its not lubricating

I've replace EVERYTHING in the rear end. Different tranny, rebuilt driveshaft a couple times. Tried all sorts of weights of fluids. Went from a frame and partial cage, to full cage and back half frame. The sound has never changed.

That's a bummer sounds like it would be really annoying LOL

try a diffrenent gear set

Originally Posted by crf250r6

try a diffrenent gear set

Try reading my previous posts, lol. I'm on the third or fourth set. I've had mulitple people help me set them up as well to make sure it wasn't a personal error.

Just to be clear, it's not a sound you hear in any of the videos. The whine you hear in the videos is the power steering. Its a sound within the cab that gets progressively louder with speed. It sounds like a bad pinion bearing. I've driven next to the truck on the highway and you can't hear it. I've ran the truck on jack stands and its faint. Sounds like it comes from the rear end for sure though.

This is the noise.

think its the pinion bearing shim/preload on the bearing, did you mic the shim that came out of the original gearset? that can cause alot of problems if its only out a .10, is your pinion set up have the pinion bearing on the actual pinion shaft and the small bearing on the inside of the case if thats loose or to tight itll whine, is there any metal shavings when you pull the fill plug?? with this problem itll cause issues with your back lash and preload on the bearings!

Supercharger for sure.

excuse the glare we just moved and thought it was appropriate to put your truck on the wall in the new garage

ring and pinion set up wrong or not broke in right.

Thanks Chris

---------- Post added at 03:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:11 PM ----------

jump the pond!!!

who else agrees?

No one, because only like 3 people look at my thread.

Originally Posted by glamiskid395

jump the pond!!!

who else agrees?

^^^ i agree glamiskid does it first then we can figure out all the things that went wrong, then laugh, and say you almost didnt make it!!!! LOL sorry had to be a smart ass about it!