Ok, let the ribbing begin folks, switched to chevys after 37 years. This was due to past years experience with my work vehicles. As a State Emergency Manager my vehicles go through some very rough extreme usage in the field, and my deployment to Katrina from Illinois proved it. My 97 Crown Vic was a POS from day one. We switched to Impala's (2000) and the next one's were Tahoe's, (2005) and I must say... no comparison to Fords.

So two weeks ago I finally found a cherry 99 c/k 1500, LS Z71, ( 5.7L, auto trans w/push button 4WD) and I do mean cherry. The past owner even took it to the dealer for wiper blades, so you can imagine the stack of receipts I have for everything else ! I love it !!

Now for some basic questions:

1. When going for parts how do I refer to the vehicle at the counter ?
Do I call it at C1500 4WD, C/K1500 4WD, 1999 Z71 or what ?

2. Why are there two batteries under the hood ? Option / tow package, etc ?

3. Any issues, maintenance activities I should focus upon, etc ?

4. Any other input would be greatly appreciated.

I do my own work and have turned wrenches since I was a kid, so grease, dirt, and of course skinned kunckles and blood has a calming affect on me !

Thanks Folks !

With it having a 5.7 I would assume it is the old body style?

C- indicates 2wd, K indicates 4wd

99 K1500 old body style with the 350.
99 1/2 ton 4wd old body style with the 350

Be very specific that it is the old body style if that is what you have.

James

I am not sure why you have a second battery under the hood. Was the previous owner young? It may have been for a stereo system. You have a great truck there, congrats on the awesome find. These trucks really are not prone to any common problems. You should be fine, but if you ever need help let us know.

Thanks Guy's !

The battery units are factory, nothing rigged or anything, all goes to factory connections, and the rest. I can tell it's a factory set up. But I have been unable to see anything in the owners manual on the first read through.

As far as the old vs new body style, how can I tell ? I also forgot to mention it's a three door extended cab version, with the opening rear passenger side door.

One problem I have noticed is the fuel indicator needle. It reads correct but vibrates like a tuning fork, it kind of blurs with the speed of the vibration. I would say it does not move more than 1/64th " either way, but a extreme high speed vibration. The fuel pump has been replaced prior to my purchase.
Could this be a ground and or power supply problem, or what ?
(all other gauge unit needles read fine with no vibration).


Thanks,
Stan

Great point, my bro has a 99 that actually stopped registering. It is the fuel sending unit in the tank. if you can find one at a salvage yard great, otherwise they are expensive $400+. Will not effect anything however. Same process for replacement as the pump. The sending unit actually houses the pump in the tank. Be careful handling them, they are fragile, and although you may not think you hurt it, they malfunction tooooo easily.

Answering your question on the body style...

"Old" body style is 1988-1999 and called the C/K line with base, Cheyenne and Silverado trim packages. Engine options were the 4.3L V6, 5.0L and 5.7L V8.

"New" style refers to the 1999-2006 trucks. For 1999 the C/K name was dropped and the new full-size Chevrolet trucks became Silverado with LS and LT trim lines. The 350 (5.7L) and 305 (5.0L) were replaced for the 1999+ new style with the 5.3L and 4.8L, respectively.

However, both the C/K and Silverado versions were made in 1999 so that GM could re-tool all of their factories without interrupting production.

The quick answer on the body style.

If it has the pull out cup holder in the dash to the right of the radio and below the air vent, it is the old body style and you did good. (my opinion anyway)

Some of the 1 tons went into 2000 with the old body style.

I'm not sure what year it started but all those trucks came with two battery boxes. Some had only one battery and others had two. I kept a spare battery in the other box connected with a 6ga. winch connector. I would pull the spare battery to run survey equipment all day then put it back and connect it to charge on the way home.

James

Thanks for the info, with the reply on the old vs new style........ it's the old style cup holder, Thats the only issue with it. I do admire the placement of the holder as it evenly distributes coffee throughout the cab area when you hit a bump. I have resigned myself to using it for holding the cell phone and smokes ! But now I know it's the old stlye.

I looked over the window sticker thats still in the glove box. It indicates an auxillary battery option so that answers my battery question, but I still don't know the reason. A upgraded suspension package and towing package was also listed as one of the many options so it may all fit together. I'm not planning on towing anything so I assume it's just another benefit to me in the big picture for normal use.

I will just live with the fuel needle vibration, it does not seem to hurt anything, just a little annoying. I'll just let it play itself out and see what happens.

How about bed liner applications ? I'd like to put down a liner but I'm not too hip about paying a shop for the rino product to be put on. Can I buy this on the market on put it on myself, or can all ya all recommend something similar and less expensive that I can apply myself ? I'd like to get a color similar to the pewter (sp ?) metallic color of the truck.

Thanks for the info, I hope to add any help I can in the future !!

I HAVE A 1998 Z71 PICKUP, THE FUEL GAUGE VIBRATES LIKE YOU MENTIONED. Never under any circumstances use a junk yard fuel pump on these trucks, you maybe getting something that is at the end of its life, fuel pumps are notoriously bad on these trucks. if you do decide to replace the FP get it at gmpartsdirect.com (or something like that) for 350$,, dealer price is 588$. Anyway, the fuel needle vibrates because the actual gauge is going bad; there is no replacement, the only solution is to get a entirely new gauge pack, that has to be sent in to GM then they send you back a new one with the old ODO info; this costs 400+$ , I have been through this with the dealer. it IS NOT the sender unit.
the extra battery option is with the 4x4s i have seen it used in the North for an aftermarket snow plow hydraulic motor, also aftermarket wenches can use the extra battery.
the "Z71"option means offroad package; upgraded suspension, shocks, skidplates.
depending on the mileage on your truck you can expect to replace, intake gaskets, alternator(routine), starter, and like i said earlier the fuel pumps need to be watched. if it starts to get hard to start consider the FP. transmissions on these usually go between 110,000 miles and 180,000miles, depending on how it was treated.
good luck on your truck, it should last a long time if it is taken care of

derekbitt has some good points. I thought of a few more to add.

The transmissions with a transmission cooler will last a lot longer than the ones without a cooler.

I have been told to avoid running the fuel tank very low. If the pump is above the fuel it will build up more heat. Also keeping a fresh fuel filter will reduce stress on the pump.

The option codes (RPO Codes) are on a sticker in the glove box. Look for "G80". This is the factory locking differential. If it's not there, you don't have it. GT4 is 3.73 gear ratio, GU6 is 3.42, GT5 is 4.10. Yours is probably 3.73.

If the door is hard to shut or doesn't quite line up, it needs hinge pins and bushings. It's not that hard to do.

There is a push button near the headlight switch that will turn off the dome light. It took me two months to figure out why the dome light didn't work on a company truck (8 years ago).

James

Good for you! Finally on "our" side of the fence! I hope you enjoy your added horsepower and fuel mileage! My '98 W/T had the extra battery. Owners manual said it's charged by the alt, but the truck uses the original battery only. So I guess if your batt. went dead, you could give yourself a jumpstart!?!

Thanks guy's. I appreciate the info on the fuel gauge, I'll just live with it until whatever happens.
The truck is cleaner on the underside than the top side, and the tops side is cherry. On the underside, the warning stickers around the driveshaft area are still fresh and readable. For once I just got a high miles cherry unit. I always heard of someone else getting them but now I think it was my turn. All work was at the dealer so I will give you an overview of the receipts I have, not including the oil changes. It has 147 k miles, and from my read out it has been highway. All the maintenance started around 96k miles and ends at 137k miles, so let me know what you think on the GM maintenance receipts. And yes it has an aux transmission cooler.

Alternator -front lifetime brakes - intake gasket- seal kit connector - flush
cooling system - left outer cv boot - boot kit - fuel filter - wiber blades - pcv valve - fuel injectors cleaned with nitrogen - plug wires - plugs - cap - rotor - pcv valve - tires - pitman arm - idler arm - left front axle - air conditioner mode valve actuator - oil filter o ring - water pump - exaust donuts - valve cover bolts - repair battery cable - fuel pump - starter - trans flush (bg) - front/rear diff service & transfer case service w/synthetic oils - battery - new exaust system from manifolds back including new cat's and all new O2 sensors. And I just replaced all four shocks last weekend.

Did I say this previous owner was an anal perfectionist ??

Input ?

Thanks !

it sounds like you got a winner to me. or a previous lemon , depending on the way you look at it.. just kidding