So i might as well tell the whole story,

i got the truck from my dad who owned it from new, i got it at 180k, not a SINGLE mile driven hard on it, this guy (my dad) could milk every mile out of the things as far as gas mileage (to tell how lightly it was driven)

im 18, lets not joke around, i drive it kinda hard... its at 184k now and i will just list whats going on with it because i really dont know what each problem is....

start with the engine, just recently started making a ticking noise, coming from the bottom end for SURE, you can only hear it from the right wheel well or below...

tranny, shifts a bit hard on mid throttle, klunks a whole lot, but otherwise sounds fine

rear end (i think) the whole drive train feels like it has a little play, i can hear clunking, ect. so im not sure where it is coming from, however very rarly when i reverse (maybe turn reverse im not sure it doesnt happen all the time) when i start going foreward it will skid on off for a min like its blown, but once i gas it it goes away...

so thats all i KNOW, my dad and uncle are mechanics but they dont specialize in these things....

let me know what you guys think... the truck is SUPER nice, all black interior, every option from the factory z71 ect... so "scrap it" isnt going to be my choice...

thanks alot

Adam

 

the hard shifting trans isnt an issue unless its barking the tires. as for the DS play are u talking about side 2 side on the rear wheels or like back and forth in park? more infor on that. That ticking noise may be a loose plug, thats the only time I had a ticking and it went away on my old 4.3

 

The tick - if it's a 99-02 . . . they have what's called the piston slap. There's no way around it. The worst times are on the cold starts. Deal with it until it warms up, then beat on it. It's where the piston reaches the bottom, and the piston skirts "slap" the sides of the cylinder walls. On the 03 and up motors, they put tephlon on the skirts, so there's no more slap.

your hard shifting can be from the accumulator piston. It's plastic, and they're know for going out

rear end clunk - quit spinning the tires around the corners. You might have the G80 rear end . . and its a pile of crap ! . . . and there's some free play/slop in the gears, that's going on.

 

yeah, it has the cylinder slap, but only when cold, this is a different ticking, but from the bottom.... warm, cold, everything, randomly louder at some times, and quieter at others....

as for the plug ill check that, but again its coming from the bottom end

 

More then likely it is just piston slap with the ticking noise, my 4.8 did it sometimes, sometimes it didn't just the nature of the beast. As far as the tranny, it is possibly the acc piston., like said, take a sec and check the tranny fluid if it is a redish pink your good, as long as it isn't blackish or smell burnt. The clunking is probably the universal joints in the truck, it might be time for a front end elighnment,joints, with 180k on the ticker. I say if the fluids look good, it isn't drinking oil drive on.. or better yet slap a cam and blower in that beast
John

 

yeah, the thing is i know the piston slap noise, this is different

 

well then it could be a spun rod bearing

 

I was thinking that also...rod brg on the rt bank. Change the oil and look at the end of the drain bolt for material stuck to it(it's magnetic) and cut open the oil filter and look for debris.

 

check the exhaust manifold bolts. If you have an exhaust leak there, sometimes it makes a ticking noise.