Need preventive maintenance tips

[nobolt]

just picked up a '13 Silverado 4x4 and I need a few more ideas.
is there a thread on this?

i'm thinking:
roll on bedliner
synthetic fluids after 500 miles
bedliner the rear wheel wells
under coat rust prone areas with more bedliner
anti sieze for the plugs and exhaust bolts
thanks guys

[dmarty]

I can tell you what I did with my 99 that I put 315k on with no major problems or repairs to engine or trans and what I’m doing now with my new 2012 Sierra. I run Mobil 1 and change the oil when the computer tells me to. I also use the high-end Mobil 1 oil filter and put a 2” diameter magnet (about $2.50 at Menards) on the bottom of the filter. I changed the engine oil and all the fluids in the front axle, trans, transfer case and rear axle after 1k break-in miles. I use Redline products in the axles and transfer case and Citgo Dex VI (synthetic) in the trans. My 99 had a drain plug in the trans pan so it was easy to drain. I’m working on putting a drain plug in the 2012. I drain the trans oil every or every other (depends on how much time I have) oil change and get about 3 to 4 quarts out of it. I drop the pan and change the filter about every 60k. When you drain the trans oil there’s still a lot of oil left in the torque converter, cooler, lines, etc., so I think it’s best to keep the trans fluid fresh by regularly draining the 3 to 4 quarts and replacing it. I change the axle and transfer case fluids every 30k to 40k. I change the coolant every 2 or 3 years. I bleed and flush the brake system every year. I change all the electrical relays every 60k.

Living in Wisconsin it’s always a battle with rust. On the 99 I used LPS-3 rust preventer. It comes in spray cans (with a small straw) which are a little pricy at $13 per can, but its good stuff. Search online for the best price. I sprayed LPS-3 all along the bottom of the doors and in the door drain holes. Also sprayed it in the rocker drain holes and above the rear wheel housings on the box. It works best if you do it on an annual basis. In some areas where the seams started to rust, I soaked them first with WD-40, then hit them with LPS-3. On the 2012 Sierra, I had Ziebart do a full rust-proof job and then I touch it up periodically with LPS-3. I don’t use spray-on bed liner. I have a fiberglass topper and have a rubber mat in the bed. My truck came with the plastic rear wheel house liners, but if yours didn’t, they’re available from GM as an accessory. They help keep crud from getting up around the wheel house.

I use anti-seize on anything I unbolt, so it comes off easy the next time. I put a THIN layer on the wheel hubs and back side of the wheels and a VERY THIN layer on the threads of the wheel studs, but NOT on the cone face of the lug nuts. If you overdo it, your lug nuts could loosen up. Make sure you check the lug nuts with a good torque wrench. The torque spec is in your owner’s manual.

I run summer tires in the summer and snow tires in winter. When I swap the wheels/tires every spring/fall, I mark them so the go on the opposite end of the truck the next time I install them so they get rotated annually and wear even. I use the OTC service tool to reset the pressure sensors. I’m also pretty careful about keeping the tire pressure set to spec.

That’s it! HTH

[nobolt]

good info! thanks!

i was crawling under the truck and the rockers are full of holes. there are 4 drain openings on the passenger rocker. and 3/8 round holes above them. im thinking of sealing these with silicone.
i don't know what they could possibly be draining...
i think i will seal them up and drive through a rainstorm...then open a couple....if something drains out then i'll know i did wrong.

[dmarty]

I wouldn’t plug the rocker holes. They’re there for a reason. I can’t say that I’ve cut apart a late model GM pickup lately so I don’t know for sure, but I’ve seen it on many other cars and trucks. The rocker holes not only drain any water that may find its way into the rocker, but they are also connected to the air plenum at the base of the windshield that feeds air to the HVAC system. Some of the air is directed down through the cowl and into the fronts of the rockers. The holes in the rockers let the air flow through and hopefully dry out any moisture.