What does this mean

[Red92lx]

Hello everyone,

New member, long time (1 year) lurker here. Bought a 2003 expe eb last winter. Starting to notice a few issues I want to tackle once it warms up a bit more. First there is a binding I get in the rear end when turning after stopping. Research has shown that it is the LSD and I need to put in an additive (friction modifier) to make it better. After checking out my axel code I saw a "16" which is not LSD. Strange, considering that in low traction situations both tires always spin.....hmm. I would have swore I had LSD. Any thoughts on this one?

Another issue (maybe connected to the first one) is a clunking when adding or removing a load on the drivetrain. Happens most of the time when initially pushing the accelerator and sometimes when releasing it. The truck shifts fine so I am thinking not the tranny, but more like a u-joint or rear diff issue. It sounds like a clunk or bang from the rear or middle of the truck. Seems to have gotten worse with time. I recently parked on a flat surface and pushed the truck.....it rolled forward a bit and when it "chought" I heard the mysterious clunk or bang. Do you think this might be a worn u joint?

Finally, I have a abs/check advance trac light on the dash. It's not the common wire issue that was posted here in the recent past, as I already had that problem and fixed it by cleaning up the wires and connections. A few months went by and now I have this problem. I think it might be the abs module. I do not have abs or trac control that functions anymore. The 4x4 does work in all settings however. Again, if you have any thoughts or ideas on this issue I am all ears.

I really want to love this truck, as it is super good looking (the 2nd gen really ages well compared to its GM counter parts of the same era) and does what it's supposed to very well when it works.......but it does seem like its one thing after another. I know it's a 2003 (with 120K) but these aren't little nickel and dime things there more like fifty and hundred dollar things. Hoping you all can shed some light on this, as I would really like to keep this truck for the long haul, but at this rate I'm a bit nervous if that is practical.

 

[Hamfisted]

Have you had it up on a lift to move things around and look for play or locate the noise source ? Even putting it up on jackstands will help. Move the rear tires, the drive shaft, etc. Unless the Expy was used a lot for towing I wouldn't think the U-joints were bad yet, but could happen I guess. I get some noise from the rear CV joints when they're cold, but they quiet down once they're warmed up. If you have the LSD rear axle you should have a "H6" code there on the driver's door jamb sticker. Most Expy's in '03 came with LSD. If you're ball joint boots are cracked it's time to change the ball joints too. Check the roof valley canals for rust pitting, especially on the ends. Take care of it early or you'll get holes through the roof and water coming in.



-Mike

 

[Red92lx]

Thanks for the tips. I am gonna do the ball joints (hear there common/high wear part for this truck. And good call on checking the roof. I haven't put it on a lift or jackstand, but that seems like a good start to tackling this problem.