Overlandtowater’s solid axle suburban

lilkia

Active member
I wouldnt connect them. You shouldnt have any fluid going between the two but because they are used to vent pressure from heat build up it could cause some issue. Just get some longer tube and run them together up behind the engine.
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
I've been meaning to run those down and have posted photos of the breather ends where they terminate. But I too have spotted the one above the tail of the transfer case and how it seems to terminate there and don't know wth is going on with that. I've got some fluid on the case and don't know if it's coming from it or from the dreaded case rub through. I've been ignoring it and hoping stuff stays together until I can get around to pulling the transfer case and put a new chain in it. Mine has a terrible amount of slack in it for some reason at 146k mi. Got noticeably worse since I got it and started driving it harder. It's constantly driven IIRC, under load. I changed with proper GM fluid when I first got it and have checked level twice in the 4yrs since, but wont really know what is going on there until I actually pull the thing off.
Even toying with the idea of getting a used one and rebuilding it so the under-vehicle effort is just a straight swap. Better than pulling it and taking forever to get what it needs. Still my daily driver.

Anyway, front axle breather goes to just inside / forward of the front left shock top, inside the frame rail. Rear axle goes to up the void behind the rear left tail light, trans goes to up by the oil pressure sensor, driver back of the engine top plane. I've no idea where transfer goes and had hoped it tee'd into the trans vent. I hope it's not just dangling there above the transfer under the floorpan.

And yes I'd keep them separate and maybe route the transfer to up alongside the trans at the motor top / firewall.
 

Overlandtowater

Well-known member
Lilkia: I just went ahead and bought 6 more feet of line and ran both lines back...the only way I could see contamination between the two would be if I over filled the transmission which is completely possible if I ever have to fill it.

Rayra: but the tcase already runs up along side transmission vent. I seen some trans mission fluid weeping from the open line that hangs back to the tcase I would say that's where your fluid is coming from.

So I ran the tcase and transmission up just below the weather strip for the back of the hood, ran the front axle line up and zip tied it to the brake booster. If the rear vent is all the way up behind the tail lights I think I will leave it be.

The price jumped on the Falkens so now I'm back to thinking about the Milestart Patagonia's Seems to be the cheapest tire with good reviews on the market.
 

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Overlandtowater

Well-known member
So I got it put back together. Fired it up and it had a terrible tick, I took it around the block and parked it back in the drive and the tick had stopped I let it run for a good 30 minutes like that while I picked up my tools with no tick and oil pressure around 38lbs. I took it for a longer drive and it wouldn't hold oil pressure at idle (5lbs~) but at any over idle it would be around 38lbs....

here is what I think I goofed on I pulled the pickup tube from the pump and slid the O-ring off to make sure it was still pliable which it was...I think I should have replaced it, either that or I forgot to tighten the bolt back up..
 

Overlandtowater

Well-known member
I think I'm going to chicken out and run buy the 285's....in my original post I said 285 and be done so I think I'm going to stick with it...and that will give me time to scrap up Z71 axles with 410s, build the bumpers and other stuff before I go to the 315's. So maybe in a couple of years I will have it all done and slap some 315's on it.
 

ejwebb

Member
Unless your going to run a good size lift kit or wanting to do major wheeling the 285 is just fine. Are you planing to go big? The drive train is still a half ton.
 

CrazyDrei

Space Monkey
I think I'm going to chicken out and run buy the 285's....in my original post I said 285 and be done so I think I'm going to stick with it...and that will give me time to scrap up Z71 axles with 410s, build the bumpers and other stuff before I go to the 315's. So maybe in a couple of years I will have it all done and slap some 315's on it.

Go big or go home, I say go with 37s they worked well for me. LOL. Just a thought but a quick $3" body lift and 315 will fit great and not rub. Maybe a tiny bit of fender trimming and massaging with a 5lb sledge.

Don't fear the gear. I ran 37s with 3.73s for a year and off road the Sub was great, I just could not use 4th gear on long highway uphills.
 

Overlandtowater

Well-known member
Unless your going to run a good size lift kit or wanting to do major wheeling the 285 is just fine. Are you planing to go big? The drive train is still a half ton.
I do plan on following some Land cruiser guys around the Ozarks they all run 35s. I do think they will fit with keys and H2 springs under it. I do not mind cutting some metal and half of the rear wheel well will be gone before long I plan on cutting the bottom of the rear quarters off and the same for the front by removing the bumper and building a prerunner style bumper.
 

Overlandtowater

Well-known member
Go big or go home, I say go with 37s they worked well for me. LOL. Just a thought but a quick $3" body lift and 315 will fit great and not rub. Maybe a tiny bit of fender trimming and massaging with a 5lb sledge.

Don't fear the gear. I ran 37s with 3.73s for a year and off road the Sub was great, I just could not use 4th gear on long highway uphills.
I know you are the reason I even considered 315's. I was perfectly happy with 285s until I seen 37's on yours! And yes I don't mind doing a little body work.
 

Overlandtowater

Well-known member
got two more boxes from Rock auto yesterday my HP oil pump, timing kit, timing cover seal kit, and belts.

So I went to work pulled the front axle again.... unbolted the oil pan and thank goodness the oil pan seal came down with out damage "remember I just installed it last week" so I will reuse it after I get all the RTV of the corners. So I drained the oil into a bucket to reuse it has about 30 minutes of total run time on it. one thing I did notice was particle suspended in the oil I was still honey colored but it has a sparkle to it now. Was it from the snake oil I put in it with my oil change "marvel miracle oil" cleaning the sludge out ....maybe it always does I just don't notice it in black oil...maybe the couple of minutes of knocking I let it do made something fail....either way nothing I can do about it now but run it and hope nothing comes apart....one bright side LS engines are cheap used...

SO, I drained the oil to reuse, and antifreeze...I know antifreeze degrades over time but this was clean and it still floats all the balls in the checkers so I'm going to reuse it.. all the tensioners look ok one "ac compressor tensioner" has a little noise to it but it spins for ever if it fails I can just cut the belt off and run with out it.

I the water pump off and thought I could just leave the heater hoses connected and flip the pump up on the air box.....yeah don't try that. I busted the connector T in the line that goes from pump to the heater core and the jug....so at midnight I ordered new hoses, and connectors for the whole shebang....


Tires should be delivered today.. I hope to get them put on and the truck back together by this week end so I can have some time on it before my rally run and expo... 3 hour drive to the rally, 3 hour rally then 4+ hours back home after the expo. Also still looking for a OEM wheel for the suburban to match what on it, that way I can have a 5 tire rotation instead of a 4 tire rotation.
 

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Overlandtowater

Well-known member
been working instead of posting....drove 40 minutes one way to pickup a spare wheel to match my oem ones only to find out it was a wheel from 95-99ish Silverado "close but no cigar" , then I dropped the wheels and tires off at the tire shop to get them swapped over, then onto try and get the crank pully bolt off I hurt my back with a cheater pipe, twisted a 1/2" extension off yes it was Chinese, ran a battery a dead with a 1/2" impact gun, drove 30 minutes one way to borrow a 3/4" impact that zipped it off like it wasn't even on there. Spend way more time trying the 3 jaw pully than I should have with 3 different pullers and a bottle of map gas to heat the hub of the pully.....once I got it off I then realized the balancer is not keyed. I didn't mark the crank and the pulley so I hope it doesn't mater what way it goes back on. I pulled all the timing chain cover stuff off and also the oil pump and pickup tube, and called it a night 32* and sleeting when I went in. Bad thing is a have a heated shop but its so full of junk I cannot get in the shop....10 bikes, 82 Toyota pickup that is in pieces, 84 4 runner frame, interior form both vehicles, drift boat, kayak...blah blah...
 

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rayra

Expedition Leader
Surprised your heater core lines at the firewall connectors didn't spring a leak after moving things around like that.

The lifter tick in cyl1-2 is common unfortunately, there's a few odd things you can try to clean it out, but ultimately it looks like new lifters are needed. You'r ehigher pressure oil pump might solve it, with a good detergent oil. DONT use synthetic unless it's been in use all along, I sprung all kinds of oil leaks when I inadvertantly switched. Still have my new valley pan cover gasket to swap in, next time I have the intake off.


Balancer shouldnt matter much. Just check that the rubber between the inner and outer steel rings is still in place. I'm surprised it's not keyed, though.

Ive got a new singing bearing noise cropping up nice and loud on cold mornings when I head to school. I think it's coming from my alternator. 146k mi. Next week when I have time I'll dismount and split open the ALT and grease the end bearing in the back half. The idlers were replaced a couple years ago. I'm hoping like hell it isn't my power steering pump and that reminds me I haven't checked its fluid level in years. But there's no visible leaks from that system.

GMT800s are definitely starting to get long in the tooth. Still cheap and easy to work on, though.
 

Overlandtowater

Well-known member
Surprised your heater core lines at the firewall connectors didn't spring a leak after moving things around like that.

The lifter tick in cyl1-2 is common unfortunately, there's a few odd things you can try to clean it out, but ultimately it looks like new lifters are needed. You'r ehigher pressure oil pump might solve it, with a good detergent oil. DONT use synthetic unless it's been in use all along, I sprung all kinds of oil leaks when I inadvertantly switched. Still have my new valley pan cover gasket to swap in, next time I have the intake off.


Balancer shouldnt matter much. Just check that the rubber between the inner and outer steel rings is still in place. I'm surprised it's not keyed, though.

Ive got a new singing bearing noise cropping up nice and loud on cold mornings when I head to school. I think it's coming from my alternator. 146k mi. Next week when I have time I'll dismount and split open the ALT and grease the end bearing in the back half. The idlers were replaced a couple years ago. I'm hoping like hell it isn't my power steering pump and that reminds me I haven't checked its fluid level in years. But there's no visible leaks from that system.

GMT800s are definitely starting to get long in the tooth. Still cheap and easy to work on, though.
So I've not got it back together yet but I do have the heater core T's on hand that you suggested when I did the knock sensors. Also I went through the synthetic problem I swapped it out within 1500miles of putting it in...I don't know if it made anymore leaks because the seals where already bad but it did make the ticking worse.....I also switched brands of oil filters from fram to wix after cutting one of the fram flilter apart and seeing how the paper had collapsed and left gaps in the filter material. supposedly from what I've been able to come up with the wix is the best bang for the buck when it comes to filters.

I assume its a deadener instead of a balancers like the older engines.

and yes my alt. is making bearing noise too along with my ac tensioner 176K on mine now.
 

Overlandtowater

Well-known member
Started putting everything back together and got the crank shaft pulley and it says to tighten to 240 ft lbs with the old bolt, back it out and then tighten to 37 ft lbs + 140 degrees...I was curious to what that might be my torque wrench only goes up to 259 and at 259lbs I still have a little more to turn the bolt....so 280ish? I assume that bolts is that tight due to the pully not being keyed.....
 

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