Might be time to shoot my truck.

[covetsthesun]

Most of the time I consider myself to be a reasonable person. 😛 I have given my truck the best care... kept it clean and well maintained. I was not amused when the rear end had to be replaced...twice...during warranty. Not terribly happy when the driver's seat adjusters had to be replaced (warranty). Unamused when the actuators in the dash had to be replaced...3 times and once under warranty. 😞

Add to that any number of odd bits and pieces over the years. I liked the truck well enough to hang in there. I even got it a new engine when it clattered like ball bearings in a blender coming down a GA mountain. :E

But....this may just be the last straw. On a cold dark January morning we were ready to load the truck for a two week road trip to FL and GA. DH comes in and tells me... the tail gate is stuck closed.

:M The tailgate...is...stuck????:h I inspected... lubed etc. Nope won't unlatch.:S

Thus began 2 weeks of crawling up and over the tailgate to get to whatever luggage we needed. We have a Leer Shell...DH is 6ft. Interesting show. :@ I think he got an aerobic workout doing this.

A friend watched a YouTube vid and said easy fix. 10 minutes. Nothing on this truck is ever a ten minute fix.

For those who are wondering... yes...there is a question here. What could possibly have gone wrong inside the tailgate? Is the fix relatively simple? DH is not...mechanically inclined.

[Lwiddis]

Violence is never the right path. :h

[GeoBoy]

Buy a new GM truck and enjoy it.

[Cummins12V98]

Jebby14 wrote:
new DH right?

YES 😉

[Grit_dog]

I'll assume the perception of complaining was tongue in cheek, with 300kmi on the truck.
You even got 300k out of the trans and almost 200 out of the engine?
I'd be singing its praises.

[path1]

I was going to post how I fixed mine, but here is video that explained better. Only thing I would advice is be careful to not drop those rods or have a kid with small arms near by to fish them out. May tie some kite string? Mine is a Dodge but both about the same concept. I used plastic putty knife to get it started. Because I was trying not to scratch paint.

If DH is still stumped after watching video. Body shop shouldn't be much to fix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYCWNpGbVro

[Greentreena]

If not new then newer as all vehicles with that mileage will require mechanical interventions at very poorly timed locations. Good luck

[Jebby14]

new DH right?

[Cummins12V98]

"DH is not...mechanically inclined."

Get a new one!

[covetsthesun]

coolbreeze01 wrote:
Spoil yourself with a new truck :C

Would love to!:B But I have very expensive tastes in trucks.:)
DH wants a Caddy DTS...sigh. I've considered seeing just how far this truck will go, but I don't relish the thought of having a meltdown on some lonesome highway.

Thanks all! As always, much appreciated.

[wowens79]

My 02 had the same issue with the tailgate. It is a simple fix, it was the little plastic clip that holds the rods in place.

It really was just a 10 min fix.

[coolbreeze01]

Spoil yourself with a new truck :C

[transferred]

downtheroad wrote:
OK...now we have more of the story.
186K on the motor- lots of towing on a gasser half ton...you did pretty good

114k on the engine.

[covetsthesun]

This truck has never been overloaded, and towing has been nearly non existent. It really has been well maintained, but as you can see from 300k miles...it has been a road warrior. Over all, it has been a great vehicle. Just more than a few annoying and repetitive repairs plus the usual maintenance.

I have kept up with the transmission maintenance...so knock on wood... that isn't in the near future.

Thanks for the video... we will check it out. I was already quoted $120 labor and $30 parts from the dealer! So...we might get brave and attempt this ourselves.

[downtheroad]

OK...now we have more of the story.
300K - on a basic pickup...you did pretty good
186K on the motor- lots of towing on a gasser half ton...you did pretty good

I agree with you....shoot it. It's long in the tooth and you deserve a new one.

[Txsurfer]

300K on a 13 yr old 1/2 -maybe my standards are too low but i'd be happy with that..