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.

[blt2ski]

tinner12002 wrote:
Well OP didn't say whether or not he had elec lock on the tail gate. Other than that its relatively easy to fix one that doesn't open through the access panel.

OP is NOT a HE either! BUT, SHE did say or at least hinted that it was not a lockable tailgate!

Glad she is keeping her DH!

Marty

[tinner12002]

Well OP didn't say whether or not he had elec lock on the tail gate. Other than that its relatively easy to fix one that doesn't open through the access panel.

[covetsthesun]

We did it! DH got the parts and then took it apart. Right plastic doodad busted. His fingers were too big so yours truly got in there with my tiny tools and finished up. I'm going to be investing in right angle pliers etc now. That would have been helpful.

So...guess I won't be shooting the truck for awhile yet. Keeping DH awhile longer too!

Thanks everyone, much appreciated.
cts

[MitchF150]

I traded my 1997 F150 XLT for a 2013 F150 XLT in early 2014 (the 13 had 56 miles on it when I bought it) and it was a night and day difference.

I loved that 97 and wish I could have kept it.. I got nothing for it on trade, but I had no place to keep it and the new truck, so... It got sacrificed.

So much happier with the 13... 🙂

Can't even compare the two.. Sure, the 13 cost me some $$ and I'm still making $393/month payments and will be for a couple more years!

Anyway, you gotta do what you gotta do.. My 97 had 255,000 miles on it and was running great.. Just wanted to get into the 21st Century and had the extra $$ to do so..

Good luck!

Mitch

[Lessmore]

steve-n-vicki wrote:
I bought a new 2004 Chevy 1500 ,in less than 1500 miles , 3 dead batteries , 2 cylinder heads , 1 engine , 1 transmission ,and 1 rear end ( the rear end had very little lube in it from the factory )dealer should have caught it during the PDI, never towed with it , so yes you can get a lemon, of the 3 months I owned it and when I could drive it , it was a nice truck

Sounds like our '76 Ford Granada and '73 Toyota Corolla. We all get lemons sometime, if we have enough vehicles over the years. What do they say...if you get lemons...look for a bottle of gin .;)...something like that...

[Powerdude]

I agree.

Get some black tip .30-06 and shoot it.

Make sure nobody is directly on the opposite side. Start with that engine block.

Have a little fun.

[blt2ski]

Most of my GM trucks from 88, 96, 2000, 2005 have ALL had this issue, tailgate bezel breaking........easy fix.

Now the new one, is the 2000, the inside drivers door latch handle does not open the door. Need to roll down winder, and open from out side. Probably a similar fix, just never had this issue before.

I only have 103K miles on it......longest I have ever gotten a 4L80E trans to last too. Usually get 30-35K miles before rebuilding time! Have had better luck with the 4l60e/700r4 derivatives, never had one of them blow up!

Marty

[tomkaren13]

Gee our Sister truck - a 2002 GMC Sierra is great. No big repairs. Only BIG expensive was brakes.

I would have shot your truck before the warrenty ran out!

[Snowman9000]

covetsthesun wrote:
Sorry about that... it's a 2004 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT3. I should add in all fairness to the truck...it has about 300k miles on the body. Engine was replaced at 186k.

We just got back last night from 2 weeks on the road... the brain is a bit foggy yet.

2004 Chevy, why doesn't this surprise me? 🙂
(I own a 2004 Silverado 2500HD diesel.)

Did you forget to mention the power windows?

[covetsthesun]

Thanks for the videos! We've watched them and are going to give this a try. If it doesn't work... off to the dealership.

[covetsthesun]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Jebby14 wrote:
new DH right?

YES 😉

LOL! DH and I have been married 35 years next week. He's semi domesticated... is a great cook... makes my morning coffee. Why on earth would I trade him in on a new one!!!!!

[covetsthesun]

Grit dog wrote:
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.

Mostly tongue in cheek.:B It has had it's moments as a pita, but overall it has been a great truck. I bought it as a pup with maybe 10 miles on it. Immediately upgraded the tires, sprayed the bed and put in the rubber bed liner. I always park it in the north 40 of a parking lot to avoid door dings. I've been fanatical about maintenance. That's why it's 300k miles (less on the newer engine). It's been in the desert, mountains, Florida broiler sun, northern below zero.

It has been a mostly satisfying relationship. A "girl" (65) and her truck. However, at 5AM as you are packing...a recalcitrant tailgate is not appreciated.

The original post was meant to be semi humorous. I absolutely do recognize that this truck has been a workhorse and it is appreciated.

That being said... all things wear out... so I may still shoot it. In another 50k miles...maybe. :B

[Dadoffourgirls]

GeoBoy wrote:
Buy a new GM truck and enjoy it.

Remember, if you take his advice, GM employees can share the supplier price with friends once a month.

[spoon059]

OP, like the others said... 300,000 miles is pretty good. I don't think that truck owes you anything. The tailgate assembly is a combination of plastic parts and thin metal rods. 300,000 miles of vibration, usage, rust, slamming, etc will eventually have their toll.

Take off the plastic handle and see if anything is obviously broken. It shouldn't be too hard to fix. Even easier (maybe) would be if you have a removeable plate on the inside of the tailgate, that should give you access to almost the entire inner workings, making it easier to repair.

Good luck!