My work wagon is a 2005 GMC 2500 4x4 with a 6.0 and an automatic. Recently it has been acting up. It won't rev over a certain rpm, which can vary from 2500-4000rpm. It's like hitting the governor the way it just stops. It's fine on the highway, but if I'm going uphill and it downshifts to third, I'm done. I'll be idling by the time it gets to the top.
Things to consider:
- Obviously the first thing would be to take it to the dealer, since it's a work truck and it's not my money. But I'm three hours from the nearest dealer, or a mechanic of any sort, and can't afford to throw away a day to diagnose the problem.
- I'd like to be more sure of when it is doing it and when it isn't. It doesn't seem to do it when there's more than half a tank of gas, and it will do it to the point where it isn't driveable with less than an eighth of a tank. It seems more likely to do it when the engine is warm than when it's cold. It seems to help if I shut the truck off and start it again, and it helps more the longer I leave it.
- The truck is nearly miled out. I'm within the window where we send our trucks to auction, so it would be better to get rid of it than spend a lot of money on it.
- I have put 80,000km on it myself (it has 145,000km on it now) and I have never done anything but change the oil and filters.
- The check engine light is on, but my guess is that it's related to the fuel tank vent hose (because I've had that problem before, and it came on immediately after filling the truck with gas yesterday).
Is this something plugs and wires would fix? I've either been driving a diesel or a new gas truck for the last three years, and to be honest if I did know the lifespan of plugs and wires I don't know it anymore. Or how to tell if they need to be replaced, for that matter. Because of the belief that it happens only at certain times, like after 2 hours or more of driving, I wonder if its brains aren't starting to go.
If it's something a tune up would help, I'll take it in. If it's more serious, I'll call my boss and tell him to order me a new truck. I want to keep my vehicle expenses to a minimum because I know he doesn't like spending a lot of money to sell a truck, and I'd like to save even the money on labor diagnosing the problem.
Things to consider:
- Obviously the first thing would be to take it to the dealer, since it's a work truck and it's not my money. But I'm three hours from the nearest dealer, or a mechanic of any sort, and can't afford to throw away a day to diagnose the problem.
- I'd like to be more sure of when it is doing it and when it isn't. It doesn't seem to do it when there's more than half a tank of gas, and it will do it to the point where it isn't driveable with less than an eighth of a tank. It seems more likely to do it when the engine is warm than when it's cold. It seems to help if I shut the truck off and start it again, and it helps more the longer I leave it.
- The truck is nearly miled out. I'm within the window where we send our trucks to auction, so it would be better to get rid of it than spend a lot of money on it.
- I have put 80,000km on it myself (it has 145,000km on it now) and I have never done anything but change the oil and filters.
- The check engine light is on, but my guess is that it's related to the fuel tank vent hose (because I've had that problem before, and it came on immediately after filling the truck with gas yesterday).
Is this something plugs and wires would fix? I've either been driving a diesel or a new gas truck for the last three years, and to be honest if I did know the lifespan of plugs and wires I don't know it anymore. Or how to tell if they need to be replaced, for that matter. Because of the belief that it happens only at certain times, like after 2 hours or more of driving, I wonder if its brains aren't starting to go.
If it's something a tune up would help, I'll take it in. If it's more serious, I'll call my boss and tell him to order me a new truck. I want to keep my vehicle expenses to a minimum because I know he doesn't like spending a lot of money to sell a truck, and I'd like to save even the money on labor diagnosing the problem.
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