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Gutless Silverado??

cattleman99

cattleman99

Snyder Precision LLC
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Mar 28, 2018
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#1
I have two Silverado 1500's, both have 5.3 Vortex engines. One 2000 and one 2008.

The 2000 is a single cab short bed, 2WD, and an absolute blast to drive. I have never had any issues with it power or torque wise, never had to worry about passing someone or downshifting on a hill.

The 2008 is gutless. Crew cab, 4WD short bed. I don't have to try very hard to break tires loose on pavement with the 2000, but the 2008 barely breaks tires loose on gravel with traction control turned off. I have to worry about passing people because its slow, and lacks throttle response, and lacks balls.

Any idea what a guy may do to spice it up a bit? Looking to see if this is a common problem. Not wanting to resort to tuning and upgrades just yet though.
 
#8
MtnCreek said:
Does it run on 4 unless it needs 8? If so, any chance it somehow stays on 4?
Click to expand...
That could be. It sure feels like it sometimes. I have to have my foot to the floor for it to react, and even then it’s slow. I’m not sure of a way to disable V4 mode without a tune
 
#11
I had a 2003 4x4 Silverado with the 5.3 Vortex it was also a gutless wonder especially when hot out. I tried every thing I could to wake that thing up, never could. I replaced the throttle body, intake manifold with new injectors, new exhaust from the headers back, new O2 sensors, new mass airflow sensor, new plugs and wires. Best thing I ever did was trade it in for my 2017 F150 5.0 4x4
 
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#13
there new line of cars and trucks made in mexico should be better way to go chevy recieve a taxpayer bailout then close american plants and move not the workers but the jobs to mexico .
 
#18
I had a 2006 GMC Sierra Denali AWD 6.0 and went to a 2013 5.3 2WD. That AFM/DoD was problematic in the beginning of the 2007-2013 generation. My 2013 has good get up... but I miss my Denali......

I'll never get another truck that's not a 4 by.
 
#19
Here ya go.....which will get you a 200+ HP increase on 91-octane fuel with only 7-8 psi of boost!
whipple.jpg
 
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#23
Coming from a 2000 Camaro Z28 with factory 2.73s (not exactly a rocket), my 2018 Silverado 1500 (regular cab short bed 4x4) is an absolute dog. Pathetic under 4000rpm and the only way to get it there is to pin it to the floor and wait. It's going bye bye and soon.
 
#24
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#25
OP, what gearing does your truck have? Your 2008 will likely have AFM, which a Range AFM Disabler can deactivate.

A Pedal Commander might also help...but IMO swapping to 4.10-4.11s will almost certainly be your best bang-for-buck in terms of everyday driving butt dyno responsive performance.
 
#26
BoilerUP said:
OP, what gearing does your truck have? Your 2008 will likely have AFM, which a Range AFM Disabler can deactivate.

A Pedal Commander might also help...but IMO swapping to 4.10-4.11s will almost certainly be your best bang-for-buck in terms of everyday driving butt dyno responsive performance.
Click to expand...
3.73 I believe. I understand 4.10 will get me more responsiveness, but if I change gears I’ll have to change both ends and that’ll get costly quick
 
#31
Dippy said:
@cattleman99

Hard to compare a short bed 2wd with a crew can 4wd. But the 4wd should be responsive.

There are a few items that can really turd out an efi engine, the sensors that read the air flow in and the exhaust out. If they are faulty then the engine maybe lacking sufficient fuel. Other things to consider are fuel injectors, if any are gummed up then then the engine could be starving for fuel at times. Spark also has to be accounted for, if any of the cylinders spark is weak this could be an issue.

How long has this been a problem, since you first owned it or recently?

I had a 2007 Silverado 4wd reg cab 8’ bed, that was a good truck. Never had any power or traction issues. Took a damn European assclown smacking me in an intersection to total it out. Still miss that truck, but my new Silverado sure has power and is nice as hell.
Click to expand...
I’ve had the problem for about a year now. Truck has 162,000 miles on it
 
#32
It's weight vs. torque. A 2wd standard cab compared to a crew cab 4wd using the same powerplant. The larger heavier truck will be slower. You could change differential gear ratio (well you would need to change both with the 4wd) to get more seat of the pants feel, but you will be turning higher RPM at your cruise speeds.

The 5.3 is a fairly small engine for modern heavy vehicles (324 cubic inches). The newer stuff has more safety equipment which makes the vehicles slightly heavier also. Then there is the emissions tuning where the computer is trying to get back to the most "efficient" tune. Kick it's ass more and it might be more responsive...maybe and for short times. Once you take a long drive it will revert back to efficiency programming.

If you can find a local tuner you can get a program made to flash the PCM. You should be able to squeeze more out of it assuming the tuner has a dyno and knows what they are doing. Off the shelf chips or programs are just basic and don't do a whole lot (excluding diesel programmers). But remember it is a truck and the goal is typically reliability (and mileage) above all else.
 
#37
Find a good tuner, have them run it on the Dyno. Good chance something isnt right. However without a Dyno to get real readings and data logs to be studied you'll never know what it's doing.


There is also that pesky torque management that pulls timing if it thinks you're abusing it. Just pulling that out of the tune makes them drive like whole new trucks.
 
#38
My truck was puffing white smoke out on startup. It is a bad design on the driver side valve cover that allows oil to be sucked into the pcv valve. I replaced the cover and the throttle response is noticably better.
 
#39
I have an ‘11 5.3L, ext. cab, 4x4, 3.42 gears, 2” lift all the way around, and bigger 285/70/R17’s.

I added a smooth intake tube and and Corsa Sport Exaust prior to tuning.

I did the full custom tuning via driving logs and e-mail tuning: http://diablewtune.com/

This livened my truck up nicely. I did 93 octane, no cylinder deactivation, and transmission tuning. She moves a lot easier and more responsively due to this.

If I’m not pulling my boat, summer blend gas, and not romping on it passing the idiots, I can get 19mpg on the highway at 77mph cruise set.
 
#42
Ive got a 2002 3500 van with the 5.7L and its got gobs of power. Switched all the fluids to Amsoil at 3K and it runs better than my friends new one with 50K.

Amsoil is your vehicles best friend.
 
#46
IF you opt for getting the PCM reflashed, get them to disable AFM and also see if they can turn the antitheft system off as well. I've seen/worked on several GM trucks that the antitheft system disabled the truck and had to be repaired. I've NEVER seen a proven case that the antitheft system ever actually PREVENTED the vehicle from being stolen. Most speed shops can do this.
 
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#47
Torque management is a bitch. 2003 was the first year for drive by wire for the throttle body. Computer took over for everything. Saved on the transmission and T-cases. If you truly have 3.73 gears your RPO should be GT4. My 2003 had them and it certainly wasn’t slow.

Tires will play a role in the sluggishness too.

Clean your mass air flow sensor or replace it. Throttle response will improve dramatically, if it’s dirty at least it did in my 2003. Do your tranny a favor and replace the shift servo with the ‘Vette servo. Shifts will improve and help the tranny last longer. I’d start there and also scan it to see if there’s a code that’s not illuminating the dummy light.
 
#48
When was the last time you replaced your fuel filter? I know it's in the tank and part of the fuel pump module and supposedly don't get clogged. When I worked at a GMC dealership back in 2004, I'd get the same complaint about a gradual decline in power. I'd change the fuel filter (external at that time) and the vehicle would run much better. What is your fuel pressure measuring at? Have you noticed a decrease in fuel economy?
 
#49
JMGlasgow said:
When was the last time you replaced your fuel filter? I know it's in the tank and part of the fuel pump module and supposedly don't get clogged. When I worked at a GMC dealership back in 2004, I'd get the same complaint about a gradual decline in power. I'd change the fuel filter (external at that time) and the vehicle would run much better. What is your fuel pressure measuring at? Have you noticed a decrease in fuel economy?
Click to expand...
Haven’t replaced fuel filter since I’ve owned the truck. I’ll look into doing that. Fuel economy has been kinda sucky, 13-14 town and gravel
 
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