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The serpentine belt in the Chevy Silverado works hard. The serpentine belt that controls the air conditioner also controls the other accessories in your vehicle. It is called a serpentine belt because of the way it snakes around inside the engine. It should be inspected each time you change the oil. Look for cuts, cracks or glazing. If it makes noise, it should be replaced. (Reference 1)

Instructions

1

Study the belts routing. If there is no diagram under the hood that shows the routing, draw one yourself. If the new belt is placed on the wrong way it will cause problems. (Reference 2)

2

Unload the tensioner pulley using a 3/8 inch extension and ratchet. Attach the ratchet to the tensioner bolt and turn it counterclockwise.

3

Caully remove the belt by first releasing it from the tensioner, then side the tensioner back into place, and remove the belt from the other pulleys.

4

Check and clean the tensioner pulley and all the other pulleys for possible wear, dirt, old rubber or oil. Clean the grooves in the pulleys with a wire brush or brake cleaner.

5

Install the replacement belt around all the pulleys, except the tensioner pulley, erring to your notes to be certain you are installing it in the correct direction.

6

Turn the tensioner pulley to the left with the 3/8 inch ratchet, and slip the belt over it. Restore the tensioner to its original position.

7

Start the engine and run it for about two minutes to allow the belt to become completely seated.

When the speed sensor on a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado begins to fail, the first noticeable sign may be a fluctuating speedometer. The speedometers needle may jump from one speed to another, or fall to zero and then suddenly return to the correct speed. The vehicle speed sensor, or VSS, is the sensor responsible for relaying the vehicles speed to the engine computer. In addition to using data from the VSS to calculate the vehicles speed, it also uses this data to make other computational decisions, including when to shift the transmission. The VSS is located on the tailshaft of the transmission or on transfer case in four wheel drive models. The sensor itself is a magnetic inductive sensor that monitors the magnetic field around a notched, reluctor wheel affixed to the tailshaft. The notches in this wheel interfere with the sensors magnetic field and the engine computer calculates the frequency of this interference and converts it into a speed value.

Instructions

1

Turn off the engine, but leave the ignition on. Connect a scan tool to the Silverados scan tool terminal.

2

Navigate to the live data menu and select VSS. Test drive the vehicle in a safe, controlled area such as an empty parking lot where there is no possibility of hitting other cars or objects.

3

Look down at the scan tools display and note the speed value for the VSS. It should reflect the vehicles current speed. If the speed displayed is 0 or different from the speedometer reading, its likely there is a problem with the VSS or the VSS harness connector.

4

Note the voltage value for the VSS on the scan tool. This value should be listed below or above the VSS speed value. It should read between 1.5 and 12 volts. If the value is outside this range, the VSS is either not receiving the proper voltage or is faulty.

5

Raise the vehicle with an automotive jack and support it with jack stands. Locate the VSS on the tailshaft of the transmission of transfer case for vehicles equipped with four wheel drive. Disconnect the VSSs electrical connector.

6

Turn the ignition on and probe the light blue wire on the connector with a digital multimeter set to DC volts. The multimeter should show between 1.5 and 12 volts. Connect a test lamp to a positive voltage source and probe the black, ground wire on the VSS connector. The test lamp should illuminate if the ground properly connected. If the ground is OK and you find voltage at the connector, then the VSS is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Replacing the radiator in your 1997 Silverado is a basic automotive repair to perform. Your radiator plays an important role in the trucks overall cooling system. Its primary function is to keep the engine from overheating. As your engines temperature rises, a cooled mixture of coolant flows into the engine and reduces its temperature. Over time, the radiator becomes damaged resulting from objects hitting the front during operation. This damage can cause the water not to properly flow into the engine as necessary. Performing a routine inspection for damage can help prevent your radiator from falling and causing engine overheating.

Instructions

Removal

1

Park the truck on a level surface, and set the parking brake. Lift the front end using a floor jack, and carefully place it onto the jack stands. Brace the rear wheels using wheel chocks as an added safety measure.

2

Raise the hood, remove the radiator fill cap and disconnect the negative battery cable. Place the recycling container under the radiator drain plug.

3

Unscrew the drain plug bolt, and drain all of the antifreeze from the radiator. Securely seal the recycling container, and safety move it to the side.

4

Remove the radiator safety shield (shroud) mounted on the top of the radiator. The shroud is held in place using two bolts on either side.

5

Remove the main intake radiator hose that attaches to the thermostat housing cover. This hose is held in place by a squeeze-type hose clamp. Detach the hose that leads to the antifreeze reservoir tank.

6

Make note of the lower hose connections, which include the radiator hose leading to the water pump, and also the heater core hose line. Disconnect these lower hoses held in place by squeeze clamps.

7

Reach underneath the truck, and remove the lower radiator mounting bolts. Then, take out the upper mounting bolts from the engine compartment and lift out the radiator.

Installation

8

Carefully hold the replacement radiator in place, and screw in the upper mounting screws by hand. This will hold the radiator in place and allow you to install the lower bolts.

9

Install the lower bolts, and securely tighten all of the mounting bolts in place. Reconnect the lower radiator and heater core hoses, and secure them in place using the hose clamps.

10

Connect the upper radiator and reservoir hoses and secure them using the hose clamps. Re-mount the safety shield (shroud), and secure it in place using its mounting bolts.

11

Start the engine, and fill the radiator with a new 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water. Let the engine idle for several minutes to bleed out trapped air within the cooling system. Replace the radiator fill cap, and inspect all the connections for leaks.

12

Safely raise the truck and remove the floor jacks and wheel chocks. Lower the truck to the ground.

GM and other manufacturers had a brainstorm during the late 1980s -- installing a resistor in a vehicles key to act as a second layer of security in addition to the physical lock cylinder. And it works well, when it does work -- and when you have the original key. But keys and cars dont always travel together and getting a matching key can be expensive. So youve got two options: you can bypass the whole system, or you can test the sensor to get its r-code and the right key.

Instructions

1

Remove the plastic shroud around the steering column in order to access the lock cylinder mechanism. The exact procedures for removing the plastic column covers will vary by truck, depending upon the options you specified. But look all around the shrouding, locate all the relevant screws and remove them. You should now see the ignition lock and the three wires -- orange/black, yellow and red/white -- connected to the Passlock II sensor.

2

Cut the orange/black starter wire and strip the ends so that you can reconnect it afterward. Do the same with the yellow Passlock II sensor wire. Crimp a male and female weather-tight quick-disconnect onto the ends of the wires so that you can quickly reconnect or disconnect them as needed.

3

Set your digital multimeter to read in ohms. Touch the negative (black) probe to a body ground, and the positive (red) probe to the key-side yellow Passlock wire. The resistor that your measuring is contained within the Passlock sensor itself, so thats what youll be measuring.

4

Turn your ignition key to the "start" position, and monitor the readout on your DMM. Record the reading in ohms. Repeat three to four more times, record each measurement and calculate the average. The PL2 sensor may not give the same reading every time, but the computer expects a bit of variance. You should see a reading of between 400 and 13,700 ohms; this is the resistance or "r-code" of your trucks ignition.

The taillight assembly on a 1998 Chevy Silverado houses the brake/taillight combination bulb, the reverse bulb and the turn-signal bulb. The brake/taillight combination bulb takes one type of bulb or another depending on when and where the 1998 Silverado was manufactured. Most 1998 Silverados use the 3057 automotive replacement bulb, but some use an 1157 replacement bulb. Getting to the bulbs requires a single procedure regardless of which bulb your 1998 Silverado uses, but there is a slight difference for extracting the different bulbs from their respective sockets.

Instructions

1

Ensure the headlight switch inside the passenger cab is in the off position.

2

Open the 1998 Chevy Silverados tailgate.

3

Locate the two retaining screws on the taillight assembly (the screws were revealed after you lowered the tailgate) that has the faulty taillight bulb. Remove the two screws with the Phillips screwdriver.

4

Turn the assembly around and rest it on the bumper with the wire harness still connected to the underside of the headlight assembly.

5

Grasp the taillight socket and twist it counterclockwise 1/3 turn to remove the bulb and socket from the taillight assembly.

6

Pull the 3057 replacement bulb straight out of the socket and push the new replacement bulb into the socket. For the 1157 bulb, remove the old one by pushing down on the bulb slightly while twisting the bulb 1/4 turn counterclockwise, then pulling the bulb from the socket. Align the dual notches on the base of the replacement bulb to the grooves inside the socket. Push the bulb slightly downward while twisting it clockwise to lock the bulb in the socket.

7

Align the notches on the external section of the socket with the matching grooves in back of the taillight assembly.

8

Reinstall the taillight assembly and replace the retaining screws. Close the tailgate.

The 2001 Chevrolet Silverados onboard computer uses Chevrolets latest version of OBD-II software as of the 2001 model year. As Chevrolet engineers discover new ways to program the Silverado for heightened fuel efficiency and lowered emissions, Chevrolet makes software updates available to GM dealership service personnel. While it is possible to purchase a scan tool or laptop capable of performing the update, you can only download the update from General Motors servers with an operating license that only dealership service departments are allowed to purchase.

Instructions

1

Climb into the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado with the scan tool equipped with the latest software update download.

2

Plug the scan tool or laptops datalink cable into the diagnostic reader port under the drivers side of the Silverados dashboard. The port looks like a printer cable port and is a perfect mate to the end of the datalink cable. Turn the ignition to the run position with the ignition key.

3

Follow your specific scan tool or laptops directions for updating the Silverados OBD-II software. Perform the update per those directions.

4

Disconnect the datalink cable by hand. Turn the Silverados ignition off and remove the ignition key.

General Motors engineered the fuel system of the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado V6 4.3L with and without an evaporative emissions system monitoring system. Chevrolet designed the fuel pump as an integrated module assembly, combining the fuel pump and fuel level sensor together as a single unit. Delphi manufactures fuel pumps for General Motors. 1999 Chevrolet Silverados equipped with the evaporative emissions monitoring system also have a pressure sensor built into the fuel pump module assembly. The engine computer applies vacuum to the fuel tank and monitors the sensor to verify the tank holds the vacuum. If the tank leaks, pressure drops and the check engine light will turn on.

Instructions

1

Park the vehicle on a flat surface such as a driveway. Set the parking brake and remove the keys from the ignition.

2

Chock the front tire of the 99 Silverado with wheel chocks to prevent the vehicle from rolling.

3

Lift the left rear drivers side tire of the 99 Chevy with the floor jack. Place a jack stand under the axle tube for safety.

4

Remove the plastic lug nut covers by hand using a 3/4 inch impact socket.

5

Remove the lug nuts using the 1/2 inch drive impact wrench and a 13/16 inch socket. Remove the left rear tire.

6

Lean into the wheel well toward the front of the bed. Shine the flashlight onto the top of the fuel tank. Extend the inspection mirror to inspect the top of the fuel pump module assembly.

The fuel pump module assembly is round where it inserts into the tank, and has three fuel lines attached to it. The fuel pump module assembly also has a square four-wire harness plugged into it to provide power to the fuel pump and to measure the fuel level.

7

Look for a small black sensor with a wide flat three-wire harness plugged into it. Also inspect the four-wire fuel pump harness for a tag with three prominent letters printed on it.

Vehicles equipped with evaporative emissions monitoring have the black sensor, two wiring harnesses plugged into the fuel pump module assembly and have a code on the four-wire fuel pump harness labeled "TCF." Delphis aftermarket part number for this fuel pump module assembly is FG0053.

Vehicles without evaporative emissions system monitoring do not have the black sensor, only have one wiring harness plugged into the fuel pump module assembly and have a code labeled on the four-wire fuel pump harness labeled "TCU." Delphis aftermarket part number for this fuel pump module assembly is FG0271.