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2004 Avalanche Z71 4x4 Rough Idle/Stalls - Faulty Temperature Sensor

Thrasher

Full Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2005
Messages
24
I recently had a problem where my 2004 1500 Z71 (160K+ miles) would occasionally start running rough at low RPM (Idle) and then stall. It would restart and behave OK if it got up to cruising speed. Initially I suspected a possible problem with an oxygen sensor. Correlated with this condition were wild fluctuations in the temperature reported on the dashboard temperature gauge. My simple OBD II Reader did not report any error codes. I took it to my mechanic and he isolated the problem and replaced a faulty temperature sensor on engine block (located on driver’s side, towards front of vehicle).
 
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Thank you for sharing Thrasher, it'll help the next person in a similar situation.
 
Thanks BainMan.

I initially suspected an O2 sensor problem since I previously had another rough idle condition, however in that case, the exhaust was burping out black smoke. The solution to that problem was a replacement O2 sensor.
 
I recently had a problem where my 2004 1500 Z71 (160K+ miles) would occasionally start running rough at low RPM (Idle) and then stall. It would restart and behave OK if it got up to cruising speed. Initially I suspected a possible problem with an oxygen sensor. Correlated with this condition were wild fluctuations in the temperature reported on the dashboard temperature gauge. My simple OBD II Reader did not report any error codes. I took it to my mechanic and he isolated the problem and replaced a faulty temperature sensor on engine block (located on driver’s side, towards front of vehicle).
Rough idle on mine 2013 was number 6 sparkplug replaced all fixed the problem
 
Good info 0007special.

I had similar problem on the 5.3L in my 2007 Tahoe. That turned out to be a spark plug issue (the owner, me, neglected to replace them on schedule). It was throwing a P0300 misfire code. New plugs and wires cured the problem (it was a major hassle to replace the #8 plug on passenger side towards rear). The difference with the Avalanche problem is that it would stall out at idle and be difficult to get restarted.
 
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