Hi all, I’m pretty new to the club and I was hoping to get some good info from people who might know more than me. I bought a 2004 avalanche and it wasn’t taken care of the best. When going into it I found frame rot, it won’t fill with gas properly and the gauge bounces, and the brakes have a weird feel almost like they need bleeding but I suspect it’s more than that. I’ve got someone who can box the frame and says they think the fuel pump is in part to blame for the no fill and gas gauge. So my main question is, is this stuff pretty common and safe? Should I pull the trigger and get to work on this dream truck of mine or is it a lost cause and I need to scrap it and take the loss while I can? Thanks all!
-
If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!
New avalanche owner with questions - REPAIR or SELL?
- Thread starter JokerD2
- Start date
Welcome. Do some more research, searching threads here. I found my '04 pretty easy to work on. Good parts available local or online. Them brakes you should have checked or inspect yourself. Take a tire off and check the pads and look for a leak in the brake lines. GL
EXT4ME
PM 2024
PM 2023
PM 2022
PM 2021
PM 2020
PM 2019
PM 2018
PM 2017
PM 2016
PM 2015
PM 2014
PM 2013
PM 2012
Full Member
- Joined
- May 3, 2012
- Messages
- 6,156
Fuel filling issue is a common one and with the replacement of a few common parts, should take care of that.
The fuel gauge bouncing around can be a couple of things, but given the age of the truck, I would suspect the fuel pump is most likely nearing the end of life.
A faulty gauge stepper motor could also be a cause, but I would tend to think the fuel pump would be more likely.
Not a huge deal to replace the fuel pump with the included fuel level sending unit and I wouldn't trade off an otherwise decent truck just because of that.
Try to use OEM ACDelco replacement parts since some of the aftermarket parts have been known to not perform quite as well.
You may pay a little more, but these are not repairs you will want to do over and over again due to cheap parts.
The fuel gauge bouncing around can be a couple of things, but given the age of the truck, I would suspect the fuel pump is most likely nearing the end of life.
A faulty gauge stepper motor could also be a cause, but I would tend to think the fuel pump would be more likely.
Not a huge deal to replace the fuel pump with the included fuel level sending unit and I wouldn't trade off an otherwise decent truck just because of that.
Try to use OEM ACDelco replacement parts since some of the aftermarket parts have been known to not perform quite as well.
You may pay a little more, but these are not repairs you will want to do over and over again due to cheap parts.
Depends on how bad the 'frame rot' is personally. you're getting into a massive can of worms if you're getting to the point of replacing the frame. My two cents would be to fix the immediate, affordable, issues and sell it off in a couple months when people are even more desperate for a truck. Hell, depending on what you paid, you might even find a dealer willing to pay a reasonable amount for it.
Take it from someone that's put.. well.. we're probably at $10k overall into my truck from repairs now into a vehicle they paid $5k for upfront. And I still don't have the rust taken care of. Thankfully it's all cosmetic. Believe me, when you have a truck that looks like it wasn't taken care of, it wasn't. And it will find little ways to bite you in the rear every few months.
Id weigh the potential costs against swapping it for another avalanche in a bit better condition, you know? For example, where are you getting the frame from? Would it be better to just keep that truck instead? ect. I dont want to scare you off the avalanche, they're great trucks. But i'd rather see you spending the money where it counts.
As for the brakes, it depends on how used you are to GM trucks, especially ones from this era. The brakes feel quite a bit spongier than all of our other vehicles just because of how the hydro booster works. The brake lines are common failure points as well due to rust. If yours havent been replaced, id expect to do that at some point.
The gas guage can be a variety of things. The stepper motor in the gauge cluster, the gas level sensor mounted to the fuel pump, or the wiring running between the two. The sending unit itself tends to rot out. Water gets up in there and sits.
Gas filling is of course usually an issue with the charcoal canister and the vent tubes connected to it becoming blocked. On the bright side, it means the rest of the fuel system is pretty well sealed at the moment.
Take it from someone that's put.. well.. we're probably at $10k overall into my truck from repairs now into a vehicle they paid $5k for upfront. And I still don't have the rust taken care of. Thankfully it's all cosmetic. Believe me, when you have a truck that looks like it wasn't taken care of, it wasn't. And it will find little ways to bite you in the rear every few months.
Id weigh the potential costs against swapping it for another avalanche in a bit better condition, you know? For example, where are you getting the frame from? Would it be better to just keep that truck instead? ect. I dont want to scare you off the avalanche, they're great trucks. But i'd rather see you spending the money where it counts.
As for the brakes, it depends on how used you are to GM trucks, especially ones from this era. The brakes feel quite a bit spongier than all of our other vehicles just because of how the hydro booster works. The brake lines are common failure points as well due to rust. If yours havent been replaced, id expect to do that at some point.
The gas guage can be a variety of things. The stepper motor in the gauge cluster, the gas level sensor mounted to the fuel pump, or the wiring running between the two. The sending unit itself tends to rot out. Water gets up in there and sits.
Gas filling is of course usually an issue with the charcoal canister and the vent tubes connected to it becoming blocked. On the bright side, it means the rest of the fuel system is pretty well sealed at the moment.
First off, Welcome to the club!!! 
It looks like the other issues are pretty well covered above.
Brake lines are a big issue across all of the rusty GM trucks & SUV's. I'd bet you have a line that is corroded and is "weeping" fluid rather than a line that is busted completely.
You can get a pre bent brake line kit for a reasonable price and you CAN install yourself if you are fairly knowledgeable, but it can turn into a big PITA depending on how bad the rust is on the distribution block fittings.
If you replace one line or part of one line, you may as well try to replace them all, because they will all fail at some point.
The "frame rot" is totally subjective. It all depends on how comfortable you are with a patch job and how you feel about driving it. Personally, I would not fool with fixing a rusty frame if it were my truck, but I have also seen plenty of sturdy repairs before, especially on Jeep Wranglers that last for years to come.
It looks like the other issues are pretty well covered above.
Brake lines are a big issue across all of the rusty GM trucks & SUV's. I'd bet you have a line that is corroded and is "weeping" fluid rather than a line that is busted completely.
You can get a pre bent brake line kit for a reasonable price and you CAN install yourself if you are fairly knowledgeable, but it can turn into a big PITA depending on how bad the rust is on the distribution block fittings.
If you replace one line or part of one line, you may as well try to replace them all, because they will all fail at some point.
The "frame rot" is totally subjective. It all depends on how comfortable you are with a patch job and how you feel about driving it. Personally, I would not fool with fixing a rusty frame if it were my truck, but I have also seen plenty of sturdy repairs before, especially on Jeep Wranglers that last for years to come.
Vaeagleav
PM 2022
PM 2021
PM 2020
PM 2019
PM 2018
PM 2017
PM 2016
PM 2015
PM 2014
PM 2013
SM 2006
SM 2005
Full Member
I agree with the above posts in that doing some work can possibly save your AV, it all depends on the extent of the rust and your budget, time and ability to fix etc.
One good upgrade on the first gen braking system is to swap out for second gen brakes if you have 17 inch or larger rims it is an easy and cheap way to get better braking.
Most of what you are concerned about is discussed in older threads so spening some time reading those threads will give you a good idea of time and ways to fix things.
One good upgrade on the first gen braking system is to swap out for second gen brakes if you have 17 inch or larger rims it is an easy and cheap way to get better braking.
Most of what you are concerned about is discussed in older threads so spening some time reading those threads will give you a good idea of time and ways to fix things.