Please help 5.7 vortec

15

Asked by Michelle Apr 01, 2021 at 02:10 AM about the 1996 Chevrolet Suburban C1500 RWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

OK please help!!! I have a 96 2wd
suburban 5.7 vortec. New OEM
plugs wires but the distributor
new not OEM. - thanks to the old
man messin with me- any ways
the truck was acting like it had a
miss around 50mph.. Well me and
the old man was bouncing ideas
came up with him agreeing I
needed to have the crank shaft
position sensor checked. Sure
enough -19. So got er back to 0.
Well it still felt a slight miss. BTW
there was a tranny swap on it not
long ago took the one out of his
old truck and put in mine. 4l60e.
Against my better judgment I take
it to midas and they scan it. She
sends out a list of codes blah blah
. . they keep my truck for 6 days
won't reallly tell me anything and
keep saying they will call me right
back. Not the point. Anyways they
finally say that it was the wrong
transmission... That I needed a
new distributor and that the truck
is a insurance liability for them to
work on. I'm in shock and heart
broke. I figure they just don't know
their butt from a hole in the
ground. Well I get my truck and its
jerking at idle now and seems like
the motor is just gonna fall out.
Remember I took it in only cause
it had a slight miss over 50... Wtf.
Then today the old man says they
told him they tried to time it... I
didn't think u could time mine by
hand. But I don't know crap so idk.
Someone please help me. I'm not
giving up on my truck and the guy
at midas can suck one even if the
money I need in it is more then it
books. Coming from a guy saying
to just basically throw parts at it.
Any help would be great tia

3 Answers

157,685

If you haven't done so already I'd suggest replacing the spark plug wires. Since the spark plugs, distributor cap and distributor rotor are new and the ignition timing is correct bad plug wires will cause a misfire, especially in wet weather and under higher speed driving. Also, given the age of your truck, I'd do a compression test. If one cylinder tests considerably lower than the rest you have a weak cylinder. That could be a piston ring problem or a valve problem on that cylinder. If that's the case it's time for an engine rebuild or replacement. Hope that helps! Jim

1 people found this helpful.
15

Thank you. just had the plugs and wires also changed. I'll start with a compression test this weekend if the weather let's me outside. I didn't think u could set the timeing by hand on my motor? Midas said they messed with it when I had them scan it.. Could that be why she's running like crap now? Has me on fire since I only asked them to scan it. Drove fine besides a slight miss at 50. When I had the tranny put in its the right one but they said no and that it burnt up my computer.. Again wasn't having transmission issues when I took my truck to them.

1 people found this helpful.
157,685

You're welcome. Glad to help. The ignition timing is set by moving the distributor while shining a timing light on the harmonic balancer. There's timing marks on the harmonic balancer and as you move the distributor the timing marks will move. When you have the timing mark lined up properly the ignition is properly set. Your engine may only have one timing mark on the harmonic balancer and one mark on the engine instead of the older style "sawtooth" timing marks on the engine but the idea is the same. When viewed with a timing light the two marks should be lined up for correct ignition timing. Unfortunately the 18 year old "tech" at Midas probably has no idea how to check or adjust the ignition timing with a distributor type of ignition system. I ran into a similar problem with the security system on my 94 Fleetwood. Long story short I was told the ignition lock cylinder was the problem after a $700 diagnostics charge. I took the car home, studied how the system works, and fixed it myself. It was the body control module that cost me $200. I should have fixed it myself in the first place! Hope that helps! Jim

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Suburban

Looking for a Used Suburban in your area?

CarGurus has 16,745 nationwide Suburban listings starting at $2,500.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

1996 Chevrolet Suburban

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Andrew Olsen
    Reputation
    3,090
  • #2
    JimO65
    Reputation
    2,400
  • #3
    Rowefast
    Reputation
    2,150
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Chevrolet Tahoe
1,274 Great Deals out of 32,582 listings starting at $1,550
Used Ford Expedition
946 Great Deals out of 36,486 listings starting at $1,373
Used GMC Yukon
657 Great Deals out of 14,648 listings starting at $2,221
Used Ford F-150
5,927 Great Deals out of 164,929 listings starting at $2,700
Used GMC Sierra 1500
1,794 Great Deals out of 69,565 listings starting at $1,900

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Chevrolet Suburban For Sale
24 Great Deals out of 5,919 listings starting at $50,990
2023 Chevrolet Suburban For Sale
147 Great Deals out of 1,532 listings starting at $39,662
2022 Chevrolet Suburban For Sale
66 Great Deals out of 649 listings starting at $33,990
2021 Chevrolet Suburban For Sale
75 Great Deals out of 814 listings starting at $23,995
2020 Chevrolet Suburban For Sale
41 Great Deals out of 498 listings starting at $18,490

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.