wildweaselmi

Received an email from Unlimited today So a week delay in game. Looks like a possible SYE install Monday (2/6) but realistically probably not until Tuesday (2/7) at the earliest. They should be able to finish it same day but I'm not holding my breath. If finished, they just need to re-install transfer case and take measurements from SYE to rear for new DriveShaft from Tom Woods. If luck has its way this would be ordered by Monday (2/6) or Tuesday (2/7) close of business. Tom Woods usually knocks it out within 2-3 days, heading back to Unlimited which should be ready for install on Monday (2/13).. if any luck is involved it would arrive and be installed on Friday (2/24) but I'm a realistic. Most importantly, let's hope this fixes the vibration issues when driving anything faster than 50mph (really bad at 70-80mph) in 2wheel drive. The worse vibration is when you put the transfer case in 4wd (either high or low) you get that front driveshaft spinning and you may loose a filling. That needs to work smooth with no vibration at up to 50mph

So what's the status??? 1-16-2016, 9:00am: Dropped K5 off at Unlimited Offroad 1-19-2016, 1:24pm: Rcvd quote from Aaron that cost is do SYE, replace driveshaft is around $1700. They requested deposit to begin work 1-20-2016, Provided $1500 so they can order what they need to order. Now awaiting a status.. The SYE kit ( Part #16-1207 - $445) with 1350 Flange is coming from JB Conversions, Inc. P.O. Box 2683 Sulphur, LA 70664-2683 and going to 3051 W Thompson Rd, Fenton, MI 48430 They are charging 4 hours for the install which includes: dropping xfer case taking case apart and putting the SYE kit in removing xfer case drop installing oil in xfer case installing xfer case back in K5 Then they need to measure for new drive shaft from Tom Woods and put the order in.

Received a call last night from Unlimited Offroad (Aaron) and looks like JB Conversions doesn't have all the parts to make a complete SYE kit for the K5. They are hoping to have them Friday but Monday at the latest. Add 2 days for shipping and we are looking at Wednesday next week before Unlimited can do anything which means probably Thursday before they get to it. I don't see why they couldn't complete it Thursday if they started in the morning then they need to measure for driveshaft length and get the order in with Tom Woods and that takes 2 days which means we are looking at roughly the following Wednesday. Of course it seriously only takes about 10min to put the driveshaft in so they can test to see if the vibration is gone. So next update should be next Wednesday (Feb.01, 2017) when they should have received the SYE kit from JB Conversions 16-1207.pdf

So what's the status??? 1-16-2016, 9:00am: Dropped K5 off at Unlimited Offroad 1-19-2016, 1:24pm: Rcvd quote from Aaron that cost is do SYE, replace driveshaft is around $1700. They requested deposit to begin work 1-20-2016, Provided $1500 so they can order what they need to order. Now awaiting a status.. The SYE kit ( Part #16-1207 - $445) with 1350 Flange is coming from JB Conversions, Inc. P.O. Box 2683 Sulphur, LA 70664-2683 and going to 3051 W Thompson Rd, Fenton, MI 48430 They are charging 4 hours for the install which includes: dropping xfer case taking case apart and putting the SYE kit in removing xfer case drop installing oil in xfer case installing xfer case back in K5 Then they need to measure for new drive shaft from Tom Woods and put the order in.

Cancelled "The Car Guys Garage" until I get vibration figured out. It's back at Unlimited Offroad since I didn't have the vibration prior to them putting the new axles in. They gotta fix what they installed. I don't have the money to have another business start fixing it.

Tomorrow I have a meeting with "The Car Guys Garage" to see about tuning the GM Crate HT383 engine with the Holly Terminator Stealth EFI Master (NOTE: This is the Holley Terminator Stealth BUT with the HP/Dominator ECU.. Starting v6 never upgrade ECU FW with handheld plugged in. How can you tell if you have the HP/Dominator ECU? Guy said the back of the ECU on the far right is a blue plug like the one shown here its HP/Dominator ECU. The blue plug is where you plug your USB cable from laptop to) Sounds like they have some good reviews and so figured let's give them a shot at figuring out how to get my truck running like it should. It has been very very difficult to find anyone that even wants to touch this Holly setup. Apparently starting at $650 they are willing to give it a shot. They said 2-3 days of tuning and running it on the dyno I'll have it back purring like a kitten. I'm hoping the fuel economy gets a bit better. Its worse now then ever before the new engine and the fuel conscious Holly EFI Holly Terminator 550-441k - $3500 (on average) Holley has you covered with the new Terminator Stealth Throttle Body Fuel injection System. Now you can have all of the benefits of EFI and maintain the traditional looks of a carburetor. Holley's Terminator Stealth EFI systems have the same great self-tuning features of our Terminator EFI in a new stealthy package! - Easy to install - No computer experience required - Handheld tuner included - Simple multiple choice set-up wizard - Self-tunes while you drive - Upgradable to complete laptop control without buying another ECU - Carburetor replacement EFI from the fuel systems experts! Features: Carburetor looks with the drivability of EFI Trouble-free performance with today’s fuels - put an end to vapor lock and fuel varnish problems! Fits V8 engines from 250-600 horsepower 4150 style 4BBL mounting flange - Bolts on in place of carburetor Available in Polished, Classic Gold and Hard Core Gray™ finishes Fully self-tuning ECU - No laptop required Includes full color, 3.5” touch screen LCD for both basic and advanced tuning options Timing control option for GM Small Cap HEI and Ford TFI distributors Connections for Ford, GM TH350, 700R4 and other transmission linkages Optional free software upgrade for full laptop control Easy plug and play harnesses with minimal connections Virtually maintenance free - keeps your vehicle reliable and ready to drive Master Kits include complete fuel system: fuel pump, filters, 40ft of hose (feed & return), billet regulator and all fittings including fuel tank return line bulkhead fitting Specs: BrandHolley EFI CFM950 Emission Code3 FinishHard Core Gray Flange Size4150 Fuel Pressure43 Psi Height3.25" Injector Size80Lb/Hr @ 43PSI Product TypeTerminator Stealth Kit Throttle Bore1.750 inch UPC090127732908 Part Number550-441K Manual included holly_550-441k_manual.pdf

Just got back from a couple of offroad places in Lansing, MI Michigan Offroad Center and AllPro in effort to help me figure out why I'm getting this horrible vibration. Michigan Offroad Center (Brian) worked on my Blazer for about 3 hours troubleshooting and came to the conclusion, they don't know either. They did point out the front driveshaft is at an insane angle which is more than likely the cause and the only solution they can think of is lower engine and trans to make the front driveshaft work OR deal with it. Rear driveshaft, they suggested adding some wedges to see if it makes it worse, then we could tell where the issue lies. Again, great guys! Very knowledgeable. Wish they could of helped me out but sometimes its just not possible. AllPro is right down the street (Ken) and I figured before I start the hour drive back home I would check with him to see if he had any thoughts. He suggested a SYE (Slip Yoke Eliminator) on the rear which would add some extra needed length to the driveshaft which may reduce the angle. Also it would eliminate dirt and garbage getting caught up in the yoke. I have been researching this a little and I think jbconversions has one for around $400 for the NP241c transfer case. Remember to include the cost of the new driveshaft with a change like this (you must either have a slip-yoke on the driveshaft or transfer case to allow for suspension cycling and differentiating lengths as that occurs). A SYE (or fixed yoke driveshaft) lets you run a longer driveshaft-or even a CV-joint-driveshaft for better driveshaft angles and less vibration and if it gets damaged you can remove the broken driveshaft and drive home in Front Wheel Drive (no loosing fluid). So whats the downfall behind the SYE? With a slip-yoke on the back of a transfer case is that it will fall out of the back of the transfer case and you'll lose your gear oil if you pull the rear driveshaft. These kits will both go a long ways to reducing driveline vibes by alleviating the angles of the rear shaft. The stock slip yoke is also a source of clunking as it can bind when the angles get severe enough. Having the slip joint in the driveshaft eliminates this as well.

Okay, now Holidays are over its time for an update... not much has happened. Al, helped me getting some heat working (needed a new blower motor and some switch). He also helped me getting my washer fluid to pump some washer fluid on my window to clear off some mud (bad wiper delay module). Vibration is a remaining issue. He did locate a bad transmission mount (crazy to think the transmission place didn't discover that since its only been in and out how many times?) but Al did the right thing a replaced it to hopefully help with some of the vibration. He took off the front driveshaft and the vibration seemed to decrease but still noticeable (very noticeable when four wheel drive is engaged and running at low speeds). So the thought is pinion angle is wrong which I brought up to Unlimited Offroad before when I noticed the vibration but they said it was first because of a rear brake caliper too tight on the rotor which warped it causing the vibration so they fixed that. Then they said it was transfer case or transmission (but don't forget they said it was the motor mounts before which I never had issues before, only after new axles have been installed did vibration issues start occurring). So to address the vibration I'm going to a different offroad shop. I'm trying my luck at Michigan Offroad Center in Lansing (about an hour drive for me) we'll see what they have to say on Monday. Also Al noticed when Unlimited Offroad installed the exhaust they mounted a hanger to the body (WTH).. so vibration noises carry from suspension to body. Stupid! So I need to schedule an appointment with Muffler Man to have it fixed. Not to mention you can hear like a bolt or something rattling around inside the new muffler. That's where we are today

Looks like before I purchase a new transmission and torque converter from Monster Transmission my buddy Al and I are going to do some quick troubleshooting to make sure I'm not just spending $3000 for no reason. Our plan is to remove the front drive shaft and see if the noise/vibration goes away (I don't think it will have any difference since the front axle isn't locked and the transfer case is in 2H which means the front driveshaft isn't even turning) Next we remove the rear driveshaft and put the front one back in and see if the vibration goes away. (this will definitly help identify the rear axle or even the Tom Woods driveshaft as being part of the vibration. This also could tell me if the angle from driveshaft to rear axles isn't good enough) If the vibration doesn't change after removing the driveshafts then it has to be the torque converter. Currently I have the stage 3 hughes performance torque converter for 2300-2500 stall. I would keep the same stall but possibly go with a different manufacturer

Today I paid my buddy Al $200 to help me swap transfer case I got from kodiactruck. Hoping this would remove the horrible vibration I get when going at a decent speed (65-80mph). Had to put 5w30 full synthetic motor oil in the np231c transfer case per what kodiactruck required. I used valvoline and it took 3qts. this didn't fix vibration. Next guess is torque converter and possibly trans from monster

1805 South Yankee Springs Road Middleville, MI 49333 phone 269- 795-3280 Found right next to Yankee Springs State Recreation Area Barry_SGA_map.pdf

Transmission shop had it for a week. They replaced the trans with another 700r4 rebuilt trans and same vibration at 3rd and 4th. They also replaced everything in the np241c transfer case to include a new chain. Only thing not replaced is the output drive. They looked for a replacement transfer case but since this is a one year only transfer case (passenger side drop and VSS included) it's a difficult task which they couldn't accomplish. So transmission shop is done. When I got the truck home, I had a weird thought if it could be a wrong flex plate. On the GM 383 engines it has to be an externally balanced flex plate so I popped the cover off and see it is externally balanced as it should be. so I looked all over Craigslist and eBay for a replacement transfer case for a 91 which would have the VSS. Found some maybes and then I ran into KodiakTruck.com and he had one. With shipping it cost me around $900 but I have a solid case on the way. Will keep you posted. If this ends up being a fail then my next move is a new monster transmission which comes with a new torque converter which would be the last two items to replace then it's back to Unlimited to check axles and drive shafts, again, only if issue is still there.