2004 6.0 NV4500 Tahoe

[OR VietVet]

If you think the f150 engine bay is bad take a gander at the vans! It’s so small under the hood it’s practically worthless to even pop the hood. The dog house is awesome and makes accessing the back of the engine super easy. But for front accessory drive stuff it seems working from the bottom is easier.

Your so right tho the 5.4 dual overhead cam design is just a monster in size. Takes up so much space and is such a turd of a motor.

Yea, I recently worked on a 2014 E350 van with a 5.4 engine. Had belt squeak and noisy bearings in the idler and I replaced the belt, tensioner and idler. All work was done from the bottom on the belt problem. Good luck even seeing the problems from up top. I hate working on any vans designed like that. If I do accept the job, I charge extra labor. There is typically blood shed.

I wanted to turn the work down but is a church van and my former neighbor is an assistant pastor there and recommended me.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Ahh I was curious what your job was, I was guessing something that involved dirty holes but not the kinda machinery plays around in

Looks like it’s gonna be beautiful I hope you have a nice size garage planned.

I actually manage a precast concrete company, so I don't install the items, just design/make/sell them. We make ALOT of manholes so you weren't far off with the dirty holes....

 

[Dantheman1540]

Yea, I recently worked on a 2014 E350 van with a 5.4 engine. Had belt squeak and noisy bearings in the idler and I replaced the belt, tensioner and idler. All work was done from the bottom on the belt problem. Good luck even seeing the problems from up top. I hate working on any vans designed like that. If I do accept the job, I charge extra labor. There is typically blood shed.

I wanted to turn the work down but is a church van and my former neighbor is an assistant pastor there and recommended me.

Everytime I agree to work on this van I cuss myself for being so stupid lol. Although I did weld up his exhaust that broke just behind the manifold and it was cake due to the dog house.

Ac is blowing ice cold in the back now, front blend door is jacked. He told me to remove the actuator (all vacuum actuated which is shet) and manually put it in cold forever lol. Gonna try that in the morning. I will give his 5.4 props for surviving 230k of pure neglect and abuse, this things pulled more trailers than probably anybody I know. With almost no maintenance I remember finding it empty of oil once and he said it had been years since an oil change.

I actually manage a precast concrete company, so I don't install the items, just design/make/sell them. We make ALOT of manholes so you weren't far off with the dirty holes....

Oh that’s sick! You start that? Or get hired into it? Or family? Or sleep your way to the top?

 

[Dantheman1540]

Gotta do some more fencing this weekend down my “good neighbors” side. Only about 70’ of privacy fence but it’s gonna be 8’ tall and use Master Halco Post master posts. Pretty neat product I’ve never used them before but dinging instead of digging will work much better in the muddy section towards the back of the new house.

Anyway forced wife to go to Lowe’s with me because she wanted to “spend time with me”. We got
24-10’ post master metal posts
40-8’2x4 pt
80-1x6x8’ pickets.
I’m a super freak and hand select every board which probably irritates the lanes staff the death but idgaf I ain’t paying $3.45 for a broke picket.

Snapped this pic as we walked out of DQ empty handed because their ice cream machine is broken. I think Tahoe would look great lowered a tiny bit more.

Also attached is pic of fenceline I cleaned up for neighbor with ninja blade on my stihl weedwacker, and the first bit of fencing I did. I hate the cattle gates but I needed something bigger than 8’ for driving through with trailers and I want to eventually build big beefy 8’x12’ privacy gates with a metal frame and super beefy metal posts. Just gonna be expensive and I want time to nerd out on it since I need one in each side of the house. So cattle gates work for now, keeps shitzu in and big enough to drive through.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Oh that’s sick! You start that? Or get hired into it? Or family? Or sleep your way to the top?

Hired in. Started in the concrete plant, on the floor. Moved up to batch plant operator, then QC, then estimator/sales. When I started working here, we had 7 guys in the plant. We now employ over 80.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Hired in. Started in the concrete plant, on the floor. Moved up to batch plant operator, then QC, then estimator/sales. When I started working here, we had 7 guys in the plant. We now employ over 80.

Big dog, that’s cool much more respect than if you said “my last name is the name of the company cause my daddy started it”. That’s not always bad but I seem to see that a lot of crappy contractors I hire.

 

[Dantheman1540]

For shats and gaggles here’s some pics of this turd. It used to be pretty cool because the hood scoop peeled off, rust set in, and he decided it needed wydess.
Ac blowing ice cold and I removed the blend door actuator and manually moved the door to cold per his wishes. But the ac won’t kick on its own, gonna driving it to work see if it just needs moving or what. If not I’ll look into pressure sensors.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Big dog, that’s cool much more respect than if you said “my last name is the name of the company cause my daddy started it”. That’s not always bad but I seem to see that a lot of crappy contractors I hire.

Thanks man. This is a family owned business, just not my family. They told me I've always done what's best for the company so handle it. It's never been easy and sometimes I feel like going to a less stressful job, but it'd be hard to walk away. 7/20 will be my 18th anniversary.


Hope you get the AC sorted out and good on you for helping him!

 

[Dantheman1540]

Thanks man. This is a family owned business, just not my family. They told me I've always done what's best for the company so handle it. It's never been easy and sometimes I feel like going to a less stressful job, but it'd be hard to walk away. 7/20 will be my 18th anniversary.


Hope you get the AC sorted out and good on you for helping him!

Nice to hear of a company taking care of its people, how long till retirement?

Drive it to work and whoa it’s been awhile. He broke his neck on a Honda big red three wheel 30years ago and has only the use of his shoulder muscles. His hands, elbows, forearms, biceps, all that are essentially stuck and paralyzed. So he locks his hand into a contraption on the wheel and it has a crazy “zero effort” power steering setup. It’s so light I imagine you could (or maybe me I’m good at blowing) actually blow air into the wheel and steer it while parked on concrete it’s crazy!

Also his brakes are similar to an unloaded semi with brand new air brakes. Insanely touchy and will absolutely put you into the dash. All this to say it was a sketchy drive and the ac didn’t fix itself…… gonna go home on lunch grab my laptop and see if I can see AC pressure sensor readings. I know this ford ecu doesn’t play nicely with HPT and I can’t do any command functions but maybe I can just see if the dash is actually commanding the compressor on and if so if a pressure sensor is shutting it off.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Nice to hear of a company taking care of its people, how long till retirement?

Drive it to work and whoa it’s been awhile. He broke his neck on a Honda big red three wheel 30years ago and has only the use of his shoulder muscles. His hands, elbows, forearms, biceps, all that are essentially stuck and paralyzed. So he locks his hand into a contraption on the wheel and it has a crazy “zero effort” power steering setup. It’s so light I imagine you could (or maybe me I’m good at blowing) actually blow air into the wheel and steer it while parked on concrete it’s crazy!

Also his brakes are similar to an unloaded semi with brand new air brakes. Insanely touchy and will absolutely put you into the dash. All this to say it was a sketchy drive and the ac didn’t fix itself…… gonna go home on lunch grab my laptop and see if I can see AC pressure sensor readings. I know this ford ecu doesn’t play nicely with HPT and I can’t do any command functions but maybe I can just see if the dash is actually commanding the compressor on and if so if a pressure sensor is shutting it off.

Depends on how fast I can get the new place paid for. I'm ready today!

Hope you get er fixed up.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Dang it! HPT can’t see nothing so I said screw it I’ll jumper the relay and drive to work which is legit 2 miles. Remember I’ve driven with compressors commander on dozens if not hundreds of times when I was struggling with the Tahoe AC sensor.

Anyway I left the driveway it was blowing cool and boom something popped inside the driver front wheel well area and all the shrek jizzum blasted out. Limped it home and got mad so I drove my obs to work. I have three theory’s

1: with compressor commanded on the increase in rpm raised pressures and it blew the weakest point

2: I’m assuming all lines are original and since it’s lifted with big tires maybe a line is loose and rubbed stuff and got weak then popped.

3: the first compressor that died clogged the orifice tube or condenser and despite seeing no signs of this when looking at pressure at idle. Again maybe the increase in rpm caused more restriction and bang!

Will find out tonight!

 

[Dantheman1540]

Depends on how fast I can get the new place paid for. I'm ready today!

Hope you get er fixed up.

Pull the trigger retire now. Dare the bank to take the new house.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Dang it! HPT can’t see nothing so I said screw it I’ll jumper the relay and drive to work which is legit 2 miles. Remember I’ve driven with compressors commander on dozens if not hundreds of times when I was struggling with the Tahoe AC sensor.

Anyway I left the driveway it was blowing cool and boom something popped inside the driver front wheel well area and all the shrek jizzum blasted out. Limped it home and got mad so I drove my obs to work. I have three theory’s

1: with compressor commanded on the increase in rpm raised pressures and it blew the weakest point

2: I’m assuming all lines are original and since it’s lifted with big tires maybe a line is loose and rubbed stuff and got weak then popped.

3: the first compressor that died clogged the orifice tube or condenser and despite seeing no signs of this when looking at pressure at idle. Again maybe the increase in rpm caused more restriction and bang!

Will find out tonight!

I had a Camaro that had moisture in the dryer. It worked fine until the media froze. It blew shit everywhere under the hood. I didn't realize that was a replacement item if you left the system exposed for an extended period of time. I'd def swap the orifice tube just for good measure

 

[pwtr02ss]

Pull the trigger retire now. Dare the bank to take the new house.

I haven't borrowed any money yet so I could...

Not sure the wife would enjoy sleeping in a tent tho

 

[Dantheman1540]

I had a Camaro that had moisture in the dryer. It worked fine until the media froze. It blew shit everywhere under the hood. I didn't realize that was a replacement item if you left the system exposed for an extended period of time. I'd def swap the orifice tube just for good measure

You know I’ve heard stories about that in the past but I’ve gotten away with not doing it many times including in systems open for over a year. Maybe it finally got my ahhh. Gonna look into it after one more hard cider and another lap around the pool

I haven't borrowed any money yet so I could...

Not sure the wife would enjoy sleeping in a tent

Rock on no debt is even better! It’s a shame how much debt has been normalized.

 

[pwtr02ss]

You know I’ve heard stories about that in the past but I’ve gotten away with not doing it many times including in systems open for over a year. Maybe it finally got my ahhh. Gonna look into it after one more hard cider and another lap around the pool

Rock on no debt is even better! It’s a shame how much debt has been normalized.

I'll have debt when they start building. I'm just doing all the site work out of pocket, trying to be as frugal as possible, while having a commercial style site. I've gone a little excessive in storm drain and grading, but I want it to work well.

I'm taking donations...

 

[Dantheman1540]

I'll have debt when they start building. I'm just doing all the site work out of pocket, trying to be as frugal as possible, while having a commercial style site. I've gone a little excessive in storm drain and grading, but I want it to work well.

I'm taking donations...

As we’ve seen lately lots of people disregard storm water drainage and then die or their houses get flooded. Def worth getting right from the start.

I’ll donate a dyk pic

 

[pwtr02ss]

I’ll donate a dyk pic

Priceless

 

[Paul_Kaos]

Anyone heard of Addco sway bars? Their rear bar is almost $100 less than a Hellwig and is the same thickness. Only going to buy a rear right now since I'm doing the rear end overhaul.

Idk if its relevant but IIRC ADDCO made the rear swaybars for the Canadian Touring Car Championship Ford Cougars, theyre a legit racecar stuff brand, thats why youve never heard of them.

Like spax shocks or something along those lines IMHO

Its those brands without marketing departments who make the actual cool shit...

If your parts brand has a street team and a marketing affiliate program, you need a better parts brand lololol

My only place Ill make a concession there is like... BFG for *race* tires... Like if youre running a legit racing program theyll support you where nitto/toyo leave you to figure out tire logistics on your own unless youre a big guy... In that instance the big presser marketing situation actually helps... Expendables, specifically in *sanctioned racing*... Where theres juice for their squeeze in the support expense... They do it to get more people racing and to get the clout that Im blessing them with no cap

Problem is if youre just some assholes prerunning in your own toys... May as well run the more winning tires because they dont provide the support for weekend warriors lol

 

[Paul_Kaos]

Hellwig bar came in and man this thing is a beef daddy! I've had hellwigs on a few other vehicles but they were much lighter and the bars weren't nearly as thick. I didn't realize they came with the adjustable endlinks which are super nice as well! When the DJM links come I will compare and decide which ones end up fitting better and look to be of better quality. The other set will be for sale. I will likely end up reinforcing the DJM links since I've seen a few that have broken and sell the hellwigs since lifted guys could use them.

My garage helper approved of them as well.
View attachment 246533 View attachment 246534

Ill have to look, but I believe its JK? Jeep endlinks? Their adjustable quick disconnects work for our backs, theres a few brands, I got the cheapo $40 and im not impressed with the bushings but hey its a swaybar endlink and the stainless quick disconnect hardware is nice. I feel like disconnecting them was the priority in their design more than on road performance while connected lol


Either way, Im developing a solution to use their parts to run the same disconnect in the front... Basically half a jk link with some fancy stainless hardware... If it works Ill have spare hardware so Ill sell some kits on here if anyone is interested in quick disconnect front swaybars? I have extras and its all in my Amazon history. Ive had to tinker with it and im not done. We wont know for sure till I build the front end, which now... 8lug... Lol