At this point Im not sure if I need to replace the engine. When I start it up in the mornings it puffs out blue smoke from the tailpipe and clatters very loudly and briefly. I know about the "carbon knock" and how it doesnt affect anything. I dont think that what I hear is the carbon knock. I have heard about piston skirts slapping the cylinder walls due to excessive cylinder taper, I dont know if thats what I have. Not only does it make this noise when I start it in the morning, it also makes the noise right before it shifts when under full accel. I work at a chevy dealership and right after i bought this truck from a cust who didnt want to replace a wheel bearing and repair a p/s leak I flushed the rear diff fluid, transfer case fluid, front dif fluid, oil, transmission fluid, coolant and brake fluid with new O.E.M. stuff. I replaced the rear axle seals, front axle seals, several bulbs and stuff like that. I put Lucas Oil Stabilizer in the oil after I was done with servicing the truck, I put Lucas transmission treatment in the trans fluid after servicing it also. I did not notice any problems with the transmission in the 20 miles that I drove the truck after purchasing it prior to servicing it. Basically what I'm getting at is that I bought this vehicle with 150K on it because it was a good deal, I have never owned a vehicle with this many miles on it. I have a Ford Ranger that I personally put the last 100K on but I maintained it a lot, so I know it's history and "temperment". I have a trip to Colorado to go on in November of this year and plan to take this truck but I do not want to encounter any problems with it on the road. What I meant about the designation of the 5.3 "z" motor is what are the different 3 character codes that describe an engine, like an LS1 is the base C5 Corvette motor, what 3 character code is the Z motor what 3 character code is the 6.0 truck engine ad so on, anyone have any links or info on how to find this stuff out?
Thanks again
