2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: engine overheating

Filed Sep 4, 2021 · Brakes, Transmission · IN · crash · 1 injury

# 1 is the 4l60E transmission that sits on the exhaust and runs next to it on the opposite side the heat from the trans itself and the exhaust overheat the gasket which causes weak spots that leak along with burning up the 3-4 clutch. Lost everything but 1&2,R,N on trip to Illinois on way back went to speed up to pass and all sudden the engine started tacking out and leaking fluid. I applied fluid all the way home at a speed of 45mph in a 70 mph limit which caused a major safety hazard with traffic. Took to trans shop said the 3-4 clutch was fried and was no good due to overheating and loss fluid from damaged gasket that's split on the stamps from AC Delco. 2nd issue arises out 1rst, even more dangerous to point of dragging me down drive way and cutting into my leg leaving a small scar. When wheels are chalked , E brake applied the vehical should not move, so after doing so I climbed under and unhooked the shift cable from the trans instantly with dog in truck it began rolling right over me I grabbed the frame and stopped it for a few sec then boom it went again I had spin around or my legs or head would've be smashed to Oblivion. At that point it just kept going as it cut into my leg, I let it roll over me hopped up and tried trow it in park yet no cable attached it wouldn't stop and just kept going till it hit a small ditch at end my drive and half way in the road.My leg was cut and I was scratched up in many spots yet dog was ok. The trans quitting lead to the unhooking of the cable then the e/p brake not holding due to worn brake shins in the rear which have calipers so if the calpier would've held with the brake it'd been fine but under everything is a set small and thin pads that hold the truck when brake applied. There was a recall (#05042). Yet my vin was not included, chevy was called yet denied any responsibility of either matter or action to cure it. These defects could've killed me, decapitated, or killed my service dog!

Filed Jan 24, 2017 · Engine · 102,000 miles · DE

Vehicle is leaking coolant with no apparent cause. No external leaks what so ever. Took it to a mechanic that determined it was a cracked head caused by a bad castech head. There is coolant leaking into my oil because of this.

Filed Jan 19, 2016 · Engine · 155,000 miles · CO

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. While driving 65 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating. The vehicle was immediately taken to the closest dealer where the coolant was flushed and replaced. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the cylinder head was leaking coolant and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

Filed Sep 17, 2015 · Electrical · 80,000 miles · CA

I was driving my truck to a friends house and all of a sudden my cages started going crazy they showed that my truck was overheating and when I stopped its wasn't overheating the the air conditioning started to get hot and then cold and stopped. Know none of the cages work. Two weeks again my wife and I went to breakfast and when I went to turn the ignition off it wouldn't turn off so I had to leave the vehicle running after breakfast we went home and I disconnected the cables and the truck turned off . Then the next morning I hooked them back up and it started by it self. I am a 77 year old senior and I cannot believe that this is happening . I would like help in trying to figure this all out it sounds like defects to me I have always owned silverado trucks and never has anything like this happened.

Filed Feb 20, 2015 · Engine · 156,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado 1500. While driving various speeds, the vehicle overheated causing the temperature gauge to increase to 240 degrees. The contact noticed smoke under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine heads were cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 156,000.

Filed Aug 23, 2014 · Engine · 134,760 miles · MN

I have had a slow coolant loss recently without and leak visible. Found out its my heads that need to be replaced due to cracks. Read a lot of articles of people with the same problem. Seems to me gm should be responsible for installing horrible heads.

Filed Jan 25, 2013 · Engine, Transmission · 91,000 miles · TX

Noticed coolant level would get low. Found water pump mounting gasket leaking, replaced water pump and gaskets, but continued losing coolant. Found out there is a know defect with chevy 4.8 and 5.3 vortex engine heads cracking around the mounting bolt holes. Chevy issued a tsb but will not warranty a know defect. It strange they will cover a HVAC blower motor issue that is know but not a known problem with heads cracking without any fault of the owner.

Filed Aug 7, 2011 · Engine · 78,350 miles · SC

On july 21 my 2004 chevrolet silverado overheated and had a sudden loss of power. The problem was a direct result of a cracked head that leaked all of the engine coolant into the oil pan. This defect is a known defect to gm per a technical service bulliten that was issued in 2007. The bulliten number is #06-06-01-019b and covers engines manufactured from 2001 to 2006. Chevrolet has offered to only replace the cracked heads which does not address the issue of the coolant that entered the oil system which can and will cause severe safety issues later in the vehicles life.

Filed Dec 28, 2006 · Engine · OH

Tl*- the contact's vehicle had a coolant leak and cracked heads. The contact stated that general motors wasaware of this problem. There was a service bulletin already posted. The contact stated that he took vehicle into dealership for a pressure check, and dealership found that all of the leaks were on the inside of the vehicle. The contact stated that general motors was refusing to service his vehicle because itwas out of warranty, even though they have service bulletin released regarding this problem. *ak updated 01/31/07.