99 GMC Sierra... oil leaks, intake manifold, knock sensors, valve covers and other miscellaneous things

Not too long ago, I finally had some free time to work on the old beater truck I bought about four years ago.  It's had an oil leak that's been there since I bought it.  Not a bad one, just a drip or two after I had driven it.  After a while, those drips turn into a big mess on the garage floor.  While trying to figure out exactly what could be causing the leak, I discovered that it could be one thing or several different things.  I made up a plan of action, ordered the parts I'd need and when everything arrived, I got started.  I decided to film parts of it so I could let you in on what I was doing.  The video is around 20 minutes, I hope it helps if you're experiencing anything similar.

Replacing the radiator in my 1999 GMC Sierra 1500

I've been working on the old GMC truck I bought nearly two years ago.  Right after I purchased it, I did a few repairs/fixes, a couple of which I wrote about on this blog.

About three months ago, I knew that this vehicle was going to be due for a California Smog Check by the end of August this year.  I started working on it to help it be ready for the check.  Once I got all of that done (it passed the Smog check easily), I started thinking about doing some maintenance on the truck that I wasn't sure had been done.  So, the first thing I thought about was the coolant.  I had no idea when the last time it had been changed out.  I read up on it a bit and discovered that there should be DexCool in the system, which is orange in color.  The coolant that was in truck was green.  Green shouldn't be in there, so I decided to change it out.

So, for the first time on my blog, I'm doing a video post, instead of my typical written post with pictures.  I shot it with my new video camera in HD (720p). I spent several hours putting together the video I shot.  Please be kind if you have to make comments.  I know that I made some mistakes in the video, called things the wrong names, but I think for the most part it will help you to understand the steps needed to replace your radiator if needed.  In the video I explain why I ended up needing a new radiator.  Hope you enjoy it!

If you want to watch it on YouTube, I think all you have to do is click on the YouTube link at the bottom of the video.

Cluster Removal on a 1999 GMC Sierra 1500 (new body style)

As I stated when I announced that I bought the 1999 GMC Sierra 1500 LS, this truck was owned by a pipeline company that works in the western US.  That turned out to be significant in the fact that I didn't think about where these types of vehicles probably spent much of their time.  Now I know that they spend a great deal of time on dirty, dusty roads probably in the middle of nowhere.  Even though the drive train seems to have been well taken care of, the rest of the vehicle needed quite a bit of TLC.  I actually didn't buy it directly from the pipeline company.  I bought it from a guy who had purchased it from the pipeline company.  Not sure how long he had it, but he obviously didn't care much about it other than keeping it running well.

I can't complain too much though, I got it for a fair price and it really does run great and everything on it works.

Since it was out on dirt roads much of the time, dust got everywhere.  The instrument cluster had a nice layer of fine dust covering the inside of the bezel and on the gauges.

Removal of the cluster is actually quite simple.  If you have a repair manual, I'm sure that they cover how to do it in there.  I bought a Haynes manual at my local auto parts place.  It tells you how to remove the cluster in there.  Only problem is that the pictures are small, black and white and very low resolution.  Hopefully the color pictures I will add here can help you out if you need to remove your cluster for any reason.

Here is how you do it: First off, you need to remove the bezel that covers all of the components of the dash. These first couple of pics show you what comes off. It's pretty simple, it just clips on the truck, no screws to remove or find. 

Somewhere around the edge of this bezel, you just need to grab hold of it and pull towards you.  I would suggest doing it a bit gingerly, don't get overly aggressive with it.  It you are careful, it should come out fairly easy.  To make getting it out easier, you need to do a couple of things.  First, tilt the steering wheel down as far as it will go.  Second, if you have an automatic transmission, shift the gear selector all the way down to the lowest gear.  You have to put the key in the ignition and turn it to be able to move the selector.  I would suggest that you disconnect the battery so you don't short anything out while removing the cluster.  Better to be safe than sorry.  As you are moving the bezel away from the dash, you have to manipulate it a bit to get it to clear the hazard light button, but it will get past it with no problem.

Once you have the bezel off, you can work on removing the cluster.  There are four 7mm bolt/screws that hold the cluster in place.  They are located one at each corner of the cluster.  Here are some pictures showing where, with the cluster in and out.

This picture shows the cluster still in place, couldn't get a picture with the cluster in showing all four screw locations, there is one in the lower right corner not visible.



This picture shows the cluster removed and the locations of the screws:


Once you have the cluster loose, you need to pull it out a bit and remove the wiring harness from the top of the cluster.  It can be a little sticky, just take your time and don't force it.  There are a couple of clips that lock it into place that you have to squeeze to release it from the receptacle.

I thought that I got a picture of the wiring harness, but apparently I didn't.  I did take a picture of the receptacle for the harness on the top of the cluster, here it is:


These last pics are of the clips that hold the clear plastic lens over the actual cluster.

These two are on the bottom of the cluster, if you're not sure, you can see two small black tabs sticking out from white square shapes.  (I normally draw lines pointing to what I'm describing, but my photo hosting site changed the way they do things and I haven't figured it out yet.)


This picture is of the top of the cluster and the four tabs that hold the clear plastic cover on the cluster.  They look like the bottom tabs:


Once you get the cluster opened up, you can clean it however you like.  Just be careful around the gauge needles.  If you're going to use some type of liquid cleaner, don't spray it directly on the cluster, spray it on a rag first and then wipe down the cluster.

Once you have cleaned or repaired your cluster, installation is reverse of removal.  

Hope this helps.  Good Luck. 

New Project

I recently bought a 1999 GMC Sierra 1500 LS to use for hauling and other odd jobs.  It was a fleet vehicle for a pipeline company in the western US.  It seems to have been well maintained mechanically, it runs nicely.  It has quite a few bumps and bruises to the body and a few minor things that I'm working on to get it a bit better.

I just finished up replacing the door hinge pins and bushings and removing and cleaning the instrument cluster.  I have taken pictures of these jobs and will shortly be publishing a write up about how I did it.  Perhaps these can assist you in doing the same thing.