Posted by BIG BLUE on July 13, 01 at 13:07:38:
In Reply to: Rear End Horror Story posted by JJ on July 13, 01 at 10:17:16:
First off, sorry to hear of all the trouble. Makes work seem like fun when you return from a vacation with all that happened. It seems funny (but does not surprise me a bit from all the dealer horror stories we hear) that 2 different dealers made no mention of the 500 mile break-in period. You obviously told them the scenerio with towing a trailer and being out of town? How could they not even mention the crucial break-in stage after the diffy was set-up? Twice!?
This would be like a baseball pitcher dislocating his shoulder and after getting "fixed" by the doctor the doc forgets to mention that it's probably not a "good idea" to pitch for a few days until the shoulder is better, or at the very least, take it easy. (you see the point).
In any case, I am curious to hear what "symptoms" you experienced with all 3 rears going out. What were the telltale signs? What did it sound like? Did it just quit altogether or did you start blowing seals or what? We all hear of bad tranny's and rear ends in these trucks but many don't post on the exact nature of the signs before it happens or while it's happening, these are the types of posts that can help the rest of us with a ticking time bomb to defuse the problem before total failure. Let us know, and good luck getting the truck back home.
Regards,
BIG BLUE
: While vacationing into the North Carolina Mountains, pulling a 24 foot travel trailer with a 94 suburban, rear end gave out stranding vehicle in Sylva NC. Dealershp there, rebuilt rear end at a moderate cost of $1400. Oh well, vehicle had 100,000 miles on it. Rear ends always go around then anyway. It gets better. The new rear burned up in 200 miles, stranding family in Buford Georgia for 3 days. Another $1400 dollars because 2nd dealer claimed workmanship error in North Carolina, not covered under warranty. Guess what, stranded again in Valdosta Georgia, another 300 miles, rear blown out. Vehicle towed back to Buford, North of Atlanta, camper stranded in Valdosta. I rented a car and drove back to Ft Lauderdale, Fl, truck and camper left in Ga. Oh, did I mention I also blew a heater core in Macon, Ga and a leaf spring and tire on the trailer in Sycamore Ga. Still in litigation with GM.