1998 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 4 x 4 review from North America

I had trouble starting it when the engine was warmed up. It was under warranty so I took it to the dealer. They said it was the Fluid Sensor, but that wasn't covered under the warranty. I had them replace it anyway. That fixed the problem.

The Fuel Pump went out at 99000 miles. Just before the warranty expired. That would have cost me $1000.00. They said I should change the fuel filter every 30000 miles instead of 60000 miles like the book says. The filter gets plugged up at about 30000 miles and this puts extra strain on the Fuel Pump and it can burn out the pump.

One of the rubber boots on the front Half Shaft leaked grease so I looked in the repair manual to see if I could fix it myself, but it says you have to remove the brake assembly and the torsion arm, the steering arm and of course you have to have special tools to do it. I took it to the Dealer and they gave me a reasonable price of $130.00. They got half way through it and told me the bearing in the Half Shaft was shot. I asked them if it could be rebuilt and they said no. It had to be replaced with a new one. To make a long story not so long, it cost me $700.00 to replace the Half Shaft with a new one. When the other Half Shaft started leaking, I did some investigating and found out that you can take the old Half Shaft to a Auto Parts store and exchange it for a rebuilt one for about $100.00. I also took a good look at the Half Shaft and front end and it looked to me like it would come out without taking the front end all apart. I tried it and sure enough it came out. All I had to remove was the shock absorber. Don't believe the repair manual.

At about 147000 miles, I noticed the steering was acting funny when I would make a sharp turn. It would jerk toward the direction I was turning about half way through the turn.

I took it to a mechanic and he replaced the Idler Arm and the Pitman Arm. There is still some play in the steering and he says it may be either the ball joints or most likely the Steering box. The Dealer wants $600.00 for a new Steering box, but I can get a rebuilt one for $165.00.

On two separate occasions the transmission would shift from 1st to 2nd gear really hard. It would just about give you whiplash. I happened to find an honest Transmission shop and they said that is a problem with that particular vehicle. Sometimes the solenoid valve gets stuck and causes that to happen. They said not to worry about it unless it happens often. If it continues, they can replace it with an Aftermarket Solenoid.

At about 149000 the engine seemed to idle rough and have a misfire. I took it to a mechanic and he said the number 7 fuel injector was not working properly. He called the dealer and find out how much Fuel Injectors are and the parts guy said that Chevy had just sent out recall notices to all the owners of that particular model truck for that same problem. They even extended the coverage for that problem to 200000 miles at no cost. The problem is that the poppet valve gets dirty and sticks and that causes the misfire.

I took it to the Dealer and they flushed out the fuel Injectors and now it's better, but it still is a bit hard to start at times. The service writer said that if it continues to act up, just bring it back and they will change out all the Fuel Injectors at no cost.

I just replaced the Water Pump at 151000 miles and it's running great once again.

This is the nicest vehicle I have ever owned and I just love it.

It's got lots of power and handles great, rides nice and is very comfortable. It's just like having a Cadillac with 4 wheel drive.

In my opinion the 1998 body style is the sharpest looking truck ever built.

I also love the extended cab and the third door.