couple updates / next chapters.
The Stop leak / Castech heads patch repair is still holding just fine. Couple more hard highway trips, ~300mi ea, still not a whit of reduction in coolant levels. It if holds thru the SoCal summer heat, I'm calling it 'fixed'. Hope to flog it 1200mi to the Grand Tetons in August for the total eclipse of the sun.
Driver side window failed again in the down position. Thinking the almost-new low-budget Dorman motor had failed, pulled it all apart, got the glass loose to raise it fully and tape in position. Then while partially assembling the door hardware to make it driveable until I could get a better replacement motor, while reattaching the wiring connectors to the driver door switch panel, I squeezed the driver window switch and that sumbitch did proceed to work properly. So pulled it all apart again, reassembled it all and worked fine. For another two weeks. Then it again failed in the down position.
Thinking I was being clever I unplugged and replugged the switch panel. No joy. Then while repeating the previous disassembly procedure was interrupted by dinner. When I went back out and reconnected things, the window again activated. Could be intermittent fault of the motor. Could also be some sort of failure in the switch. There's a circuit board involved there and the switch is a two-function thing, a quick tap triggers the window all the way down, or you can hold it longer and the signal stops when you release it. There's some sort of control circuit involved. SO, the next time it quits, I'm pulling it apart and putting power direct to the window motor. If it works, I'm blaming the switch panel. $53 on rockauto, maybe less at a junkyard but the 'opportunity cost' for that is over $30 anyway so not worth the 45mi round trip.
Firewall heater hose quick-connect tees - It's been almost exactly a year since my work on that on the Tahoe. Unlike the Sub work a month later, on the Tahoe I did NOT replace both of the heater connectors. A few weeks ago during a spate of very cold overnight temps, was finding a bit of coolant on the ground in the morning. Couple cursory inspections couldn't find any source. Couple spot checks in the evening, hot off the highway, no sign of any pressure leaks. Suspected the overflow / fill tank. Long history of high mileage / age cracks in these things, across GM products, that I know of. Again no sign. Today I made a more thorough study of it, broke out the floor jack, bright flashlight etc and found a trail of Dexcool residue / drip locations and followed things up to find it's coming from the rear heater leg of the black T-connector on the firewall. The one I DIDN'T replace on the Tahoe. It's going to be a ***** to replace, with everything else in place. Lesson learned and passed on to you all - do them both while you are at it.
Steering hardware in the 'On deck circle'. Preview of coming attractions. After I finished my lift fiddling and addition of the tie rod reinforcing sleeves, I tried to get an alignment and was apprised of a lot of steering wear and handed a quote for $700+ to repair. I've got a box of basic Moog / MAS parts on my bench. Planning to change everythign but the center link. Steering / Pitman arm, Idler arm, and both inner and outer tie rod ends, both sides. With a jack raising the whole front end, there's a 1/2" of lateral slop in my steering. That's got to go.
I can find no evidence of excessive balljoint wear. But I'm inclined to change them. And since they're pressed in and I have to de-mount the control arms, considering changing the control arm bushings too while I'm at it. Another target of opportunity. I can get the OEM / equivalent parts for about ~$200. And it's an excuse to buy an hydraulic press. OR I can buy complete control arm assemblies - with new bushings and balljoints already in them, for a total of ~$300. For now I think it's just going to be the steering. And I want the press for other things / projects.
Might put a budget steering stabilizer in there while I am at it, $50