My bags are packed, I'm ready to go
- Thread starter Louis
- Start date
I hope you have a great time. Until 3:25 Sunday we were going.
We were home bound when the coach threw its belts and shut down on overheat. Doing the things I still have to do and fixing that will not happen before the planned departure date.
Maybe in the Spring!!
Matt
We were home bound when the coach threw its belts and shut down on overheat. Doing the things I still have to do and fixing that will not happen before the planned departure date.
Maybe in the Spring!!
Matt
Sorry to hear about your troubles, stuff happens, you will be missed. My cousin was planning on bringing his new to him GMC, the FLYING DUCHMAN, to the reunion and the GMCMI convention but had delays at Applied and his wife's surgery was moved up so they will miss out on 2 fun events. Everyone should have a spare GMC. Did you see mine? It's not really a spare, it's a rescue from a 5 year storage. I'll sell it when I'm finished fixing it up but I could use it in the meantime if needed.
I was hoping you would be doing a seminar on the vent system and the HIGH T mod. Maybe in Tucson.
I should not be going to the convention. We found out 2 weeks ago that our son is coming home this Monday from the UK where he lives with our two grandkids (2 1/2 and 6 months) to stay with us until January. We've only seen the oldest in person once last year and the youngest never in person except we see them daily via face-time etc.
I had already committed to align headlights and do a non tech session so I will still be going if the coach allows it. I'll miss out on some family time but I figure at my age I don't have that many opportunities left to go to events like the GMCMI convention.
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Larry,
Very sad to hear that you will not be at the convention. You and Lucy will be missed. Enjoy the wedding and Oki and I hope to see you guys in 2023.
Take care,
Tom and Oki
P.S. Matt, I am looking forward to meeting you sometime as well. Best of health to you both.
Very sad to hear that you will not be at the convention. You and Lucy will be missed. Enjoy the wedding and Oki and I hope to see you guys in 2023.
Take care,
Tom and Oki
P.S. Matt, I am looking forward to meeting you sometime as well. Best of health to you both.
Ok experts, I'd like some advice. Yesterday the GMC started making a new tick tick tick noise when idling. The noise changes tone when I move it into or out of gear and under or not under a load. I took it to an old school small town do everything shop in Payson AZ and he guessed the noise was the flex plate. His advice was to continue the trip but take it easy and fix it when I get back home. Is the flex plate a common problem with these? I am running a Cad 500 with a 3.7. My aviation background tells me not to take off with a known problem. How do you "take it easy" in the AZ mountians? I did drive it another 150 miles to Springerville AZ where we are holding our family reunion and it performed fine just like it always does. The tick tick tick noise didn't change any on that last leg. We will be here for a week. How much trouble is it to change a flex plate? And could I expect to find parts out here in Tullyville or are they specialized GMC only parts?
Get a stethoscope, cheap at Harbor Freight. Find exactly what area the sound is coming from. Yes, replacing the flexplate is not an easy job. You'll have to support the engine and back the transmission away from the engine enough to unbolt it. That includes dealing with the differential also. If it seems to be from the flexplate, you could remove the access plate and rotate the engine by hand and see if the flexplate is warped of maybe a loose torque converter bolt.
Louis,
You did not say how many miles is home.
I agree that departing with a known issue is not advised.
Tom's notes are correct, but I personally am suspect that one might be able to get the transmission back far enough to unbolt the flex plate from the crankshaft. His suggested inspection would be a good start.
Good news is that the flexplate for your engine will be common to all Cadillac 500s.
Please keep us informed and print a copy of the Black's list before departure.
Matt
You did not say how many miles is home.
I agree that departing with a known issue is not advised.
Tom's notes are correct, but I personally am suspect that one might be able to get the transmission back far enough to unbolt the flex plate from the crankshaft. His suggested inspection would be a good start.
Good news is that the flexplate for your engine will be common to all Cadillac 500s.
Please keep us informed and print a copy of the Black's list before departure.
Matt
We are 222 miles from home. We are in Springerville AZ at an elevation of 7000 ft descending down to 1000 ft in Gilbert AZ. Even though there is a 6000 ft decent there is MUCH climbing to do to get down the mountain. The trusted shop that maintained my parents vehicles including their Bounder when they lived here will jack it up and give it a good inspection on Tuesday. If he finds something minor like loose bolts we will tighten them up and come to the convention. If he finds cracks, we will go back home. Good to know it's a common Cadillac part. There is a Cadillac shop in Albuquerque I could get parts from. What about a newer, more modern, better, more efficient torque converter? Is there such a thing I should be looking for or just keep what I got?
We ran into a pilot I used to work with and his wife, also a pilot, on the way up the mountain. Small world.
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Cad 500 huh? If you need a flex plate and are unable to find one near by, I have three of them sitting in my garage and can send one to you for cost of shipping. All of them are used and non are perfect, with some worn teeth in the usual spots and all worked fine when removed. Be careful of the bolts you use in the torque converter. Some people have used bolts that are too long and they will bottom out against the converter housing leaving you with the impression that they are tight, and they are not. Can't remember the bolt length, maybe someone here can pipe in with he correct bolt length. Also, if someone in the past put in a metric converter (meaning the bolts are metric instead of SAE), the thread count on the bolts is so close and diameter is so close between the two that the wrong bolt can feel like it is tight, but because the thread is wrong, will. loosen up. Tighten the correct bolts to only 30 ft/llbs. That just does not seem like enough given what only 3 bolts are holding, but it is factory spec and is correct.
On my 500, there is no way that there is enough room to remove the flex plate by simply sliding the trans back against the body/crossmember. There is barely enough room to get the trans back far enough to slip the transmission. down and out past the flex plate much less reach in and loosen the crank bolts, pull it out and then put the replacement one back in. If you have to replace the flex plate, you will have to drop the transmission and pull it out of the way. Sorry about that....;-)
On my 500, there is no way that there is enough room to remove the flex plate by simply sliding the trans back against the body/crossmember. There is barely enough room to get the trans back far enough to slip the transmission. down and out past the flex plate much less reach in and loosen the crank bolts, pull it out and then put the replacement one back in. If you have to replace the flex plate, you will have to drop the transmission and pull it out of the way. Sorry about that....;-)
Thanks for the generious offer. I'll keep it in mind when the time comes. Anything you need? I have a few things I may be able to make a trade with.
Louis, thanks for asking, but I've got so much "STUFF", Cad 500 related, that I wouldn't know where to go with anything extra I got. If you need something just ask, chances are I may have it.
I know what you mean about "stuff". After helping my cousin find a GMC TZE I ended up with a complete extra motorhome, a front subframe, a set of boggies, dinnett, couch and miss other new and used stuff. I like stuff until I run out of space to store it. It's spilling over into the hanger now. I would like to try headers on the Cadillac if you have a spare set.
Hi all,
Just a newbie question about the conference in Lebanon. Do they send you anything in the mail after receiving payment? I see that the check has cleared the bank, but seen/heard nothing from them. Should I just go and assume they're expecting me?
Just a newbie question about the conference in Lebanon. Do they send you anything in the mail after receiving payment? I see that the check has cleared the bank, but seen/heard nothing from them. Should I just go and assume they're expecting me?
Kim is still real busy. We sent a cancellation notice several days ago and have not heard back from her yet.
Oh, and by the way, after our family reunion one cousin was diagnosed with covid and I'm not recovering very quickly from my "cold" and my wife might be getting it too. So I'm glad we aren't there exposing all of you to it.
Oh, and by the way, after our family reunion one cousin was diagnosed with covid and I'm not recovering very quickly from my "cold" and my wife might be getting it too. So I'm glad we aren't there exposing all of you to it.
