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01/13/11, 02:04 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: N TX
Posts: 985
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love my Chevy truck, but.....
Everything that is plastic on it is breaking!!! Some things should NOT be plastic!! My main rant- My tensioner pulley melted yesterday, my PLASTIC tensioner pulley!!! Thankfully I was pulling in my front gate! I know they can do better than that, come on General Motors!!
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01/13/11, 03:13 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: North Florida
Posts: 701
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all the cars or trucks that i have seen is the same way.
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01/13/11, 04:46 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 7,692
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Not just cars and trucks. Anymore just about anything has way too much plastic. Cheaper (at least slightly) for the manufacturer and built in obsolescence to force you to replace it after a predetermined life expectancy. IT WILL BREAK/DISINTEGRATE! NO ANDS, IFS, OR BUTS INVOLVED. PARTS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE TO REPAIR IT! IF PARTS ARE AVAILABLE, THEY WILL BE PRICED LIKE THEY ARE MADE OF SOLID GOLD.
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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy
"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman
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01/13/11, 05:03 PM
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In Remembrance
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: South Central Kansas
Posts: 11,076
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HJ I certainly agree. What WILL the hot rod/street rod use in years to come when they can't go to a salvage yard and get an oldie to convert? Analog will always rule over digit when it comes to dashboard gauges.
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My family---bEI
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01/13/11, 06:27 PM
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In the Garden or Garage
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,139
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mothernature
Some things should NOT be plastic!!
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I'd like to meet the genius that included radiators in the mix.
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My How To blog - Happy Homesteading! 
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01/14/11, 09:41 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: East TN
Posts: 6,977
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Something else is wrong, tensioner pulleys don't just melt. Possibly that squeaking bearing finally seized up causing the pulley to seize? The belt is rubber so a plastic pulley is no big deal, they've worked well for 30 years.
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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost
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01/14/11, 10:49 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,693
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Mmm hmm. That's the way I read it as well. Bearing failure that went ignored. Failure would be the same, metal pulley or plastic pulley.
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01/14/11, 02:11 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: central idaho republic
Posts: 1,843
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HermitJohn
Not just cars and trucks. Anymore just about anything has way too much plastic. Cheaper (at least slightly) for the manufacturer and built in obsolescence to force you to replace it after a predetermined life expectancy. IT WILL BREAK/DISINTEGRATE! NO ANDS, IFS, OR BUTS INVOLVED. PARTS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE TO REPAIR IT! IF PARTS ARE AVAILABLE, THEY WILL BE PRICED LIKE THEY ARE MADE OF SOLID GOLD.
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in my personal opinon that was what the big buy out for any vehicle you could trade in a couple years back was all about, get the old parts rigs off the market and not make money for dieing car companies by a $4500 rebate.
though now with all the plastic parts, and the knowledge base for making plastics and such, there will be some enterprising home shop junkie that comes up with mold kits for parts and shops that cater to making parts for replacement in the near future.... whether it works will be another thing to watch.....
WIlliam
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Upon the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions, who when on the dawn of victory paused to rest, and there resting died.
- John Dretschmer
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01/14/11, 02:20 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: N TX
Posts: 985
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Yeah, it was bearing failure!!! Finding out it's a pretty common problem, none of the local auto parts stores had the pulley in stock, had to order it. The guy at Napa said he sold 3 this week. Recently my tailgate wouldn't open. I took the handle loose to discover the clip that holds the rod was plastic-- 8.00$ at the dealership, auto parts stores didn't carry it!! SAFETY WIRE TO THE RESCUE!!
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01/14/11, 06:54 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Central WI
Posts: 5,399
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anything Chevy will nickel and dime you to death I have never been impressed with anything from them.
If it isn't idlers either seizing up of plain falling off it's window motors failing, switches falling off.....Hard to keep ahead of the stuff.
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Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.
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01/15/11, 07:51 PM
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Clinton, Louisiana
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 1,701
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When the clips on my talgate latch broke, I used wire-ties to hold the rods to the latch. My idler pulley has made noise for some time. I have taken it off and took the back off the bearing an greased it several times. I think I will go to a bearing place and get some extra bearings and just swap them out as needed. A new pulley and bearing is around 20 to 30 dollars.
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Life......Is What You Make Of It
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01/15/11, 08:53 PM
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 17,225
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I hope your truck doesn't have the 4L60E tranny...............
(mine does......)
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Flaming Xtian
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
Mahatma Gandhi
Libertarindependent
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01/15/11, 09:53 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Indiana
Posts: 9
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I can trump you on this one.
Driving home the other day in my good ole Chevrolet
went to shift out of 5th
and the ENTIRE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY FELL TO THE FLOOR!!!!!
Got to looking at it, the PLASTIC nobs that it pivots on broke!
Of course you can't just replace the plastic part, you have to order the whole thing for $120!
On the tailgate thing, those lousy cables they switched to used to rust out and fail. I just happened to have a parts truck and was able to switch it back to the steel strap hinges (the bolts from the parts truck even matched!)
BTW, Cash 4 Gold turned down my old clutch pedal!
Last edited by redgreenblugill; 01/15/11 at 10:02 PM.
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01/16/11, 12:28 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ky
Posts: 431
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Can't complain, just the plastic window crank on my 79C30.
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01/16/11, 09:40 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,195
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Yep,plastic junk sucks-that's why I bought a 70 Chevy p/u-may not get 100mpg but it's made out of metal.I was helping a driver the other day with his 09 Cascadia-could'nt believe how much plastic was under the hood-the plastic radiator idea in a tractor trailer blows my mind.I see trucks sitting on the side of a steep uphill grade and most are 07 and above,my old 99-379 may not be the most fuel efficient but it always makes it to the top regardless of weight.....Imagine in 20yrs when there's no good vehicles left and people are buying all this 20-30yr old plastic,computer controlled crap....
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Watching msnbc is the intellectual equivalent of mutual masturbation by a group of monkeys. 
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01/16/11, 01:10 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 19,350
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For going to cheap plastic parts I think Ford takes the cake, the intake on my 98 CV is plastic! The factory one didn't last to 75,000 miles. It's on it's third now and they aren't cheap!
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01/16/11, 02:13 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: N TX
Posts: 985
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I guess I better not complain about my truck, it does have nearly 315,000 miles on it ('99 Silverado Z71), but the plastic (and what they charge for it) does irk me.
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01/16/11, 03:30 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: North Florida
Posts: 701
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sammyd
anything Chevy will nickel and dime you to death I have never been impressed with anything from them.
If it isn't idlers either seizing up of plain falling off it's window motors failing, switches falling off.....Hard to keep ahead of the stuff.
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For me its fords that nickel and dime me to death. my gm truck has 108,000 miles i bought it with 14,000 miles and all i have done is change oil, batt., rear breaks, belt and heater core.
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01/16/11, 04:41 PM
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Moderator
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 9,511
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I agree...all vehicles these days have too much plastic that just doesn't last.
It is just not Chevy, but Ford, Toyota, Nissan, VW, etc. I know people that swear by some import brand, and while the engine purrs along like a Chevy, they have a hard time keeping the car on the road due to all of the extra broken stuff, on the interior and exterior.
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01/16/11, 07:16 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 5,069
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Quote:
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For going to cheap plastic parts I think Ford takes the cake, the intake on my 98 CV is plastic! The factory one didn't last to 75,000 miles. It's on it's third now and they aren't cheap!
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Most intake plenums are made of plastic now and have been for years, foreign or domestic.
I love old vehicles but I remember my old rigs from the 60s and 70s were rusted out and worn out by 100K miles and I now can routinely get 200K plus from a cheap gas car or truck. Vehicles take maintenance and parts do wear out. I see a lot of complaints from people who drive vehicles with over 100K miles and they get upset when they have to replace an O2 sensor or a timing chain etc. when in reality thats part of regular maintenance and replacement schedules.
If the bearings failed on a plastic tensioner pully it probably has a lot of miles on it and would have failed regardless of whether it was plastic or not.
Now whats outrageous to me is the cost of these cheap parts and the cost to diagnose simple mechanical issues.
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