This month, let's look at the Chevy CK1500 pickup with the 4.3 V-6 engine. The 5.7 is still around, after the 5.0 was discontinued around year 2000, but the 4.3 is very popular. The half-ton pickup is one of Chevrolet's best sellers.

Has the 2003 CK1500 half-ton pickup, now called a Silverado, become easier to service than its 7-year-old brother? How good was the design back in 1996? To find out, I interviewed many Chevy dealer and independent techs. Once you know the usual trouble spots and a few tricks, it becomes a good truck to service. None of the techs had a lot to complain about, but little has been done to make this truck easier to service.

The fuel pumps still wear out prematurely and the No. 3 spark plug is still blocked by the steering shaft. The ground connections still lose their contact early on. Valve covers leak oil and the rear parking brakes with rear disks are poorly done.

Two improvements have been made over the years: the PCM has been moved under the hood near the battery, making it much more serviceable, and balance shafts were added to smooth out the vibrations. This was needed to stay up with the competition. Is a complete redesign coming? Not for awhile, but there may be a hybrid version when GM goes back to the drawing board.

When techs are asked if things "could get better," yes is always their answer. Do GM engineers think about the service problems when redesigning their vehicles? I think the answer is "not often, if ever."

Why didn't they move the 4.3 ahead six inches and give access to this little V-6, seeing as they had so much room under the hood? Why keep the rear disk/drum system when it is so prone to fail? Get rid of the disk brakes and go back to drums. The overall design is OK, but it is always easier to design something bigger than smaller. Let's hope when the Silverado goes thorough a complete redesign, the technicians have a say as to where components are placed and what systems are used to make this truck easier to service.

Note: Our last column compared the serviceability of the Honda Civic. It drew some comments. The manufacturer suggests spark plugs every 105K miles for the new Honda Civic. I suggest new spark plugs every 60K miles. Secondary ignition problems (wide gaps) cause primary ignition failures. Honda has had a long history of module failures.

One final note about this serviceability column: please remember that the comments here are always the technician's opinion of these cars and trucks, not the OEM's.

Craig Van Batenburg, AAM, is the owner of the Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC), www.auto-careers.org, and delivers management and technical seminars nationwide. He formerly owned Van Batenburg's Garage Inc. in Worcester, Mass., for more than 25 years. Van Batenburg is ASE master and L1 certified, with advanced skills in hybrid drive systems. You can reach him by e-mail at craig@auto-careers.org

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