New GM owner

Trooper · April 9, 2005

Hi! I am a new, first time GM owner. My first truck was a 93 F350 diesel w/ a Banks turbo. It was totaled last summer with almost 300K on it. I ordered, and recieved a few months ago a 6.0l ext cab, 5spd tran., GMC 2500HD. I really like my new truck, but sometimes when idling it is hard to tell if its running . I'll have several general questions about the differences between the trucks, the first is the front suspension. My GMC appears to be a lot more complicated than the one piece axel of my old F350. Any good source that explains the care and feeding of the GMC ind. Ft. Susp. sysyem? What are the different color "keys" I read about in different posts. I have always done my own mechanical work and believe greatly in preventive maint. The only unschedualed work I ever did on my ford was a set of glow plugs and a controller. Thanks.

P.S Big difference I notice between my old ford and new GMC- fuel milage, Ford- 22, GMC-18. At least I can get gas on almost any corner, If I can afford it!

JRKRACE · April 9, 2005

Just sit back and enjoy. The keys are used to gain a little more lift in the front end when you crank the torsion bars. This topic is all over the place anfd the best way is to do a little search. The front suspension will hold up pretty well to whatever you give it. Be advised that there are 11 zerk fittings on the front end and if you do a search for "zerk fittings" in the HD2500 forum, they will tell you where they are.

If you keep the truck stock, you will have no problems. Just oil changes every 3000 miles. If you get 18 mpg, you are golden. I can't break 12 if my life depended on it. Gook Luck and Welcome aboard...