This is an article on what problems you will find on GM vehicles. Most 1996-2000 trucks and most cars with 3.1, 3.4 and 3.8 use plastic intake gaskets. These are really a bad design and should be replaced with the new designed rubber and steel set. When the plastic ones fail, oil usually gets in the water and you get a brown sludge in the radiator or on the radiator cap. If you have a pickup that while driving has a slapping noise and slight vibration coming up through the steering wheel the sector shaft is bad. GM should have replaced all of these under warranty but chose to pack them with grease while still under warranty and sell a new part after it was out of warranty. Sweet !!! How about 2001 and up 5.3 and 6.0 engines clicking at an idle?? GM said this is piston noise due to carbon on the pistons. Their fix is to put see foam in the cylinders and let it sit overnight. This works for a month or so and repeats itself. They also say this noise will not effect the engine in any way??? I had this problem with my 2001 6.0 -- I would pull up in a parking lot or driveway and everyone would ask me why my new truck was knocking. I would tell them the pistons in these engines are crap - the skirts are too short - piston isn't even finished properly. I have seen them! GM trucks and SUVs have wiring harness problems at the fuel pumps where they connect burns up so the fuel pump won't stay running. 2000-up pickups and SUVs have a plastic intake that warps. This sucks air under it and makes the truck miss and idle funny. It also will cause the check engine light to come on. Replacements are high - aftermarket is addressing the problem with a heavy duty one in production. We have gotten 3 new ones in a row from the dealer that were warped worse than the the one we just took off. (OK Ford) Most late model Ford pickups have a really long spark plug that goes way down in the head - they get stuck in there and most of the time require the head to be removed to complete the repair. Some Ford cars and trucks use plastic intakes and plastic intake gaskets therefore having the same problems as GM.