My truck has 136,000 miles on it and seems to run fine. I use to take it to a mechanic regularly for service, however I’ve done minor services and general auto repairs myself lately. What should I be on the lookout for when it comes to maintaining this vehicle at the stage of its life?
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Follow the maintenance schedule… What ever mileage that ends at, start back over at zero…
Have or check all the suspension, steering, brakes etc out to make sure everything stays within specs, not worn out, loose leaking, stuff like that…
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One alternative is to book it into shop once a year for a ‘general inspection’ service . They’'ll look under the hood, put it on their lift, etc and give it a good look-see, and will compare yours and their records for what has been done during the past year and to the maintenance schedule to determine what needs doing now. Newer diesel engines of require some special maintenance, involving the egr, dpf, and pcv systems,.so make sure the shop you use has some good, experienced diesel mechanics.
I have a 50 year old ford truck, gasoline engine, with over 250k miles, most work has my own diy’ering . During the course of a year this is what I do:
- Change engine oil and filter every 5k miles or when the color gets too dark.
- Change the coolant every 2 years.
- Check the levels of the trans fluid, power steering fluid, and brake fluid every month.
- Change spark plugs & engine air filter every 36 K miles, adjust cold and warm idle rpms. .
- Rinse off surface grit with a garden hose every week, and wash & apply wax every 6 months.
- Make sure there aren’t any leaks in the vacuum system
- Lube door and hood hinges and latches every engine oil change.
- Replace fuel filter every 6 months
2004 SILVERADO 2500HD had a 6.0L gas, 8.1L gas and a 6.6L diesel engine option… 
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OP, which do you have?
Watch for mysteriously disappearing coolant with no other signs. Check the transmission fluid level. If it is growing while your coolant is going, replace the radiator!
Watch for rusty brake lines. Replace your rubber brake hoses every 10 years or so. Watch for rusty fuel lines. Assume you will need a fuel pump soon. Assume you will need window regulators soon. Assume you will need blend door actuators.
Make sure all the fluids are the proper level… axles, trans, transfer case, power steering.
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Has the transmission fluid/filter ever been serviced?
Tester
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automatic transmission fluid and filter service
plugs, wires and heat shields . . . do NOT attempt to reuse the wires and heat shields
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Several years ago, another tradesman . . . not a mechanic, but some other trade . . . came to me, saying he was planning on doing an ignition tuneup on a GM truck with the same powertrain as OP’s truck
Anyways, he straight out asked me what parts he should buy
I told him plugs, wires and heat shields. I told him specifically do it all, or just leave it alone
Well, he came by a few days later and asked if I had any wires and heat shields lying around, to which I replied no
He said he only bought plugs and that a few wires broke and that the heat shields got damaged during removal. Then he said he figured I was wrong and that he didn’t actually need those heat shields and wires
I looked at him and told him to NEVER ask me for advice again
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Differential and transfer case fluid change would be a thought if applicable.
Yeah, I will not touch an old or high mileage ignition wire boot that is close to the exhaust without the customer upstanding and expecting to replace them if/when they break… had wayyy to many pull apart…
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From my experience PM is done in mileage intervals like - “Every 50,000 miles”. And many times there’s a time interval like - “Every 5,000 miles or 6 months whichever comes first.”
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