Gas Truck Repair for American Pickups and Big SUVs
Gas truck repair at Bodacious Diesel covers a short list on purpose: the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Ram 1500, Chevy Tahoe and Chevy Suburban. Diesel comes first here, but these trucks come off the same Ford, GM and Ram lines as the heavy-duty pickups we work on every day.
Why we keep gas work to these six trucks
We are a diesel truck shop first, and Powerstroke, Duramax and Cummins work fills most of the bays. What we add is gas work on the American half-tons and full-size SUVs from the same Ford, Chevrolet, GMC and Ram lines.
We are not the right shop for a sedan or an import, and we say so on the phone. If your gas truck or SUV is on the list, it gets the same testing and explanation a diesel would.
| We take | We pass on |
|---|---|
| F-150, Silverado, Sierra and Ram 1500 gas pickups | Passenger cars of any brand |
| Gas Tahoes and Suburbans | Imported trucks, SUVs and cars |
| Diagnostics, cooling, A/C, suspension, brakes, 4x4 and transmission work | Body and paint |
Call with the year, make and model. We answer the phone.
What we do on gas trucks and SUVs
Same process as the diesels, system by system.
Lights, misfires and rough running
A code names a circuit or cylinder, not a failed part. A misfire on cylinder 4 can be a coil, plug, injector, vacuum leak or mechanical problem, and each gets ruled in or out before parts are ordered. The approach is the same one behind our diesel diagnostics.
What we check
- Codes in every module
- Fuel trims and misfire counts on a live data road test
Running hot or blowing warm
Water pumps, thermostats, radiators and fans on a gas V8 wear out the same way they do on a diesel, and a long climb with a load is usually where a weak one shows up first. Our truck overheating repair page covers the cooling side, and truck A/C repair covers the cab.
What we check
- Pressure test of the cooling system and cap
- A/C pressures, compressor engagement and blend door position
Wander, clunks and soft pedals
Full-size trucks and SUVs are heavy on the front end and brakes. We handle tie rods, ball joints, shocks and alignment through truck suspension repair, and pads, rotors, calipers and lines through truck brake repair.
What we check
- Front-end play with the wheels loaded and unloaded
- Rotor thickness, runout and caliper slide movement
Won't engage, slips or shifts hard
Newer gas trucks pair electronic transfer cases with eight- or ten-speed automatics that lean on software and sensors. Our 4x4 transfer case repair page covers the driveline, and the same testing on our diesel transmission repair page applies to gas automatics.
What we check
- Shift data, slip readings and adaptive values on the scan tool
- Transfer case motor, encoder and front hub engagement
What gas trucks tell you before something quits
Caught early, most of these stay small repairs.
| What you notice | What it often points to | What we check first |
|---|---|---|
| Flashing check engine light | A misfire or another fault the computer considers serious | Misfire counts by cylinder, coils, plugs and injectors |
| Rattle for a few seconds on a cold start | Timing chain, tensioner or cam phaser wear, valvetrain issues, low oil pressure, a loose belt or torque converter issues | Scan data, oil pressure and oil condition |
| Hesitation or stumble under boost | Weak coils or worn plugs, low fuel pressure, slipped timing, cam phasers, a loose electrical connection, poor fuel or a throttle pedal fault | Boost readings, misfire data under load and the intake tract |
| Temperature gauge climbing on a grade | Fan or fan clutch, a loose belt, water pump, thermostat, a packed radiator or a head gasket | Cooling system pressure test and fan engagement |
| Grinding from the front in 2WD | A front hub or axle disconnect not releasing | Hub engagement, vacuum or actuator operation |
What a diesel shop does differently with your half-ton
- The same newest OEM factory scan tools and diagnostic equipment we use on diesels
- Thirteen work bays where a Suburban or a lifted F-150 is routine
- We check the whole truck, not just the complaint, and tell you what needs attention now and what can wait
- Drivetrain, cooling, steering and brake work on trucks that tow and haul
- Nothing is repaired until you approve it
Work done before a long trip with a boat
319 reviews
- Customer
- Woody Boyd
I was under time pressure to get some work done on my truck prior to leaving for a trip. They did a fine job getting the work done (and reworking a bunch of problems that another shop didn’t solve or created) and the truck ran very well pulling my boat to Tennessee. I will continue using them because they give me confidence the truck will run right.5 STARS
From your description to a repair you approved
Four steps, every truck, gas or diesel.
Hear it from you
When it happens, hot or cold, loaded or empty.
Scan and road test
Every module scanned, then a drive with live data to catch the complaint.
Prove the cause
Pinpoint tests on the suspect part, plus a look over the rest of the truck.
Call, approve, repair
We call with what is needed now and what can wait, then fix what you approve.
Three makers, three sets of habits
Same job list, different weak spots.
Ford F-150
The EcoBoost twin-turbo V6s put more load on plugs, coils and intercooler plumbing than a V8 does. Many four-wheel-drive F-150s use vacuum-operated front hubs (Ford calls them IWE), and a vacuum leak can leave them grinding in 2WD.
Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe, Suburban
The 5.3 and 6.2 V8s with cylinder deactivation have a history of lifter trouble, so a tick or misfire gets a valvetrain check first.
Ram 1500
The 5.7 Hemi is known for lifter and camshaft wear. Ram makes no full-size SUV, so here it is the gas pickup only.
Where Colorado driving shows up on a gas half-ton
- Long grades with a trailer load the cooling system and transmission hardest at low road speed
- Turbocharged gas engines work harder in thin air, which is hard on plugs, coils and intercooler plumbing
- Cold mornings are when a stretched timing chain or a lazy cam phaser makes its noise
What sets the price of a gas truck job
One bad coil and a worn cam are the same misfire with very different bills. We quote after testing shows which you have.
Most diagnosis and repair is drop-off, with diagnosis typically taking 24 to 72 hours depending on workload. The shop is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and the full process is on our what to expect page.
| Cost factor | Why it changes the job |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic time | A hard fault shows up fast. An intermittent one takes more road testing. |
| Engine access | Rear plugs on some engines, or timing parts, mean more teardown. |
| Related wear | A failed water pump or a worn lifter can take other parts with it. |
| Combined repairs | Doing work that shares the same teardown at once can save labor. |
Tell us what your truck is doing
Send the year, the engine and what you are seeing, and we'll get back to you as quickly as we can.
- Year, make and engine
- What it is doing, and when it started
- Any codes or recent repairs
Rather talk it through? Call (303) 808-1563
Gas truck and SUV questions
What owners ask before they call about a gas truck.
Both, within limits. Diesel is our specialty, and we do gas truck repair on the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra and Ram 1500, plus the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban. We do not take passenger cars or imports.
Yes. We use the newest OEM factory scan tools and diagnostic equipment, the same ones we use on Ford, GM and Ram diesels, to read the modules, watch live data and run the tests the job calls for.
No. We can't recommend driving a truck with a problem we haven't seen. A flashing light means the computer has found a fault it treats as serious, and driving on it can turn a small repair into a big one. Call us.
Yes. Gas truck repair on EcoBoost F-150s starts with the scan data: misfires under boost, boost leaks and cold-start rattles each point somewhere different. Call with the year and the symptom and we will tell you where to start.
Half-ton or full-size SUV acting up? Tell us what it is doing
Call with the year, model and symptom, or use Request Service to send the details. Or drop us a line right here from the website and we'll get back to you as quickly as we can.