Towing with a 2003 Silverado

Lisa,

Are you sure the engine is not a 5.3, instead of a 5.8? There is also a

The brake controller and tranny cooler are unrelated. The towing package may include a transmission cooler. The term "package" really means nothing to me, so I would just try to find out the components that are in it. A "package" may, often times, include a nice sticker.

To my knowledge, there is no reason to not have a brake controller on this truck. I doubt it is equipped with anything more than a factory harness. Brakes on a half ton truck leave much to be desired in an emergency situation.

The controller is your choice. I recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy, as I use mine often and it's very reliable and easy to use. If I was you, I'd sure challenge whoever said to not put a brake controller on if you're towing. Anyone who says this has never gotten to the bottom of a steep hill with

Lisa;

My advice is and has been...........take it to an independent (not AAMCO or the like) transmission shop that works on a lot of trucks, and ask them to install the largest cooler (or two smaller ones if space is a problem) that will fit behind the grille.

Bypass the cooler in the radiator completely.

Chenge fluid often (8-10 k) and it should be good for a lot of miles.

You WILL reach a point at about 40-60k where it starts setting a 'P-1870' code (Transmission Component Slipping), at that point the valve body will need to have the Torque Converter Regulator valve bore reamed and a valve-and-sleeve installed to overcome wear in the valve body.

Hope this helps, and if you have any other questions, the e-mail address IS valid.

(and Tekonsha makes the best brake controllers, IMHO)

Lisa, No problem installing a brake controller in the 2003, if yours has the tow package then all you need is the plug in harness from GM and the controller. The harness used to come with the trucks but the 2003s don't it is now "optional" however the ones from the earlier trucks fit just fine BUT you need to swap 2 wires for proper operation, on the older harness they are light blue and brown, one is the brake apply voltage (light blue) and the other is controller illumination (brown) on the 2003 these are reversed from the earlier trucks (why? who knows) but the remainder of the harness is the same. As for the tranny cooler if you have the tow package you do have an external cooler BUT it is not real large.

Just wanted to thank you all for your feedback. I forwarded them to my husband who handles all the car stuff. BTW is is a 5.3 V8 I was having a blond moment ;-)

Thanks again for your valuable insight. Now Im going back to Lurkdom!!!