Chevy Suburban

luvmysuburban · September 2005

Your Dealer and my dealer must use the same troubleshooting tree. Mine gave it back to me after disconnecting the light also. I pulled 10 fuses from under the hood and in the side compartment box and slowly installed them back in one by one. I have it narrowed down to the 15 amp Radio fuse under the hood, however, it takes care of several items. I just physically removed my radio tonight to see if that was it (I guess it could still be a scraped wire). My check engine light just went on today also, so if the burb is dead tomorrow, I'm going to take it back to the dealer and have them check it over again.

Do you still have the power seat fuse pulled? If not and you pull it and it works for a while, maybe it would be worth putting a kill switch on that fuse and only engaging it when you need to change your seat position. (That is assuming that is the only thing that fuse takes care of.)

smnstn · September 2005

I'm guesing you had your problem with the mirrors fixed by now. But the manual says to try using the power mode to run the mirror to each limit, back and forth, then use the power fold-in/out a minimum of three complete cycles to recenter the tensioners.

My old manual folding mirrors, I just pushed the mirror where I wanted it and then tried the power adjuster until it caught. And as I recall, back on my 93, I could just grab the glass and pull it out. It makes a horrible zipping noise, but then the threaded rod and wobble plate are exposed. Center the glass and push it back onto the mount tight. Sometimes the threaded rod bracket loses its epoxied bond to the glass. You can glue it, or ask an auto glass shop to do it. I think it cost me $2.00 back then the first time. I watched and did it my self the second, third and fourth times.

Then I discovered it was my bug/stone shiled on the hood causing a severe slipstream problem. I took it off and never had another incident.

smnstn · September 2005

My 93 did that, and it turned out to be a worn ignition umbilical between the switch and the firewall. Had to replace the entire segment. Ran it a total of 25,000 MORE miles with no repeat.

ronaldgdurham · September 2005

I tried it hoping beyond all hope it would work.

It unfortunately did not.

surbguy · September 2005

Anyone have any thoughts here - Trouble diagnosing this..

97 Burban 87k

**A new noise has emerged - it is almost an electrical buzz that comes from the engine when the gas is applied - harder the gas louder the noise...

No grinidng, just a loud hum/buzz.

**In addition, the Steering wheel, when turned, feels okay, but causes a squeaking sound from the engine as well (clearly not from the tires)..

PLEASE HELP!... Thanks..

baxterday · September 2005

Check your belt, sounds like it's at the end of it's life.

xtianknights · September 2005

The buzzing sound might be your fuel pump. Go to the rear and listen where the gas tank is. Is that it? As for the sound when turning, check your power steering fluid? What about the belt? When was the last time you replace it?

Hope this helps! :confuse:

tlcray · September 2005

I have a 2000 suburban that is eating batteries too. Some kind of drain as drain like luvmysuburban.
Any ideas

Ray

baxterday · September 2005

My service engine soon light just illuminated after an oil change. Is it possible that the light is on because of that? It came on with in 30 miles of the oil change. I used a 5-30 semi synthetic made by YPF. I am also running premium YPF fuel. I live in south america and there are not many other suburbans here. Can anyone recommend a program for my laptop and the cord necessary for downloading the information from the computer. Also, how do I reset the light? Thanks for any advise you can give me. Bill

rboyer1 · September 2005

Thanks for the response. I disconnected and checked the battery terminals, everything looked fine. Ran an ohm meter (Fluke) across all fuses, even checked everything in the underhood relay/fuse box. All is well. Everything you'd think could cause the problem checks out!

rboyer1 · September 2005

Thanks for the response. Hmmm. That I didn't check. Will check it out the first chance I get. Was it an open or short to ground? Can you give me any more specific info? You replaced the entire harness?

surbguy · September 2005

**Thanks for your help...

Took a look at the power steering system - Empty, and found a leak there...

Replacing the pwr steering piece/pump should fix he noise and the problem --

Thanks for your help - Belts are fine. Fuel pump fine.

zip11 · September 2005

Bill check out scantool.net they have all the stuff you need,,zip11

towsalot · September 2005

I just joined this forum so sorry this message is so late. I noticed the few responses so thought I'd give it a go. To answer your questions from MY perspective in order.
1 I have a 2002 Suburban 2500 with the 8.1 liter vortec. I use it for daily travel as well since I only work a few miles from home. The ride on the Suburban is excellent when comparing to the Tahoe I traded. The Tahoe may have been a little better, but running the tire pressure closer to 50 psi when not towing heavy or running heavy payloads helps. Remember you move up to 12 ply tires that can take 80 psi with the 2500. If I take it easy in town, I can get about 10 mpg.

2. My research said there is no other SUV that can tow as much as the Suburban 2500. My rated max is 12,000 towing. My brother has an Exursion with the V-10 and his max is 11,000. The Suburban has more payload too. I think much of this is due to the heavy curb wight on the Exursion. It's about 7100 versus 6500 for the Burb. His V-10 does a fine job but it rides like a lumber wagon. The V-10 doesn't quite put out the torque the 8.1 liter does. I think it is around 425 foot pounds and the Suburban is 465. If you're going to tow 10,000 lbs., get the 8.1 liter. I have a family of 4 and they all prefer to take the Suburban on the highway when not towing. Very comfortable. The kids sit in the third row, we fold down the middle row and they watch DVDs on a 17" computer screen. Ages 3 and 8, going on 7 hour trips are a breeze.

3. I quickly ruled out an additional car for mileage because the costs associated with an extra car not related to fuel (insurance, maintenance etc.) brought the savings back to zero. If you have a large commute I'm sure you would have savings with a fuel efficient car. I only drive 15,000 miles per year. If you drive 30,000, add a Honda to the driveway. But as you mentioned you need more room for juggling cars. I don't know about renting a tow vehicle.

Additionally, I tow a camper with a boat behind and they are 11,000 pounds. No problem. I tried it once with my Tahoe and got about 4.5 mpg and ran in 2nd gear often. The 8.1 liter mostly runs in OD. I push the "tow" button and let it pick the gear. Usually get around 7.5 to 8. Without the boat I got 10 once. Yes it is quite long. One foot short of the legal limit 70 feet. No you don't back up, far anyway. When you're not towing, you have a hot rod of an SUV with a alot of comfort. I'll run mine till it drops.

towsalot · September 2005

I had a problem when my 2002 Suburban wouldn't start and my friend had your problem. We both had aftermarket alarms with remote start. The trucks alarm system shut his truck off and kept mine from starting. After 15 minutes the problem goes away. I discontinued using my Viper (alarm/starting system) and am trouble free. Do you have a remote start or alarm system that can prevent the engine from running?

xtianknights · September 2005

Not sure what year you have. Most years, you just disconnect the negative side of the battery for 15 minutes and the light is gone

xtianknights · September 2005

You're welcome.

xtianknights · September 2005

Agree. We had an '89 Suburban/2500/454cc (7.4l) had: 220hp@3300/425tq@1800 and the power was awsome! She got 8-10mpg. We now have a '98 Suburban/1500/350cc Vortec (5.7l) it has: 255hp@4600/330tq@2800 and 6500lbs towing. She gets 13-16mpg. Not as much power as yours, but she does what we need (wife, 3 kids and two dogs!). Wouldn't trade her for anything

rdeloach · September 2005

We have a 2003 Suburban w/ 5.3. There seems to be a rattling noise coming from the exhaust right around the O2 sensor. Could the O2 sensor make this noise or could it be something else.

dieselone · September 2005

My '00 makes a similar noise which seems to come from around the exhaust. I doubt it would be the 02 sensors. It most likely comes from a heat shield or the exhaust itself.

The sound is very annoying and seems to be worse when the engine is cold.

rdeloach · September 2005

I got under the vehicle last night and pinpointed where the sound was coming from. The only other thing was the engine light came on. The exhaust was shaking and I could stop the vibration by wedging a hammer against the exhaust and the frame. It is coming from right under the drivers seat.

dieselone · September 2005

Bad O2 senser definitely would turn the CE light on and might cause the engine to run a little rougher which could shake the exhaust some more.

I don't have a CE light and did just recently had the FI system cleaned and plugs replaced. I still get the exhaust rattle and I now just ignore it along with all of the other rattles this vehicle has, typical of GM vehicles.

bradleyd · September 2005

Here's one that is similar and that I could use some help on. My Service Engine Soon light is on pretty much continuously. Once in a while, the Check Gauges light comes on. When this happens, the RPM and Speed Indications and Shift Indicator Lights all go out. In addition, something "kicks in" that causes very, very slow acceleration. Dealer said error codes started with transmission solenoid issues. $380+ dollars later and several days in the shop to get the transmission looked at, and the exact same problem exists. A new issue popped up today, and that was that it sounds like the ABS is kicking in about 10' prior to coming to a full stop.

All these "Gremlins" started popping up at about the same time. The problems started about a month ago, the braking issue started two days ago.

Anyone seen anything like this. I don't want to throw good money after bad on this one. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

chevy4life2 · September 2005

I am looking to buy a 88-91 Suburban 1500 4x4 but I cannot find the towing capacities for this model. Does ANYONE have the tow ratings for the 1500 and 2500 models? I have been searching for HOURS.

arrie · September 2005

Exhaust shaking so bad you wedge hammer between the frame and exhaust to stop it !!!???

What is making the exhaust shake?

The exhaust piping is connected to the only thing that moves in the car while parked, running and you are under the car - the engine!

What makes the exhaust shake is the engine. It is directly connected to the exhaust manifold on both sides of the engine. Exhaust is flexibly connected to the frame to isolate vibration noise from the car body.

If the shaking is abnormally big it means that your engine is shaking abnormally big.

You say the engine light came on. If you take it to AutoZone or someone else to read codes it most likely says you have a misfire situation and if you use a right kind of a scanner it even says which cylinder it is.

Take your car to read codes. You can take it to your Chevy dealer who will charge you at least $75 just to read codes. You can take it to AutoZone where they read codes for free.

You probably have a bad spark plug, bad spark plug connection, bad spark plug wire, spark plug wire getting shorted to groud or bad coil for that spark plug.

Other than the coil, fix for this issue probably runs less than $75.00, which is the cost of new wire set, unless you take it to the dealer where just diagnosing the issue cost more.

--Arrie--

phil52 · September 2005

I've been having a similar ABS problem...99 suburban. Between 5 to 3 MPH the ABS kicks in. If I take it real gentle the thing keeps on rolling. If I stop quick it's unaffected. Scared the mechanic when he eased up to his work bench and couldn't stop. They estimated $800+ for replacing the front wheel sensors. I had a mechanic friend do it for $150 plus $250 parts. It was a tough job as the sensor was down in the hub. Didn't change a thing. I still have the problem. There's a sensor on the transfer case that works the ABS and Speedometer. The speedometer works fine ... maybe the sensor isn't putting out a strong enough signal and fails at low speeds... maybe not. I'm faced with $130 in parts to find out. It's a screw-in sensor so there no trouble to replace it just the expense. So I came onto this site when I Googled looking for more information. Any other thoughts?

new_daddy · September 2005

Sitting in the driveway with 353,000 miles on it, and replaced by a 2002 Chevy Suburban.

xtianknights · September 2005

Have you checked wheel balance or shocks?

xtianknights · September 2005

With that type of mileage can you post what you had to done to get her there?

lablimo · September 2005

Hi all:

We have a 2000 K2500 with the 6L engine purchased new in Feb. 2001 that now has 76000 miles on it. This spring the low coolant light came on and I found the coolant was down ~3-4 inches in the overflow so I topped it up with water. This has repeated once more and now the low collant light is on again. I can't find the leak, which must be small anyway. Has anyone else had a similar issue develop?
Another issue is rust (paint bubling) seems to be forming at the bottom inside edges of several of the doors. Does anyone else have rust developing prematurely? We've always lived where they salt the roads (Michigan and Ontario) but the truck is still young to be developing rust.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.

etcsubs · September 2005

I have a 99' Suburban with a 5.7L Vortec. Upon cold start the engine stumbles to life and does not go into cold or fast idle. At temperature the engine idles rough and I am also getting poor fuel milage. I have periodically received Pcodes: 430/ Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 2), P0442 Evaporative Emission Control System Leak Detected (small leak), and P172 System too Rich. I have checked the IAC valve and the O2 Pre-sensor voltages (engine not running). The IAC valve and both O2 sensors checked out. I have also found no vaccuum leaks outside of the intake manifold and TBI. Besides the plugs, what else can I check? Can anyone help? I am in the military with limited time and budget but a good mind I can put to work with help. Thanks!

luvmysuburban · September 2005

I took it back to the dealer to see if they could narrow it down. I did drive it for a week with the 10 Amp fuse pulled from under the hood. The Dealer said that the day after I brought it in it was dead though... I'm not sure what the deal is.

:lemon: What have you done to trouble shoot yours? How often is it before you drain the battery?

xtianknights · September 2005

I thought it was 5500lbs
http://www.edmunds.com/used/1990/chevrolet/suburban/10614/specs.html?tid=edmunds.u.ratings- _consumer.leftsidenav..6.Chevrolet*

xtianknights · September 2005

Your intake manifold is probably leaking.

xtianknights · September 2005

Air filter, fuel filter? What about injector cleaner? Fill Suburban up with 1/2 tank of gas. Then put 3 bottles of injector cleaner in. You can also remove negative side of battery for 15 minutes to reset computer to relearn it self.

new_daddy · September 2005

Considering the mileage, not too much.

new_daddy · September 2005

I agree: it's probably leaking out the intake manifold either by the head gasket or by the line that feeds your heater core for your climate control system. When that heppens, the antifreeze will pool on top of your intake manifold instead of puddling on the ground, making it a challenge to troubleshoot w/o a puddle in the driveway to make it obvious.

lablimo · September 2005

Thanks for the advice - I'll take a look. It sounds like this is a known issue - is there any remedy coming from GM?

vadu · September 2005

I have a 2002 Suburban 1500 LT with fog lights. I was looking today to see how to replace the bulb in them. After looking at it I'm glad I don't actually have to replace one yet, but does anyone have tips on the best way to replace the bulb?

vadu · September 2005

I had the same issue with a 2002 Suburban, wouldn't start, get in the vehicle in the morning and the clock would have reset itself, etc; dealer checked every electrical connection, did a battery test, did every electrical test known to man. Even thought the battery tested fine I replaced it anyway..wala, no more problems. My brother's 2002 Corvette had the exact same issues, weird no starts, electrical issues; replaced the battery even though it checked out okay and no more issues

rdeloach · September 2005

Took it to Auto Zone and had the codes pulled. They found the catalytic converter was working at low capacity.

new_daddy · September 2005

I don't know if I'd call it a "known issue" or a common issue at that. It is just something I had recently experienced with my '92. The fitting on top of the intake manifold that feeds the heater core is easily replaceable (depending on how rusty it is). Good luck, and let us know what you find.

shaleen · September 2005

Hi,

I have a 2003 Suburban z71 and took it in today for a minor fix and had them do the seatbelt fix at the same time that is the recent recall. What they did was take the 2nd row center seatbelt out of it's loop that guided it across the lap and now it is free, but they left the loop hanging out like a skin flap! It serves no purpose and looks tacky and who knows what the kids will say when they have to sit with that thing poking them in the back. I went right back in to the dealer and told them I wasn't satisfied. They agreed that it looked unsightly but that was what they were authorized to do by GM and there was nothing more they could do. So I called GM and they took my comment and told me that was all they were willing to do also. I am not pleased with this. I searched long and hard and spent a significant amount of money to find this car in the exact model with the exact options and I do not think that GM should tell us we have to get something fixed and then leave me with a useless flap sticking out of a seat! Does anyone have any suggestions of who I can reach to get some sort of satisfaction? At this point, I will probably have to take it to an upholstery shop and pay to get it removed properly. I think GM should have done that!

hxzz · September 2005

05 suburban Z71, with sun roof and DVD, side air bags, 2k demo, MSRP list: $50,340, deal price: $35,340. just bought yeasterday. is this deal good or not?

stever · September 2005

Check out the Chevy Suburban: Prices Paid & Buying Experiences discussion too.

Steve, Host

xtianknights · September 2005

Take it back to the dealer you bought it from. Tell them. If you get no where, then call the owner of the dealer. You will usually get his/her secretary. Explain how your not happy. If that goes no where. Sit out front with a sign on your car in front of the dealer with your not happy ask you how

That usually works! :lemon:

ahightower · September 2005

Employee discount price is about $38K, so if you think $3,000 off in exchange for 2,000 miles is a good deal, then it is. I would think so! I just paid about the same amount you did for a new Yukon XL without the sunroof or DVD, if I had come across yours and could get the same financing for a used car, I would gladly have gone for the Z71.

sub2001 · September 2005

I purchased my 2001 Suburban 2500 a little over a year ago. So far, its been great. The only real problem I have had is with the heater. A few months after we got it, we were returning home from a trip and the heater got stuck. I couldn't shut it off or change the temp. I ended up driving the last 100 miles with the windows open in December because it was so hot inside. The problem never happened again until last weekend. Anybody heard of or experienced something like this. Where do I start looking to try to figure it out?

carolinaredbon · September 2005

Hi, new to this forum. I have a 2000 Suburban LT. Last week after filling up in the morning, when I tried to start it in the evening time, it wouldn't start. I happen again last Saturday. I filled up, drove then stopped. When I tried to start it, it wouldn't start. My husband thinks it's a vapor lock. He took the gas cap off and raised the hood. After 5 - 10 minutes it did start. As I remember, this has happen before (a few times) but not so close together. I had the battery replaced Dec 2002 and haven't check it since. I read the thread about the after market alarm system and I do have one (Excalibur, installed April 2000 after buying SUV in Feb 2000). Did you have the alarm system removed? The alarm system does cause my Security light to come on and stay on from time to time and my back doors somtimes don't lock....... :confuse:

vttoolman · September 2005

I've got a '97 Suburban with the same problem and this is fairly common on most years of Burbs with the ABS braking systems. GM is aware of the problem and so is the NHTSB, which is considering issuing a safety recall. Mine has been doing it since the very first week I brought it home in May of '97. I now have around 85,000 on it and it still does the same thing, ABS kicks in at low speeds (even on dry pavement) and vehicle keeps going after applying the brakes. I use my left foot when this happens to apply the brake while giving it a little gas to rev the engine back up, which makes it stop. My dealership replaced all the sensors and it didn't change a thing, so unless you're willing to replace the main ABS brake unit (computer), it likely won't get any better soon. I'm waiting for a GM recall, but in the mean time, I don't tailgate and leave some extra room for stopping. So far no accidents! It isn't caused by the wheels being out of balance or worn shocks either, as I get my tires balanced and rotated every 3k miles and have performance Bilstein shocks recently installed, and still the abs acts up.

Chevy Suburban

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