GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali

rdg1 · January 2002

I am considering trading my 2000 Tahoe with 5.3 engine for a 1500 Sub with 5.3. I notice on the Chevy website that the MPG listed for the L59-Flex Fuel (ethanol/gasoline) engine is 10 city, 13 highway, while the LM7 Gasoline only engine is rated at 13/17. When I "build" one on the Chevy site, it seems to indicate that the LM7 gasoline only engine is reserved for California emissions. The dealer i am working with, has one in stock and has done some dealer trade inquiries to find one equipped as I want...and they all have the L59 Flex Fuel engine. Anyone know the straight scoop on this? Is the 10/13 accurate, a misprint or what? I find it interesting that the Suburban Brochure that you can pick up at the dealer, fails to mention MPG figures at all! Guess most people that buy them aren't concerned with mileage! Appreciate any help and guidance!

ryanbab · January 2002

"Is the 10/13 accurate, a misprint or what? I find it interesting that the Suburban Brochure that you can pick up at the dealer, fails to mention MPG figures at all! Guess most people that buy them aren't concerned with mileage! Appreciate any help and guidance!"

The milage is lower yes but it is cheaper to drive than 100% gas.

eversons · January 2002

Hi Tim:

I have a 2001 YXL with 8.1 and 4.10 axle. My mpg varies between 12 and 13. My driving is mixed suburban driving. No towing.

mgdvhman · January 2002

thanks....I got about 12.5 with my 2K 2500 Ex.cab Silverado and now with 47K I get close to 15 with the 6.0....mixed city/highway.

seems some people with the 8.1 and Allison 2500HD Crew cabs get the same 12-13....while some get 9!..

I had plans for a 2500 Burb around age 40...(just turned 35).....but perhaps I may jump that plan up 5 years?

who knows....

so yeah Ryan.....I may not be in the market for a 2500HD CC. I keep stressing inside space needs...so why not go with the ultimate for inside space?....although I still like my pick-em-up bed...and feel I may still have more need for it than I think?

I drove a 2001? Burb 1500 for 4 days a while back....and loved it.....although seemed too washy being a 1500 for me...?....but still a fine ride and maybe it was just the moonroof I loved so much?..LOL....

be it a 2500 HD with an aftermarket ASC moonroof or a 2500 Burb with a factory (ASC) moonroof.....Tim is gonna have one...

just thinking...

in a few more months I can order a 2003 2500HD if need be?

thanks again for the MPG info....not that it really matters.......but thanks

...also I really don't feel the need for an Allison tranny.(one of the hold ups for not getting a 2500HD ordered in June 2001)..and the Burb with an 8.1 would solve that problem....(in an auto trans at least...which I would only have for my daily vehicle)

..any more input is great appreciated.

Thanks

- Tim

ryanbab · January 2002

had plans for a 2500 Burb around age 40...(just turned 35).....

so that means your gonna get a carmine burb now?

We will all miss you on the silverado page

mgdvhman · January 2002

....don't jump to conclusions...

Still got an Ado with no for sale signs as of this day....

- Tim

bross2 · January 2002

Just wanted to let any perspective buyers know that GM thinks it's fine for your new $40,000 Suburban to burn 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles. Our Burb has 19750 miles on it and the "Check Engine Oil Level" idiot light came on. We had 3800 miles on it since it's last change. The dipstick showed no presence of oil on it what so ever and it took 2.5 quarts to get back to the right level.

I drove it into our Chevy dealer and he would not even write up a service ticket on it. His exact words were "We get this complaint all day long". He as well as GM think it is OK to consume this much oil. I told him I think GM has brain washed these dealers. I cannot believe that they would consider this acceptable.

After 3 rear window motor replacements, a heater problem, a recall for the brakes, a clunky drivetrain and now oil consumption, I know to dump this vehicle before the 36,000 mile waranty runs out. (The vehicle is a 2000 Suburban- 2WD 1500 series).

In reading other arc hived posts, I still see this complaint on the 2001 models.

Any perspective buyers beware.

lonebull · January 2002

Anyone hear if/when the Suburbans will be available with the Duramax Diesel???

jgmilberg · January 2002

I have a '01 Yukon XL 2500, and the problem I have seen with oil consumption on the board is not one I have experienced ever. I used REGULAR PETROLEUM oil for the first 12K miles then switched to Synth. The reason I did this was to allow the engine to properly seat the rings, the oil control rings in particular. If you use synthetic oil too soon it will make everything too slippery to allow proper seating of the rings and the oil just blows right past into the combustion chamber. Judging by the fact that you have gone 3800 miles on one oil change you are running synthetic oil already, and probably from the first oil change. Try going to regular oil for 3-5 oil changes at regular 3000 mile intervals to wash out the synth and let everything seat properly then switch back to synth. Another thing to consider is that the new gen engines are 6 qt engines, if you did the oil change yourself maybe you only used 5 qts, or a rookie at the oil change shop only put 5 qts. in and you burned 1.5 instead of 2.5. Just a thought.

Now the window motors were taken care of with a TSB and ALL dealers were instructed to replace BOTH motors upon customer complaint to the new motors that GM designed to get rid of the defect that kept popping up. Your first 2 trips to the dealer must have been before GM had the new motors available so the dealer installed the next best thing, the original problematic ones.

The brake recall was not anything that would have caused a problem in real life, they re-positioned a bracket on the frame because when people were replacing the tires with larger ones the bigger tires were hitting the bracket in a tight turn causing more tire damage than anything else.

Not sure what the clunky drivetrain issue you have is. I remember someone mentioning changing the rear end oil to a thicker oil got rid of this problem. Another possibility is bad U-Joints, but at your mileage I would not expect that to be the case. I think GM went to 80-90 rear end dope to get the clunk out.

balser · January 2002

Or is the clunky drivetrain the issue with the steering stops drying out? My dealer lubes them every time I get an oil change so they don't make noise. About 3K later, the clunk starts again when I pull in or out of the driveway. Kind of an unfriendly reminder to change the oil.

BTW - I was the one who had the trans blow up at 20K. Dealer replaced it with a new one no problem...we're very happy with the service at Gallucci in Medina, Ohio. Anyway, they think the valve body failed, built up too much pressure in the trans, and cracked a sprag. Funny thing is, the car sat over the weekend before they looked at it and drove it around for 45 minutes without duplicating the problem. This after the tow truck operator had to drag it out of the garagew because it was locked, and the Service Manager could barely get it into the service bay Friday afternoon.

'burbs are still the best SUV on the planet... not exceptions.

bearsmama · January 2002

The rear view mirror on my 97 Suburban does not display the temp, although I believe it is capable. When I start it up the display shows the Ferinheit and Celsius signs, and the number capability, but then it goes to compass. The only buttons are for Mirror and Compass. My thinking is that it is prepped to handle the temp, but needs an external thermometer.

Does anyone know anything about this stuff?

Thanks in advance.

davigf · January 2002

Hold one of the buttons in for 3 to 5 seconds and see if the display changes to read temperature. I have 98, and that's what you do to change it. I do not remember which button to hold in.

davigf

bearsmama · January 2002

Holding down the compass button did work, but now it wants me to set the temperature in Celsius. Any idea how to switch it to Ferinheit?

Thanks again.

mgdvhman · January 2002

Older burbs......is the K20 a 3/4 ton 4WD??

- Tim

adplusone · January 2002

Am looking to trade in my 2000 for a 2002 (to take advantage of the $ 2,002 rebate) but the only unit has OEM flares.....has anyone put on or taken off a set....how are they attached???

mgdvhman · January 2002

On Silverados (Burbs must be the same)they are put on with 2 sided tape (3M Type)

Many people have taken them off with no holes left after...

Good Luck

- Tim

plrod · January 2002

Got a 99 Sub 2WD LT w/56K miles and in like new condition and am very happy so far. Ordered a deep dish alluminum tranny pan today and will install aux tranny cooler and maybe aux engine oil cooler too. We live in South Fla and it's very warm here in Summer. So far I've had the front end aligned to spec, put on 4 new shocks, 100% tranny fluid change, rear end oil changed & motor oil changed to synthetic. Only issue I notice which I'd read about is the little bit of vibration between 65 & 75 MPH. Do the drive line repairs mentioned in "1997 Chevy Suburban Drive Shaft Problems" resolve this vibration. My understanding of those posts is that they deal with the "clunking" issue only (which I don't think I have.) Will a removal and rebalancing of the drive shaft resolve this or does anyone know of other things to look into. Also, what is the name of the part which is recommended be replaced when I drop my tranny pan. It's the one which causes the engine braking.

tidester · January 2002

Congratulations on your new pre-owned Sub and Welcome to the Town Hall! We're glad you decided to come out of the shadows and join in the discussion.

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jgmilberg · January 2002

In my past experience I would not use an aluminium alloy trans pan. I had 2 and both took hits from road debris and broke. One of them just cracked and caused a leak the other one actually had a hole in it. I now have a steel trans pan and no problems like that, the steel dents and doesn't crack. Derale makes a nice steel one with tubes going through it for extra cooling, it also holds an extra quart of fluid. I am assuming you are trying to get the heat out, this one would probably help better than a fined aluminium pan. This link should get you to where you can see it. But if not the number is der-14104, if you have a 700 R 4 tranny. The site I used to find it was http://www.summitracing.com

http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?target=search.asp%3FType%3Dbysummitpart%26Part%3Dder-14104%26Search.x%3D1%26SearchType%3DBoth

Have you had the tires balanced? If it is only in the range you said it is probably that. While they have the tires off have them checked out to make sure you don't have a bent rim. I would try these things before sending the drive shaft out to be balanced. If you end up doing that though, have them replace the u-joints before balancing, and make sure the shop balances the drive shaft with the slip yoke attached, it makes a difference.

sgj55 · January 2002

Are you towing something heavy? Is that why you
are so concerned about the tranny temp? This is a
very overlooked subject. The #1 cause of tranny
failure is HEAT! It's good you are addressing it.
Along with your tranny cooler I recommend a tranny
temp gauge be installed also. The best place
according to GM is in the trans. pan. The parts
most likely to be destroyed first are the delicate
valve body and associated parts.

There is a special bolt & nut sold for this
purpose with a hole drilled & tapped in the center
to accept the sending unit. I made my own using a
3/8 in. NPT tap.

Summit racing sells nice gauges,I like the digital LED readout type. This will tell you if
your cooler is effective or if you even need one.

It is amazing to see the difference in trans temp from NY to Fla.

Well, enjoy your new truck & your doing the right thing by covering all the bases!

lmbarber · January 2002

Last year Chevy had a similar problem with their Corvettes going through oil like water. GM finally admitted the problem. Some owners got a new engine. I don't know the whole story but when I saw the post about the $40,000 Burbs having a similar problem, I thought I had better investigate. I am about to order a new Burb or XL with the 8L engine. Any more info on the oil consumption topic is appreciated.

tpken · January 2002

What shocks did you put on? Mine need replacement on my 95 4WD 1500. Bilsteins are recommended. Did you get them?

Ken

kymi · January 2002

I am just about to purchase a 2002 Yukon XL 1500 SLT D package and am really excited. I had a bad experience with the reliability of a Ford Windstar and do not want a similar situation. I am reading reviews that the Yukon XL has some possible reliability issues. Does anyone know what the problems may be long term? I love the Yukon but need something that will last and not be a money pit on repairs.

eversons · January 2002

You asked about 8.1 liter oil consumption. I have a 1 year old YXL with 8.1, it has about 25,000 miles. I do no towing. It consumes about 1 quart every 4,000 miles.

nfouts · January 2002

Do the 2001-02 Suburbans have speakers for the third row passengers or is the subwoofer placed there? I noticed the Tahoe, Expeditions, etc. have speakers for the first and second row passengers but place the subwoofer in the third row. This very annoying for whomever is unlucky enough to sit in the third row. I thought they might have moved the subwoofer to the cargo area and added extra speakers in the Suburban since it is a longer vehicle. Anyone know?

larrys7 · January 2002

Finally found a place to purchase:
My price 59.00 + freight - any better deals out there? It is my understanding "Trenz" is the company making them. Wanting to put one on my 01 YDXL & 97 P/U.

vivace · January 2002

Sorry if this is a repeat, since I'm sure this question has been asked before but I just got a 2002 Victory Red Suburban.. Unfortunately it didnt come with fender flares from the factory. I checked out the dealer's price on the GM flares and he quoted me a price of $720 for a set uninstalled ??

Why are they so expensive when the sticker price is $180 ?

I'm currently checking out aftermarket flares and have looked at Bushwacker and Xenon. Anyone have an opinion on the best aftermarket flares ? The closer to looking like original equipment the better..

Thanx much in advance..

wfod · January 2002

My 2001 Suburban(Built in Mexico) burns oil. It has 17,000 miles and I cannot make it over 3,500 miles without having to add oil. I have been battling GM and their dealerships over this problem for over a year.

I Have had an oil consumption test done and according to dealership it was determined that during that test the Suburban was burning 1 quart per 1,000 miles. They told me this was normal. BullS!!!

Researched on the internet and found 2 GM Service Bulletins that address oil consumption.

Bulletin No. 01-06-01-011 Engine Oil Consumption Guidelines. Summary-The accepted rate of oil consumption is 1qt per 2,000 Miles

Bulletin No. 01-06-01-029 Higher than Expected Oil Consumption(Replace PCV Valve)

After presenting these bulletins to the service advisor He had a new style PCV Valve put on my engine. It took 5 minutes.

Have started new oil consumption test to see if new style PCV Valve solves problem. I don't think it will work.

I found that GM and its dealership will tell you anything to make you go away. For example a dealership in writing stated that 2quarts per 1,000 miles is acceptable oil consumption. When I questioned this with GM a GM Lawyer backed up that ludicrous statement.

Hope this helps any other 2001 Suburban owners who may have an oil consumption problem.

Suburban Driver 12Years

sgj55 · January 2002

You people are scaring me! I just ordered a 2002
2500 with the 6.0 engine. Has GM solved this oil
consumption thing yet? Is it only on the 2000-2001
models?

Those who have the problem is it possible that
the problem is due to improper break in? I'm going to be very careful about how I break in
this thing. I find burning a quart every 1,000
miles extremely unacceptable! I have had alot of
cars in my time & the only ones that burned more
than 1/2 quart between oil changes had "extremely
high" mileage on them.

GM better watch their step or they will find
themselves in the same boat that Ford is in!
And they've been in it before.

Having a problem is one thing, but trying to sweep it under
the rug is another. Ford has been doing this for years and now
it caught up with them. Seems GM's attitude is the same.

larrys7 · January 2002

If you can not obtain a set of OEM flares I would recommend Bushwacker OE Style. If you have any questions please fill free to email. When we put the Bushwacker flares on we leave the rubber trim off the flares to give the OEM appearance.

bross2 · January 2002

I couldn't agree more completely with wfod on post #1928. I wrote the earlier (1907) post and continue to get the run around from our dealer. GM called me the other day and offered to have me bring it back in to run through their "oil consumption" test BS so that they could again tell me again that 1qt per 1000 miles is "normal". As mentioned earlier, they are doing a great job of of sweeping this under the rug. You would think they would have fixed this mess with the 2001's at least, but .....

Buyer Beware.

campo57 · January 2002

I've got a set of Bushwacker OE Style flares on and love them. I had them painted and they go on extremely easy. I noticed an earlier post that said to leave the rubber gasket off for an OEM appearance. Just remember, if you do, the edge of the flare might rub through the paint on the fender/quarter panel.

If you'd like to see what they look like, check out this web page (I also had it 2 toned):

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=491096&uid=433071&members=1

Campo57

heatwave3 · January 2002

sjg55: I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but I own a 2001 Denali XL that I took delivery on in Feb 2001. It also has the same 6.0L engine as the 3/4 ton you own. I have approx. 15,000 miles on it. I changed the oil at 1,500 miles and then regularly at 3,000 mile intervals thereafter. I have not needed to add a "single" drop of oil between oil changes. I checked the oil regularly and have never had a need to add oil.

I think if you do one early oil change to get the metal shavings out and then regular 3,000 mile intervals with regular oil, you'll be quite satisfied with the performance and overall maintenance needs of this motor.

KThomp100 · January 2002

2001 GMC C3, 6.0, changed oil first time at 3000 miles and then switched to Mobil 1 at 6000. Never needed to add a drop of oil between changes and that included a fair amount of towing a 4000 pound travel trailer.

dustyone · January 2002

10K miles with no oil between changes. (6.0 liter)

Fender flares OEM from http://gmpartsdirect.com are cheaper than dealer and come already painted (white).

Chevrolet 2500 vehicles come with flares. Added set to a '00 K1500 Silverado for $390. (when truck was ordered in Jan '00 flares were on national backorder so I took the truck without flares (they were unpainted from the factory).

sgj55 · January 2002

I was getting paranoid. I was worried that I was
certain to get a lemon. I feel alot better now,
but will still be careful about the break in.

KThomp100 how is the oil pressure with the
synthetic? Is it much lower at idle? I hear that it is so slippery that if used before the engine is broken in it will not allow the rings to seat.
A rebuilder said he has seen it where the cross-
hatch in the cylinder walls is still in tact.

By the way, I got my order number and a build
date of the week of January 28. But an estimated
delivery date of March 3rd. Sounds like a long
time for delivery to me, four weeks!

What do you think?

boco420 · January 2002

I'm ready to take the plunge the last question I have is which one of these fine vehicles to get ... My primary use is as a people hauler, but also 6000 lb trailer. What kind of mileage are people getting with these rigs? I'm not interested in the 8.1 because it's probably overkill ... hence the 2 6.0L trucks i'm considering. I could probably get by with the 1500, but I'm seriously considering the 2500 JIC I end up with a larger trailer down the road ... Don't want to force myself to buy yet another $40k vehicle ... I intend to have this one for a while!

Regards,
Boco

heatwave3 · January 2002

boco420: I needed to make the same decision your trying to make about a year ago. I owned 2 3/4 ton Suburbans in a row and was trying to decide between the Denali XL and a 2500 4wd Yukon XL. They're both good choices. I tow a 6000lb boat and after a decade of driving on the 3/4 ton leaf springs I guess I just wanted more comfort since I move passengers alot more than I tow.

You'll pay about $3-5K more for a DXL over a fully loaded 2500 with the 6.0L but you'll get the following standards on the DXL that aren't even offered as options on the 2500.

300 watt Bose sound system with 11 speakers
6 CD in-dash changer
steering wheel controls for the sound system
in dash computer for computing fuel and trip info
focussed beam headlights with Denali grill
17" alloy wheels with Michelin Cross Terrains
2" shorter turning radius (DXL 42.3' vs 2500 44.3')
AWD with rear and center limited slip differentials
self-leveling rear suspension (which is very nice when towing but not available on the 2500)

The only benefits you'll gain on the 2500 are the heavier payload, 1600lb (depending on rear ratio) heavier tow capacity with 6.0L and having 4wd Low which is not available with the DXL's AWD.

I think those are the major differences however if I've missed something I'm sure someone will add to my list. Good luck!

lsgs97 · January 2002

Hey there.. Just realized I posted this question on the wrong board.. What should pricing be nowadays on the DXL.. In the northeast, it seems like $1500 over invoice is the starter, and then less the 2000. Seen at multiple spots.. Any ideas? Thanks

Greg

jphdxl · January 2002

I too own a 6.0L in a DXL. Bought mine last April. Changed the oil at 1.5k, 3k, and 6k. I'm about to take it in for the 9k change and it has not lost a drop of oil (no towing, but couple of good long trips). I sure hope it stays this way for a long, long time!

jgmilberg · January 2002

Did you get the lower section of your lift gate painted too? This may be one of the reasons GM stopped offering the 2 tone paint in '01. I wanted a 2 tone on my YXL I have Indigo Blue and was going to get a Storm Gray lower, but the fact that GM didn't want to finish the job right put me off, come to find out that it was not available any ways. I was going to have the dealer paint the lift gate to match the rest of the lower paint color before taking delivery. Oh well, moot point now I guess, just wondering about yours. Nice flares, I got a 2500 series and got the small black ones.

randyxl · January 2002

I own a 2000 XL 3/4 and a 2001 Yukon Denali and I tow with the XL. I really like the ride in the Denali and have heard that the new 2001 XL 3/4 with ride control is comparible to the Denali. Has anybody traded up to a 2001 and found this to be true. I really need the 3/4 ton for the towing and the mileage on the Denali is aweful.

Also when might the new Duramax/Allison package be available in the Yukon XL?

Thanks

boco420 · January 2002

Well, after much thought ( and the fact that 3/4 ton 6.0L Subs/YXL's were impossible to come by with the stuff I wanted ) I bought a 2002 pewter denali xl with the sunroof today. So far, so good. Thanks to heatwave3 for the advice ... all the extra goodies are kindof nice. Plus it certainly is nice to have a truck with a little bit of personality. Here in the NW you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a suburban or YXL. Having something a little different is great. Though the checkbook kinda hurt after writing that one!!! here's to many great years of ownership and hopefully no oil consumption problems!!!

lsgs97 · January 2002

What did you end up paying (before the 2002 discount) vs the invoice?

cd0 · January 2002

I own a 2000 Yukon with 10.5 miles. Just started to notice a gasey smelling blue smoke. Anybody with the same problem?

denalixxl · January 2002

Welcome to the Denali XL family. Where in the N.W. are you? I am in Bellevue, WA. I took delivery of my project vehicle June '01. A Black 2001 Denali XL. If you have any questions, I have done almost everything you can do to this vehicle. I (like heatwave) am on my third Suburban (2) previous 3/4-tons with 454's. The Denali is every bit as strong with too many improvements to list. My current project will last until the new Denali XL with Quadrasteer comes out. Has everybody heard about Quadrasteer? and it's towing, parking, driving benefits.

3lakeswi · January 2002

IF anyone has the optional second row bucket seats, can you tell me if they recline? My wife has a Toyota Sequoia and the rear seatbacks recline which is really nice. I know the second row bench in the Y/Sub does not recline but I am hoping the buckets do.

denalixxl · January 2002

The rear bucket seats on the Denali XL recline about 25 degrees which isnt much but makes it very comfortable.

I am researching ways to put a slider on the rear seats for fore/aft adjustments also. I am 6'6" and the rear passenger behind me gets very little leg room right now.

campo57 · January 2002

Yeah, I had a body shop do the work (friend of mine) and did the lower liftgate (doesn't look complete without that being done IMO).

As of 2001, they discontinued the 2 tone option so if you seen any 2 tones, more than likely it's a 2000.

Campo57

heatwave3 · January 2002

denalixxl: I'm actually waiting for the DXL with 6 doors. Essentially, a small suicide door (like on some pickups) that gives access to the third row. Has anyone heard anything on the rumors of a six door Suburban?

GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali

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