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Edmunds Maintenance Guide
Steve, Host
I remember my 2000 called for changing the rear differential fluid after the initial 5000 miles when equipped with the locking rear end. No mention of it with the 2004.
Now for the lights and wheel flares. The clearance lights are forced onto the vehicle because when the wheels turn in the rear they stick out farther than federal regulations allow, so they had to stick on the big fat flares to make them happy. When they did that it made the truck too wide to fit in the standards so the feds again jammed GM up and forced all those clearance lights on the vehicle, just like the dually pick up trucks. The engine size is limited by the 2500 series specs, and the 6.0L engine is the smallest engine available for a 2500 were all kinda stuck.
While on that subject, are all you guys that have posted about funny/unusual noises or other problems still living with them or did you finally get them fixed? How about enlightening the rest of us as to what the resolution was!
No I am not towing anything, and the truck has 70,000 miles on it (2000 K2500). The problems only happens after a relatively long drive, say, 45min or more. Then when I slow down for whatever reason, the downshifting, and consequent upshifting is much harsher than normal. Once I resume normal, in-town driving (5 min or so later), the problem disappears. That's why I am thinking it's heat related. I did flush the tranny, with no effect, and also disconnected the battery to reset the computer.
Specifically, I need to track down a TSB concerning low speed vibration that affected some 2000 Suburbans.
I am not sure if this is relevant to my 2000 Suburban 1500, but recently it was hit in the right rear wheel which necessated straightening the rear frame (the axle was displaced to the left about 1.5"). The work was performed by a Chevrolet dealer with a very reputable body shop using laser measuring equipment, and the rear axle was replaced along with the right rear wheel.
Immediately upon picking up the rig, I became of aware of an unusually loud reverberation in the car interior that takes place between 33 and 50 mph. Three sets of tires and a new driveshaft later, the noise persists. The whole effect seems to be more of a sound than an actual vibration, almost like wind buffeting inside the cab (!) but it didn't do that before the accident, and my 2002 Tahoe sure doesn't have the same problem.
It looks like that old adage about a wrecked vehicle never being the same is absolutely true. But I haven't given up quite yet. If any of you have any ideas let me know!
Vehicles are increasingly big electronic machines, so they might well be experiencing the same affects for the same reasons. In fact, the out-sourcing, with its inherent loss of quality control, might also be affecting the strictly mechanical parts too. Something to think about in our highly-price-competitive environment.
It might well be that anything newer isn't going to measure up as well. When/if you return to the well-remembered as more reliable "Your favorite brand name here" world, you might find it ain't like it used to be (join geezerdom!).
I wish we could keep manufacturing domestically, but the reality and the global marketplace just don't allow it if manufacturers are going to compete.
I'm in manufacturing and, believe me, I used to always warn our customers of going to Mexico, Brazil, China, etc., but in the end the customers for the most part was able to prove me wrong (of course there were hiccups involved, too.)
As to American car manufacturing goes, I've been very impressed with the quality levels of all US car manufacturers over the last 10 - 15 years....Anecdotally, my US cars have definitely spent less time in the shop than my European cars.
Just my two cents...
This has not been the case with my 2000 (once they got all the first years kinks worked out of the NBS) and 2004 Suburbans. Though, being far more technically advanced, problems have been fewer and they provide more power, comfort and safety. Sure, with all the electronic gizmos controlling and featured on our newer vehicles, there is more potential for failure. Hopefully these will be the exception and not the rule (true in my situation)!
Even so, the newer, and especially those bigger vehicles, of both Toyota and Honda have not measured up to their own company's reputation in actual reliability. Maybe still near the top, but sliding a bit.
I am just wondering if we have already gone passed the peak of quality and are perhaps on a downward slide again, not yet recognized by most of us.
The TV example is of purely electronic devices. Vehicles are getting more so. If TVs are suffering in quality, perhaps the electronic portions of our vehicles will follow that same trend.
Of course, if I turn out to be correct, I'll never let you all hear the end of it. But, if I'm wrong, I'll probably let my aging brain conveniently forget all about it. "Honestly, Senator, I simply cannot recall." ;-)
Thanks
Sam
There are 2 adjusting screws in the mounting pocket, they look like stars, or the head of a torx driver. You can use a 7mm or 8mm 6 sided socket if you don't want to buy the actual socket. Do not force anything, any resistance at all and you need to STOP if you force it you will break the adjuster and need to buy a replacement adjuster from the dealer to fix the problem for around $21 each. The horizontal (side to side) adjusters are in the core support in the holes right next to the hood bumpers, the vertical (up and down) adjusters are in the plastic radiator cover there are oval holes near each end of the cover. What I do is set the car/truck 20 to 25 feet from my garage door and adjust them using the panels in the door to get the alignment I want. Let us know how you made out.
Maybe you got some of the original parts.
my 1 cents worth.
Found some info in message #906.
Anyway, a friend with a BMW experiencing the problem some years ago found some tablets at an auto parts store that was supposed to kill the mildew. I can't remember if he had to drop them down the intake vents outside at the base of the windshield or if they went into the interior output vents....
Personally, when running in dry air without recirculate on doesn't solve the problem, I've killed the stuff pretty effectively by spraying massive amounts of Lysol down the exterior intake vents (at the back of hood by the base of the windshield) while running the AC (recirculate off -- you might have to take the Auto climate control off, if you have it). Be sure you have the windows all down and run it long enough afterward so the Lysol fumes don't kill you off too!
Oh yeah, you probably want to keep the Lysol off the paint as much as you can and test it on some of the plastic around the vent first to make sure it doesn't do something nasty to that either.
Perhaps you have something besides microbial growth in that evaporator core?! I wonder if some kind of critter could get down into the HVAC module? If that noise is coming from the HVAC unit, might be a good excuse to have the dealer tear that thing apart and get to the bottom of your problem.
Now, a couple more issues:
-The loud exhaust popping that I read about a couple of months ago and thought people were crazy over, we now hear and it is very annoying. Used to just do the pinging/popping when turned off and cooling down, but now you can clearly hear it when at a light or stopped and it is not faint, by any means. Anyone have this issue and get it fixed yet? Or is GM not doing anything about it?
-When the AC is on, there's a constant "whirring" sound inside the dash. Sounds like something's wrong in the ductwork. It isn't overly loud, but it doesn't sound right and continues for about a minute after you turn everything off. Again, anyone have a similar issue or get it fixed?
Air Conditioning Odor (Install Kit) #99-01-39-004A
Air Conditioning Odor (Install Kit)
1993-2002 Passenger Cars
1993-2002 Light & Medium Duty Trucks
This bulletin is being revised to update the model years, service procedure, parts information and to add the GEO and Medium Duty models. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 99-01-39-004 (Section 01 - HVAC).
Condition
Some customers may comment on odors emitted from the air conditioning system, primarily at start-up in hot humid climates.
Cause
This odor may be the result of microbial growth on the evaporator core. When the blower motor fan is turned on, the microbial growth may release an unpleasant, musty odor into the passenger compartment.
There are several other possible sources of a musty odor in a vehicle. A common source is a water leak. Follow the Service Manual procedure for identifying and correcting water leaks if other odor sources are found. The procedure contained in this bulletin is only applicable if the source of the odor has already been determined to be the HVAC module.
Correction
To remove odors of this type, it is necessary to eliminate the microbial growth and prevent its re occurrence. To accomplish this, the following steps must be completed:
1. Apply evaporator core Cooling Coil Coating (Aerosol 6 oz), P/N 12377951 (AC Delco® 15-102) (in Canada, use P/N 10953503) or Cooling Coil Coating Kit with Extension Nozzle, P/N 12346391 (AC Delco® 10-120). Refills are available for the Cooling Coil Coating Kit with Extension Nozzle, P/N 12346391 (AC Delco® 10-120). Refer to the chart below.
2. Install the Electronic Evaporator Dryer, P/N 12497910 (AC Delco® 15-5876).
Important
The Cooling Coil Coatings listed above are the only GM approved products for the disinfection and long-term control of evaporator microbial growth.
The Cooling Coil Coating will disinfect the evaporator core and help inhibit the growth of future mold and mildew.
The Electronic Evaporator Dryer will activate when the ambient temperature near the module is above 16° C (60° F) when the vehicle is started up. Approximately 30 minutes after the vehicle has been turned off, the blower will activate for 10 seconds every 10 minutes for 2 hours unless the vehicle is restarted. If a restart occurs, the Electronic Evaporator Dryer module will reset automatically. This on/off blower activation will dry the evaporator core and case reducing the chance of reoccurring A/C odor. The Electronic Evaporator Dryer is self fused and has a battery rundown protection feature that inactivates the dryer if voltage drops below 12.5 volts.
Service Procedure
1. Visually inspect the air conditioning evaporator drain hose for obstructions and/or working condition.
2. The cooling coil coating fluid must be applied to a dry evaporator core. Apply coil coating fluid as described in the instructions supplied with the kit. In some instances, the blower motor resistor can be removed for this spraying operation. If used, the opening can be taped over and the nozzle inserted through a hole in the tape. The kit instructions identify a drilling procedure to apply the coating fluid. When using this type of procedure, care must be taken to avoid evaporator damage and any holes must be properly sealed. Some coating fluid may overflow from the drain hose.
Important
When installing the Electronic Evaporator Module, you MUST use the included electrical splice connectors to ensure a proper splice.
3. Complete detailed installation instructions and wire connectors are supplied with the Electronic Evaporator Dryer. The ground wire should be attached to a body ground source. If any other wire splicing procedures are needed, follow the wire repair procedures in the Electrical sub-section of Body & Accessories in the appropriate Service Manual. If required, the evaporator dryer can be installed underhood away from extreme heat conditions (i.e. exhaust manifolds) and/or water splash areas. In all cases, the evaporator dryer module must be secured with a Velcro® strip (not included in the kit), or you may use the integral hooks to utilize tie straps. Using a Velcro® strip is preferred as the use of the integral hooks may cause rattles.
4. When the installation procedure is complete and power is supplied, the module will self-test. Thirty seconds after power is supplied, the high blower speed will be activated 3 times (for 2 seconds per cycle). When the test has run, install the Electronic Evaporator Dryer label on the blower motor case in a visible area.
Parts Information
Part Number
Description
12377951
(AC Delco® 15-102)
Cooling Coil Coating (Aerosol 6 oz)
12346391
(AC Delco® 10-120)
Cooling Coil Coating Kit w/Extention Nozzle
12346390
(AC Delco® 10-121)
Refill for Cooling Coil Coating Kit
12497910
(AC Delco® 15-5876)
Electronic Evaporator Dryer Module Kit
Parts are expected to be available from GMSPO, 6/4/01.
In the 2000+ models, you can either use the low beam or the high beam, but not both at the same time. I found this company,premiermotoring.net, which sells a setup that allows you to use both when you switch to high beam. Very bright indeed.
They also sell a more powerful backup light bulbs. I find that the stock ones are very week. I also replaced the low beam with a PIAA Xtreem White bulbs, big difference.
Sam
Any ideas?
Sam
Anyway, later I looked on several websites and noticed that they also have the same engine for 04 listed as "gas" which rates 15 city/20 hwy. Forget what I actually get (I know mines a flex fuel version)... Are there actually any "gas only" versions out there? Is the only difference in the engines programming? If so, is there a way to reprogram mine to be the "gas" version and give me the extra 1/2 MPG?
Flexfuel I guess is a good PC selling point, but there ain't any flexfuel stations anywhere in the Dallas area, and even if there were, the cost would probably be higher, and from my understanding, running on E85 gets poorer gas mileage than running on straight gas.
Anyone have any experience with any of this?
Thanks...
I did know that there are two engine types listed on the RPO codes, but all the Suburbans/ Tahoes/ Yukons that I have seen here (Virginia) have the flex fuel engine. Not sure why, since ethanol (grain) fuels are not sold here*. Perhaps GM gets a credit for selling lower emmission vehicles? Or at least vehicles that are capable of lower emissions since many of them will never see a drop of ethanol-based fuel.
I am guessing that the lower mpg rating is due to the fuel itself (which the EPA would use as the worst case for the flexible engine). I expect the Flex Fuel engines will get the same mileage with gas as the gas-only engine. It would be interesting to know for sure.
glsable
* in northern Virginia we do suffer with "oxygenated-fuels" that put 10% more oxygen in (and therefore 10% less gas and mileage drops 10% (surprise!).
The DOD is on the Trailblazer EXT and the hybrid is on limited 1500 pickups.
Another possibility is that you saw 2wd numbers.
--jay
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2004_Chevrolet_Suburban.sh- tml
and the information provided is as follows:
C1500 Suburban 2wd "regular" : 15/20 (city/hwy)
C1500 Suburban 2wd "flex/gas" : 14/18
C1500 Suburban 2wd "flex/E85" : 10/14
That site is actually the first place I've seen that really shows what mileage you get when you run E85. It also seems to show that the flex fuel version pollutes more when using gas then the straight gas version....
Anyway, it sure would be nice to know if I could somehow seemlessly make mine be the normal version...
Mark
I just bought my dream truck, a '04 Yukon XL, built in Janesville, WI, Onyx Black with a tan interior, 1/2 ton 4x4, pretty heavy on the options, but regrettably no Autoride. But that's okay because I drove it off the lot for $12,000 under the $50K sticker price. That included $11,000 in rebates and discounts, and $1,000 in factory certificates to "keep my business" when I started for the door. This is in Wilmington, NC.
I'm concerned about breaking this thing in properly, since I plan on keeping it for a very long time. I have a 2000 Jetta 1.8T which has had Mobil 1 pulsing through its veins since the first oil change at 1,000 miles. Now at 80K the engine is just as smooth as day one, and she never consumes a drop between 4,000mi changes. I noticed a post way back where one knowledgeable-sounding poster recommended using dino oil for 12K miles before switching to the manmade juice to allow the oil control rings to break in properly. Is that still the way to go? Obviously excessive oil consumption is an issue with a few of these vehicles and I want to do what I can now to avoid problems later.
I was also wondering if anyone could tell me how this differential lock works. I have an ARB air locker in my Wrangler, so I know the basics, I'm just wondering what controls engagement, when it engages it, how it engages,etc. I don't have traction control, just the locking differential that comes standard with the SLT package. The dealer told me it engages when it detects a slip. Truth or B/S?
I was also wondering if anyone had replaced the 265/70R17s with a larger 285/70R17. Those Bridgestone street tires they call all-terrain aren't exactly my idea of a truck tire. Has anyone gone off-pavement with them? The most off-road this truck will probably see in its first five years is driving on the beach (but even that's not likely considering its stablemate). I think they're the Deuler HTs, but I could be way off. All I know is they're not Michelins or BFGs, and that's all that really matters to me.
Oh, and what's the deal with this oil condition estimation thing. I'm thinking I'll probably still base the maintenance on mileage, but I'm curious if anyone has gone by what the truck is telling them regarding oil changes.
I also noticed that someone mentioned premature wear on the leather seats. Should I get a seat cover now or would that just be stupid and unnecessary?
And on the cosmetic side, I really like the look of the Denali grille. Does the factory grille fit over the plastic OE grille like the aftermarket models? I guess the punch grille is the one to go with, is that still the consensus? Is that a brand name or style? I've never purchased non-functional look-at-me accessories for a vehicle before. Will this make me a bad person?
Thanks in advance.
Chris
If your indicator shows the percentage of oil life remaining (the newer ones should), I recommend using the oil life indicator. It takes into account driving conditions. If you are using dino oil, I would probably use 60%-65% of the oil life for each oil change. You can go higher with full synthetic. Just my opinion, however.
I change my oil every 5000 miles. I'd say the majority of my driving is around town, don't have that far to commute. My oil service light normally comes on between 4K and 5K miles. If it comes on before 5K, I reset it and change the oil at 5K.
The 285/70R17 should fit OK, about an inch taller than stock and BFG makes tires in this size. I have the Michelin Cross Terrains (305/50R20) on mine, never cared much for those Firestones or Bridgestones (I changed both while brand new). The Cross Terrains and the LTX M&S have both worked well for me in situations I've been involved in (desert terrain and muddy, hilly roads) while still working extremely well on the street.
I had four years of use on the last Suburban seat, and no problems with wear. I personally wouldn't cover a leather seat, what is the point of having the leather if you are going to cover it?
My 2 cents.
So, here in Texas, I would need to keep it at 73.5 mph in the 70 mph highways in order to stay under the Texas-safe 7 mph over the limit speed. (In DFW, in town, during rush hours, 10 mph over is required, until two or more vehicles collide and cause a creeping parking lot to materialize. ;-))
rand01: "what is the point of having the leather if you are going to cover it?" So that the next owner can enjoy really nice, pristine leather seats, of course! The same reason that granny put those nasty clear vinyl seat covers on her cloth Bellaire seats and the living room sofa! ;-)
Anyway, thankfully companies like Hypertec, Superchips, etc., make those power programmers so that we can fool around with our tire sizes and still keep the speedometer accurate, and even pick up a few extra ponies if desired! All that higher Texas math would fry my brain trying to maintain the legal speed limit!
I guess if I planned on bragging about the "original" leather in my Sub 20 years down the road, then maybe the covers would make sense. Actually, I would probably just order another set of skins, pack them away, and then install them, after all that time! Fortunately my grannys didn't have the plastic covered sofas, but I remember some of their friends that did, yuck!
But back to my original post, who can tell me how this automatic differential works? It's hard to have faith in something with no on/off switch when I have no idea how it works.
tidester, host
My dad is a retired gm employee so I will get a discount on a fully loaded 2004 yukon xl. I will also get an additional dealers rebate. Total discount for both about 12,000.
My other option is a Toyota Sequoia xl basic model.
After my discount they both come out to the same price. My problem is I love the look and the fact that the yukon is fully loaded, but I am worried about the safety and reliability of it in comparison to the Toyota. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have to act soon though as they are running out of the 2004 models.
thanks
Might be enough to sway your decision toward the GM.
Cheers!
Paul