The End of an Era

[btfarm]

You can't go wrong with a 6.0 LS motor. My 2000 pulled plenty of big loads out of the fields and down the road without a problem. Had cold start piston slap too. Annoying but proven to be no big deal.

Sent from my SCH-I535

 

[Will L.]

Ha -6.0 piston slap, on my burb I pulled my valve covers lookin for sumthin' till my buddy showed up laughing at me...
197,000 miles non sysntheic oil being changed religiously (as in it takes a miracle to happen at under 10,000 miles)running strong...Love gm...
Loved my 5.7 (also abused for over a quarter million miles but not for towing)

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

My uncle has a 6.0L in his 05 3500 SRW. It has had piston slap since 15K miles, and now has over 315K miles and has yet to have anything more serious than a water pump done to it. If you don't tow much, then look for a 1500 with a 5.3L. The 4.8L came in some, but IMO is a bit on the weak side until it builds up some RPM's. The 5.3L seems like a monster compared to a 4.8L at lower RPM's.

 

[tanman_2006]

IMO, a 6.0l on propane makes one heck of a family rig that doesn't mind towing when it absolutely has to.

Our neither of our 03's or our 07 classic have piston slap. None of them really burn a noticeable amount of oil.

I won't say they pull trailers and don't notice it but they can move mountains if you hook to one.

The 1500hd/2500ld is altogether Heavier than a normal 1500 and is HD enough for most weekend warriors.

source unknown

 

[Dunedain15]

I'm going to look at this Yukon XL tonight. We've already established that I'll be putting the new tires on and doing the oil change myself. That lowered the asking price. What things should I be looking for?

 

[Will L.]

Test the dvd and other electronics. Roll down all windows, then back up again noticing speed- this is an indicator of a dragging window regulator. Drive trans in regular then tow mode to listen for trans pump getting way louder in tow mode. worn rear tires and new fronts are usually old front tires moved back, so look t them for a wear pattern that could tattle tale front end component wear if you feel anything a little off in the front end but are unsure. Bring a code reader. Check for codes before you run- if not ready for all test then he cleared some codes before you got there.

I always include a smog test at the end of my test drive. Here a smog test is required and vehicle must be registered and new plates to every new owner anyways. So I let them know in the beginning- at the end of test drive will be a smog test and if it passes I'll buy it, and I pay for the smog. If it fails I will walk home and you can pay for your failed smog test so be honest now if any codes have been hidden or anything in the system is off or its a waste of both our time and their $. I had people fess up before I even looked under the hood...

Oh yeah and the only removing a couple $ for rust? Not here. blue book minus cost of bringing vehicle to that exact condition. $7,000 blue book and needs $2,500 for new parts/labor and paint is a $5,000 price at best.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Look at the water pump for leaks as they tend to go at that milage. Also look to see if the coolant looks clean and is at the proper level. SOME(not many, I think they say around 5-8%) of early 5.3's sufferred from cylinder head cracks. It will leak coolant into the engine, and boil off while driving. It makes finding the leak dam near impossible unless you know where to look for it leaking. Also make sure the blower fans and such all work as they should. If it has climate control, the fan motor controllers tend to give trouble after they get some age to them. Most of the time it is just GM infamous poor grounds, but finding the bad spot can be troublesome.

 

[Dunedain15]

Thanks, Guys. Good list. Ferm, where should I look if were trying to find the cylinder head crack leaking coolant. Would it be visible outside the engine?

 

[WarWagon]

The 'mode door actuator' in the 2000's is famous for cracking a gear and jamming. Usually sticks in defrost. The rest of the system wonks out at that point. Repair is less than $100 in parts. The part with the big cam on it isn't easy to find at local parts places esp. that *cough* Irish named place.

 

[tanman_2006]

Mine is busted on our 03.

Im gonna check out your link ww.

source unknown

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Thanks, Guys. Good list. Ferm, where should I look if were trying to find the cylinder head crack leaking coolant. Would it be visible outside the engine?

You have to pop the valve covers off to see the cracks. Like I said it isn't a common problem, but it has shown up in 5.3's enough so GM issued a bulletin about it..

 

[Dunedain15]

I went to look at the Yukon XL. The "spot of rust" ended up being about 2" wide, the entire length of the passenger door. There was another spot in the middle of a dent on the rear passenger side door, and the fender was dented with a spot of rust on it. Looks like somebody either sideswiped the vehicle or the driver made too sharp of a turn and hit something. I offered him $4k, and he didn't counter. We parted ways.

Bought this Suburban on July 4th. It's an '01 with the 5.3L in it. Has 163k on it. No water pump leak, coolant looked clean, oil and trans fluid looked good. The interior has normal wear on it, but the exterior is in great shape. Normal surface rust underneath, but nothing that looked too terrible. Might need two tires; goes in for inspection on 7/21, so we'll see about that. Thanks to everyone for your input. I'm liking the 5.3 so far; feels more powerful than I expected it to. Cold air intake is on the way, and I'm looking at exhausts now. Thanks again, Gents.

 

[btfarm]

Grats! Looks good. Had an '02 Tahoe with 5.3 and very few troubles all along for the 4+ years the wife drove it. I think the 4L60 is the only (possible) weak link on those.