thinking of buying a tahoe or Denali, anyone have any thoughts no them?

russgoodman said:
A good forum for these trucks is denalitrucks.com. There are guys on there with denali suvs and trucks from every year, bodystyle, etc. Even some guys on there with tahoes/trucks with the 5.3l. Im glad someone on here said that the 5.3 is a dog, i said the same thing on here once and was basically crusified. As far as mileage, my westers tuned 99 model z ext cab with the 5.3 i got probably 14 if i remember. My new truck with awd and the 6.2 gets about 15.5-16, but i keep my foot in it quite a bit.
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I think with adding dual exhaust you lose a bit of low end torque. I sometimes wonder if adding a CAI and dual exhaust if the program needs changed. I'm not going to count the 5.3 out yet though, I've noticed the rubber seal on my CAI is bad and I'm gonna add taylor wires and new plugs after I get the suspension and steering tightened up.

BTW, another common problem on 00-06 trucks is idler and pitman going bad. Kinda spendy at 100 bucks a piece. Also, if the stock tenneco shocks are still on it, they need replaced. They tend to break. Especially while towing. It happens a lot, and even my neighbor had one break and he was just pulling a bike trailor. Cheap ass GM, shoulda kept with the bilsteins. S10 trucks and avalanche get them but the z71 and other trucks don't:confused: That's the most tarded thing I've ever heard:eek:
 
Probably sold 40 already this year like this. One reoccuring problem I have is the dash's going out. We have figured out how to save the new cluster fee by just replacing the little motors...
 
I just got a 2004 Yukon Denali 2 moths ago. 80K miles on it fully loaded & I love that vehicle!! There is a good site for info at DenaliTrucks • Index page
Lots of good info there!
The Denali has a standard 6 litre with tow package & will haul 8K lbs easily.
Fuel mileage isnt bad around town but you do eat some gas.
Mine is Black with 2 tone leather interior. Don't get the 22" wheels unless you like a harsher ride.
 
I had a 03 4wd Suburban. Watch out for the front ends & the rear ends, I had them leaking gear oil, added 1.5 quarts to the rear and traded it in. Was told it was a common problem with them, I never towed anything and only had 60,000 miles on it. I loved that SUV.:biggrin:
 
I have had an 04 Denali AWD XL for about 2 years now. Bought it with 66k and now has 96k. It's been a great vehicle. A/C quit working one night and then worked the next day. Don't know what went wrong there. Check engine light comes on every once in a while for the mass air sensor. Other than that I've been really pleased with the truck. I will replace this one for another Denali.
 
heavyc said:
I had a 03 4wd Suburban. Watch out for the front ends & the rear ends, I had them leaking gear oil, added 1.5 quarts to the rear and traded it in. Was told it was a common problem with them, I never towed anything and only had 60,000 miles on it. I loved that SUV.:biggrin:
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Wow, I haven't seen that problem at all... Thanks for the heads up I will keep an eye out for it when buying!
 
turboclam3 said:
I have had an 04 Denali AWD XL for about 2 years now. Bought it with 66k and now has 96k. It's been a great vehicle. A/C quit working one night and then worked the next day. Don't know what went wrong there. Check engine light comes on every once in a while for the mass air sensor. Other than that I've been really pleased with the truck. I will replace this one for another Denali.
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Blend door actuator. Google it. Very common issue over 100k miles.
SGRIM said:
Wow, I haven't seen that problem at all... Thanks for the heads up I will keep an eye out for it when buying!
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Never heard of that problem. LOL

I have an 03 truck with the 5.3 and love it. I get OVER 20 on the highway and 16-16.5 in town. It is an awesome truck. I run a 160 thermostat and with the clutch fan is runs right around 170...it immensely helped my MPG. The 5.3 is not a dog. It tows the cars around just fine at 65 MPH. If you want to go 80, buy a diesel...and some luck. It has 85k miles with no issues other then a waterpump gasket at 40k miles thanks to Dexcool.

Mom has an 04 Denali she bought new. Just rolled over 110k. Waterpump at 60k (thanks to Dexcool) and a blend door actuator last week are the only issues. No other issues. Run a 160 thermostat in it as well. It gets 16 on the highway and maybe 12 in town...lots of torque but you pay for it at the pump.

Jason
 
Quiky One said:
Blend door actuator. Google it. Very common issue over 100k miles.


Never heard of that problem. LOL

I have an 03 truck with the 5.3 and love it. I get OVER 20 on the highway and 16-16.5 in town. It is an awesome truck. I run a 160 thermostat and with the clutch fan is runs right around 170...it immensely helped my MPG. The 5.3 is not a dog. It tows the cars around just fine at 65 MPH. If you want to go 80, buy a diesel...and some luck. It has 85k miles with no issues other then a waterpump gasket at 40k miles thanks to Dexcool.

Mom has an 04 Denali she bought new. Just rolled over 110k. Waterpump at 60k (thanks to Dexcool) and a blend door actuator last week are the only issues. No other issues. Run a 160 thermostat in it as well. It gets 16 on the highway and maybe 12 in town...lots of torque but you pay for it at the pump.

Jason
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SO you actually saw an INCREASE of mpg with the 160 t stat?
 
Grab one if you can find one for a decent price ! I have a 2005 crew cab serria Denali , 4 full doors, 6.0 all wheel drive and I love my truck ! The nicest truck I have ever had and would love to get another if I ever gave this one up but a dealer told me the other day that they were coming out with a 2500 Denali serria next year, price would start around 60,000 and go up !!!!! YIKES Daniel Ray
 
need boost said:
Grab one if you can find one for a decent price ! I have a 2005 crew cab serria Denali , 4 full doors, 6.0 all wheel drive and I love my truck ! The nicest truck I have ever had and would love to get another if I ever gave this one up but a dealer told me the other day that they were coming out with a 2500 Denali serria next year, price would start around 60,000 and go up !!!!! YIKES Daniel Ray
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But they are very nice! Maybe some old grandpa can sell me his after he gets tired of hauling his 5th wheel around!

Jason
 
Boil it on the stove and make sure it opens. I bought a few before I got a true 160. I ended up getting a hypertech. The gauge will run at the 1/4 mark in between 160 and 210. That's 170.
 
04 Denali XL AWD

When does the Dexcool need replacing? Do you replace with the Dex or is there an alternative? Is the blend door actuator something that I can replace? Where is it located? Parts expense? Where is the fuel filter on this truck? Thanks!
 
turboclam3 said:
When does the Dexcool need replacing? Do you replace with the Dex or is there an alternative? Is the blend door actuator something that I can replace? Where is it located? Parts expense? Where is the fuel filter on this truck? Thanks!
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Good question about the blend doors...I had to replace the blend doors on the jeep - it wasn't a difficult job as much as it was time consuming - you had to remove the entire dash, steering column, center console, and unhook the ac...


Nate
 
turboclam3 said:
When does the Dexcool need replacing? Do you replace with the Dex or is there an alternative? Is the blend door actuator something that I can replace? Where is it located? Parts expense? Where is the fuel filter on this truck? Thanks!
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I personally would change the Dexcool immediately but that's just me. I flushed the system so no red tint was left and ran the Prestone stuff.

There are 4 blend door actuators so it depends which one fails. The divers side is easy to replace as it's underneath the glove box. The passenger side one is deeeeeeep in the dash.

Jason
 
And if you buy a 2003 or older the fuel filter is on the frame rail about halfway between the tires. After that, the fuel filter is just the fuel sock on the pump...

Jason
 
Quiky One said:
And if you buy a 2003 or older the fuel filter is on the frame rail about halfway between the tires. After that, the fuel filter is just the fuel sock on the pump...

Jason
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Couldn't imagine why so many of these trucks have failed fuel pumps. Don't run them low on gas guys:biggrin: I just remembered my truck still has dexcool. I gotta get that crap out of there.
 
I have owned a lot of vehicles and I would rank my '02 Tahoe at the top.
Wow...now that I think about it there are currently eight in the famliy!
 
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