Full size kid hauler, GMT800 vs GMT900 vs Expedition EL/MAX or??

[aczlan]

Lets get into a brand war, Ford vs Chevy

Looking to replace the wife's 2005 Yukon XL with 206k miles, its been a great truck, but the NY rust is starting to get to it (rockers are about year away from going, just did rear brake lines, will likely need the rest of the rear lines soonish).

• Replacement vehicle requirements:
• Seats for 7-8 plus room for "stuff" (wife prefers 2nd row captains chairs, local junkyard has a fair assortment of seats that I could swap in if it doesn't have them)
• No rust
• Towing capacity for at least 7k, 10k would be nice (have a 10k trailer, being able to tow it fully loaded could be useful)
• Lower mileage preferred
• Under $10k
• As reliable as this GMT800 has been

Have ForScan so reading/changing stuff on Fords is a little easier, but I also have a chinese scan tool that reads ABS/Airbag codes on the Yukon.

Looking around, everything nearby (Fingerlakes area of NY) is rusty.
Have family in GA, NC and UT who are willing to 3rd base vehicles (to fly out and drive back), just trying to decide what to look for.

Looking at the following vehicles and their known flaws/strengths:

• GMT800 1/2 ton (Yukon XL, Suburban, Yukon Denali, Escalade ESV)
  • Engine: Solid (5.3 or 6.0L)
  • Transmission: 4L60E will likely go out somewhere between 150k and 250k miles
  • Body: Good
• GMT800 3/4 ton (Yukon XL, Suburban, Yukon Denali, Escalade ESV)
  • How does the unloaded ride compare to a 1/2 ton? Never ridden in one.
  • Engine: Solid (5.3 or 6.0L, drives too many miles to want a 8.1)
  • Transmission: Is the 4L80E likely to outlast a 4L60E?
  • Body: Good
• GMT900 1/2 ton (Yukon XL, Suburban, Yukon Denali, Escalade ESV)
  • Engine: AFM/Lifters will likely fail at some point if it has cylinder deactivation (not there on a few of the 6.2L motors?)
  • Transmission:
    • 2007-2009: 4L60E will likely go out somewhere between 150k and 250k miles
    • 2009-2014: 6L80 better than the 4L60E?
  • Body: Rattly/squeaky?
• GMT900 3/4 ton (Yukon XL, Suburban, Yukon Denali, Escalade ESV)
  • How does the unloaded ride compare to a 1/2 ton? Never ridden in one.
  • Engine: AFM/Lifters will likely fail at some point if it has cylinder deactivation (not there on the L92 and L9H 6.2L motors?)
  • Transmission:
    • 2007: 4L80E
    • 2008-2013: 6L90
  • Body: Rattly/squeaky?
• Expedition EL - Know the least about this, but I hear good reviews from people who have them.
  • Engine:
    • 2006-2014 3V 5.4L
      • Typical VVT issues?
    • 2014-2017 3.5L Ecoboost
      • Timing chains?
  • Transmission:
    • 6R75
    • 6R80
  • Body: ?

Whatever will likely get brakes/shocks/fluid changes when it gets home.

Questions:

1. 1/2 Ton vs 3/4 Ton: How is the unloaded ride on a 3/4 ton with good shocks (have Bilstein 4600s in the Yukon and like the ride)? I see some good prices on 3/4 tons, but this will see 8-10k miles per year and I am not sure I want the fuel mileage hit (would it be less on a GMT900?) current Yukon gets 14-15 MPG with my wife driving, 15-16 with me driving.
2. GMT900:
   1. Any significant issues to look for other than valvetrain?
   2. At what milage should it be considered "worn out"?
3. Expedition EL: Anything to look out for?

Thanks

Aaron Z

 

[Captain Call]

Excursion with v10. Wife won't give hers up. Found ours with low miles. Just changed the oil in it this morning, 187k and still runs well and drives nice. Consistently 10mpg though. Has the best AC of anything we've ever owned by far.

 

[aczlan]

Excursion with v10. Wife won't give hers up. Found ours with low miles. Just changed the oil in it this morning, 187k and still runs well and drives nice. Consistently 10mpg though. Has the best AC of anything we've ever owned by far.

Had a 2002 F350 with a V10, it got 10MPG no matter if it was empty or had 14k behind it.
Not really interested in putting an extra $1200/year in fuel for a 10MPG truck...

Aaron Z

 

[Tin Roof]

I've had a 800 1/2 ton suburban, 800 3/4 ton yukon xl, 900 3/4 ton suburban, and a 800 tahoe.

The 3/4 tons ride nice. The Yukon was a little smoother than the 900 suburban is. The 8.1 in the Yukon XL was a 10-12 mpg rig regardless of what you were doing with it. The 6.0 in my 900 suburban ranges 12-15 mpg empty. 10-12 towing depending on how heavy my right foot is.

I absolutely love my 3/4 ton. Room for 7 and I can pull my 23' enclosed trailer with 4 sleds and gear in it wherever I want to go.

 

[aczlan]

I've had a 800 1/2 ton suburban, 800 3/4 ton yukon xl, 900 3/4 ton suburban, and a 800 tahoe.

The 3/4 tons ride nice. The Yukon was a little smoother than the 900 suburban is. The 8.1 in the Yukon XL was a 10-12 mpg rig regardless of what you were doing with it. The 6.0 in my 900 suburban ranges 12-15 mpg empty. 10-12 towing depending on how heavy my right foot is.

I absolutely love my 3/4 ton. Room for 7 and I can pull my 23' enclosed trailer with 4 sleds and gear in it wherever I want to go.

12-15MPG empty would be livable, being able to tow 9300# would be nice.

Aaron Z

 

[total newb]

Any excusion has better chassis life than any gmt800.

1/2t gm is a no go, tcases average 125k
Rear diffs average 180k

3/4t gm still has the tcase but the diffs go a hell of a lot longer.

I can count on fingers how many 3/4t gm and 1999+ ford sd axles ive had to rebuild. Ive rebuilt 1000s of gm 8.6/ford 8.8/9.75.

Same with 271/273, ive gad 2-4 that have been damagedn where is ive rebuilt about 200 gm 246/261/273.

Id rather have a gmt800 2500 than any other "modern" vehicle.


Edit, just reread and saw you said "expidition"
No, just fucking no.
Its a overloaded explorer with f150 drivetrain and car suspension.

 

[aczlan]

Any excusion has better chassis life than any gmt800.

1/2t gm is a no go, tcases average 125k
Rear diffs average 180k

3/4t gm still has the tcase but the diffs go a hell of a lot longer.

I can count on fingers how many 3/4t gm and 1999+ ford sd axles ive had to rebuild. Ive rebuilt 1000s of gm 8.6/ford 8.8/9.75.

Same with 271/273, ive gad 2-4 that have been damagedn where is ive rebuilt about 200 gm 246/261/273.

Id rather have a gmt800 2500 than any other "modern" vehicle.

Perhaps we got lucky? Bought it in 2014 with 100k miles on it, we bought it from the 2nd owners (his parents were the first owners), it now has 206k miles on it.
In that time it has needed:

• Water pump (not leaking, but the bearings weren't smooth when I changed the idler and belt right after we bought it, so it got a new one)
• Brakes
• Tires
• Transmission (at 200k miles, 3rd/4th gear went out)
• Fluids (oil every 8-10kish miles, transmission fluid a couple of times, coolant once, diff/tcase fluid twice)
• ABS Sensors
• Rear AC lines (rotted off where it goes into the evaporator)
• Front suspension, inner/outer tie rods, sway bar bushings/end links (at 203k miles boots were all cracked and I figured it was due)
• Master cylinder (at 205k miles)
• Rear brake lines from ABS pump to the axle (at 205k miles one split after I changed the master cylinder)

But that has been it. Nothing out of the ordinary for normal maintenance on a 18 year old vehicle with over 200k miles.
It tows a single axle landscape trailer 1-3 times a month and it has towed the 10k deck over once (this week when I needed to get some drain tile that I was assured was in stock ).
99% of what it does could be done with a minivan, but my wife prefers something bigger that sits up higher, so we got her this Yukon XL and she loves it.

Edit, just reread and saw you said "expidition"
No, just fucking no.
Its a overloaded explorer with f150 drivetrain and car suspension.

Will it last 200-250k miles doing a little more than a
minivan could 99% of the time? If so, great.

Not looking for something that can hold up to "mah 42s" on the stock axles, a 6" lift and 4" wheel spacers, or that will hold up to someone who is bombing down access roads as fast as possible at 1.5X the GVWR.
Looking for a bone stock unmolested dead nuts reliable vehicle for my wife to drive that I won't have to fix.
If it can also tow 10k once in a while, great. If not, that's what the truck is for.

Aaron Z

 

[YotaAtieToo]

My experience with a gmt800 3/4t was the opposite of what everyone said. Bought it with 240k miles. Ran and drove great on test srive. The 6.0 threw codes, and knocked because of no oil pressure at idle. Then the omg dang can't kill it 4l80e shifted with the force of thors hammer when it was warm.

It also got 12 mpg driving lile an absolute grandma with bone stock tires and 6" frame height, 10 mpg is more realistic average. That engine is a huge disappointment in fuel to power ratio imo, especially for such a low rider. At least in stock form.

My 7.3 would do similar numbers at 20k lbs with a cab over camper and trailer

I did kinda like the thing a bit, but just felt cheap and rattley, plus i didn't want to rebuild and engine and trans on a rig i just bought. So i sold it for a $100 loss after like 6 months. It rode fine.

I know they can be good rigs, but I thinknthe odds of having a similar experience to mine are pretty high at the age they are now. If you find a cream puff, you'll probably pay out the nose.

We now have a 2015 F150 with the exoboost, so similar to the expedition. It would absolutely run circles around that 6.0 towing and get the same mileage it gets empty, then do 20 mpg+ with no trailer.

We looked at gmt900 burbs before we bought the F150, but read about lots of issues here or pbb.

 

[Tin Roof]

My experience with a gmt800 3/4t was the opposite of what everyone said. Bought it with 240k miles. Ran and drove great on test srive. The 6.0 threw codes, and knocked because of no oil pressure at idle. Then the omg dang can't kill it 4l80e shifted with the force of thors hammer when it was warm.

It also got 12 mpg driving lile an absolute grandma with bone stock tires and 6" frame height, 10 mpg is more realistic average. That engine is a huge disappointment in fuel to power ratio imo, especially for such a low rider. At least in stock form.

My 7.3 would do similar numbers at 20k lbs with a cab over camper and trailer

I did kinda like the thing a bit, but just felt cheap and rattley, plus i didn't want to rebuild and engine and trans on a rig i just bought. So i sold it for a $100 loss after like 6 months. It rode fine.

I know they can be good rigs, but I thinknthe odds of having a similar experience to mine are pretty high at the age they are now. If you find a cream puff, you'll probably pay out the nose.

We now have a 2015 F150 with the exoboost, so similar to the expedition. It would absolutely run circles around that 6.0 towing and get the same mileage it gets empty, then do 20 mpg+ with no trailer.

We looked at gmt900 burbs before we bought the F150, but read about lots of issues here or pbb.

It had 240k on it. That’s a lot of miles.

There seems to be quite a few low mileage units out there due to being bought primarily as tow rigs or .gov use. My ‘09 just turned 100k and the ‘01 Yukon xl had 100k and I was the 4th owner.

I follow a couple FB pages dedicated to the 3/4 ton burbs and Yukons and there’s far more positive than negative experiences on those pages.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

It had 240k on it. That’s a lot of miles.

There seems to be quite a few low mileage units out there due to being bought primarily as tow rigs or .gov use. My ‘09 just turned 100k and the ‘01 Yukon xl had 100k and I was the 4th owner.

I follow a couple FB pages dedicated to the 3/4 ton burbs and Yukons and there’s far more positive than negative experiences on those pages.

I guess, I've had great luck buying other rigs at around 200k miles and getting plenty of use out if them. But they aren't gm's

Like I said, I don't think they're bad rigs, but finding a decent one at a decent price might be a challenge these days. We looked a little before qe bought the F150 and I wasn't willing to pay $10k+ for a 15 year old rig when the 2 tear old expedition was $20k.

 

[Levigarrett76]

Bought 03 2500 burb with 6.0/4l80 4.10’s with 145k. Because id heard nothing but how great gmt 800 are
In less than 6 month….

Three broken ex manifold bolts leaking exh manifold had to be replaced.

Instrument cluster went out had to have rebuilt.

Touched Plastic heater hose connection and broke.

Blend door went out had to change.

Ac control went out had to replace with shitty dorman.

Window regulator went out , changed with ac delco and it barely worked

Abs module under seat was throwing codes. Only vehicle ive ever taken to a dealer because i was so sick of it, and they couldn't figure it out. I ended up doing bucnh of research, buying junkyard module, had to buy chineese tech 2 and hook to laptop to get the stupid thing to talk to truck and lights to turn off.

Guy i sold ot to probably has driven it trouble free.

Got a 01 f250 ive put 4 times the miles on with no trouble and put rwice as many miles on a 03 i sold.

Fuck expeditions old chevrolets and all of them

 

[TRINDU]

7.3L excursion is the best, no arguing that.

In comparison, my old man has a '16 F250 6.2L lariat. While it's a 'nice' truck, it's a heavy half. The 6.2L is a dog with 3.55s, it hunts for gears even unloaded.

I picked up an ex-FBI 2500 burb for him. 49K miles and we're dialing it in. I attribute everything wrong to lot rot and 20 y/o. GMT800 are probably the least expensive and easiest platform to repair.

He absolutely loves it. Old man driving he gets 13mpg with the 8.1L and 4.10s. The 6.2L gets 13.5mpg The trans doesn't kick down, it just grunts and goes.

Fuck 6.0 gassers. They're a compromise.

I've owned a dozens of gmt900 trucks, I'd never buy one for myself to keep. They can be good, but prefer 800 cconstruction.

 

[Gumbybronco]

Another vote for 7.3 Excursion. I have a 2002 and it’s a great people hauler and tow rig. I also fit full sheets of plywood and 10ft lumber.

Mine has a 6” lift and 35s. The stiffer springs are much better for towing than the stock Cadillac/floating-boat style stock ones. Easy swap to the F-350 springs if you want stock height

 

[aczlan]

Found a 2005 Yukon XL 1500 with under 140k miles. Supposedly sat from 2010 to 2020, last title was issued in 2008.
My brother is going to go take a look at it.

Aaron Z

 

[Tin Roof]

7.3L excursion is the best, no arguing that.

I looked for one of these for a long time and couldn’t find one that wasn’t priced too high, or not rusted out, or didn’t have 300k miles, or a combination of all of them. If I would have found one I probably would still be driving that instead of the GM version. I really like the way they ride and drive.

 

[Projectjunkie]

Found a 2005 Yukon XL 1500 with under 140k miles. Supposedly sat from 2010 to 2020, last title was issued in 2008.
My brother is going to go take a look at it.

Aaron Z

Nice

Be wary of shit that happens when cars sit, rubber rots, mice chew on stuff fuel systems get gummed up, hobos use it for a love shack

If it's been racking up the miles since 2020 its probably been sorted out, if it's just been shuffled around the yard since 2020, you'll be the one sorting it out

 

[aczlan]

Nice

Be wary of shit that happens when cars sit, rubber rots, mice chew on stuff fuel systems get gummed up, hobos use it for a love shack

If it's been racking up the miles since 2020 its probably been sorted out, if it's just been shuffled around the yard since 2020, you'll be the one sorting it out

Meant to update, xr-nut ran a Carfax for me and Carfax says it had 204k miles in 2021.
Seller said "I don't know who truck you talking about with 204,451 mi that ain't my truck"
It has also been re-registered every year since the title was last transferred (vs sitting off the road like the seller claimed).
Thinking I will keep looking out west, Mom found a 2001 Yukon XL in southern UT with 175k miles, said it runs and drives smoothly.
What differences are there between a 2001 and the current 2005?


Aaron Z

 

[YotaAtieToo]

I've heard it's very easy to roll back the digital odometer with some device from China. Heard a guy on the radio who traded his truck with like 150k miles on it for a car when his commute got longer. Later when his commute got shorter, he went looking for a truck again and saw his truck posted with lile 65k miles


I don't see why people will pay top dollar for an older rig with low miles. Every person I know who's done that has had nothing but issues. After about 10-15 years old, miles mean almost nothing to me. I've been around too many work trucks with 30k miles that were pieces of shit.

If you're mechanically inclined, you should be able to look at the condition of the rig, test drive, ect, to see what kind of shape it's in.

 

[Projectjunkie]

Meant to update, xr-nut ran a Carfax for me and Carfax says it had 204k miles in 2021.
Seller said "I don't know who truck you talking about with 204,451 mi that ain't my truck"
It has also been re-registered every year since the title was last transferred (vs sitting off the road like the seller claimed).
Thinking I will keep looking out west, Mom found a 2001 Yukon XL in southern UT with 175k miles, said it runs and drives smoothly.
What differences are there between a 2001 and the current 2005?


Aaron Z

That sucks. I once drove 100 miles one way to look at a 70k mile z71 2004 suburban theft recovery, I was ready to pay. Get there, the guys yard is full of flip cars with paper plates, the emissions sticker says 2005, pissed off I start crawling under it, find a 2005 date code on the muffler. So the title has 70k miles, how many miles were on the 2005 used to rebuild the fucking thing?

Nowadays I'm watching for the cream puff that seems 2k too high being sold by the original owner on the ritzy side of town now that the kids are off to college and they don't take it to the cabin anymore

 

[aczlan]

That sucks. I once drove 100 miles one way to look at a 70k mile z71 2004 suburban theft recovery, I was ready to pay. Get there, the guys yard is full of flip cars with paper plates, the emissions sticker says 2005, pissed off I start crawling under it, find a 2005 date code on the muffler. So the title has 70k miles, how many miles were on the 2005 used to rebuild the fucking thing?

Nowadays I'm watching for the cream puff that seems 2k too high being sold by the original owner on the ritzy side of town now that the kids are off to college and they don't take it to the cabin anymore

Glad that we caught it before my brother drove 2 hours (one way) to look at it and we sent him money to pick it up...

Aaron Z

 

[YotaAtieToo]

That sucks. I once drove 100 miles one way to look at a 70k mile z71 2004 suburban theft recovery, I was ready to pay. Get there, the guys yard is full of flip cars with paper plates, the emissions sticker says 2005, pissed off I start crawling under it, find a 2005 date code on the muffler. So the title has 70k miles, how many miles were on the 2005 used to rebuild the fucking thing?

Nowadays I'm watching for the cream puff that seems 2k too high being sold by the original owner on the ritzy side of town now that the kids are off to college and they don't take it to the cabin anymore

I look for the rig with the correct amount of miles for its age, but has been maintained well. I'm 2/3 on buying rigs with 200k and getting another 150k out of them with not much more than maintenance.

knocks on wood

 

[gbiddlec]

I've currently have a 800 3/4 ton Yukon XL w/8.1L. The Yukon rides as well as a 1/2 ton, but it has the GM air ride system. Prior to that I had a 400 3/4 ton Suburban, I mention it only because I put bilstein 4600s in it, and it rode equally as well.

I've been very pleased with the 8.1L, but I average around 11-11.5 mpg pretty consistently, it also burns some oil (1qt/ 2000 miles) which is apparently normal for 8.1s. I've got an 800 3/4 ton pickup w/ 6.0L, it doesn't do appreciably better on mileage. I certainly wouldn't rule out an 8.1L on that basis. Frankly I prefer the 8.1L as it is substantially more peppy than the 6.0.

I got the Yukon last year out of an estate auction with 73k on it, it's up to 88k now.

 

[Domer]

I'll comment on the 3/4 ton burbs. We had an 05 6.0 3.73 combo. That was a dog and weren't impressed. Rode good, and was comfortable, but hated towing with it. Stock with 265 tires and Muffler. Now we own a 2011 3/4 ton burb, this one is lifted, 35's, 4.56 gears, supercharged, Headers, exhaust, and tuning. (You've probably seen it on the burb FB pages). This is my wife's daily driver and kid hauler. As well as my crawler hauler.. we pull 9k with no prblems, maintain speed, and all while kids watch movies and a/c going. As for empty ride, it's not bad, but we have helper bags that I keep about 20lbs in and rides good. Also you mentioned AFM, the gm 3/4 do not have afm/dod.. so no worries. As for transmission, the 6l90 is a great trans. Main problem is factory shit tuning.. lockup causes converter to burn up.. good tuning makes these amazing. Tows way better than a 4l80.. granted ours is heavily modified, but all in all, we love this truck, and don't see anything else as a better fit.
This is my experience. Take it for its worth..

 

[aczlan]

I'll comment on the 3/4 ton burbs. We had an 05 6.0 3.73 combo. That was a dog and weren't impressed. Rode good, and was comfortable, but hated towing with it. Stock with 265 tires and Muffler. Now we own a 2011 3/4 ton burb, this one is lifted, 35's, 4.56 gears, supercharged, Headers, exhaust, and tuning. (You've probably seen it on the burb FB pages). This is my wife's daily driver and kid hauler. As well as my crawler hauler.. we pull 9k with no prblems, maintain speed, and all while kids watch movies and a/c going. As for empty ride, it's not bad, but we have helper bags that I keep about 20lbs in and rides good. Also you mentioned AFM, the gm 3/4 do not have afm/dod.. so no worries. As for transmission, the 6l90 is a great trans. Main problem is factory shit tuning.. lockup causes converter to burn up.. good tuning makes these amazing. Tows way better than a 4l80.. granted ours is heavily modified, but all in all, we love this truck, and don't see anything else as a better fit.
This is my experience. Take it for its worth..

Good tuning being? Something available through HP Tuner, or?
No plans to lift it or modify it, it doesn't do much towing, not sure if that will change once I finish rebuilding the big bumper pull.

Aaron Z

 

[Domer]

Good tuning being? Something available through HP Tuner, or?
No plans to lift it or modify it, it doesn't do much towing, not sure if that will change once I finish rebuilding the big bumper pull.

Aaron Z

Yes, I use HPtuners. You can either have somebody tune it.. do your research and ask for references. I taught my self to do mine. It takes some trial and error, but is an awesome capability to have, especially when little things bug you. You can change it, upload it, and done in minutes. Even on a stock truck, just a few small changes help alot on engine side, and the Trans it helps alot..
As for the lift, a quality lift kit and good shocks makes a world of difference. Also, the front end.. I'm running all the Kryponite and Cognito steering/balljoints/Hubs on mine to hold up to the weight of big wheels/Tires. (My wife likes her 22x12 wheels).

 

[aczlan]

Yes, I use HPtuners. You can either have somebody tune it.. do your research and ask for references. I taught my self to do mine. It takes some trial and error, but is an awesome capability to have, especially when little things bug you. You can change it, upload it, and done in minutes. Even on a stock truck, just a few small changes help alot on engine side, and the Trans it helps alot..

Makes sense.

As for the lift, a quality lift kit and good shocks makes a world of difference. Also, the front end.. I'm running all the Kryponite and Cognito steering/balljoints/Hubs on mine to hold up to the weight of big wheels/Tires. (My wife likes her 22x12 wheels).

My wife doesn't care about having bigger tires and I am not a fan of a lift (and the accompanying loss of fuel milage) on a DD unless it's needed, but I agree on quality parts.
I replaced the tired front suspension components in the current Yukon this spring with Moog/AC Delco Pro parts and the shocks with Bilstine 4600s and it made a huge difference in ride comfort and improved steering feel.

Aaron Z

 

[fl0w3n]

02 6.0 2500 Suburban I had for a while. Can it tow 10k? Define can… even towing the boat I hated the 4l80 on grades and just absolutely fucking winging the thing with wild abandon to barely maintain 45mph. Maybe it didn’t help that I had just sold my LBZ before so my towing experience was jaded.

Still had my list of stuff from my sale ad, I think this one had some funky previous owners that did some weird things. This list was probably within two years. Left us stranded once when the front fuel tank pump went out. Had problems when I traded it for a transmission rebuild on my LB7.
I like the GMT800 platform but most of the 5-6 I’ve owned have been really California examples. I’d probably only consider an 8.1. I would also strongly look at excursions

AC Delco Plugs/wires
Knock sensors (sealed up right)
AC Delco Valley pan gasket
AC Delco Intake gasket
AC Delco Oil pressure sensor
AC Delco Valve cover gaskets
AC Delco Water pump/thermostat/fan clutch/pulley
AC Delco radiator, not some cheapie
AC Delco Belt tensioner and HD green belt
AC Delco AC belt tensioner and HD green belt
Interstate battery
Trans fluid changed
Lee Power Steering rebuilt pump and gearbox
DmaxStore HD tie rods/ends
DmaxStore SuperSteer idler pivot and weld in brace
New pitman and idler arms
New Steering stabilizer
Front/rear diff fluid change
Merchant automotive Transfer case pump rub fix/fluid change
Cabin filters changed with ac Delco
Tinted windows
Magnaflow muffler
Rear backup camera with separate screen
E rated tires with about 85%+ on them
AC Delco Hydroboost replaced
AC Delco/Delphi fuel pumps
Bilstein 5100s all around
Recently pulled half the carpet and gave it a thorough pressure washing

 

[aczlan]

02 6.0 2500 Suburban I had for a while. Can it tow 10k? Define can… even towing the boat I hated the 4l80 on grades and just absolutely fucking winging the thing with wild abandon to barely maintain 45mph. Maybe it didn’t help that I had just sold my LBZ before so my towing experience was jaded.

Still had my list of stuff from my sale ad, I think this one had some funky previous owners that did some weird things. This list was probably within two years. Left us stranded once when the front fuel tank pump went out. Had problems when I traded it for a transmission rebuild on my LB7.
I like the GMT800 platform but most of the 5-6 I’ve owned have been really California examples. I’d probably only consider an 8.1. I would also strongly look at excursions

AC Delco Plugs/wires
Knock sensors (sealed up right)
AC Delco Valley pan gasket
AC Delco Intake gasket
AC Delco Oil pressure sensor
AC Delco Valve cover gaskets
AC Delco Water pump/thermostat/fan clutch/pulley
AC Delco radiator, not some cheapie
AC Delco Belt tensioner and HD green belt
AC Delco AC belt tensioner and HD green belt
Interstate battery
Trans fluid changed
Lee Power Steering rebuilt pump and gearbox
DmaxStore HD tie rods/ends
DmaxStore SuperSteer idler pivot and weld in brace
New pitman and idler arms
New Steering stabilizer
Front/rear diff fluid change
Merchant automotive Transfer case pump rub fix/fluid change
Cabin filters changed with ac Delco
Tinted windows
Magnaflow muffler
Rear backup camera with separate screen
E rated tires with about 85%+ on them
AC Delco Hydroboost replaced
AC Delco/Delphi fuel pumps
Bilstein 5100s all around
Recently pulled half the carpet and gave it a thorough pressure washing

What kind of milage did you get with the 6.0L in your 2500?
Kind of wanting to avoid the 8.1L because (based on current usage) this will see 10-12k miles per year and around only 2-3k of those will have a trailer in tow, even less will have the 10k trailer in tow.

Aaron Z

 

[aczlan]

Looking and digging, it seems that the 2007-2008 Yukon Denali came with the 6.2L motor that did NOT have AFM and has the advantage of the 6L80 transmission.
Any expensive downsides to them? It seems that the expensive concern on the GMT900s is the lifters for the AFM and that would eliminate those as a concern.

Aaron Z

 

[Levigarrett76]

What kind of milage did you get with the 6.0L in your 2500?
Kind of wanting to avoid the 8.1L because (based on current usage) this will see 10-12k miles per year and around only 2-3k of those will have a trailer in tow, even less will have the 10k trailer in tow.

Aaron Z

My black one above with 6.0/4.10's did about 12-14 around town/highway