2001 GMC Yukon XL (SLT) transmission

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Hello Alan L.,
My elderly mother has this same Tahoe with 5.3 engine 2wd. while visiting with her yesterday she ask that I look at her A/C and perhaps ad some freon because it was not cooling...... I checked all fuses and trouble shoot the system and did in fact fin the problem, But before I tell you what I found, I would like to ask you if you have ever had problems with you A/C compressor ?
Thanks

So, what did you find?

 

[Alan L.]

Update on my 2001 GMC Yukon XL. Here we are 2 years later and the truck is still doing great. In August 2010 I went ahead with the other work I mentioned - plugs, wires, etc. Haven't done anything else to. So far we have traveled from north Texas down to Marfa/Fort Davis, TX (about 9 hours each way). Then last week we drove to Galveston county TX on the coast and then from there to Kenner, LA (about 7 hours), then back home the next day (9 hours). We have also taken vacations to northern New Mexico the last two years. We have had no problems whatsoever with the truck, which now has 190,000 miles.

Now I am getting more nervous. I don't mind keeping it til it breaks, but I worry about the tranny or something going out on one of our road trips and being stranded. Heck, even if the a/c went out, as hot as it is here that would be near disaster. I need to be talked off the ledge here to avoid replacing this vehicle. Its still very comfortable and drives great. Two years ago a new on was about $45K, now it more like $50K. Even though there is just the 2 of us we have 4 grandchildren and the room is very handy when we take them places. We took 3 of them on the New Mexico vacation last summer while their parents were in Israel, and it held all 5 of us and lots of "stuff" very comfortably. Downsizing would probably rule out these kinds of long trips with them.

 

[Bilko]

Like I tried to tell my father, you can make a lot of repairs every month for the price of what a monthly payment would be on 50,000... I bought the wife's car used with 33,000 miles for 11,000.00 it now has 250,000 miles with no problems other then a leaking intake manifold gasket which is a known problem. I don't fault people for buying new but I could never spend that kind of money on a vehicle. Maybe I am just cheap but I can think of many things to do with the money.

 

[jinman]

Now I am getting more nervous. I don't mind keeping it til it breaks, but I worry about the tranny or something going out on one of our road trips and being stranded. Heck, even if the a/c went out, as hot as it is here that would be near disaster. I need to be talked off the ledge here to avoid replacing this vehicle. Its still very comfortable and drives great.

Alan, there are a few things that you need to be sure of and the rest is just being over-anxious. I find that older cars fail mostly due to belts, hoses, idler pulleys, brakes, and batteries. If a hose fails and the engine overheats, that's a different story, but it started because of a fault hose. Even if air conditioning fails, it normally warns you long before it fails completely. That's true of engine and transmission problems too. They give you time to get somewhere and get a rental car if needed. If you have new belts and hoses, a good fan clutch (if the fan is not electric) and serpentine belt idler. You probably won't have a sudden failure. Make sure the brakes are serviced and your battery is serviced. Even if you have an alternator go out, you can go a long way on just the battery if you shut off blower fans and don't need headlights. I also don't think I ever had a starter just fail instantly. It always warned me. Figure out what you need in a pinch and carry the appropriate "emergency parts kit" if needed. When you think about the cost of a new vehicle, you could buy a rebuilt alternator, starter, belts, idler pulley, and several hoses for that emergency kit. Pack all that stuff in a box. It won't take up too much space and will be available in case you get caught in Podunk on a Sunday afternoon. Become a member of AAA if you are really worried. There are very few places you can't find help or a rental car.

My old Dodge pickup has 370k miles on it, and I'd feel fine with taking it on a long trip if it weren't for diesel prices. A couple of years ago, I had the transmission filter changed and they found a cross-threaded bolt in the pan letting oil leak. It was fixed and I haven't added fluid since. They replaced a pulley and the tension idler plus serpentine belt at the same time. Additionally, the rubber diesel fuel return line was leaking and fixed. While they were at it, I had them check/adjust the valves and put new valve cover gaskets on since I had a seeping oil leak from one cover. All of that was done and they found a leaking vacuum hose in the process. My cost was a bit over $800. Except for oil changes, fuel, and a set of wipers, I have not spent a nickel on that truck since. I did put two new batteries in it just before having the repairs done. I've found that if I let the truck sit for too long, the blower motor for the AC overheats and it shuts off. That happened to me once this spring when Ron Hall was visiting, but it has not happened since. It automatically reset when it cooled. My ol' truck will never win any beauty contests, but it's been paid for over 10 years. I feel like it's part of the family.

 

[Soundguy]

i've got a 2000 yukon xl. had it since new.

It drinks a quart of oil per 1000m, has a buggy push button 4wd system.. and plastic parts on it are junk. it's engine ALWAYS starts and I've never had a bit of a problem with the tranny.

been thru an alt and a coupel bolt on parts..2 sets of pwer windows.. and a radio ( electroncs parts on it ar junk apparrently ) but other than an oil hungry engine and a few ECU modules over the years.. she does start and run. mine has 189K on it as of today.

I'm not going to repalce mine untill it has engine or trans problems. I don;t miss a chance to down GM after ownign this vehicle.. or talking down about it's parts and faults. however.. in all fairness I must say again.. -0- engine or trans issues. not counting hte oil drinking. it's done that since new and gm has maintained that is perfectly normal for that 5.3 to drink oil at that rate

Update on my 2001 GMC Yukon XL. Here we are 2 years later and the truck is still doing great. In August 2010 I went ahead with the other work I mentioned - plugs, wires, etc. Haven't done anything else to. So far we have traveled from north Texas down to Marfa/Fort Davis, TX (about 9 hours each way). Then last week we drove to Galveston county TX on the coast and then from there to Kenner, LA (about 7 hours), then back home the next day (9 hours). We have also taken vacations to northern New Mexico the last two years. We have had no problems whatsoever with the truck, which now has 190,000 miles.

Now I am getting more nervous. I don't mind keeping it til it breaks, but I worry about the tranny or something going out on one of our road trips and being stranded. Heck, even if the a/c went out, as hot as it is here that would be near disaster. I need to be talked off the ledge here to avoid replacing this vehicle. Its still very comfortable and drives great. Two years ago a new on was about $45K, now it more like $50K. Even though there is just the 2 of us we have 4 grandchildren and the room is very handy when we take them places. We took 3 of them on the New Mexico vacation last summer while their parents were in Israel, and it held all 5 of us and lots of "stuff" very comfortably. Downsizing would probably rule out these kinds of long trips with them.

 

[Alan L.]

I hadn't thought about the idler pulleys and such. I did have the belts changed a couple of years ago. Probably should get the hoses changed out although they appear fine. When we were headed to Houston last weekend I heard a deep rumble and worried that it was either the rear end of U-joints. Turned out to be the road surface though. I wonder if U-joints should be changed out as preventative maintenance. I also worry about wheel bearings, but replacing them is very expensive just to prevent a problem that might not happen. I guess there is no preventative maintenance on the climate control system. The transmission feels totally solid right now, no slipping, shifts perfectly. The only tranny failures I've had with other vehicles it was sudden failure, usually not while in the middle of a going from one place to another but rather I would fire it up, put it in gear and it woudn't go. Or it wouldn't shift gears.

I have triple A which would be good unless I am in cell heck between Clayton and Springer, NM. Nobody there but antelope.

 

[Alan L.]

i've got a 2000 yukon xl. had it since new.

It drinks a quart of oil per 1000m, has a buggy push button 4wd system.. and plastic parts on it are junk. it's engine ALWAYS starts and I've never had a bit of a problem with the tranny.

been thru an alt and a coupel bolt on parts..2 sets of pwer windows.. and a radio ( electroncs parts on it ar junk apparrently ) but other than an oil hungry engine and a few ECU modules over the years.. she does start and run. mine has 189K on it as of today.

I'm not going to repalce mine untill it has engine or trans problems. I don;t miss a chance to down GM after ownign this vehicle.. or talking down about it's parts and faults. however.. in all fairness I must say again.. -0- engine or trans issues. not counting hte oil drinking. it's done that since new and gm has maintained that is perfectly normal for that 5.3 to drink oil at that rate

Our 2001 5.3 doesn't use a drop of oil between changes. But a quart every 1000 not the end of the world, at least it always has clean oil in it. Have you tried any Lucas or other additives to see if those might help?

I have never used synthetic oil - I wonder if its time to do that with the 190K miles we have now?

 

[Soundguy]

i just switched to syn on mine last oil change.. will let it go another oil change so i have all old dino flushed out. will then see what I get.

I check bearings when I do brakes. you can check u joints while doing brakes too.. check for clunk / clunk play in em.

the 1qt/1km is more of an annoyance than an issue.. that's why i don't considder it to have engine problems. and yeah.. it does keep fresh oil in it... if it burnt any more I'd simply change the filter every 3 months.. and keep her topped off..

 

[Alan L.]

Just checking on potential repair of the transmissions. The figures I am seeing are $3500-$3900!! Wow. Nothing wrong with it right now that I know of.

The wife and I happened by a GMC dealer saturday and test drove a new one, although it was on 2WD. That new feel of course but frankly not that much difference in the way it drove. Also considerably more plastic on the interior than the old one, this with full leather. Pretty stiff ride compared to the old one, could be the 20 inch tires making it stiffer - I'd probably go with 17 inch tires.

However these things are so expensive I don't know how anyone feels comfortable making the purchase. Heck, even the smaller Acadia 2WD has a sticker of $45K. I just can't go there.

 

[Soundguy]

if my 00 gmc comes up needing a 4000$ repair.. that will be my sign to get a different vehicle..