2003 Suburban with a ton of miles... CHEAP.

[alaska_guy]

I can get a 2003 4x4 Suburban that's in good shape. Original owner, 350k miles! The wifes 04 escalade has been awesome so far and I was looking at getting this to fix up and possibly replace my truck and or give to my little sister as she wants an SUV for her dog.

Owner said the coolant reservoir has a crack and needs fixing/replaced. Transmission just started slipping when she goes up a steep grade. (She lives on the mountain side by my house and she doesn't want to risk running it anymore.)

Other than that she says the engine runs great and everything else works as it should. She bought it with unlimited oil changes new from the dealership and she said she has been diligent on the oil changes and has got her money out of it.

Owner is wanting $1500.


I plan to look at it tonight, check the transmission dipstick and smell the fluid and give the rig a once over...

I know a transmission rebuild or swap will be necessary eventually.

I planned on buying it and parking it this winter, pull the trans and rebuild it over the winter if I buy it. I have built a few engines, replaced clutches and fixed diffs and stuff. This will be my first transmission rebuild. Looks like I can find a rebuild kit for anywhere from $200-$500...

So $2200 or so all in if its as good as shape as she says and I do the work...

Thoughts?

 

[OR VietVet]

IMO, how can you go wrong at that price. Plus, either you or your sister will be happy in the end. The dog will give you an extra face lick, too. I would do it. I don't think you need opinions on this though because you have already talked yourself in to it. Would be a great Alaska rig.

 

[alaska_guy]

Yeah, figured I would look it over first. Could be intake gasket leak, head gaskets etc... Won't know without looking at it. Sounded like the overflow gets low and she just fills it back up. Figure if it's lasted that many miles its more than likely to keep going for a while...

 

[OR VietVet]

Keep us in the loop on what you do and what you find if you buy it.

 

[rockola1971]

Coolant lost is probably one of the two plastic tee fittings for the heat hoses at the firewall behind and directly above engine. Also could be one of the heater hose that plugs into the tee. Those hose plug is plastic on the end and cracks. Could also be just worn out water pump. Does it have the 5.3 or 6.0? OH and....BUY IT!

 

[treehan77]

See if the water pump is dripping. And that’s the coolant loss. Mine dropped for a long time before i knew it

 

[Big Mama]

How hard/expensive/available are parts in AK if it needs more? At 350k she may have a folder of records too. Oh.......buy it now before the other neighbor does.

 

[alaska_guy]

I bought it! Drove pretty good for her age/miles. The tranmission is on its way out for sure (hopefully its just a valvebody issue). The notorious 2/3 shift flare where it high revs and then eventually will catch again after letting off the throttle. The 4wd electronic motor was making a whining noise but did engage 4wd. The passenger valve cover seemed to be leaking. No burned smells on the oil or transmission fluid. Both looked to be good and clean. It does have a ding in the rear but the owner did have a huge folder with maintenance records. Looks like normal upkeep was done. There is a check engine light on. My mechanic wants me to bring it in tomorrow to have a look and let me know what else I couldn't see during my visual inspection.

Bunch of small interior stuff, typical chevy buttons rubbed clean off on the radio and the other plastic dash button lights not working around the HVAC controls etc. The passenger window wont roll down, the rear defrost clip on the driver side is no longer attached...

Has some pitting/rust up front... Nothing my HVLP gun can't take care of come summer time.

Here is a picture.


View attachment 233854

 

[HiHoeSilver]

I bought it! Drove pretty good for her age/miles. The tranmission is on its way out for sure (hopefully its just a valvebody issue). The notorious 2/3 shift flare where it high revs and then eventually will catch again after letting off the throttle. The 4wd electronic motor was making a whining noise but did engage 4wd. The passenger valve cover seemed to be leaking. No burned smells on the oil or transmission fluid. Both looked to be good and clean. It does have a ding in the rear but the owner did have a huge folder with maintenance records. Looks like normal upkeep was done. There is a check engine light on. My mechanic wants me to bring it in tomorrow to have a look and let me know what else I couldn't see during my visual inspection.

Bunch of small interior stuff, typical chevy buttons rubbed clean off on the radio and the other plastic dash button lights not working around the HVAC controls etc. The passenger window wont roll down, the rear defrost clip on the driver side is no longer attached...

Has some pitting/rust up front... Nothing my HVLP gun can't take care of come summer time.

Here is a picture.

View attachment 233852
View attachment 233854

Didn't know it was a Z71. Awesome!

 

[alaska_guy]

Yeah, that was a bonus! The wife is already wanting me to trade the suburban for her escalade after I get it fixed up. Easier to put 3 kids in the first row of seats vs her current setup with the split seats in the escalade and then having to put the 3rd kid in the 3rd row seat.

 

[OR VietVet]

Yeah, that was a bonus! The wife is already wanting me to trade the suburban for her escalade after I get it fixed up. Easier to put 3 kids in the first row of seats vs her current setup with the split seats in the escalade and then having to put the 3rd kid in the 3rd row seat.

Like in the movie "Apocalypse Now" when Marlon Brando said, "The horror, the horror", you may have to suffer and take the 04 Escalade. Plus, you may be pissing off the sister too. To make them happy you may have to find another Burb that needs work. Now the money spending begins.

 

[alaska_guy]

Mechanic and I had a chance to put it on a lift and do a visual. Needs a pitman arm on the driver side, the brakes need to be done and the valve cover gaskets are leaking. All stuff I knew except the pitman arm, so not a big deal. There is also a exhaust manifold stud broke off on the passenger side. Doesn't appear to be leaking, but I will keep an eye on that.

We pressurized the coolant system to check for leaks and it held pressure and we couldn't detect any leaks. There did seem to be a very small pool of coolant by the passenger side front head. Possibly a head gasket issue?

I plan to drop it off tomorrow so he can do the work, pressure wash the engine bay and then I will continue to keep an eye on that passenger head to see if the leak continues. If so he said he would do the head gaskets as well. Also going to have them do a full fluid replacement on diff's, transmission and engine oil.


Scanner showed no codes, the only issue is I get a "service brake booster" on my cluster. Brakes seem to work "ok", maybe a little soft. I swear I hear a motor run from time to time and maybe a little vibration in the pedal during this time. Is there something the brake booster does to health check? No visual leaks when we did the once over.


I have bought vehicles for much more cash with much more problems. The original owners seemed to do a great job on regular maintenance. So far so good!

The shifting issue now that I have had some seat time seems to be a shift flare during shifts. Seems to hold gears fine after the shift flaring.


Anyone have any ideas on the brake booster?

Thanks in advance!

 

[YukonXLMan]

On my 03 Yukon XL, the brake booster had nothing to do with the health check. I would also get the same feeling as you in the brake pedal. Mine was the ABS system. Once I bled the brakes all around, replacing ALL the fluid with new, it stopped and the brakes were less mushy. My brakes were never great. my wife hated driving the Yukon because she felt she had to stand on the brakes to get the beast to slow down. She did that maneuver the first time she drove the 2017 we now own and about threw us through the front windshield! Big difference in braking between the two.

 

[alaska_guy]

Thanks for the feedback. I drop the rig off tomorrow morning, hopefully have it all done by Friday evening. Should know by then if servicing the brakes fixed the brake booster issue.

Yeah the wifes 04 escalade's brakes seem MUCH better. My F250 will throw you through the front window as well.

 

[Rocket Man]

Great find, hoping for the best with the coolant leak.

 

[alaska_guy]

Hmm, came across this...

This seems well money spent if I am going to do a brake job anyhow. Anyone done this?

 

[adventurenali92]

Hmm, came across this...

This seems well money spent if I am going to do a brake job anyhow. Anyone done this?

I’ve read through most of the big thread on this topic in the NBS section. There’s a lot of back and forth but from my gathering it seems to be a worthwhile upgrade! I plan to do it to my 2006 the next time I need to do a brake job which will be a bit.

 

[Rocket Man]

Hmm, came across this...

This seems well money spent if I am going to do a brake job anyhow. Anyone done this?

I didn’t watch the video but Im assuming it’s the GMT900 front brakes on the GMT800 trucks. It’s a great upgrade and if you combine it with braided stainless steel lines instead of the rubber ones it’s even better. I did the upgrade but later went with Wilwoods.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Hmm, came across this...

This seems well money spent if I am going to do a brake job anyhow. Anyone done this?

Absolutely. A common and well received upgrade. Lots of info here on it.

 

[alaska_guy]

Thanks fellas. My mechanic buddy already did the brakes, so I guess next time around I will do the brake upgrade. Good to know it can be done!