Bought my first Tahoe today. Need advice on what to watch out for and perhaps replace.

Teamiez said:

I used the higher end moog steering / suspension parts on my tahoe and have no complaints. They have grease zerks and went 37,000 miles no problems so far. Your Tahoe should have a steering gear box, not a rack and pinion. If the gear box is good at that mileage consider your self lucky and keep it! Remanufactured ones that don’t have slop are hard to find! I learned that the hard way by replacing it anyways with everything else like you mentioned haha

Click to expand...

04Z71w said:

hahaha yea the mechanic corrected me about it being a gear box not a rack/pinion but I still refer to them as steering racks. It's apparently still good so I'll leave it alone for now.
Got all the moog parts needed plus a bunch of other stuff. Only thing I managed to accomplish today was getting the water pump on.
Got sidelined after driving it around to check the temps after water pump install. The transmission is slipping a ton, wont kick down and hangs high until it decides it wants to shift up. Not to mention after about 10 minutes of warming up the trans sounds like a vacuum on speed. It'll literally be so slugish but once it decides to get in the right gear it moves. Transmission fluid is clean and and full so not really enthused about a possible ( more than likely since its a 4l60e ) trans rebuilt.

Found a stage 1 unit for 1500.00 through transdepot though. Not entirely sure what the previous owner had repaired on it only that it had some parts ''replaced'' If it's anything like the way they ghettoed in the aftermarket headlight assemblies then the trans is toast lol.

Click to expand...

04Z71w said:

Hello,

I bout my first Tahoe today, a 2004 z71 with 275k miles. Bought it for a pretty good price and in above average condition for how old it is.
I'm a sports car person but decided I wanted a Tahoe for the occasional camping trips and what not.
Not knowing that much about them I'm just wanting some advice on what to look out for at 275k miles. The transfer case was replaced 6 months ago ( verified ) along with the rear main seal and a rebuilt transmission but not completely rebuilt just some parts or 780 worth of it.

Only issues I have with it are one or both the catalytic converters are going bad as its running super rich and reeks of unspent gas through the exhaust.
Steering is a bit loose, brakes are super spongy and the temp gauge hovers around 200 to 220 degrees, depends on the load but doesn't actually over heat just goes a little past 210 degrees then back own for a bit.

Saying that what should I watch out or possibly slowly replace? My plans are to replace the radiator, upgrade to better cooling fans as the ones on there now are super noisy. like loud as all get it out like a wheezy cough Look into buying a complete suspension kit and replace the front as well as with the steering components. I already have new coolant hoses and belts should I need.

Biggest things are the A/C front and Rear works like a charm which is needed in North Texas this time of year.
Any advice or preferred parts to use would be helpful. Right now planning no performance mods until normal stuff gets sorted.

Click to expand...

04Z71w said:

Hello,

I bout my first Tahoe today, a 2004 z71 with 275k miles. Bought it for a pretty good price and in above average condition for how old it is.
I'm a sports car person but decided I wanted a Tahoe for the occasional camping trips and what not.
Not knowing that much about them I'm just wanting some advice on what to look out for at 275k miles. The transfer case was replaced 6 months ago ( verified ) along with the rear main seal and a rebuilt transmission but not completely rebuilt just some parts or 780 worth of it.

Only issues I have with it are one or both the catalytic converters are going bad as its running super rich and reeks of unspent gas through the exhaust.
Steering is a bit loose, brakes are super spongy and the temp gauge hovers around 200 to 220 degrees, depends on the load but doesn't actually over heat just goes a little past 210 degrees then back own for a bit.

Saying that what should I watch out or possibly slowly replace? My plans are to replace the radiator, upgrade to better cooling fans as the ones on there now are super noisy. like loud as all get it out like a wheezy cough Look into buying a complete suspension kit and replace the front as well as with the steering components. I already have new coolant hoses and belts should I need.

Biggest things are the A/C front and Rear works like a charm which is needed in North Texas this time of year.
Any advice or preferred parts to use would be helpful. Right now planning no performance mods until normal stuff gets sorted.

Click to expand...

RED TAHOE LS said:

replace thermostat.....water boils @ 212

Click to expand...

RED TAHOE LS said:

replace thermostat.....water boils @ 212

Click to expand...

04Z71w said:

Purchased a new thermostat this past weekend have yet to put it in

Got a new thermostat have yet to install it. Got a few other parts coming in so I can do them all at once. Thermostat, fan clutch, idle pulley, oil sending unit, exhaust manifold clamps, new rotors, pads , break lines. Shocks/struts, complete moon front end kit, head light bezels, new head lights because whoever put these crap ass aftermarket ones in ruined the mounting tabs and bezels and they are not even close to being lined up correctly and for giggles I got a set of spare 862 heads to have ported along with a 2500hd hood I did some horse trading for. Just waiting on coil packs, egr valve, some vacuum lines and motor/transmission mounts to come in. Engine is in great shape for 277k miles compression is well within spec just needs a ton of small stuff that was neglected and half-assed. Don't understand why people rig up or half ass proper maintenance.

Click to expand...

Tonyrodz said:

Check the heads

Click to expand...

Doubeleive said:

First thing I would address is the brakes, you could maybe just need to flush and bleed them real good but inspect and if need be do pads and rotors at the same time
I would then move on to the cooling system, temp should be rock solid under normal conditions and should not fluctuate at all, being high mileage and unless you have evidence that it has been replaced in the last 5 years I would just replace the radiator and flush everything out real well, use some radiator flush first with just water and run it a couple days, drain and refill with water a couple times afterwards then use 50/50 coolant/water mix for the final fill. this should resolve the temp fluctuation if not then you need to move on to the thermostat and water pump.
you may want to invest in a good scanner like a tech2 it's what the dealers use, you could use that to see what is going on with rich mixture and go from there. cat's are pretty pricey right now due to covid and production being slow. so I would try to stretch that need out until the prices get better again. just for reference cat prices are double what they were pre-covid.

Click to expand...

04Z71w said:

Thanks for all the info!

I did manage to get out there and inspect the brakes. Rotors are fairly worn down and the pads are I would say 80% gone so I'm going to update them with better than OE parts. What's a good upgrade for rotors and pads? When I do those it'll get a full flush and bleed.
The suspension looks to be original and a bit worn so I'm going to have to do a complete front end suspension/steering tune up on it.
The cooling system is getting replaced as far as the radiator/fan/fan clutch and hoses. The ac works real well however the ac condenser looks real bad so I might change that out. I'm going to have a GM mechanic check out the steering this weekend that's beyond me and since it's a major component it's better a pro diagnose it.

It actually has an exhaust leak at the exhaust manifold and where it meets the y pipe. I'm guess that's why the CEL keeps popping on and off. Plus I can hear it ticking and hissing.

I'm not a lifted truck person so it'll probably remain stock height with better suspension or I may lower it a little for an even clean look but not lowered to the ground.

But yes this weekend I am going through all the standard protocol of restoring a car and start with the brakes/cooling/suspension and emissions parts and replace what needs to be replaced for normal operating conditions first. Thanks for the advice. Only picture I have of it right now is attached.

I have to say I am by no means a fan of chevy but love the Tahoe's so damn cool.

Click to expand...

dejackson1064 said:

That Tahoe is about as good of a restore 4x4 as you will find. I owned one exactly like and still own an 04 SLT Yukon w/ 300K. I drive it everyday and trust it more than my 2017 Tahoe. 2004 was a strong year. Solid design, easy to work on/modify and parts are comparatively cheap. I will never trade my 04 Yukon simply because 22+ yrs EVERTHING still works!

Click to expand...