Help please! 2013 Yukon XL no problems then had lifters put in about 7 months ago. The other night driving all or most but for sure traction control and other lights started flashing and engine bogging down. Took to shop and mechanic said lifters again so I have them done. Pull away noticing a/c which was set on high but would go low then back up at random. Went to gas station and filled up then truck dead. Got jumped and back to shop. They said alternator bad so replaced that. Then comes out saying battery bad too. Replaced that. Drove away and dash lights back on and off but this time now hood open flashing and beeping too. Checked hood and it was closed. Go back to shop and he sprayed wd-40 on hood latch but lights were off by the time I got back there besides hood open. Leave again and lights back on. Took back and left there. Shop calls and says all due to a faulty phone charger plugged in. Go get it and leave. No problem for 5 miles then sitting in pickup line at school and service engine light came on and all gages dropped and went back up not affecting power to truck. Went back to shop and they said ground wire. I told them keep it and drive it for a week and they did saying no problems. I get in and drove about 5 miles again and lights back occasionally flashing service engine light on code reading misfire on 5 and now check 4wd just popped up. Idk what to do but after spending $4,000 I’m just lost. I can’t keep putting $ into it when the problem isn’t getting fixed. Any ideas? It’s driving fine but all the lights scare me.
2013 Yukon Xl
- Thread starter ahulsey
- Start date
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Welcome to the forum from Iowa. Sorry to hear you’re having issues with your 2013.
Take it somewhere else. They do not appear to have the interest to properly diagnose your issues.
How mechanically inclined are you? Do you have a OBDII code reader that can at least show you codes when your check engine light comes on?
Take it somewhere else. They do not appear to have the interest to properly diagnose your issues.
How mechanically inclined are you? Do you have a OBDII code reader that can at least show you codes when your check engine light comes on?
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Welcome to the Forum from NH.
Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.
I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.
Pics of the truck, please.
You are already receiving clarifying questions from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.
Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.
I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.
Pics of the truck, please.
You are already receiving clarifying questions from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.
Dustin Jackson
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I agree, replacing the lifters 2 times within a year is borderline negligence on the shops end. Find a new shop
That’s not even the half. I had the passenger lifters done first by a reputable mechanic. 8 months later the driver side went out so I took it to the dealorship. They did drivers side. I pulled up to get it and drove down street to the same ticking. Went back and they said passenger went out again. So I had the dealorship do those then. Now here we are some months down the road and the passenger went out for the 3rd time. They showed me where one lifters was collapsed. I’ve spent over $13,000 in the past year and half on it. I love the truck and still owe on it But all these dash lights and beeping now is scaring me. It’s driving fine so far now.
I plan on taking it another place tomorrow if available. I was just trying to get some insight if anyone had this same issue or an idea of anything. I had it read and don’t know the exact code but it was a misfire on 5.
This is a pic last night when randomly the 4wd light came on. The service engine and other lights were coming on at random but as of last night service engine staying on. The tire monitor I’m aware of I need a pressure sensor in one of my tires but the other lights flashing at random are my concern
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intheburbs
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Random, seemingly unrelated warning lights are usually an indicator of low voltage. Since you already had the battery and alternator replaced, I'd start looking at the battery cables and grounds.
salisburyv
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ding ding!! @intheburbs is right!! you have a ground problem. i bet 1 or both grounds on the back of the engine to the firewall and frame are bad or broken. i intended to put a big system in the truck , so one of the first things i did was replaced ALL the grounds and cleaned all the grounding points. then i used the super lube to keep them from corroding. i'd say it had the most impact on my system when i did the grounds. i also added a couple i felt were missing. keep us updated plz.
Thank u and @intheburbs so very much. I’m hoping this isn’t as pricey as everything else cuz I’m about to my wits spending all this $. I sure hope they will just replace all that u said cuz I don’t think they were finding it. I just want over and I will for sure keep u updated. I appreciate the help so much.
Question I just thought of something I didn’t even think about. Shop said my drivers motor Mount is going bad. I plan on getting it fixed this week which is another $400 but wanted to get this problem fixed. By chance could the motor be moving and knocking these wires?
Dustin Jackson
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@ahulsey I think that could be a possibility, but also someone could have just left something loose when doing your lifters. The heads need to come off and both heads have a ground on them.
There is one on the driver side that connects to the firewall with a braided metal cable and there is one on the passenger side that is a thick black cable that connects to the negative battery terminal. Might be worth inspecting them.
I could speculate on the internet all night
There is one on the driver side that connects to the firewall with a braided metal cable and there is one on the passenger side that is a thick black cable that connects to the negative battery terminal. Might be worth inspecting them.
I could speculate on the internet all night
True and I understand without seeing it it’s hard, but I truly appreciate your knowledge of possibilities. I’m just trying to prevent keep putting $ in and the problem isn’t being fixed so I’m going to have them check what u said because this sounds like the best case scenario. Thank u
what is the history of this vehicle? is it rusty? water damaged?
There are actually 2 on the front of the passengers side head. Large one and a small one. In my experience the braided ones usually fail first but def check them all along with the connections at the actual battery. Yes a motor mount can cause the ground wire to fail if the engine is moving too much. As for your multiple lifter failures. Did they replace the VLOM at the time of lifter replacement? Good news is #5 isn't an active lifter. I would look into a plug, coil or even a wire. I cant say I have seen an injector go bad on one of these but anything is possible. I had a service 4x4 light on a silverado not long ago. The front actuator had no ground. Under the driver side front door about midway are a few grounds screwed right to the body mount bracket on the frame. Check those out. If it were me I would change the eyelets and clean the frame where they mate. Best if you had a scan tool to see exactly what the code is but these are common issues I see.
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Update- just picked it back up at shop and he said he went thru every wire and found that someone had put the fuel injector wires mixed up and they were kinda torn or something like this. Don’t quote my words on it all but I’ve now drove 3 miles and no lights have popped up as of yet thank u all sooo very much! U truly helped ease my mind and whether me telling them or not but because of y’all I stayed adoment about them checking wires and this was found. So hopefully my problem is fixed.
that would really make me wonder about how long has it has been like that and could the other issue's have been misdiagnosed because of it
swathdiver
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When an AFM repair is made, the lifter trays and VLOM MUST be replaced, it is standard operating procedure. It is the solenoids in the VLOM that get tired, firing out of time, which damages and destroys the lifters the majority of the time when it comes to AFM failures. Anyone not replacing the VLOM is not following the book.
All those electrical gremlins were not because of the old battery or alternator, it's likely a ground strap issue on the engine since they had to disconnect them to do the AFM work. If they had used their bi-directional scan tool, it would have alluded to this in seconds. They're either lazy, incompetent or dishonest.
On rare occasions, the BCM gets damaged and causes shorts like this from the battery not being disconnected/connected properly. Always pull the negative cable first and replace it last. Again, a bi-directional scan tool like the Tech-2 can help to quickly diagnose this. You ought to get one to keep these shysters from emptying your wallet. Even if you lack the time or skills to fix it, a proper diagnosis can keep you from being taken advantage of by those you farm the work out to.
swathdiver
Full Access Member
I don't believe that, they discovered that one or more of the grounds was loose and tightened it. If there was something wrong with the injector harness, the motor would not have run right. Anyway, drive it a few more days and give us an update if you don't mind.
