2023 Tahoe Premier: leaking fluid from front, minor swaying/rough ride

[Tahoe23Life]

Hello, Tahoe and Yukon enthusiasts:

I've got two pre-diagnostic questions about my 2023 Tahoe Premier, for which I have a scheduled dealer appointmet next week.

Leaking fluid
1.) The truck started leaking a fluid from under the front third of the vehicle recently (looks like from somewhere under the back-half of the engine but not totally sure). The fluid looks clear and does not appear to be oil or coolant. Additionally, when my garage is hot on a full summer day, the liquid will sizzle and partially evaporate when it hits the hot cement floor, which suggests the liuquid is water or at least water-based. I think but cannot confirm this leak was caused by a piece of road debris striking the underside of my Tahoe on the interstate on a road trip last week.

Any ideas what this fluid might be?

Swaying, rough ride
2.) The truck sways slightly on engine start and also sways on idle, such as at a stoplight. The sway is minor, but I can feel it — like something is rotating and tilting the vehicle to one side slightly.

Additionally, the overall ride feels rough, and I wonder if this is related.

For example, I feel shaking and bumpininess even on brand new interstate road, which looks fresh and smooth. I would expect a Tahoe Premier with magnaride to feel totally smooth on new road. When I test drove various Tahoe and Yukon models ~two years ago, I remember the rides being totally smooth, mirroring the descripotions of various video and written reviews I had watched and read during the research phase.

I noticed this soon after I drove off the lot and swapped out my 20-inch wheels for 18-inch wheels (or maybe it was 22 for 20, I don't recall) for more tire and less wheel for a smoother ride, but it didn't totally help.

I wonder if my expectations the ride of a 2023 Tahoe with magnaride are too high or if there is something I can do about this.

Thanks!

 

[BacDoc]

Your expectations are not too high!
Paying close to or over $80k you should expect smooth ride, no leaks and no noises!
Every time I read one of these posts on noise, leaking or ride issues I think people are getting too complacent and not holding dealer to the fire.

Maybe im lucky as my 2024 Tahoe is pretty close to perfect - quiet, smooth shifting and and absolutely no vibration or shaking, but I expect a new truck at these prices to be perfect, no leaks, and smooth quiet ride.

If my truck had any of these problems I would be back at the dealer and making noise of my own. It’s not too much to ask for a higher price vehicle to be worth the price

 

[Silverado4x4]

Hello, Tahoe and Yukon enthusiasts:

I've got two pre-diagnostic questions about my 2023 Tahoe Premier, for which I have a scheduled dealer appointmet next week.

Leaking fluid
1.) The truck started leaking a fluid from under the front third of the vehicle recently (looks like from somewhere under the back-half of the engine but not totally sure). The fluid looks clear and does not appear to be oil or coolant. Additionally, when my garage is hot on a full summer day, the liquid will sizzle and partially evaporate when it hits the hot cement floor, which suggests the liuquid is water or at least water-based. I think but cannot confirm this leak was caused by a piece of road debris striking the underside of my Tahoe on the interstate on a road trip last week.

Any ideas what this fluid might be?

Swaying, rough ride
2.) The truck sways slightly on engine start and also sways on idle, such as at a stoplight. The sway is minor, but I can feel it — like something is rotating and tilting the vehicle to one side slightly.

Additionally, the overall ride feels rough, and I wonder if this is related.

For example, I feel shaking and bumpininess even on brand new interstate road, which looks fresh and smooth. I would expect a Tahoe Premier with magnaride to feel totally smooth on new road. When I test drove various Tahoe and Yukon models ~two years ago, I remember the rides being totally smooth, mirroring the descripotions of various video and written reviews I had watched and read during the research phase.

I noticed this soon after I drove off the lot and swapped out my 20-inch wheels for 18-inch wheels (or maybe it was 22 for 20, I don't recall) for more tire and less wheel for a smoother ride, but it didn't totally help.

I wonder if my expectations the ride of a 2023 Tahoe with magnaride are too high or if there is something I can do about .

Thanks!

On the first leak issue if it looks like water and sizzles its the AC condensation dripping and some is hitting the exhaust manifold pipe some is dripping on the floor it sizzles when hitting the pipe, my 19 silverado and the wife's 22 tahoe does the same.

On the second one they will probably rebalanced the tires, but I will say they put new asphalt on some of the roads around here and have ripples making the tahoe and silverado vibrate till I move to another lane you can also see the ripples when the sun shines on it at a angle.

The 3rd my silverado and the tahoe will rock when engine is first started.

 

[Tahoe23Life]

Your expectations are not too high!
Paying close to or over $80k you should expect smooth ride, no leaks and no noises!
Every time I read one of these posts on noise, leaking or ride issues I think people are getting too complacent and not holding dealer to the fire.

Maybe im lucky as my 2024 Tahoe is pretty close to perfect - quiet, smooth shifting and and absolutely no vibration or shaking, but I expect a new truck at these prices to be perfect, no leaks, and smooth quiet ride.

If my truck had any of these problems I would be back at the dealer and making noise of my own. It’s not too much to ask for a higher price vehicle to be worth the price

What trim and suspension sysstem does your Tahoe have?

 

[Tahoe23Life]

On the first leak issue if it looks like water and sizzles its the AC condensation dripping and some is hitting the exhaust manifold pipe some is dripping on the floor it sizzles when hitting the pipe, my 19 silverado and the wife's 22 tahoe does the same.

On the second one they will probably rebalanced the tires, but I will say they put new asphalt on some of the roads around here and have ripples making the tahoe and silverado vibrate till I move to another lane you can also see the ripples when the sun shines on it at a angle.

The 3rd my silverado and the tahoe will rock when engine is first started.

Would AC condensation dripping from below the engine be something to worry about? It's defintely dripping from the front third of the truck and not the exhaust at the rear.

As for rebalancing the tires, I just had a tire rotation there around a month ago. Anything else come to mind that might cause the bumpiness? I'll pay more attention to possible ripples on new pavement/interstate. I would think the truck would absorb minor ripples, though.

 

[BacDoc]

What trim and suspension sysstem does your Tahoe have?

I have air suspension and magnetic ride in my 6.2l 2WD Tahoe High Country. It’s got almost 4k miles. Bought it new. It’s my daily driver and
I tow a boat/trailer that goes around 6500lbs around once a week.

I changed oil at 1000k and plan on changing oil 3-4k miles. I check oil dip stick couple times a month and check the driveway and garage floor, if I saw any leaks I would be back at the dealership complaining. New truck should not leak, use oil, or make any strange noises at idle, under throttle or slowing down. I don’t think that’s too much to expect from any new truck regardless of trim level.

 

[BacDoc]

AC condensation is normal and acceptable - outside the vehicle!

I had a 4WD Ford Explorer that was great fun to drive, good offroad performance and towing but it started leaking oil about a year after new. Took it back many times and the dealer said it was “fixed” and it would start leaking again in couple months. Not much but enough to see on garage floor. Plus every time I made a hard left turn it would dump AC water in the passenger side!

Took it to an independent mechanic who said “yeah it’s a great engine in that Explorer but all those Fords leak oil “. And “yeah those Fords get the AC drain clogged - you just have to get a coat hanger and ream out the drain hose every couple months” WTF? For a truck less than 2 years old?

I got rid of the truck shortly after that!

Maybe I am picky but no new truck should leak oil or anything else in the cabin!

 

[Tahoe23Life]

FWIW I've got around 25,000 miles on mine. My engine is the 5.3, so not sure if the 6.2 would rider smoother or not. The fluid is definitely dripping outside. No leaks inside at all, and I did not notice any leaking last summer. I do want the serivice department to have a look underneath in case something got dinged on the underside.

 

[Tahoered]

Have them check your transmission / torque converter. What may seem like small ripples or small little shocks on a perfectly smooth road may actually be shuddering from torque converter. I was recently riding in a co workers Silverado on a perfectly smooth road and he was saying how he needs to visit dealership to resolve this issue. His second time going through that with his Silverado 6.2. Worries me since I believe my 6.2 Tahoe (2022) shares his same exact transmission. SMH.

 

[Silverado4x4]

Would AC condensation dripping from below the engine be something to worry about? It's defintely dripping from the front third of the truck and not the exhaust at the rear.

Iam not talking about the exhaust at the rear it's the exhaust pipes that come off the left and right side motor condensation drips from the AC drain hits the pipe and makes a sizzle sound some drip on the floor which is water. Get under and look and you will see what I mean.

 

[jforb]

Every car with air conditioning will drip water when there is any humidity in the air. It's perfectly normal. The water comes out the drain tube that is below the evaporator--that's the part in the car that "chills" the cabin air. Atmospheric moisture condenses on the cold evaporator.

 

[Tahoe23Life]

Iam not talking about the exhaust at the rear it's the exhaust pipes that come off the left and right side motor condensation drips from the AC drain hits the pipe and makes a sizzle sound some drip on the floor which is water. Get under and look and you will see what I mean.

OK, thanks for the explanation, and that makes sense. How normal is this condensation drip? Anything to be concerned about?

 

[Tahoe23Life]

Every car with air conditioning will drip water when there is any humidity in the air. It's perfectly normal. The water comes out the drain tube that is below the evaporator--that's the part in the car that "chills" the cabin air. Atmospheric moisture condenses on the cold evaporator.

I think you answered my question I just asked in another reply lol. Thanks. I don't remember noticing this in previous vehicles or last summer in my Tahoe. But I cannot be sure.

 

[Tahoe23Life]

I have air suspension and magnetic ride in my 6.2l 2WD Tahoe High Country. It’s got almost 4k miles. Bought it new. It’s my daily driver and
I tow a boat/trailer that goes around 6500lbs around once a week.

I changed oil at 1000k and plan on changing oil 3-4k miles. I check oil dip stick couple times a month and check the driveway and garage floor, if I saw any leaks I would be back at the dealership complaining. New truck should not leak, use oil, or make any strange noises at idle, under throttle or slowing down. I don’t think that’s too much to expect from any new truck regardless of trim level.

I wonder if our difference in ride is the air ride vs magnetic ride? I considered purchasing a High Country with air ride, but the closest dealer with one in stock at the time was several hundred miles away. I could have rented a car, drove out, purchased the High Country and driven back but opted for the local Premier.

Is the air suspension notably smoother and less bumpy than the magnetic ride? If so, maybe next time.

 

[BacDoc]

I wonder if our difference in ride is the air ride vs magnetic ride? I considered purchasing a High Country with air ride, but the closest dealer with one in stock at the time was several hundred miles away. I could have rented a car, drove out, purchased the High Country and driven back but opted for the local Premier.

Is the air suspension notably smoother and less bumpy than the magnetic ride? If so, maybe next time.

I’m sure the air suspension helps but my previous tow vehicle was Chevy 2500 max tow package but not magnetic ride and no air suspension, 6.0l 8 speed. That towed 6500lbs with no bounce or sway.

I am very particular about the tongue weight and the trailer balance. I have experimented with my boat just a couple inches fore/aft and hitch height. Depending on how close you are to limits just an inch can make a difference and a couple inches can make the difference between beautiful or crappy ride.

 

[Tahoe23Life]

About the dripping, I had someone look under the vehicle, and there is no damage. The leakage is clearly water, so it must be AC condensation unless there's some other explanation. Today, I noticed it is dripping from the driver side of the back of the engine rather than the middle, which I think I did not notice previously.

For the swaying, I'll have to take that into the dealer at some point and have them look at it.

 

[Gearz]

Having worked as a technician for over 30 years I suggest that you take a drive with the technician working on your truck so they can identify your concerns to find if some or all of your concerns are valid. The fluid sounds like condensation from the A/C drain which is normal or they may need to turn the elbow so it doesn't hit the exhaust. The rough or swaying could be possibly just the roads you drive on so don't suggest anything that's what the technicians job is. Road test and let them figure it out. This truck also has cylinder deactivation so you could be feeling that driving down the road as well.

 

[petethepug]

x2 on having the tech ride with you. Be sure the service writer, or you can even write in when you sign, vehicle sways on start up and drive. It ensures your warranty will cover what’s broken NOW, but not discovered until later.

Suspect leaky MagRide struts if equipped or motor mounts. Moving to a bigger (heavier) rim will work the strut harder so do not let anyone talk you away from good clear documentation on your repair order.

 

[aggie02]

Did you end up figuring out for sure what the leak is? My 2023 Yukon Denali is doing the same thing- after I park in garage I hear a squirting sound underneath the engine every 5 seconds or so for about a minute or two- looks like water is coming out but it is either coming out with force or is cold on the hot garage floor because it makes a sizzle sound. Goes on for a few minutes. But it has to be water because there is no stain on garage floor…wondering if this is normal or if I should take it in. It doesn’t sound like a normal noise to me!

 

[BigdawgR6]

Did you end up figuring out for sure what the leak is? My 2023 Yukon Denali is doing the same thing- after I park in garage I hear a squirting sound underneath the engine every 5 seconds or so for about a minute or two- looks like water is coming out but it is either coming out with force or is cold on the hot garage floor because it makes a sizzle sound. Goes on for a few minutes. But it has to be water because there is no stain on garage floor…wondering if this is normal or if I should take it in. It doesn’t sound like a normal noise to me!

I had this issue early on with my 22 Yukon Denali. Temps outside varied from 100-110 and it's pretty damn humid here in Houston. Freaked me out at first as I thought something was on fire or about to be. Turned out to be condensation from the AC dripping on the exhaust manifolds. I haven't heard at all this year.