Advice on when to sell (turned into oil deep dive)

[thefrey]

Just looking for some advice for those that are wiser than I. Lots of this comes down to mechanical reliability.

I bought my 2013 Yukon XL Denali back in January. Bought it cheap with 197k on it and I put a good amount of cosmetic work into it. I’ve put about 8k more miles on it since then. New set of tires and some other things. It was never really meant to be a very long term vehicle but more so something that was safer and more reliable than a previous vehicle that had 100k more miles.

The body has some rust and some cosmetic issues, but other than that it’s in decent shape for 200k+

I had a lifter collapse and I unstuck it and disabled AFM with a plug in and have driven about 3000 miles since then.
DOD delete wasnt in the cards at that point.Not sure if that will be a deterrent to potential buyers with me saying you have to have keep the plug-in in at all times. I clipped the VLOM gaskets so pressure can’t build up on the towers, but still.

Some relevant things I also did was a new O-ring and oil pan and I have decent oil pressures, ~45 cold, 35 highway, 17 idle hot in hot heat. I surprisingly don’t leak oil anymore and I don’t think I burn either.

I just started a new job and I am starting to use this car for work travel. I need a reliable car. I foresee myself driving at least 2k miles a month between personal and work travel. I am not worried about gas or basic maintenance as it is covered.

It honestly rides great and does really well on the highway. I’m just worried when it’s not going to do well.

My biggest worry is that there is an intermittent tick which I presume is a lifter tick. It’s happens some days and some days it’s really quiet or there is no tick at all. It’s been like that ever since I’ve had it. Other than that, the 6.2 feels healthy

I don’t know if it is worth keeping or not because it most likely needs a DOD delete, probably a new torque converter, and who knows maybe a new transmission. I can’t really do the work myself now since I’m in an apartment. It’s hard for me to trust the car at this point.

I am finding it hard to justify putting more money into the car as I don’t want it to turn into a money pit given many of my issues may be drivetrain related.

The golden question:
Drive it till it dies?
Or sell it while it’s running good?

 

[PG01]

The golden question:
Drive it till it dies?
Or sell it while it’s running good?

For me, once a vehicle gives me problems…. any problems…..especially when i need to rely on it for work…. Its time to move on.
That being said, if you want some money out if it, sell it while its running otherwise you won’t get anything for it. My opinion … to each their own

 

[thefrey]

For me, once a vehicle gives me problems…. any problems…..especially when i need to rely on it for work…. Its time to move on.
That being said, if you want some money out if it, sell it while its running otherwise you won’t get anything for it. My opinion … to each their own

Yep. Was talking to somebody and they mentioned selling now which sparked this thought.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that it has the AFM OBD2 plug in and that has to stay in or else it might act odd when AFM tries to kick in. Not sure how much that will deter potential buyers.

 

[89Suburban]

Yep. Was talking to somebody and they mentioned selling now which sparked this thought.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that it has the AFM OBD2 plug in and that has to stay in or else it might act odd when AFM tries to kick in. Not sure how much that will deter potential buyers.

You could always just esplain to them and let them decide if they want to keep the device or you can sell it here at a marketable price.

IMHO 80% of vehicle buyers these days could care less about that quirk. The other 20% reside/lurk here haha.

Good luck whatever you decide!

 

[thefrey]

You could always just esplain to them and let them decide if they want to keep the device or you can sell it here at a marketable price.

IMHO 80% of vehicle buyers these days could care less about that quirk. The other 20% reside/lurk here haha.

Good luck whatever you decide!

True.

I clipped the VLOM gaskets so I think if they don’t use the plug in, then it will throw a CEL when v4 tries to kick in. So it’s kind of a requirement to sell with I would think.

 

[Marky Dissod]

... don’t know if it is worth keeping or not because it most likely needs a DOD delete, probably a new torque converter, and who knows maybe a new transmission.
I can’t really do the work myself now since I’m in an apartment. It’s hard for me to trust the car at this point.
I am finding it hard to justify putting more money into the car as I don’t want it to turn into a money pit given many of my issues may be drivetrain related.

Hate to admit that very few engines REQUIRE an Engine Half@$$ delete, unless they really want to last another 100,000 miles ...
ANYWAY
Maybe an ATF analysis would make you feel better about the torque converter / transmission?
If not, this thread is about feelings with too little info.

Which is more money:
a new torque converter & a new transmission?
or
another used vehicle?

 

[thefrey]

Hate to admit that very few engines REQUIRE an Engine Half@$$ delete, unless they really want to last another 100,000 miles ...
ANYWAY
Maybe an ATF analysis would make you feel better about the torque converter / transmission?
If not, this thread is about feelings with too little info.

Which is more money:
a new torque converter & a new transmission?
or
another used vehicle?

I didn’t think about an ATF analysis. Not a bad idea.

If not, this thread is about feelings with too little info.

In a sense, yes. But also at the same time there are a lot of people who know the inside and out of these cars like the back of their hand. I don’t have very objective data here to analyze. Just figured it didn’t hurt to get an opinion from others

Hate to admit that very few engines REQUIRE an Engine Half@$$ delete, unless they really want to last another 100,000 miles

Is this true for somebody like me where I already had a collapsed lifter and I am still hearing a light ticking? I figured that if I already had a lifter collapse that I am more likely to have lifter failure in the future.

I agree a new TC and trans is cheaper. And I don’t think I would have an issue doing that if I knew the engine was stronger. I just don’t want to put the $$ in if the engine might not last another 10k

I think I would also have less problems putting $$ into the car if there wasn’t rust issues. But the rockers will probably go in a couple years and the dogleg already has a large hole

 

[Marky Dissod]

Years ago I drove a 2012 Yukon XL 5.3L and put over 150,000 NYC/Manhattan miles on it in a lil under 5 years.
Unlike any of yous, I had it tuned to INCREASE the V4 mode duty cycle, hoping for better MpGs -
got 1qt a week / 1qt per 1000 miles of oil consumption instead. (Oil change every 2800-3000 miles / monthly.)
Despite this, mech did a used oil analysis, which said something like:
'Clean the pistons and the valves, it's got another 100,000 miles to go.'

You may not be willing / able to replace the wonky lifter (at which point, just replace all 16 as well as the lifter cups and all that other whatnot ...),
but again, may I suggest a used oil analysis?

 

[PPV_2018]

I mean what are you going to replace it with

The evil you know . . .

That being said, reliability is more important to most people than keeping an older vehicle on the road, particularly people transporting a young family or using the vehicle to commute to a job they can’t afford to lose. It’s understandable to want to get rid of it before you go deeper down the money pit to get something more reliable

Problem is, with another used vehicle you just don’t know what rabbit hold you’re going down. So it’s a gamble any way other than buying new (don’t buy a new GM with 6.2 if you do).

 

[thefrey]

Years ago I drove a 2012 Yukon XL 5.3L and put over 150,000 NYC/Manhattan miles on it in a lil under 5 years.
Unlike any of yous, I had it tuned to INCREASE the V4 mode duty cycle, hoping for better MpGs -
got 1qt a week / 1qt per 1000 miles of oil consumption instead. (Oil change every 2800-3000 miles / monthly.)
Despite this, mech did a used oil analysis, which said something like:
'Clean the pistons and the valves, it's got another 100,000 miles to go.'

You may not be willing / able to replace the wonky lifter (at which point, just replace all 16 as well as the lifter cups and all that other whatnot ...),
but again, may I suggest a used oil analysis?

Maybe I shouldn’t be too worried about a bad lifter.

I think my next route is to do a total inspection + oil analysis. It would give me some objective data that I can use to actually make a better decision. Instead of trying to figure this out blind.

 

[thefrey]

I mean what are you going to replace it with

The evil you know . . .

That being said, reliability is more important to most people than keeping an older vehicle on the road, particularly people transporting a young family or using the vehicle to commute to a job they can’t afford to lose. It’s understandable to want to get rid of it before you go deeper down the money pit to get something more reliable

Problem is, with another used vehicle you just don’t know what rabbit hold you’re going down. So it’s a gamble any way other than buying new (don’t buy a new GM with 6.2 if you do).

Yeah. I’m just at the very beginning of this lol. New cars are so expensive and sadly I have good taste in cars being a car guy…

The last thing I want is for this to be bricked and really lose out on $$.

I had a buddy tell me I should get something pre AFM and he swears by it and I don’t blame him. I love the newer 6.2s but I definitely wouldn’t touch one.

Cars are just lovely with potential issues, aren’t they? lol. I just feel like I’d be crazy dropping 5k into a 200k vehicle. But maybe that’s not too crazy

 

[tom3]

I'd probably look around for someone to "tune" the AFM out, eliminate the plug in, and try to sell it now. Probably not worth a lot but you never know, just takes that one person.

 

[Lil Timmy Shy]

If it is a 2007-2014 with that many miles, sell it NOW, while it is still running.......... "Do not fall upon thine own sword!"

 

[tooleyondeck]

Just my opinion, but if I was in possession of an otherwise reliable 2013 Denali XL, I'd mechanically delete the DOD, swap the TC to a billet one, and proceed to DRIVE THAT MF INTO THE DIRT. Unless you find yourself a creampuff GMT800 or 07-08 Denali, you will have to deal with DOD again eventually.

A good-running L94 alone is worth almost as much as what you could sell it for as-is, so just consider what you're losing vs gaining if you sold it and bought something else.

 

[fredcook]

You have a used vehicle. If you aren't buying a new one to replace it, then you will just have another used vehicle. To be honest, my opinion, having a used Gen 3 is as good as used vehicles gets. Did that sound right? Anyway.

I'd keep it. And I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I have an '08 Z71, bought it new, and intend to keep it as my last vehicle. Yeah, other cars will come and go as well. New ones. But the '08 stays with me. They run forever. Sure, there's the AFM thing, but sources indicate a 1-5% AFM failure rate. That's between 9,500 and 47,500 of the over 950,000 built. Not that bad. And IF it happens, the fix is a fraction of buying another used car. If the TC fails... again, a fraction of another used car. And the net result of fixing it is a vehicle that will be good for another 200,000 miles.

My plan for the '08... If I ever manage to wear out the 5.3 in it, it gets either a crate motor from GM or one of my trusted locals. GM crate motor is a little over $6k shipped with a 3 year 100,000 mile warranty (transferable, BTW). Still a lot less than a used vehicle, and getting something I can trust for another 200,000-300,000 miles. Local guys will do the same for around $4500, with lesser warranty.

Sooo... Best case, keep what you have and it runs fine for many more miles. Worst case, you have total engine and trans failure, replace both for $10k, and you're good for 300,000 miles. Just sayin'.

 

[Trilla_one]

Yeah, other cars will come and go as well. New ones. But the '08 stays with me.

+1

 

[Doubeleive]

I don't know but if/when you should list it for sale then just be upfront and put in the description that AFM is disabled with a plug-in device.
don't wait until they show up and then start dropping bombs, that's just wasting some peoples time.
by putting that in there they can decide if they even want to look at it or not and that saves both of you time.
if they don't bother to read and don't ask any questions, well then that's on them. I have had people just hand me cash and drive away....

 

[swathdiver]

Just looking for some advice for those that are wiser than I. Lots of this comes down to mechanical reliability.

I bought my 2013 Yukon XL Denali back in January. Bought it cheap with 197k on it and I put a good amount of cosmetic work into it. I’ve put about 8k more miles on it since then.

If you got rid of this truck tomorrow, how much are you willing to spend to replace it? Will the replacement vehicle offer the same amenities, performance, comfort, etc.?

The value of mine has dropped below $10K now and we dropped the full coverage. If it gets into a crash, I'll fix it or part it out. If it needs a new engine or transmission, it'll get it.

I reckon that's less money than spending $20-40K on a newer generation with about 100K miles on it. It's cheaper to keep her. Barring a major repair, I get to decide whether or not I want to spend money on it that month, unlike a car payment.

As for that noisy lifter, what engine oil are you using?

 

[thefrey]

If you got rid of this truck tomorrow, how much are you willing to spend to replace it? Will the replacement vehicle offer the same amenities, performance, comfort, etc.?

The value of mine has dropped below $10K now and we dropped the full coverage. If it gets into a crash, I'll fix it or part it out. If it needs a new engine or transmission, it'll get it.

I reckon that's less money than spending $20-40K on a newer generation with about 100K miles on it. It's cheaper to keep her. Barring a major repair, I get to decide whether or not I want to spend money on it that month, unlike a car payment.

As for that noisy lifter, what engine oil are you using?

I’m using 5w30 restore and protect. I have been wondering if additives would help but it’s about 50/50 whether the lifter is noisy or not

 

[swathdiver]

I’m using 5w30 restore and protect. I have been wondering if additives would help but it’s about 50/50 whether the lifter is noisy or not

Your oil is too thin. Valvoline Restore and Protect, right?

Restore & Protect Premium Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil - Valvoline™ Global

The first motor oil that removes up to 100% of deposits and prevents future deposits, it also delivers 79% stronger anti-wear protection vs. industry standards.

www.valvolineglobal.com

See that KV100? That oil is 10.8. Too thin, you want well over 11. See the Viscosity Index of 161, too low. These LS engines like higher, around 170.

Quaker State Full Synthetic works as well as ACDelco's oil and even Red Line's for reducing lifter rattle.

Those "thin" oils leave a lot of metals in the engine oil at the end of their run. I documented this with regular Mobil 1 and ACDelco and Quaker State in 2 different LS engines.