Advice on Yukon XL Denali

[Tkrysl]

Long time reader, first time poster.

Our family of four is adding two more (twins) in June and I've sent my Silverado packing and am looking at a 2002 Yukon XL Denali to have the wife and kids safe in.

I'll be driving her 2000 Tahoe now and I'm making a four hour road trip on Saturday to see this beast.

I'm no mechanic, but I'd appreciate everything you experts would offer as far as what I should dissect when I get my hands on this 2002. It's 140k miles young and hoping it has a lot of life left.

Thanks in advance.

 

[adventurenali92]

Use the search bar above^ and look up the thread “thinking of buying a 00-06 tahoe/Yukon, look here!” Extremely helpful compilation of info on all the suvs of this generation, and common issues and many how tos on said issues.

Edit: it’s also a stickied thread at the top of the 2000-2006 section of the forum in the general discussion section.

 

[swathdiver]

A tech2 should be in every man's tool box to work on these things. It will save you countless hours of precious time and pay for itself in short order with proper and accurate diagnostics. Good luck and hope its a winner for y'all. Don't feel pressured to buy it if there's something you do not like.

 

[D is for DENALI]

Service history is very important on denalis...

If they did not take care of them, the diffs, t- case, even the trans, could need more than just some new fluid...

If you buy it, plan on doing a $300 tune up.. fuel filter, air filter, radiator flush, engine flush, plugs, wires, diff fluid changes, t-case fluid change, trans flush, etc..

This will make a happy denali... hopefully!

Check brake wear with a flashlight, tire wear, inside cabin condition..

Essentially take a great look at it so you can tear it all down for the seller and get a better price... once you know that the truck needs a major tune up you can manipulate the price by subconsciously making the seller feel like a bad owner....hahhahaaha

It's a great truck, you just need to know if it was a 'gas and oil' vehicle or if the owner attended to every detail.. you will know this right away in the first 5 minutes of talking with the seller...

Offer a low ball and show the cash so he can see the money, people do drastic things when they see money...

 

[Tkrysl]

Service history is very important on denalis...

If they did not take care of them, the diffs, t- case, even the trans, could need more than just some new fluid...

If you buy it, plan on doing a $300 tune up.. fuel filter, air filter, radiator flush, engine flush, plugs, wires, diff fluid changes, t-case fluid change, trans flush, etc..

This will make a happy denali... hopefully!

Check brake wear with a flashlight, tire wear, inside cabin condition..

Essentially take a great look at it so you can tear it all down for the seller and get a better price... once you know that the truck needs a major tune up you can manipulate the price by subconsciously making the seller feel like a bad owner....hahhahaaha

It's a great truck, you just need to know if it was a 'gas and oil' vehicle or if the owner attended to every detail.. you will know this right away in the first 5 minutes of talking with the seller...

Offer a low ball and show the cash so he can see the money, people do drastic things when they see money...

Yeah. It's for sale at a Podunk ma and Pa dealer in Illinois but they got it from the original owner.

Carfax shows it's clean as a whistle but other than brakes, oil, and alignment, the history is a mystery on the Carfax.

At a 140k, I think this rig has a long life left.

Do you recommend pulling dipstick on the trans and looking for a certain color fluid, etc?

If you have any links to the fluid requirements for the things you mentioned, I'd appreciate them. I'll spend the day on Sunday in the shop with it if I drive her home on Saturday.

 

[Doubeleive]

take a flashlight! look under the vehicle check for leaks or signs of wear, tie rods, linkages, or any fresh looking fluids coming out of anything radiator, bottom of engine, transmission, differentials, etc, etc, always inspect a older vehicle very well, when you take it for a test drive turn EVERYTHING off, radio, heater and listen to it, listen to the motor, listen to the wheels roll, listen to it change gears, turn it real sharp left and right, go over some speed bumps if possible and listen for any pops or snaps. give the brakes a good test, give it a good pedal to the floor test and see how she acts, from a stop put the transmission in low and work your way up gear to gear as your driving and make sure it shifts good, stop and push the tow haul button and make sure it kicks in, you should be able to feel it start out slower in tow/haul mode, after the test drive look under it again and look over the engine and radiator for any leaks, test all your windows and door locks and handles inside and out, makes sure the heater and a/c works front and rear, test your mirrors and seats, if you have any kind of code reader take it with you and check for any codes or pending codes after the test drive. best advice I can give you

 

[Tkrysl]

take a flashlight! look under the vehicle check for leaks or signs of wear, tie rods, linkages, or any fresh looking fluids coming out of anything radiator, bottom of engine, transmission, differentials, etc, etc, always inspect a older vehicle very well, when you take it for a test drive turn EVERYTHING off, radio, heater and listen to it, listen to the motor, listen to the wheels roll, listen to it change gears, turn it real sharp left and right, go over some speed bumps if possible and listen for any pops or snaps. give the brakes a good test, give it a good pedal to the floor test and see how she acts, from a stop put the transmission in low and work your way up gear to gear as your driving and make sure it shifts good, stop and push the tow haul button and make sure it kicks in, you should be able to feel it start out slower in tow/haul mode, after the test drive look under it again and look over the engine and radiator for any leaks, test all your windows and door locks and handles inside and out, makes sure the heater and a/c works front and rear, test your mirrors and seats, if you have any kind of code reader take it with you and check for any codes or pending codes after the test drive. best advice I can give you

Awesome. Thanks!

 

[adventurenali92]

Yeah. It's for sale at a Podunk ma and Pa dealer in Illinois but they got it from the original owner.

Carfax shows it's clean as a whistle but other than brakes, oil, and alignment, the history is a mystery on the Carfax.

At a 140k, I think this rig has a long life left.

Do you recommend pulling dipstick on the trans and looking for a certain color fluid, etc?

If you have any links to the fluid requirements for the things you mentioned, I'd appreciate them. I'll spend the day on Sunday in the shop with it if I drive her home on Saturday.

Absolutely pull the trans dipstick! If the transmission is in good health, fluid should be a nice pink color and should NOT smell burnt. If it’s any darker and smells burnt, it could be a sign of a not well maintained transmission.

 

[D is for DENALI]

Front diff is around 2 quarts to hit the fill plug line

Rear diff is around 2.7 quarts to plug line

T case is around 1.6 quarts to plug line

For rear diff, take off the 'filler' plug, and put the head of an Allen key in there, or your pinky finger if it's small enough... when you push down into the hole with your finger, there should be oil.. that's proper fill level... also look at the color of the oil...smell, etc..

T case and front diff can be done the same way...

Hope you found a good one, these things are beasts if you find the right one

 

[JayC33]

, if you have any kind of code reader take it with you and check for any codes or pending codes after the test drive. best advice I can give you

If you do this, be aware if you get no codes, see if your reader tells you how long ago codes were reset. Sometimes people will reset the codes to hide a problem.

Absolutely pull the trans dipstick! If the transmission is in good health, fluid should be a nice pink color and should NOT smell burnt. If it’s any darker and smells burnt, it could be a sign of a not well maintained transmission.

Same here if oil and trans fluid look no brand new they might have been changed as part of good maintenance, or may have been changed to hide a problem.

 

[Tkrysl]

Awesome stuff. Ended up passing on it as it was slicker than a cats a*$ underneath with oil and what seemed to be power steering fluid. Drove all the way from Stl to Indiana just to turn back. Typical salesmen I guess. Claimed ignorance.

Ended up buying a 2500 Suburban on the way back and I'm thrilled.

 

[swathdiver]

Awesome, please post up some pictures! The suspension and drivetrain on the 2500s is far more durable than the 1500s.

 

[Doubeleive]

that's too bad, usually your best finds are going to be from a private owner anyway.... I like the 2500's but the fuel economy is less than desirable for me, I can hang with 10mpg, but those already are spec'd for that from the manufacture and the way I drive it would end up being much less

 

[Big Mama]

And maybe lastly to add are little things that will drive you crazy. Door doesn’t close all the way or is hard to open, console lid is loose etc. be aware of excuses and terms like “I checked and the part to fix it is only ten bucks” if so why didn’t they fix it. Take a magnet and put it on lower fenders to look for rust and body filler. If you have one take a multimeter and check the battery before starting it. One last part of any deal I make with a dealer is they fill it with gas. Good luck hope it’s a good one.

 

[01ssreda4]

Every vehicle Ive ever bought needed a few things done to be at my standard. Not buying one bc it needs a battery or a console door is Fing retarded. I almost expect it to need things like this bc lots of people simply do not care to do minor repairs. And a dealership wont do it bc it directly eats into their profit.