First GM truck, 2013 Tahoe PPV

[Caddylack]

Yes, all OEM HUs are VIN-locked. Pending verification of your wiring, it's looking like the radio doesn't understand the "turn on" command from the Tahoe.

I was hoping that yanking the chip would defeat this issue, but the computer stuff is over my head at this point.

I think I will put the Malibu radio back on the shelf in the closet until I learn how to tune these LS computers.

 

[Caddylack]

Another thought... As far as my yellow switched 12v wire not giving me power... I wonder if it could be related to my disconnected second battery? Are the cop extras dependent on this second battery at all? I'm not sure how things are wired. I know there are many fuses, though.

 

[89Suburban]

The wheels are for sale right now. I'm only asking $400 without tires, including all 24 police lug nuts. I once put 4 police wheels in a box and FedEx'd them for like $150 or so.

I'm hot for a set of those, but I got to get the fundage. When I got it I will be reaching out to see if you still have them.

 

[iamdub]

I'm all ready to put in an aftermarket head unit right now, but I realized there may be a snag with my ghetto chime retention setup...

Ultimately, the chime sound still outputs through the regular speaker wires on the factory radio, yes?

AFAIK, it plays warning chimes and turn signal ticks only through the left front speaker.

In that case, I'm suddenly not sure how I would be able to get the chime sound to play over speakers that are wired to an aftermarket head unit.

I thought that was the point of keeping those guts of the original HU in place and connected. But, yeah, where does the aftermarket come in? Maybe the chimes will interject and play in addition to what the aftermarket radio is playing? I think the stock one attenuates, if not completely mutes the left front speaker when it plays a chime.

Beneath the instrument panel, I found a male/female connection with 8 pins for each of the 8 F/R speaker wires. In other words, my amp is wired for me. I can just pull the pins out of these connectors and put them into the connectors on the amp. I wonder if the civilian trucks have a harness that would "T" in here for the factory amplified systems?

Have a pic of this? I had planned to keep an OEM HU and was all geared up to find the low-level speaker signal wires going to my amp in the harness inside the center console, where the amp is located. I'd leave them going to the amp and just tap into them for a signal to the aftermarket amps. I wanna keep the factory sub for midbass and as a filler. I have an aftermarket HU now, so I'll just use the RCAs and the interface module keeps the Bose system operating otherwise as normal.

It's only a matter of time before these trucks catch on with the "serious" audio crowd. It's literally the only car you can buy that is already factory-wired front to back to this degree (125A to the rear cargo area, wow).

That's convenient! Also, with the utilitarian nature of the PPV, this is convenient for the overlanding crowd that would have accessories back there for camping, tools, chargers, lighting, etc.

 

[Caddylack]

I thought that was the point of keeping those guts of the original HU in place and connected. But, yeah, where does the aftermarket come in? Maybe the chimes will interject and play in addition to what the aftermarket radio is playing? I think the stock one attenuates, if not completely mutes the left front speaker when it plays a chime.

Well, I suppose my fear is that there is some sort of computer involvement. Is it possible to wire a speaker "directly" to play two different sounds?

I will snap a pic of the 8-pin speaker harness shortly.

 

[iamdub]

Well, I suppose my fear is that there is some sort of computer involvement. Is it possible to wire a speaker "directly" to play two different sounds?

Hmmm. I suppose this might be a possibility. It'd be easy to test once you re-pin the harness back to original form and plug it to them guts. Also, I believe the rear speakers are disabled in the PPV. Not sure how, though.

For all the trouble, why not just get an interface? The best, but really pricey is the Maestro RR. Really, since you don't have rear seat entertainment and other fancy doodads to keep functional, you could get by with any of the regular $30-$100 interfaces. The PAC GMLAN and Axxess GMOS stuff is pretty good. About the only real differences between the brands are the "artificial" chime recreations. They sound different than stock, some more so than othes. As far as models of PAC and Axxess, it's features like built-in steering wheel controls or requiring an additional interface. Not a concern for you unless you wanna ad factory SWC.

Although it works just fine, I'll be swapping my Axxess interface for a PAC GMOS because I don't like the blinker or reverse sensor warning tones of the Axxess. Also, the PAC has the SWC built-in so I can use the add-on SWC interface I'm using with the Axxess on another vehicle (it's universal).

 

[Caddylack]

Hmmm. I suppose this might be a possibility. It'd be easy to test once you re-pin the harness back to original form and plug it to them guts. Also, I believe the rear speakers are disabled in the PPV. Not sure how, though.

For all the trouble, why not just get an interface? The best, but really pricey is the Maestro RR. Really, since you don't have rear seat entertainment and other fancy doodads to keep functional, you could get by with any of the regular $30-$100 interfaces. The PAC GMLAN and Axxess GMOS stuff is pretty good. About the only real differences between the brands are the "artificial" chime recreations. They sound different than stock, some more so than othes. As far as models of PAC and Axxess, it's features like built-in steering wheel controls or requiring an additional interface. Not a concern for you unless you wanna ad factory SWC.

Although it works just fine, I'll be swapping my Axxess interface for a PAC GMOS because I don't like the blinker or reverse sensor warning tones of the Axxess. Also, the PAC has the SWC built-in so I can use the add-on SWC interface I'm using with the Axxess on another vehicle (it's universal).

This started with me thinking I found a quick and easy way to retain chime, and it has turned into "maybe I should buy a chime retention module", haha.

 

[Sparksalot]

Hmmm. I suppose this might be a possibility. It'd be easy to test once you re-pin the harness back to original form and plug it to them guts. Also, I believe the rear speakers are disabled in the PPV. Not sure how, though.

For all the trouble, why not just get an interface? The best, but really pricey is the Maestro RR. Really, since you don't have rear seat entertainment and other fancy doodads to keep functional, you could get by with any of the regular $30-$100 interfaces. The PAC GMLAN and Axxess GMOS stuff is pretty good. About the only real differences between the brands are the "artificial" chime recreations. They sound different than stock, some more so than othes. As far as models of PAC and Axxess, it's features like built-in steering wheel controls or requiring an additional interface. Not a concern for you unless you wanna ad factory SWC.

Although it works just fine, I'll be swapping my Axxess interface for a PAC GMOS because I don't like the blinker or reverse sensor warning tones of the Axxess. Also, the PAC has the SWC built-in so I can use the add-on SWC interface I'm using with the Axxess on another vehicle (it's universal).

The rear speakers are functional in both of mine.

 

[Caddylack]

The rear speakers are functional in both of mine.

I think I probably just have loose connectors hanging in each rear door. I have sheet metal door panels, and I verified that the speaker locations on each side of the tailgate are empty (no wiring, I assume that's just for Bose?).

I did manage to figure out some more of my wiring situation this evening.

In the upfitter box, I've got 12v constant and 12v switched power terminals in the exact location I expected (thanks to you folks). In the panel on the passenger side of the dash, the uppermost connector is completely missing. Maybe this connector is for civilian stuff? There are only two spade terminals for this connector, just constant and ground.

Aside from the chime, the only other issue is the non-working "police upfitting" harness. I found a disconnected power connector under the hood, and I was surprised that plugging it in made no difference. Still zero power at this harness.

The power distribution block on the primary battery has three fuses: 175A that goes to the other battery, 125A that goes to the rear cargo area, and 60A that goes to the center console area.

The 60A circuit supposedly splits off into two 30A fused circuits, and I really want to use one of these 30A feeds for my amp so that I don't need to add additional wiring. If I'm lucky, there will be a disconnect between the firewall and the passenger side fender that has been unplugged.

Tomorrow I will finish the audio install and start my build thread. Good night!

 

[iamdub]

The rear speakers are functional in both of mine.

Maybe it varies between installations. Or how ruthless the uninstallers are.

 

[Caddylack]

Maybe it varies between installations. Or how ruthless the uninstallers are.

Well, my guess would be that it's simply an option.

When a government agency orders a car for a detective or a probation officer or something, it will often have more creature comforts, like a complete stereo, normal rear seats, and sometimes a civilian console. When they order a car for transporting a K9 and caging humans, they probably figure there is no reason to spend the money on a stereo.

 

[Sparksalot]

Maybe it varies between installations. Or how ruthless the uninstallers are.

Ruthless is a very good term. Even though thecopcar was savaged, it was gentle compared to some.

 

[Sparksalot]

I think I probably just have loose connectors hanging in each rear door. I have sheet metal door panels, and I verified that the speaker locations on each side of the tailgate are empty (no wiring, I assume that's just for Bose?).

I did manage to figure out some more of my wiring situation this evening.

In the upfitter box, I've got 12v constant and 12v switched power terminals in the exact location I expected (thanks to you folks). In the panel on the passenger side of the dash, the uppermost connector is completely missing. Maybe this connector is for civilian stuff? There are only two spade terminals for this connector, just constant and ground.

Aside from the chime, the only other issue is the non-working "police upfitting" harness. I found a disconnected power connector under the hood, and I was surprised that plugging it in made no difference. Still zero power at this harness.

The power distribution block on the primary battery has three fuses: 175A that goes to the other battery, 125A that goes to the rear cargo area, and 60A that goes to the center console area.

The 60A circuit supposedly splits off into two 30A fused circuits, and I really want to use one of these 30A feeds for my amp so that I don't need to add additional wiring. If I'm lucky, there will be a disconnect between the firewall and the passenger side fender that has been unplugged.

Tomorrow I will finish the audio install and start my build thread. Good night!

On thecopcar, both the 60 and 125 had been severed on the engine side of the firewall. I traced them down, and rebuilt them to feed ham radios, and a 45L refrigerator. Still have capacity left for other stuff.

 

[Caddylack]

On thecopcar, both the 60 and 125 had been severed on the engine side of the firewall. I traced them down, and rebuilt them to feed ham radios, and a 45L refrigerator. Still have capacity left for other stuff.

I finally figured out my wiring situation in full.

The best part is that the police manual I was so excited to find online was IN MY GLOVE BOX along with the regular Tahoe owner's manual.

Info and pics coming soon in a new thread.

 

[Caddylack]

Have a pic of this?

I couldn't figure out how to send it through PM, so here...

Also, I just figured I would post a link to the build thread I just started, as further discussion related to the car will go there:

Let's sift through every square inch of a 2013 Tahoe PPV

Hello! After several years of intense wanting, I finally have an LS-powered truck to play with. I am really big on stuff that is heavy duty, bare-bones, function over form, etc. As such, police cars are right up my alley. I honestly wish all my cars had rubber floors. I currently live in...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

 

[Caddylack]

Side note: Does anybody know if a basic "adapter" exists to tap into this bundle of speaker wires? I'm seeing all sorts of weird module things for various purposes, but it seems like a basic connector would be useful.

It would basically be an exact copy of the harness in the pic. Just a male and female plug with 8 blunt-cut wires in each. That way you could neatly route the speaker wires through an amp.

I guess most people tend to install aftermarket amps with RCAs, so there may not be a big market for an adapter designed to add junkyard amps with speaker inputs.

 

[Ebay Mike]

Hey, Welcome to the dark side. I see you have found THE place to be for Tahoe stuff. When I lost all my Caprices in the divorce I ended up with a 2013 SSV and found this forum. As nice as the Impala SS forum and just as helpful.

Mike--Hamilton Chevy

 

[Sparksalot]

Hey, Welcome to the dark side. I see you have found THE place to be for Tahoe stuff. When I lost all my Caprices in the divorce I ended up with a 2013 SSV and found this forum. As nice as the Impala SS forum and just as helpful.

Mike--Hamilton Chevy

Sorry to hear about your losses. She tried to get my Hoes, but only got all my tools instead.

 

[Chickensandwich]

Hey folks!

I am new to Tahoes, but not new to GM or to forums. I use the same name on the Impala SS forum. I've had 7 B/D-bodies, and a 5.3 Trailblazer.

I have been in need of hauling capacity for some time now, and it might as well be an LS-powered SUV. When I came across this Tahoe, I knew it was the one. It just felt right.

It's a 2013 PPV, black exterior, fully caged rear (highway patrol K9?), 108k miles on the odometer. RWD and 6L80E, of course. It was owned by one department in Arizona until retirement at the end of 2021. I live in northern Illinois, and am now the second registered owner.

View attachment 370502
View attachment 370503

Cosmetically, there are plenty of issues like you would expect from a police car. There are a few dings in the body, a few holes in the interior, and it smells funny. It has been freshly repainted, and we know how government paint jobs go (pretty much yes/no, pass/fail).

Sacrificing on those things got me a few things that I consider more important. For one, there is ZERO rust on this thing. It's mechanically solid, and I think I got a good deal on it. Obviously the RWD makes it less desirable to some buyers in this area, and the caged rear makes it less desirable to anyone looking to haul kids, etc. I paid $13,250 before tax, title, and plates.

The first orders of business were removing the spotlight and replacing the wheels. It's not that I mind them myself, it's just that I can't stand the constant attention.

View attachment 370504


I really like the police seats, console, and rubber floors, so those will stay. The rear portion of the vehicle will stay mostly the same, although I am already eyeballing the molded plastic second row for some sort of audio adventure. It looks like a sub box, or at least something to mount speakers in.

Speaking of audio, I am currently wasting a bunch of time fiddling with lousy OEM equipment. I pulled a "premium" radio from a 2012 Malibu LTZ, which looks basically the same as the radio in the Tahoe, except with a USB port in addition to the aux port. It also has bluetooth, and it's silver in color, which matches the PPV interior trim. The harness connectors are the same, but I figured out pretty quickly that they are pinned very differently. I'm re-pinning my OEM harness so it connects properly to the Malibu head unit, and I've got three wires left in the Tahoe OEM stereo harness that I haven't identified. I think at least one or two of them have to be for the chime stuff, but I have no idea which is which. I'm left with a dark green wire, a yellow wire, and a white wire. The Malibu has two dark green wires for GMLAN, and that's pretty much where I'm at now.

View attachment 370506

I've got a bunch of speakers and subs to use up, and I grabbed a couple of OEM amps from the junkyard. I'm just patching together a cheap system. BTW, if anyone happens to be knowledgeable on the various OEM Pioneer subs that were offered in late-model GM vehicles, I would appreciate some guidance. Over a period of months, in three separate incidents, I have pulled two subs and an OEM enclosure from different vehicles that I mistakenly thought were all "the same".

Additionally, independent of the Malibu stuff, I've also been doing some ghetto experimentation with the chime setup in our cars. It seems to me that you can actually leave the case from your factory radio in the dash, with the "board" still intact. With no face plate or disc drive, there is plenty of space to mount an aftermarket head unit directly inside the factory radio case with a standard mounting kit. And, if I'm being honest, I don't see how it's any more ghetto than the goofy chime retention module that seems to be the only alternative. Why not just skip it? If I run into any kind of roadblock with running the chime through the Malibu head unit, I will probably just remove the board from the factory case and mount it remotely inside the dash or console and then forget about it.

View attachment 370512

More nonsense to come!

Matt

I actually prefer the steel rims myself. The spotlight, not so much. The last two 5.3l GM engines I had, the lifters went. I’m hoping my latest truck doesn’t suffer that fate or I’m swearing off GM for good. Enjoynit

 

[Caddylack]

I actually prefer the steel rims myself. The spotlight, not so much. The last two 5.3l GM engines I had, the lifters went. I’m hoping my latest truck doesn’t suffer that fate or I’m swearing off GM for good. Enjoynit

I'm curious if you were expecting the lifters to not go?

If my engine melted into a blob of molten metal tomorrow, I would still be happy with my purchase. I knew what I was facing.

It's the tuning/computer stuff that is starting to scare me away from GM. If I'm going to be driving a car that I can't work on or mess with, I might as well buy an Audi and enjoy their awesome warranty.