Gonna buy a new used tahoe.

[h3o]

Hey guys,

Well ive been doing quite a bit of reading lately and finally decided on getting a tahoe or a yukon. Right now i am currently driving a slammed audi and I am getting to old for the bumpy ride and scrapping over every speed bump or pot hole.

I was looking for a full size suv and decided to go with this rather then an expedition, my main reason for choosing the tahoe was ease of repair and mpg.

Right now i am currently looking for a obs tahoe, just going through craigslist and looking, but what should i be looking for? i know the usual leaks, bearings, trans, etc. but is there anything common to look for? Ive already owned a silverado and i had a hell of a time with the headlights being intermittent and the door sagging. Is there anything electrical or mechanical i should be looking for? and is there any difference between the years like upgraded dashs or lights etc.

any help is appreciated and i did wikipedia it and it wasnt that helpful.

 

[992dr]

If there is anything electrical or mechanical I cant say its anything you will see.

Its hard to say, the things you need to know about, the salesman/seller are more than likely going to lie to you about them. Like the intake manifold gasket or the spider assembly or the fuel pump. All of them need to be replaced. Unless they have reciepts and proof of the work being done, I wouldnt beleive them.

Other issues I have had personally are my passlock system failure. What a joy that was. My truck would not start or it would shut off while driving. This took me several months to figure out, mostly through the net. It wouldve cost over $1k through the dealer but I did it for under $400.
Recently my door handles are all broken, interior and exterior. This is also a common problem. Fuel pumps are another.
Really the list can go on and on. If you are mechanically inclined and keep up with the forums you will not have much problems. You'll get tons of support and part numbers for anything you need.
If your heart is deadset on an OBS, jump in man, hah.
If not have you considered an NBS?
This is my 5th year with mine and I have just about gone through the entire rig front to back
Good luck

 

[inthechateau]

The spider is the fuel injection unit. Trucks came from factory with central port injection meaning the injectors are in the center of the unit and pressure released from the injectors is sprayed through poppet valves at teh end of the fuel tube for each cylinder. Teh upgraded injection unit is MFI/multi port injection; and it changed that the injectors are right at the cylinder port in the intake manifold. Poppet valves have a tendancy to carbon up and loose ability to spray fuel effeciently and form more of a drip than a spray. O2 sensor fault codes, poor performance, and low MPG's are signs of update needed. Do your self a favor and if the MFI has not been installed yet do intake manifold gaskets and MFI upgrade. You will be happy at the results.

Other things to look at on used Hoe:
Lower ball joints
Pitman arm
Idler arm
fuel pump
fuel pump
fuel pump
Rear differential yoke seal
Glazed head lamp lenses
U Joints
Sagging windshield visors
Dash lights burn out
Planetary gear failure in transmission
Front differential acuator
Spongy brakes
spongy brakes and warped rotors

Just to name a few but hey, I have 300K on my 96 LS tahoe and have loved this truck every mile. Good luck with yours.

 

[TheBlueBeast]

I've had mine about 2 years now, love it. Just replaced the intake manifold gasket, flushed out the dex cool for the green coolant (wrong or right, I'm just hoping to spare more gaskest til I have a better paying job to upgrade more things). That was a job. Also I replaced the water pump, radiator hoses around Turkey Day and lastly I've alternator (in the Auto Zone parking lot no less). All this said, BEST DRIVING AND ALL AROUND VEHICLE I HAVE OWNED.

Right now, I'm living in the Chicago suburbs and driving my 'Hoe around is not the most economical thing, but I know it'll start in the morning, get me where I need to go and if I need a nap, fold the back seats down and grab a few winks.

My input is, this 1996 LT 4DR, 4x4 was/is money well spent. These trucks are pretty tough, and there's a bout a gazillion of them around so parts are pretty easy to come by if and when you need them.

 

[slipping]

Ive had my OBS for about a year now and love it. I also have a NBS that is the wifes DD. I dont know how the PO took care of it when I bought it (seemed to be a dumbass and as Ive gone through the truck can see he didnt do a good job). Ive been upgrading everything on it. Escalade center console, new water pump, belts, hoses, O2 sensors, magnaflow cats, battery, dropped the suspension. Next month I will be getting the fuel spider and do the intake/valve cover gaskets. Also will be getting new head lights and tail lights. LEDs all inside, corner turns and cree LEDs in my reverse lights. I will be fixing AC this summer. I love my OBS, its such a comfy ride and just feels nice. I love my NBS also, but there is just something about the OBS. I have about 185k on it. And echoing whats these other gentlemen said, just go through and look at it and see what the owner is selling you. A truck thats 10+ years old if taken care of is awesome, even if its a little run down parts are easy and cheap and this forum has a ton of info and great guys willing to help you solve your problem

 

[h3o]

So i picked up a 98 hoe last night. Its a burgandy ls with tan cloth interior. It had the heated and power seats, and its 4x4, these were the main things i was looking for. Interior is in perfect condition i have never seen an interior this clean on an a used tahoe. Belonged to an older gentleman who drove from montana to washington. It does have 198k but does have a good service record. No leaks, he just had the valve cover gaskets replaced also the rear and front diff has new fluids along with a tranny flush. New battery and alternator etc. Anyways i could go on rambling forever but i think i got a good deal at $3000. the only thing wrong is there is a ses light on but he said that has been on for a long time and he has never got around to having it checked out or turned off, but the truck does run extremely well. Couldnt pass it up so i am bringing it home today. Gonna get it scanned and repair it to take it to emissions so i can get it all nice and ready to transfer over.

 

[godoy]

Looks clean

Sent from my TeleFonO!!

 

[slipping]

Awesome man. Looks great

 

[Blazed]

That Interior looks better than my 11' it's perfect!

 

[Gzes]

Looks good you planning on a small lift? Is it floor 4x4 or button?

 

[Blazed]

Looks good you planning on a small lift? Is it floor 4x4 or button?

Look at the floor.

 

[h3o]

Look at the floor.

lol ya its push button 4x4, im not going to really wheel this thing at all. Its my daily/ pretty vehicle. I wanted it just incase i have to go over the pass and its snowing. And i will get flamed on this im more then sure, but eventually i am going for the lift with wide tires. I am from hawaii and grew up around it so i love that look. The cencal look to me is nice. I know not alot of people like it but its more of a mall crawler then anything for me and i midus well make it look the way i want.

 

[h3o]

geez you guys really didnt like my cencal idea huh lol..... well anyways i had a few questions and didnt want to make a new thread so.....


how can you tell the difference in transfer cases i have the auto trac but i think i have the updated one with the clutch, i can spin the driveshaft when in park with a tiny bit of resistance. The reason i ask is cause i have a clunk in the rear when starting from a stop. The ujoints are good and just wanted to know if i needed that blue fluid. Also what grease do i use for the slip yoke?

o and on a side note i just ordered a flowemaster 50 series dual in dual out 2 1/2" will be getting more piping, where can i order some nice big slant cut tips? planning on going dual exit angled behind the rear tires.

 

[SunlitComet]

the autotrac tcase will say 4wd auto on the push button control. and there is not two versions of autotrac just one. you either have it or not. check your fluid in tcase fill plug it should be to bottom of that plug with blue autotrac 2 fluid if you have auto 4wd. if not auto 4wd it should have dexron 3 in it.

tips from:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=exhaust+tips

jegs.com
summitracing.com
local exhaust shops.

 

[h3o]

ok i think i get it, then can you confirm something for me since searching is just getting me more confused, i want to do a 6" lift and have the auto trac

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/general-discussion/offroad/198649-autotrac-not-how-do-you-know.html

this thread post #6 says i dont need it if i dont spend a lot of time in 4wd which i dont, is that true?

 

[Gzes]

Look at the floor.

I dont get it. Was that just a post bump? Obs hoes had button press 4x4 and floor shofter

 

[Blazed]

I dont get it. Was that just a post bump? Obs hoes had button press 4x4 and floor shofter

There is a picture of the floor with no shifter.

 

[Goodinblack]

My 1996 only had a floor shifter.

From my CB Radio.

 

[SunlitComet]

the 241 tcase floor shifters will still orderable thru the late '90's

---------- Post added at 10:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:32 PM ----------

ok i think i get it, then can you confirm something for me since searching is just getting me more confused, i want to do a 6" lift and have the auto trac

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/...road/198649-autotrac-not-how-do-you-know.html

this thread post #6 says i dont need it if i dont spend a lot of time in 4wd which i dont, is that true?

i believe that info to be false guidance based on the tech data i have access to. and frankly it makes no sense the autotrac system in either yer for obs is the same. they were talking about a 2004 model i believe but when i looked up that year data it still had a NVG246 autotrac tcase. still his statement sounds contradictory.

 

[KPOD]

Speaking of autotrack, if I drive mine in automatic mode, and it needs to kick into 4WD, will it automatically kick back into 2WD when it feels me no longer struggling?