Looking at 2011 Yukon Denali

[WillEngineer]

So, full disclosure. I am a Honda guy and by marriage a Ford guy.

My DD is a 2014 MDX. I also have an 03 Tacoma and an 06 Odyssey.

The Tacoma is not useful for my 3 kids, so I end up borrowing trucks when I need to take my kids places. I recently came upon an otherwise nice 2007 F150 5.4 with a blown motor. I am wrapping up that rebuild now and it will take the place of the Tacoma.

The Odyssey is showing her age, so I have started looking around for options. Right now I am scoping out an Excursion with a blown 6.0 and a 2011 Yukon Denali with an unspecified engine issue. I am thinking about going and checking it out Saturday. Hopefully the fact I pulled the F150 engine and rebuilt it at least shows I am either not afraid of challenges (or too stupid to refuse them)...but what might I be getting myself into with a Yukon? I wouldn't even be particularly scared of a full engine tear down, even though in this case I doubt it is required. Based upon pictures alone, the vehicle is in fine shape. It has a clean title, pictures indicate it is clean inside and out, and it has 182,000 miles.

I KNOW full well what I am getting into with an Excursion 6.0!!! If I go that route, I have already spec-ed out a professional to provide a create motor replacement.

Thanks for helping out a Honda/Ford guy that is falling backwards into potential GMC ownership.

 

[Shooter]

If you go 6.0, go to Powerstroke Specialties Powerstrokehelp.com.
If you go Denali, do a crate motor and tranny.

 

[kbuskill]

So, full disclosure. I am a Honda guy and by marriage a Ford guy.

My DD is a 2014 MDX. I also have an 03 Tacoma and an 06 Odyssey.

The Tacoma is not useful for my 3 kids, so I end up borrowing trucks when I need to take my kids places. I recently came upon an otherwise nice 2007 F150 5.4 with a blown motor. I am wrapping up that rebuild now and it will take the place of the Tacoma.

The Odyssey is showing her age, so I have started looking around for options. Right now I am scoping out an Excursion with a blown 6.0 and a 2011 Yukon Denali with an unspecified engine issue. I am thinking about going and checking it out Saturday. Hopefully the fact I pulled the F150 engine and rebuilt it at least shows I am either not afraid of challenges (or too stupid to refuse them)...but what might I be getting myself into with a Yukon? I wouldn't even be particularly scared of a full engine tear down, even though in this case I doubt it is required. Based upon pictures alone, the vehicle is in fine shape. It has a clean title, pictures indicate it is clean inside and out, and it has 182,000 miles.

I KNOW full well what I am getting into with an Excursion 6.0!!! If I go that route, I have already spec-ed out a professional to provide a create motor replacement.

Thanks for helping out a Honda/Ford guy that is falling backwards into potential GMC ownership.

Some more specifics, like what symptoms the Denali has, would make it easier to give better answers.

Over all the LS engines are pretty reliable.

The Denali will have the 6.2L and 6L80E 6 speed transmission.

Being that it's a 2011 it will have AFM/DOD (active fuel management/displacement on demand) which is known to be problematic if frequent oil changes are not done.

A cam and lifter swap to NON-AFM components is the best way to fix this and avoid future problems but it does require pulling the heads and reprogramming the ECM to turn off AFM.

If it has low oil pressure then it is a good possibility that it just needs a new O-ring on the oil pickup tube.

I would suggest taking a bluetooth OBD2 reader with you, if you have one, so you can check for potential codes that might give you additional info about the problem.

Once you go look at it, post up some more info on here and maybe we can give you some better insight.

 

[iamdub]

You're pretty much up to speed as far as possible issues. If you can tear down and rebuild a Ford 5.4, an LS would be a cakewalk.

 

[WillEngineer]

It was actually 172,000 miles when I had a 2nd glance at the CL ad.

A lot of die hard Honda guys don't like the cylinder deactivation too on the V6. There are hacks on cars like the Odyssey to trick the computer to thinking the engine is a couple of degrees cooler than optimal in order to bypass the deactivation. I guess I shouldn't be surprised the same gripe carries over to the GM motors.

Thanks for the advice so far. I'll get back when I know more. Hopefully the guy can wait until Saturday afternoon for me to be able to get over there and look at it.

 

[WillEngineer]

Here are a few of pics from my F150 rebuild if anyone is curious. With the oil pan off I found the culprit...a spun/failed thrust bearing. By the time I took it out I just decided that since I spent $800 on the truck I'd blow the motor apart, get it machined, and put it back together. Basically new engine in a 6 passenger truck for about $3000.

Mostly a fun project. Particularly when your father-in-law has a shop.

Newly cleaned heads and a block...they all look so cool.

Glad to know this level of effort far exceeds that of a small block GM.

While my father in law is a Ford guy, he has snuck in two GMCs since I've been married. He had a 67 3/4 ton with a 283 V8 and a 00s Sierra with a 4.8 V8. He'd still claim me I think.

 

[iamdub]

An LS is so simple that it's fun. About the only particular points with it are the oil pan and front and rear cover alignments.

 

[kbuskill]

It was actually 172,000 miles when I had a 2nd glance at the CL ad.

A lot of die hard Honda guys don't like the cylinder deactivation too on the V6. There are hacks on cars like the Odyssey to trick the computer to thinking the engine is a couple of degrees cooler than optimal in order to bypass the deactivation. I guess I shouldn't be surprised the same gripe carries over to the GM motors.

Thanks for the advice so far. I'll get back when I know more. Hopefully the guy can wait until Saturday afternoon for me to be able to get over there and look at it.

There are ways to disable the AFM electronically on the GMs as well... (Range device plugs into OBD2 port and programming it out with a Diablo tuner or some other means) BUT that leaves the hardware (collapsible lifters, etc.) Inside the engine which is still subject to fail, just not as likely.

5.4L Fords aren't that bad... the hardest part is making sure that both cams and the crank are in the proper orientation... and dealing with 2 timing chains that are 3 feet long... lol

 

[WillEngineer]

So I found out more. I went and looked at the car tonight. First of all, the owner was a salt of the earth guy. Very kind and generous. Gave me free meals at his restaurant for just showing up. gave me a big pack of quail eggs because we both raise chickens. Pretty cool.

The car was immaculate inside, and outside only had a few visual blemishes. Leather was clean with no tears. No stains. No dents. He has owned the vehicle since new and it was his wife's DD. Outside, one automatic step was malfunctioning so he turned it off. And someone stole the door trim of a door in Mexico. No other visible issues outside.

So about the engine issue. His wife took the Yukon to a local service place for oil changes. Best he can tell it wasn't filled properly and after driving it for months after the oil change it started developing a noise. It already had the typical small block lifter noise when cold, but all the sudden it sounded like it is about to knock itself apart. His wife took it straight home when the noise started, and the oil was not registering on the dip stick. I asked if he took it back to the service center and he felt it had been too long since the oil change to register a complaint, if indeed it was even them that filled it incorrectly. They had been talking about selling it in a year or so anyway, so in their mind "oh well, engine issue, this just accelerates our plans."

He fired it up and we agreed that it sounded horrible and the engine will have to be pulled out. I mean it sounded like "bang, bang, bang."

He gave me a strong indication he'd work with me as he wants it to go to a family that would use it.

So my question, if I can come to an agreeable price, would a crate be the way to go? Any recommendations?

If I were to pull it out and take it apart, is there sufficient clearance to have the block machine and have the cylinders bored? As a reference, when I took the Ford 5.4 to be machined, the shop charged me about $2000 to check the heads (check valves and springs), machine the block deck, bore out the cylinders, do a line bore, machine the rods, and get all new bearings and such. Let's say I spent another $500 or so on head bolts, gaskets, main bolts and such. I just had to put it together.

In trying to find out if this is worth it, which is the best alternative?

 

[iamdub]

It's all in how much you wanna spend. I'm one to be skeptical of "engine mills" that mass-rebuild engines. In my mind, their rebuilding process isn't as precise as someone having the components refurb'ed at specialty machine shops. A crate would be quick and easy, but you pay for that convenience. Sourcing a used, low-mile engine can be the cheapest route if you get a good deal, and it'd also be quick since it'd be ready to go. But, you may wanna invest more into it (reseal it, maybe AFM delete, etc.) before dropping it in.

You can safely bore the L94 out .015", but it probably won't need anything over a .005" honing if it was well-maintained. The question is the condition of the rotating assembly. You could always use it as an excuse to swap in a 4" crank and bore it .015" for more stroke and cubes.