Looking to buy '99 Yukon SLT - Question(s)

[BrewGuyTim]

Hey all,

First post. But probably won't be my last after my reading today.

I am looking at purchasing a '99 GMC Yukon SLT. 225K on the ODO, body and interior are barely touched. Spoke with the dealer selling it today and he mentioned that the 4WD doesn't work. His explanation was that the previous owner said the switch didn't work, but he suspected there was more to it. If it's the switch, that's $10 and 10 minutes to wait for the soldering iron to warm up.

After doing my reading here today, I'm leaning toward the actuator being bad. That seems to be about 90% of the problems that I've read on here. 4WD is an important factor as I live in northern Wisconsin. It snows here.

Anyway, here are the question(s) I have:
1) Is replacing the actuator really as plug-n-play as I've read on here? I'm not a mechanic (I don't even play one on TV) but straight-forward stuff I can do very easily. I have helped replace an engine in a '96 Explorer and didn't feel over my head at any point. This seems pretty straight forward.

2) If it's the t-case shift motor, what all does that involve? In other words, am I better off finding a mechanic to do the work? Or could someone with general automotive knowledge get them swapped?

I have not seen the vehicle yet. It's 2.5 hours away and I'm trying to do as much work as I can before hand, so that I can show up unannounced for my test drive. Especially with the weather the way it's been, I like showing up unannounced to see how it starts cold and idles early on.

Thanks for any information.

 

[HankHill]

While I've not done either reapir, I've turned quite a few bolts over the years & I'd say neither one of them are too difficult. The trick will be proper diagnosis of what's wrong. If you hear the thunk of the xfer case engaging, that's good & the issue is more than likely limited to the front diff. If there's no engagement, you need to fix that first & see what you've got.

This issue would not be a show-stopper by any means; rather an opportunity to reduce the purchase price!

 

[BrewGuyTim]

While I've not done either reapir, I've turned quite a few bolts over the years & I'd say neither one of them are too difficult. The trick will be proper diagnosis of what's wrong. If you hear the thunk of the xfer case engaging, that's good & the issue is more than likely limited to the front diff. If there's no engagement, you need to fix that first & see what you've got.

This issue would not be a show-stopper by any means; rather an opportunity to reduce the purchase price!

Appreciate the response Hank. The price is already at what I would envision being rock bottom ($2700). So I don't see it going down much more.

 

[Gzes]

holy crap thats expensive. i u go to tx thenu can find a good one for 2500

 

[BrewGuyTim]

And I wouldn't have to worry about rust much either. But, since we're talking northern Wisconsin, yeah...

 

[BrewGuyTim]

So, got the full story on the Yukon...

- Lights on the dash work for the 4WD, so it's sounding more and more like the actuator.
- Driver's window doesn't work. More than likely the regulator there
- Driver's inside door handle doesn't work.

So, about $150 in parts and an hour or so of my time and I'll save almost six grand. That sounds like a deal to me. Anyone have any other feedback?

 

[Donnie Yukonie]

i say go for it to be completley honest these trucks are reliable and great to have they do have there issues there almost 15 years old but me personally after owning mine for the last 5 years its left me stranded once and that was a dead battery but other than that never left me on the side of the road not saying that it didnt have its problems by anymeans but it always got me to the repair shop or back home to fix it