New guy, picking up an 01 Yukon XL

[KillNThrill24]

Hey all new to the forum. Playing around on the auction sites I ended up buying an 01 Yukon XL last week lol. I'm hopefully picking it up in the next few days here. Paid a grand for it. There wasn't much in terms of description, so it was like a $1000 lottery ticket. Well, I think I got burned. But regardless, it's mine now. So I'm gonna make the best of it! Here's what I bought it based off of seeing haha. I don't think it looks too bad...

It's a white 2wd SLE.. Living in northern Ohio, I'd much rather have had a 4x4 but it is what it is! I know a good set of tires and common sense will get me where I need to go. I haven't used the 4x4 in my explorer or WJ yet, and I'm very good at bad weather driving.

I had a friend at a local dealership run the carfax on it, and I almost cried (metaphorically). This is why I don't play the lottery lol. The GOOD news is that it spent up until 2010 in Tennessee, so I'm sure rust will be pretty low. And ummm.... That's probably where the good news ends, LOL. It had 7 owners, 7 accidents, a salvage title, and a LOT of miles... Last recorded was 274k. But the good news about that, it was recorded at a Chevrolet dealership and that dealer did "engine maintenance". So it's at least been looked into recently.

The salvage title I THINK is from being maybe stolen. I got it from an impound lot, the radio was missing and there are subs in the back end. Passenger window is also busted out. When I get it home I'll get some pics of it, and get some work done on it. I guess for now I'm just going to use it as a work truck.

I have some spare wheels and tires from an 02 silverado, those should swap right over right? 275/70-17's. I come from the Blue Oval family lol, but I like anything American. So this is a new learning curve for me. As far as maintenance and what not, and being SUCH a high mileage vehicle, is there anything I should look into right away? Oil change would probably be 1st on the list, but after that where should I start hunting?

 

[KillNThrill24]

Well the officer that has the title hasn't exactly been helpful so far. He told me to come in anytime during the week and the 2 days in a row that I went in due to being off, he wasn't in lol.

But I managed to get the glass I needed for $20 from the local junk yard while on a recon mission to see what they had in terms of yukon/tahoe parts. Found the same year xl and the same year tahoe there. Both with full interior. So if I need interior pieces, they are ready for me to take. And I'm in the process of painting some Silverado wheels I had sitting around. Might try to find a set of some newer wheels locally. Took the new keys to the dealership and they wouldn't help me without the title. So no keys yet. I'm gonna have to get a locksmith to meet me at the yard to cut some keys on site. We'll see what happens over the course of the next week.

 

[Lil_Stump]

For $1000 it's definitely not the worst you could have gotten lol. Definitely has a lot of potential if you put time and money into it, but I guess that's just like anything else. As for the rims and tires, I think they should fit no problem, but if push comes to shove and they do rub you could always crank the torsion keys up a bit, or trim where it's rubbing and be good to go.

 

[#1taho]

For a grand I think you did good!!!! I would be happy with that. How about more pics ?

 

[KillNThrill24]

Hey all!! Sorry for the delayed reply. I've been super busy since I brought the big old turd home lol

Where to start.... So The first thing I had to do was clean it out. It was just awful!! Look at the before and after

 

[KillNThrill24]

And heres the crap all piled up ready for the dumpster

I have a carpet scrubber that I'll be bringing down to fully clean it out lol. After I cleaned it out, the next thing on the list was the shift linkage which was broken by the tow yard so they could change the gears without the key. I ended up having to have my mom sit in it at the yard with it running, jack it up, put it in reverse, drop it back down, then have her back it out, then I had to jack it back up, pop it in neutral, and put it back down so the tow truck could get it lol. It was a blast...... But anyways, I went to the local junkyard today and snagged the linkage out of a tahoe on the lot. Once I got that installed, I changed the oil, put the new battery in it, and added some coolant since it was low. Looked like Dexcool was in it, so that's what I re added to it.

The next task was easier than I thought it would be. I found the passenger window track and motor in the back end, no hardware or anything. Wasn't sure it worked so I popped the door panel off and plugged it in. Went up and down without a problem. I was happy at that point! Found 5 matching bolts in my collection of extra bolts and such from past projects... Popped the track back in, loosened up the saddles, and dropped the glass in. BAM I had a functioning window at that point!

Finally, the hardest project I had today, was cleaning up the left over residue and the remaining duct tape that was holding something over the door in place of the window... It wasn't there when I got it so I'm not sure what they had over it. But my buddy had this awesome rubber wheel thing in his shop that was designed to remove decals and such from cars. Worked wonders!

I needed the mask and glasses... I had goo gone soaking into the tape. You can imagine how messy it got LOL. But turned out great! Minus the paint that came off with the tape. The wheel actually kept it to a minimum. I peeled a lot of that off by hand.

Still have to finish removing the glue and plastic from the old vent visor, but I'll get there.

 

[KillNThrill24]

This is what it looked like at the lot, so you can see how much tape and gunk I had to remove. It was BAKED onto the car. Never seen duct tape so dried out before.

I have to admit. I was so so happy when I jacked this thing up and saw how clean it was underneath. Being in Tennessee from 01-10 REALLY helped preserve this thing.

 

[KillNThrill24]

Don't know a lot about these subs, but there are 4 of these Soundstream SPL 12's in a big ol box back here. 3 were pulled out, I'm guessing to check for drugs hahaha. Also found this American Bass door speaker on the passenger side. I'm guessing they all are. Pretty cool. I used to be into this stuff back when I was younger. But never listened to the right music for it (metalhead here lol).

And just a random I took of it when I got back from trying to get it to do a burnout today LOL. My shop is in an industrial parkway, and theres a deadend road to nowhere that I use for testing my cars out to see how they're running or to see what's wrong with them. I was disappointed when it only chirped the tires and then ran hahahaha...

It's a work in progress. The flasher relay is shot, the right turn signal was stuck on. So I un plugged it. I can't get any of the 3 GM remotes I have to program to the vehicle, and being that the ignition is aftermarket, I do not have a door key... So I need to get a remote to work soon. It has a Viper alarm on it that my locksmith and I disconnected at the brain so we could get the vehicle to turn on lol. I ordered a replacement viper alarm remote, we'll see how it works when I get it. Also, the abs and brake light is on....... After a quick Google search I found out it's an EBCM issue..... That explained why the ABS 60amp fuse was missing. I plugged one in, and right away the pump kicked on. So I unplugged it again. I personally don't care about the ABS, but being that I need to get it inspected by the state highway patrol (plates that are on it right now are my mustangs plates. I just put them on for AAA to tow it. I haven't taken it outside of the industrial parkway.) in order to get the rebuilt salvage title... I'm gonna have to get it fixed. Any cheap, quick fixes??

And finally... Last thing that I can think of at the moment, the sunroof is fawked. no other way to put it. Half of the adjustment track (section that moves it up and down) is gone. It doesn't move when you hit the button either. So I'm gonna have to source an entire assembly from a junkyard or something.

Also, it's got 295,300 miles on it LOL. She's been through a lot. But I'm impressed that minus a slight exhaust leak, it runs great. At first, it was a fudgin DOG off the line. But as I did a few more pulls, I could feel it getting a bit quicker. I noticed a lot of water coming out of the muffler, I'm sure there's tons of condensation built up from sitting so long. It could use a fresh tank of gas too I bet. And some new plugs. But the oil filter that was on it was a K&N, and the oil was synthetic. I was surprised to see that. Previous owners, mechanically, must have taken good care of it.

So stay tuned... Lots more to come. Any info on the issues I'm having, or any suggestions, will be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Tonyrodz]

I don't have any info for you, but I think, so far, you came out pretty good. Taken care of, these trucks run a long time. Good luck with the project!

 

[Fosscore]

Nice work so far resurrecting her to this point. Good luck and keep the updates and pictures coming. Good reference for other projects.

 

[KillNThrill24]

Thanks for the compliments guys! I appreciate it! It really does run well considering it's 15 years old and has just under 300 thousand miles on it.

First day I've had off. I work a 4 on 4 off swing shift schedule (steel mill worker) so I get a good amount of time to work on it on the days off, but the days on I have time for nothing lol.

No pictures to update with today but I unplugged the ABS pump and installed a 60amp fuse in the fuse box under the hood. It got the brake light off but turned the trac off light on instead haha. No worries there, it shouldn't be an issue. I don't think they care much about the ABS during the inspections. I can, and will, unplug the traction control button before I get there.

I also found out that the reason I'm having the turn signal issue isn't flasher relay related, but instead its from a broken hazard button on the steering column. Using a screw driver, I moved the broken half around and at a certain point the contacts lined up right and the turn signals worked as they should. So, I pulled the entire unit off and set it aside. I'll be going to the junkyard tomorrow to find myself a new piece (one that hopefully everything else works on, because I'm not spending $230 on a new unit!), and also a new passenger window switch. I read somewhere that the factory remote responder is located in that unit, which explains why it's so big for a window switch and door lock. Junkyard prices are pretty cheap at the local pull a part so even if it doesn't fix it, I won't be out but a few bucks.

My ordered Viper remote didn't 100% work..... It locks, but that's it. The other 3 buttons (aux (not sure what that does), unlock and alarm) do not work. I initially wondered if it had something to do with the factory remote responder, but now that I think about it, that wouldn't have a damned thing to do with it since the Viper ESP 600 that's on it, comes with a built in door lock relay. And even so, why would only the lock mechanism work?? I'm going to toss in a new piece and see if I can get my ebay remotes to work. If they don't I might have to go get an oem remote.... I'd really like to get the viper to work tho. It's a nice unit, and was installed well.

I also happened to have an alpine radio with a gm wire harness already on it from my old grand am. I tossed it in to see what I had speaker wise. To my total surprise, all of the speakers worked. Even the ones in the rear pillars in the back end. The sub, however, was completely shot and didn't even work. I plugged in one of those SPL's to verify it wasn't a blown factory amp or something, it worked fine. I'm up in the air on if I want to throw a 12 in the back end with an amp or if I want to replace the factory sub. I know the wattage is ridiculously low on the factory unit.

Also need to get a headlight bulb. Might throw some HID's in it. And I need to locate a sunroof unit at a local junkyard too. Then a matching set of wheels and tires. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there!

 

[Tonyrodz]

Let me know if you go the factory sub route. I have a factory sub box with sub and amp for sale. Came from an 02 Denali , and sounds amazing.

 

[#1taho]

Once you work out all the bugs your going to have a solid fun truck.

 

[KillNThrill24]

Hey guys!! Sorry about the delay in response here. It's been a wild number of weeks!

There's a lot of updates to do here, unfortunately I only have 1 picture to post because I'm a bit dumb and forget to take pictures of all the stuff I do LOL.

So to try and pick up where I left off....

Everything works now that needs to work. I took it to get inspected on the 30th and have been driving it for about 3 days now. I do still need to work out a few gremlins, like a loose steering issue. But so far so good! I fixed the exhaust leak it had. I ended up using one of those 3 bolt clamp setups that bolts to the head and clamps the manifold to the head. WHAT A PAIN to get it on lol. My broken bolt was rear most on the driver head. So, the least amount of room to work with haha. But it's on. Then I heard a leak still and hopped under it to see where it was coming from. Turns out it was also leaking where the manifold hooks up to the Y pipe on the driver side as well. So fortunately, I had some of that stick metal or whatever they call it. It's that 2 part putty that you knead with your fingers. I made two lines and put them over the flange where they meet. BAM NO MORE LEAK! It was so damned annoying haha. I'm so happy now that it's gone. Sure, I don't anticipate it lasting forever, but if I have to replace it once a year or even every 6 months, I wont be bothered by that. I could always get a flange gasket and replace it, probably won't be hard to do either. But for now it's fixed and I'm happy.

I also had both o2 sensors go bad on the driver side. First was down stream. Then today the upstream went. Thankfully being a Tennessee vehicle most of its life, neither were too hard to get out from rust and corrosion.

Wheel issue: SOLVED
I got lucky and found a set of 20's off a newer tahoe on the Facebook marketplace. The guy wanted 600 and I got him down to 450. 2 tires have almost full tread and the other 2 have every bit of 75% left. They look AWESOME. And handle so, so well compared to the oem 16's. I've already driven it on snow and ice, and to my surprise, it did pretty well considering it's a 2wd. I've put a lot of time and effort into this thing. Way more than I wanted to. So if I end up keeping it around for awhile, I'll get a set of BFG All Terrain K02's for it. Lots of local guys rant and rave about them. Found them in the 20's size I have too.

Stereo: SOLVED
I went ahead and tossed a system in it. I got my old amp and 15's back from my buddy I sold them to, and tossed them in there. 2 American Bass XD 15's and an RE Audio XT4000DE-V2 amp. Neither are top notch quality, but they work for now. I think I'm gonna go back to a dual 12 setup tho because metal on 15's just... I don't like the way they mesh. 15's nail the lows, all the higher stuff it's just bad. Maybe I need another amp and some solid mids. Who knows. Anyone got some ideas there?

I also put my old Kenwood flipout headunit with external brain in it. Everything tucked nicely in that space under the cupholders. I added an aux cord to it so I can jam to my Pandora if I want to.

Threw some rubber Goodyear floor mats in the front and rear, and a GMC diamond steering wheel cover from Amazon.

We'll see how it is with the next few months to come. I'm picking up a GT500 at the end of the month, so I'll want the Yukon, or "The Beast" as my mom has already started calling it, completely done and daily friendly. I already burned through the first tank of gas too. I drive a LOT. It spent a lot of time idling on this first tank. And short moves in and out of the shop, so I'm not surprised it only pulled 10.6 mpg. The bad o2 sensors and exhaust leak didn't help either. Might need an intake/tune/exhaust soon lolololol.

Anyways... Here's how she sits now. And I LOVE it. Sits up much higher than it used to, and imo, sits pretty damn high for a 2wd lol. Doesn't reflect it much in this pic, but when I walk out to it in a parking lot my first thought is "damn, look at all that ground clearance..." haha. Here's to getting it to 400k!

 

[05Single]

Lot of work, Coming along nicely. Don't forget to take more pics

 

[Miami-Dade]

You are doing a awesome job on your truck Joey!!

 

[Tonyrodz]

Looks great! I've been looking for a set of those wheels.

 

[jesse53]

Looks like on a prior pic you have an Airaid intake tube which is better than stock.