Newb with questions: Engines & Towing

[hamiltonfighter]

First off I have to mention that I am not an owner yet. Still shoppin.

I was wondering what the favored engine was to look for? I'm looking at model made between 01-04 and saw the Suburban's having the 5.3 and the Yukon Denali XL's having the 6.0.

How many miles are people averaging out of these engines? Does anyone know how much it would cost to replace an engine? I was thinking of getting a really high mileage Denali XL I found (229K), but having them keep the price low enough that I could replace the engine if it pooped out sometime soon.

Also, how big of travel trailers are people towing with these? Is a 30' trailer to big?

 

[WildBill]

Im not the best to answer this, but to my knowledge the 6.0 is only in the 2500 XL and burban (our years). 5.3 is in most, 4.8 in some. The 5.3 seems to do pretty well towing, depending on gearing they pull between 6K and 7500 lbs, if I remember right. I wouldnt by the 2500 if you dont need it or want it, I'm sure the mileage is worse.

As for the engine, I dont think its toast at 225K. Its on the down hill slide, but it has time. the 5.3 and 6.0s are every where and almost interchangable. I bought mine with 156K and it runs great and was super cheap.

If you dont care about mileage and want to pull pretty heavy, there is a 8.0 big block available in the 2500 XL and burban too. It seems like they are good to like 10k or 11k towing. and 10 mpg. they drive nice too.

I love my Yukon, one of the best vehicles i've had. you wont regret a higher mileage one.

 

[bai78]

I vote 6.0 all the way.

Personally, I get anywhere from 13-15 in mix/city driving & 17 highway.

 

[Rivieraracing]

If you are thinking about towing big items, I'd go 6.0L for sure!!

 

[hamiltonfighter]

What fuel is recommended for the 6.0? Does if require premium or is regular listed in the manual?

---------- Post added at 10:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:44 PM ----------

Never mind. I searched and found 87 octane is what the manual suggests.

 

[04SS99Denali]

i bought my yukon with 104k and i plan on running the miles up. i drive like 20k a year. 229k is getting up there but it can still last. id be more concerned about the trans / t case and the differentials. either way id have the motor compression tested and do a thorough inspection for any leaks. cold start it and listen for any unwanted noise and make sure it has proper oil pressure. if your planning on towing anything 6000+ pounds id go with a 6.0

 

[bkboatnsleds]

i have a tahoe with a 6.0L (Did the swap.. and a yukon XL with a 5.3) If your planing on doing large towing i'd get a suburban or the XL. I tow my 24' trailer with the XL over my tahoe with the 6.0 b/c the wheelbase makes for a better haul

 

[Freedom Motorsports]

I love our Yukon Denali, it has the 6.0 and it doesn't lack for power anywhere, however, it is not an XL and if I were going to tow something large I would rather have the longer wheel base.

 

[WoldD90]

I routinely tow trailers, mine is a 6.0 2500 with 4.10 gears. My truck will pull 12K with a weight distribution hitch. I have leaf springs in the rear instead of the coils, which helps with heavy loads. The long wheel base will also help a lot with towing long trailers. I put a front hitch on and it makes parking trailers in tight spots a dream.

I thought about getting the 8.1 but I only tow heavy trailers a few times a year.

I average 11MPG in the city and can get about 15ish on the highway.

BTW, my neighbor put 268K on a 5.3 Tahoe and got 7800 when he traded it in a couple years back. Maintenance is what counts on these trucks.

When you find one, change every fluid with a good synthetic and start a maintenance log.

 

[hamiltonfighter]

This make me a little more comfortable about getting one with high mileage .

http://youtu.be/gseLS-spDhs

 

[My01yuk]

This make me a little more comfortable about getting one with high mileage .

http://youtu.be/gseLS-spDhs

Well with 300K on it i guess you shouldn't be surprised to see the service engine soon light on. It looked and sound really good for a 300K truck. I hope to have mine for at least 225K.

 

[blueflamed03]

either way, the LS engine are so plentiful, if it ever goes out, you can find a used low mileage replacement for under $1200...

 

[DenaliAK]

I tow a boat a few times a year with my Denali (6.0L) and it does fine in the power area but when I pull the bigger ones, 6000lbs or so, you can definitely feel it on the shorter wheelbase. If I was needing to pull anything heavier I'd definitely want the longer wheelbase.

FWIW, I have almost 160,000 miles on an '03 and the engine feels as fresh as ever. These things last a long time if you don't abuse them and have good maintenance. I wouldn't discount a high-mileage one as going to need a new engine soon because it very well may not. As others have suggested, get it looked over by a mechanic first, but if it's all in order and running smooth don't be scared by 200k+. It's much more likely you'd need to worry about the tranny or drivetrain first.

 

[dropmech]

I haven't done a whole lot of towing with mine, but I towed a 6k lb trailer across the country with my 4.8 and had no issues at all. Couldn't even tell I was towing anything on the highway.

 

[blrmkrl83]

I had an 01 Sub 1500 with a 5.3 that I traded with 242,000 miles on it. I currently have an 05 Denali XL with 137,000. The camper that I have is about 30'overall length and with all of my crap in it weighs around 6500 lbs. Both of them had absolutely no problems handling the trailer. I've even pulled it in a 40+ mph cross wind with the Sub, although I could only drive about 53 mph without it kicking down to 2nd. The 6.0 does pull it better, but some of that is because the throttle practically has to be floored before it downshifts. My Sub downshifted somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 throttle. I tried not to let it do that because I don't like running the engine over 4,000 rpm. The mileage is only about 1 mpg worse with the 6.0 than the 5.3, but I think they bumped up the mileage for all engines in 05, so an older one might be worse. Unless you pull something really heavy or will pull it in a lot of hills the 5.3 will be fine.Another thing to consider is that the Denali has all wheel drive. There is no low range. I don't like it as well as the regular 4wd. High mileage on the engine isn't any problem if it's been taken care of. It's everything else that wears out.