Thinking about purchasing a 00-06 Tahoe.

[OR VietVet]

Yea, I would mess with an Acura anytime I could. Hell, I would cross park in 2 parking slots just to mess with an Acura.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Yea, I would mess with an Acura anytime I could. Hell, I would cross park in 2 parking slots just to mess with an Acura.

He didn't beat me til I slowed down for him then tried speeding up once he caught up . Hit the gas--nothing buy rpms!

 

[TheEnder]

Never say never, and I'll knock on wood.

I'm at 317k original factory trans in my 04 Z71 Tahoe. I've towed a 21' speed boat to the river numerous times, along with a flatbed trailer with Polaris Rzr or a long travel dune buggy to the desert in the 6 years I've owned this Tahoe. I've drained the pan about 4 times since I've owned the Tahoe and top off with around 4 quarts of fresh ATF. A little maintenance and paying attn to how it's shifting has netted me way more miles out of the trans than I ever expected.

If the engine wasn't puking oil, it would be the perfect Tahoe. Instead of finding and fixing the oil leaks and past coolant loss problem on the 5.3, I decided to just build a 6.0 long block to drop in it's place. I suspect the trans will have to be attended to shortly thereafter.

YMMV....

I know this isn’t the exact place to be talking about this but the possibility of getting the 06 Tahoe just skyrocketed.

My current truck which is a 2013 RAM 1500 with just now over 500K on the clock just threw a check engine light and now the transmission (the dreaded 65RFE) is shifting even more strangely than it did before, now it’s missing downshifts, etc. I’m suspecting a bad solenoid pack or a bad torque converter, but i don’t have a code reader on hand to see what it is.

I’ve been looking around recently, and i’ve found a really nice 5.3 06 that looks promising, and it’s only a few hours away. Completely loaded from what i can see, still has that old Chevy radio but changing that out won’t be a problem.

I’m trying to save up the last few K for it, then i’ll be buying it so i can save up and fix my RAM and have a vehicle that i can rely on for the time being.


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[OR VietVet]

By the time you save enough money for the 06, is the rig still gonna be available.

 

[Tonyrodz]

I know this isn’t the exact place to be talking about this but the possibility of getting the 06 Tahoe just skyrocketed.

My current truck which is a 2013 RAM 1500 with just now over 500K on the clock just threw a check engine light and now the transmission (the dreaded 65RFE) is shifting even more strangely than it did before, now it’s missing downshifts, etc. I’m suspecting a bad solenoid pack or a bad torque converter, but i don’t have a code reader on hand to see what it is.

I’ve been looking around recently, and i’ve found a really nice 5.3 06 that looks promising, and it’s only a few hours away. Completely loaded from what i can see, still has that old Chevy radio but changing that out won’t be a problem.

I’m trying to save up the last few K for it, then i’ll be buying it so i can save up and fix my RAM and have a vehicle that i can rely on for the time being.


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I think that's a good sign if the stock radio is still in it. Could possibly mean it's never been tampered with.

 

[OR VietVet]

Yea, when I am looking for a new rig I hate to see any mods done to it because of the unknown quality and expertise. I also never buy if the engine has been detailed. I expect and want to see leaks under the hood. That allows me to know what I am negotiating about.

 

[TheEnder]

By the time you save enough money for the 06, is the rig still gonna be available.

Yeah, should only be a week to two from now.


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[TheEnder]

Yea, when I am looking for a new rig I hate to see any mods done to it because of the unknown quality and expertise. I also never buy if the engine has been detailed. I expect and want to see leaks under the hood. That allows me to know what I am negotiating about.

Yes exactly, no one understands why i like to see dirty engine bays when i purchase used cars. Go figure.


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[OR VietVet]

That's what the seller counts on, especially if the buyer is a female. I always take my shop coveralls with me when I am looking and will crawl under the rig to give it all a look see. If I drive the rig I will put it through it's paces as well. I drive it like I stole it. I also prefer to look at it in the day time and at night. I want to see the brightness of all the lights, inside and out.

 

[JonnyTahoe]

Never say never, and I'll knock on wood.

I'm at 317k original factory trans in my 04 Z71 Tahoe. I've towed a 21' speed boat to the river numerous times, along with a flatbed trailer with Polaris Rzr or a long travel dune buggy to the desert in the 6 years I've owned this Tahoe. I've drained the pan about 4 times since I've owned the Tahoe and top off with around 4 quarts of fresh ATF. A little maintenance and paying attn to how it's shifting has netted me way more miles out of the trans than I ever expected.

If the engine wasn't puking oil, it would be the perfect Tahoe. Instead of finding and fixing the oil leaks and past coolant loss problem on the 5.3, I decided to just build a 6.0 long block to drop in it's place. I suspect the trans will have to be attended to shortly thereafter.

YMMV....

You have only had the Truck for six years what proof do you have it's the Original Never Rebuilt Trans.. Mine was purchased Brand New by my GF with every Service Repair Record which is about 1/2''thick stack of Dealer receipts. I find it hard to believe myself that her (mine for the last ten years) trans made it 19 years and just shy of 295k. A person is lucky if these Light Duty 4L60's go 150k let alone over 200k let alone over 300k.

 

[mattt]

You have only had the Truck for six years what proof do you have it's the Original Never Rebuilt Trans.. Mine was purchased Brand New by my GF with every Service Repair Record which is about 1/2''thick stack of Dealer receipts. I find it hard to believe myself that her (mine for the last ten years) trans made it 19 years and just shy of 295k. A person is lucky if these Light Duty 4L60's go 150k let alone over 200k let alone over 300k.

I bought it from someone I knew(original owner) and have all the service records. He even kept the window sticker with the records. He babied it and took excellent care of it. Most of the time his wife and daughter drove it. I do think the regular interval trans service I've done since buying it 6 years ago has extended the life to where I'm at now. The trans service I've done is just drain and refill from the trans pan drain plug every 50k or so, with one service around 200k of dropping the pan and replacing the filter. YMMV

 

[rgosart]

You have only had the Truck for six years what proof do you have it's the Original Never Rebuilt Trans.. Mine was purchased Brand New by my GF with every Service Repair Record which is about 1/2''thick stack of Dealer receipts. I find it hard to believe myself that her (mine for the last ten years) trans made it 19 years and just shy of 295k. A person is lucky if these Light Duty 4L60's go 150k let alone over 200k let alone over 300k.

I know of an 04 Yukon XL with over 275k on the original trans. One of my friend's families bought it brand new. It is not unheard of!

 

[JonnyTahoe]

That's what the seller counts on, especially if the buyer is a female. I always take my shop coveralls with me when I am looking and will crawl under the rig to give it all a look see. If I drive the rig I will put it through it's paces as well. I drive it like I stole it. I also prefer to look at it in the day time and at night. I want to see the brightness of all the lights, inside and out.

If I were ever going to let someone 'test drive' my truck (highly un-likely) if they even started to 'Drive it like they stole it' Trust me, they would be walking back.

 

[JonnyTahoe]

I bought it from someone I knew(original owner) and have all the service records. He even kept the window sticker with the records. He babied it and took excellent care of it. Most of the time his wife and daughter drove it. I do think the regular interval trans service I've done since buying it 6 years ago has extended the life to where I'm at now. The trans service I've done is just drain and refill from the trans pan drain plug every 50k or so, with one service around 200k of dropping the pan and replacing the filter. YMMV

You have most certainly extended the life of your trans. You are lucky your Drain Plug even came off mine did not. The Plugs on these Pans are sealed from the factory to prevent leakage.

 

[OR VietVet]

If I can't put a vehicle, that I am thinking about buying, through it's paces, then I would walk away too. I always ask before I do it. I never assume.

 

[mattt]

You have most certainly extended the life of your trans. You are lucky your Drain Plug even came off mine did not. The Plugs on these Pans are sealed from the factory to prevent leakage.

Ahhh yes.....you just reminded me about how fun that was. Yeah the first time coming out, that plug was a "female dog" and fought me tooth and nail. It rounded off like a mofo but I wasn't going to let it beat me. Mistakenly I started with a 12 point 15mm socket first which started the rounding off, then switched to a 6 point 15mm socket which helped, but it still wouldn't come out. With how chowdered up the head was at that point, I switched to a Craftsman Bolt Out Remover Set that has saved my ass on numerous occasions and it finally gave up the fight and came out. Prior to pulling it out though, I made sure to have a replacement bolt on hand. I had to scour numerous vehicles at the junkyard to find a non-rounded off drain bolt that was willing to come out. At least 60% of the ones there were either rounded off already or stuck in place. Couldn't find a dealer with one or able to order from what I remember.

When I remove it now, I only use a 6 point socket and I haven't had another problem. It does seem to get tighter the longer it's in there and I've had to be careful when removing it so it doesn't slip or round off. I think the constant heat cycling of the pan and drain bolt with the captured O-ring leads to the snug tight seal over time. I would definitely do your best to get that drain bolt out if you have one, the later years omitted the trans pan drain unfortunately. Fresh fluid in an old trans seems to work minor miracles.

 

[JonnyTahoe]

If I can't put a vehicle, that I am thinking about buying, through it's paces, then I would walk away too. I always ask before I do it. I never assume.

Totally get that. When I "Test Drove" my '00 Yukon last Sept the 'Kid' I bought it from had just brought it up from Texas where it was a life long Texas truck. Radio didn't work, paint on hood all faded, needed tires, interior all dirty, hood latch broken. It was even stolen when it was 5 yrs old (CARFAX). Bottom line I always wanted a RWD (have a 4X4 Tahoe)It was a RWD Southern Truck absolutely Rust free. The fact that it is the best running 5.3 I have ever had and it shifts really nice are just a bonus.

 

[JonnyTahoe]

Ahhh yes.....you just reminded me about how fun that was. Yeah the first time coming out, that plug was a "female dog" and fought me tooth and nail. It rounded off like a mofo but I wasn't going to let it beat me. Mistakenly I started with a 12 point 15mm socket first which started the rounding off, then switched to a 6 point 15mm socket which helped, but it still wouldn't come out. With how chowdered up the head was at that point, I switched to a Craftsman Bolt Out Remover Set that has saved my ass on numerous occasions and it finally gave up the fight and came out. Prior to pulling it out though, I made sure to have a replacement bolt on hand. I had to scour numerous vehicles at the junkyard to find a non-rounded off drain bolt that was willing to come out. At least 60% of the ones there were either rounded off already or stuck in place. Couldn't find a dealer with one or able to order from what I remember.

When I remove it now, I only use a 6 point socket and I haven't had another problem. It does seem to get tighter the longer it's in there and I've had to be careful when removing it so it doesn't slip or round off. I think the constant heat cycling of the pan and drain bolt with the captured O-ring leads to the snug tight seal over time. I would definitely do your best to get that drain bolt out if you have one, the later years omitted the trans pan drain unfortunately. Fresh fluid in an old trans seems to work minor miracles.

Thanks for your removal tip. I was able to buy a Plug from my Local Dealer. P/N-2423-3099

 

[JonnyTahoe]

Ahhh yes.....you just reminded me about how fun that was. Yeah the first time coming out, that plug was a "female dog" and fought me tooth and nail. It rounded off like a mofo but I wasn't going to let it beat me. Mistakenly I started with a 12 point 15mm socket first which started the rounding off, then switched to a 6 point 15mm socket which helped, but it still wouldn't come out. With how chowdered up the head was at that point, I switched to a Craftsman Bolt Out Remover Set that has saved my ass on numerous occasions and it finally gave up the fight and came out. Prior to pulling it out though, I made sure to have a replacement bolt on hand. I had to scour numerous vehicles at the junkyard to find a non-rounded off drain bolt that was willing to come out. At least 60% of the ones there were either rounded off already or stuck in place. Couldn't find a dealer with one or able to order from what I remember.

When I remove it now, I only use a 6 point socket and I haven't had another problem. It does seem to get tighter the longer it's in there and I've had to be careful when removing it so it doesn't slip or round off. I think the constant heat cycling of the pan and drain bolt with the captured O-ring leads to the snug tight seal over time. I would definitely do your best to get that drain bolt out if you have one, the later years omitted the trans pan drain unfortunately. Fresh fluid in an old trans seems to work minor miracles.

I was able to remove a few quarts of fluid with a fluid pump and a long clear hose down the dip stick tube then un-bolted the pan. Shift linkage was a pain so I did what every professional mechanic does and bent the steel bracket out of the way.

 

[mattt]

If you're able to get the plug out, it's about 3.5 quarts of fluid swap.