Want to take my 2010 Yukon XL Denali with 180,000 miles for a family trip from Michigan To Florida

[Doubeleive]

if you want to upgrade the radio to something more modern, this one is a few years older model but is still a great upgrade with WIRELESS android auto or carplay, navigation, dvd, rse compatible.
pioneer AVIC-W8500NEX or w8400nex, you can find used ones on ebay for around $500-600 just be sure it comes with the wiring harness
then you can find the adapters needed at

iDatalink Maestro

www.idatalinkmaestro.com

you just enter your information and it gives you the adapters needed, which then can also be bought at a discount on ebay
you can use it with the stock amp and just replace your broken speakers with used oem and you will be golden

 

[Geotrash]

Should I also replace the airlines? I've read mixed reviews on the Dorman - should I go OEM?

I left my factory air lines in place as they were. No problems. Your choice on Dorman vs OEM. When I did mine I researched the Dorman and at that time people were having good experiences with it. In my own experience, it's a quality part that's held up great in the 3 years since I replaced it.

 

[bobby2175]

Does this look right if I go OEM? I still have to think this through, but there was a lot of lean when we had all of our stuff back there.

They talk about a shock absorber nut tool - do I need one?

And you guys feel like someone like me (a non- car guy) can do this?

 

[Geotrash]

Does this look right if I go OEM? I still have to think this through, but there was a lot of lean when we had all of our stuff back there.

They talk about a shock absorber nut tool - do I need one?

And you guys feel like someone like me (a non- car guy) can do this?

Yes. 5801095 is the part number I installed on my 2012 exactly 3 years ago:

 

[bobby2175]

Compressor look right as well?

 

[adventurenali92]

if you want to upgrade the radio to something more modern, this one is a few years older model but is still a great upgrade with WIRELESS android auto or carplay, navigation, dvd, rse compatible.
pioneer AVIC-W8500NEX or w8400nex, you can find used ones on ebay for around $500-600 just be sure it comes with the wiring harness
then you can find the adapters needed at

iDatalink Maestro

www.idatalinkmaestro.com

you just enter your information and it gives you the adapters needed, which then can also be bought at a discount on ebay
you can use it with the stock amp and just replace your broken speakers with used oem and you will be golden

I have the pioneer 8500NEX unit he mentioned. It’s a great unit. I love the wireless CarPlay. It’s fantastic. I also have a wired option that will charge my phone should I need to. However because my iPhone 11 requires more power to charge, the wired connection takes forever to charge my phone. But thankfully I replaced the 12v cigarette light with e 3a duaL USB power port so the wired carplay slow charge isn’t an issue. Mine has some issues but those stem I think from the installer not knowing what he was doing and not wiring everything up correctly. He left a complete rats nest of wires behind the headunit, which is why I haven’t been able to trace the issues. Anyways The one complaint I have with my pioneer is that two years ago when I bought and installed there was already an updated software memory card available, and the reason I haven’t done it is because to swap that out it requires you to drill into the plate behind the screen to access the software memory card slot, and from what I’ve read the units main motherboard is right below the memory card slot so when cutting in to access there’s a very likely potential I will cut into the motherboard. And as a result I haven’t done it yet. I have a feeling the software update might solve a couple minor glitches in the unit that are not wiring related. But I’m not sure I even want to to attempt it lol.

 

[Geotrash]

Compressor look right as well?

Yes.

 

[Doubeleive]

I have the pioneer 8500NEX unit he mentioned. It’s a great unit. I love the wireless CarPlay. It’s fantastic. I also have a wired option that will charge my phone should I need to. However because my iPhone 11 requires more power to charge, the wired connection takes forever to charge my phone. But thankfully I replaced the 12v cigarette light with e 3a duaL USB power port so the wired carplay slow charge isn’t an issue. Mine has some issues but those stem I think from the installer not knowing what he was doing and not wiring everything up correctly. He left a complete rats nest of wires behind the headunit, which is why I haven’t been able to trace the issues. Anyways The one complaint I have with my pioneer is that two years ago when I bought and installed there was already an updated software memory card available, and the reason I haven’t done it is because to swap that out it requires you to drill into the plate behind the screen to access the software memory card slot, and from what I’ve read the units main motherboard is right below the memory card slot so when cutting in to access there’s a very likely potential I will cut into the motherboard. And as a result I haven’t done it yet. I have a feeling the software update might solve a couple minor glitches in the unit that are not wiring related. But I’m not sure I even want to to attempt it lol.

I got those numbers mixed up lol, I have the w4500nex which is pretty much the exact same thing. I replaced the card in mine. it sits right under the one that is available when you flip the screen open, took like 5 minutes after the head unit was pulled out

 

[adventurenali92]

I got those numbers mixed up lol, I have the w4500nex which is pretty much the exact same thing. I replaced the card in mine. it sits right under the one that is available when you flip the screen open, took like 5 minutes after the head unit was pulled out

I’ll have to check mine out after I get home from Tennessee this week. A buddy down in San Diego has the same pioneer I have and he said he had to drill his out to get the update. Maybe I can do this after all haha.is there a card update that’s readily available? Or do I have to take mine apart and send it out to be updated? If that’s the case it’s a no go since my Denali is my only truck and I have no desire to have my stereo bricked while I wait however long it takes to get it back lol.

 

[Doubeleive]

I’ll have to check mine out after I get home from Tennessee this week. A buddy down in San Diego has the same pioneer I have and he said he had to drill his out to get the update. Maybe I can do this after all haha.is there a card update that’s readily available? Or do I have to take mine apart and send it out to be updated? If that’s the case it’s a no go since my Denali is my only truck and I have no desire to have my stereo bricked while I wait however long it takes to get it back lol.

usually firmware updates and map updates are done with a thumb drive, I replaced my card because it failed and the radio would not boot

 

[bobby2175]

Yes.

usually firmware updates and map updates are done with a thumb drive, I replaced my card because it failed and the radio would not boot

How would I go about getting XM radio to work with this head unit?

 

[bobby2175]

Yes. 5801095 is the part number I installed on my 2012 exactly 3 years ago:

View attachment 411597

Just trying to think through how to get to that top bolt and make sure I can break it loose after 13 years of dirt, salt etc up here in Michigan. Can you suggest the proper tools? That's the one part I'm worried about - I don't have a lift. Just a floor jack. Will I be able to get up there with enough leverage to get it out?

Torque specs on those bolts?

 

[Doubeleive]

How would I go about getting XM radio to work with this head unit?

depends on the year. if yours has xm already and if it is a separate unit then it can be made to work thru the speedometer cluster, if it is built into the headunit then you need a
svx300 tuner kit which runs about $45 then it will interface directly to the aftermarket radio

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[bobby2175]

The coils for the models with ALC are a little softer since they rely on the air sleeves on the shocks to supplement the load capacity. With the sleeves blown/inoperable, you're left with the springs alone that are a little too soft for the vehicle's carrying capacity. If the rear is too soft for your everyday driving and/or you tow or carry a loaded cargo hold often enough, you can slip some air bags in the rear coils and just add a few PSI for those times you're loaded. Basically just doing manually what the ALC system does automatically. Air Lift and Firestone have kits for these rigs. The Air Lift 1000 bag kit is around $130 and can be installed in a couple of hours. Best I can tell, the Firestone (Coil-Rite) kit is comparable, just has blue bags instead of red.

You can disable the ALC by disconnecting the negative battery cable, removing a couple of fuses then reconnecting the battery. If that is the source for your suspension warning messages, this will eliminate that. Personally, if the shocks are otherwise fine and you just need to fix the sagging, I'd spend the $130 bucks versus four times that for the factory style shocks with the air sleeves plus the $200 for the compressor that might be blown.

Find your kit here:

Air Lift

Firestone


Also, lemme know if you get serious about the Big 3 wiring upgrade. I've gotta rush off to work. But I have pics, etc. in my build thread I can use to give you some pointers. I don't know what electrical gremlins you're experiencing. But upgrading the major circuits would at least rule out the factory shortcomings so you'd know if the problem was elsewhere.

@

The airlift 1000 kit says "will not fit models with factory auto leveling option". Assuming I can't use that one. I'll look at the Firestone.

I'm absolutely serious about big 3 and upgrading my audio before I leave on the trip. I have a couple blown speakers including the center one in the dash (which is a bad place to have a blown speaker), tired of the head unit, and want to upgrade my audio. Would love to do this before the trip as we are all into music and the truck will be blasting something the entire drive. I don't know where to start on any of this.

My configuration is like this thread below where the mega fuse is integrated with the positive cable and not at the firewall.

Big 3 upgrade question?

So I have been looking into doing a big 3 upgrade for awhile but it seems all the videos or tutorial I see have a different setup. It's not that I need a tutorial but more of an observation. Most other Tahoe's I have seen this done to are from 2007-2009. They have the 175 amp fuse located on the...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

@iamdub - can you give me a little guidance on the big 3? Please see in the link above that I have this configuration and don't fully know where all of these new wires will go. Still learning my way around the truck.

 

[bobby2175]

All the air springs say they’re not compatible with the Z55 equipped trucks. And I don’t know why that is but I’ve read it everywhere. It’s just a matter of measuring your rear coil springs and finding bags with matching dimensions. I’m guessing Firestone will say the same thing. I run airlift 1000 bags on my truck since I do so much towing and I figured it would be cheap insurance to help preserve the life of my Z55 shocks. It’s worked wonderfully. I agree with the comments that you could do the air springs option and manually fill them when you plan to carry lots of people and cargo weight on a trip to prevent sag. That’s a good solution I didn’t think of. Good “easy fix” in the interim while you decide on which way to go on shocks. And the plus side is that manually filling them is easy peasy…. I bought a really cheap small air compressor from a small California chain hardware store that I have a branch of in big bear. It’s just a little 12v cigarette lighter power compressor that you can use for tires. My airlift bags max out at 35PSI capacity. When unloaded I keep 10-15 PSI in the bags, a little more with detail gear loaded in, and 35PSI Max capacity whenever I have a boat hooked up. My air compressor is small enough to keep the cord and air line bundled up and stowed in the rear storage compartment where the bottle jack and tire iron and tools get stored. I pull it out and it takes all of 30 seconds plugged into the rear outlet by my tailgate to fill the bags all the way up.

@adventurenali92
@Geotrash

So, I'm going to purchase the rear shocks and compressor. I went to the grocery store the other day and loaded up just a few things - a couple of cases of water - and with just that little bit, the truck sags way more than it should.

I've found a couple of videos that walk me through the installation of the shocks/compressor...looks mostly straightforward. Question - are the upper bolts as difficult as they look to remove? Any suggestions there? Seems like I'll need a socket extension to reach it, but is that it?

Also, the air springs like you mentioned above - should I install those as well as the new shocks and compressor to take load off the overall system? I think I'm starting to tinker and doing some of this for just fun now. It's definitely been a lot more enjoyable than I expected starting to work on my cars.

 

[Geotrash]

@adventurenali92
@Geotrash

So, I'm going to purchase the rear shocks and compressor. I went to the grocery store the other day and loaded up just a few things - a couple of cases of water - and with just that little bit, the truck sags way more than it should.

I've found a couple of videos that walk me through the installation of the shocks/compressor...looks mostly straightforward. Question - are the upper bolts as difficult as they look to remove? Any suggestions there? Seems like I'll need a socket extension to reach it, but is that it?

Also, the air springs like you mentioned above - should I install those as well as the new shocks and compressor to take load off the overall system? I think I'm starting to tinker and doing some of this for just fun now. It's definitely been a lot more enjoyable than I expected starting to work on my cars.

They were easier to access than I expected. Yes, you'll definitely want to have some extensions on hand. Mainly just have to watch to make sure you don't inadvertently separate the wiring connector that's up there, but if you do just be sure to reconnect it.

If you replace the rear shocks with the OEM Z55 parts and put in a new compressor, you won't need (or want) any additional air bags. I think folks were mentioning that in case you didn't have time or want to stand the expense of replacing the factory parts. In that case, the additional air bags would be a viable solution.

Note that the Dorman compressor comes with new air lines. While it's likely your factory lines will be fine, it's something to think about.

 

[bobby2175]

They were easier to access than I expected. Yes, you'll definitely want to have some extensions on hand. Mainly just have to watch to make sure you don't inadvertently separate the wiring connector that's up there, but if you do just be sure to reconnect it.

If you replace the rear shocks with the OEM Z55 parts and put in a new compressor, you won't need (or want) any additional air bags. I think folks were mentioning that in case you didn't have time or want to stand the expense of replacing the factory parts. In that case, the additional air bags would be a viable solution.

Note that the Dorman compressor comes with new air lines. While it's likely your factory lines will be fine, it's something to think about.

Thanks so much! Do you recall the torque specs on those bolts?

 

[Doubeleive]

Thanks so much! Do you recall the torque specs on those bolts?

85ft lbs
rears should be done with axle level with how it normally sits on the ground, so jack up the frame and support it, remove wheels and then jack support the axle so you can move it up/down as needed to fit the shocks on
you will probably need to use 2 sockets (one on each side) if i remember correctly. you can do it without having to pull the wheel shroud off, just reach up behind it

 

[Geotrash]

85ft lbs
rears should be done with axle level with how it normally sits on the ground, so jack up the frame and support it, remove wheels and then jack support the axle so you can move it up/down as needed to fit the shocks on
you will probably need to use 2 sockets (one on each side) if i remember correctly. you can do it without having to pull the wheel shroud off, just reach up behind it

Very important advice. You don't want the rubber boots on those shocks to roll over themselves by setting the back end down before the bags get some air in them.

 

[bobby2175]

85ft lbs
rears should be done with axle level with how it normally sits on the ground, so jack up the frame and support it, remove wheels and then jack support the axle so you can move it up/down as needed to fit the shocks on
you will probably need to use 2 sockets (one on each side) if i remember correctly. you can do it without having to pull the wheel shroud off, just reach up behind it

Thanks so much for this!

So, for someone who knows nothing, I just want to make sure I understand.

1. Jack up the frame and support it with jack stands.
2. Pull the jack and now raise up the axle to be able to have control over the installation with it in its normal position.
3. Install the shocks
4. Put the tire back on
5. Remove the jack on that side
6. Repeat for the other side

Do I follow this same process for the removal as well?

I will look to see if I can find some good videos on jacking the vehicle up at the rear. This is definitely one of my blind spots.