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

[bobby2175]

So, mechanically, the truck was awesome. Had no problems making our first stop in Charlotte so the kids could see one of their friends.

But ran into an issue with our new 2nd row speakers. There's a little back story, so bear with me.

I just started wearing glasses for the first time last week, so I'm still getting used to them. We left around 4AM, so it was dark out for the next several hours. I decided to use the dimmer switch in the truck to turn down the brightness of the instrument panel, but in particular, the stereo head unit because they just seemed overly bright with my glasses. No problem - it worked fine.

This is completely an assumption on my part, but I believe that once it gets to a certain brightness outside, there must be an automatic override of the dimmer and it just goes to full brightness where you can no longer adjust it.

The reason I felt this way was because once it got bright out, I noticed that the head unit and dash immediately went to full brightness and I couldn't make any adjustments. At the exact moment this happened, I heard a loud click sound through the speakers, saw the brightness go full and the 2nd row speakers no longer worked - all simultaneously.

How could all of these be related and any thoughts on how to go about troubleshooting this? I know the easy thing may be to pull the speakers from the front row and plug them in the back, but would love your thoughts.

Here are the speakers at the 2nd row:

Infinity Kappa 63XF

Kappa Series 6-1/2" 2-way car speakers

www.crutchfield.com

No problems with the component set of front speakers:

Infinity Kappa 603CF

Kappa Series 6-1/2" component speaker system

www.crutchfield.com

Everything worked great for the first 6 hours of the trip and because people were still sleeping, we didn't even have the volume very high.

 

[petethepug]

The sensitivity to the Navi lights gets me too. I drive frequently in total darkness so my pupils clash with the differences between the Navi backlighting and lack of exterior lighting. I’m pretty sure one of my Rx also makes my eyeballs more sensitive to light too.

The speaker failure is likely a door harness getting damaged in the rubber boot between the door sill and jamb. When the lighting is dimmed it’s messing with a grounding path of the door the potentially damaged door harness.

 

[Fless]

Did the switch to bright dash lights coincide with the auto headlights turning off?

 

[bobby2175]

Did the switch to bright dash lights coincide with the auto headlights turning off?

No, I had the switch turned down for like 6 hours and everything was great until it flipped to full brightness on its own.

Wait - I didn't read that right. I don't know for certain if auto headlights turned off or not. It's possible.

 

[Roger906]

Hi Everyone,

I'm not a mechanic, but starting to do some very basic things on the truck to fix some random issues.

I'm the original owner and have kept up generally on all maintenance. The last major maintenance took place around 120K miles where I had the GM dealer do their typical 100K mile service.

The only major issue I've run into over the past 5 years is the electrical issue that's all over the internet and this forum with gauges acting up, no start, under powered engine, etc. I've gone through and replaced the battery, battery cables, cleaned up/replaced the ground wires, and fuse block under the hood and now am about 800 miles in with no issues!

I have a few concerns:
1. I believe there is an engine oil leak (I have to top off oil to get to my next oil change - about a half bottle) and there is definitely evidence of it in the engine compartment
2. Someone mentioned years ago that I have a differential leak (have not done anything with this).
3. I can feel at idle that the car isn't fully smooth - I can feel a little bit of "shake" during idle (sorry, not sure how to describe it)
4. When I hit the gas, the truck hesitates for a split second where it feelslike it hits gear a little hard (gear is a complete assumption). If I'm gentle on the accelerator going from stop, it's perfectly smooth - but even knowing this, sometimes I forget.

Other than these issues (which up until now when I'm planning a long trip), I'd considered nuisance items. The vehicle itself runs great and I'm often traveling between a couple of states - think 2 hour drives each way a couple times a month and it's always an awesome drive and I'm never worried about it.

So, what should I address before I hit the road? I'm also afraid to do too much (like a trans flush) and run into issues on the way?

What stuff should I pack with me like extra fuses, jumper cables, etc to solve an issue in a pinch?

Thanks for all of your help. I really appreciate it!

Bobby

Your rough idle and hesitation.....start using fuel system cleaner...techron, stop, whatever brand. Use it back to back , every tank 5 or 6 times...it helped mine with the rough idle. Front dif leak may in fact be oil leak from the oil cooler block off plate..it's very near the oil filter. It may be leaking onto the front dif.

 

[Doubeleive]

So, mechanically, the truck was awesome. Had no problems making our first stop in Charlotte so the kids could see one of their friends.

But ran into an issue with our new 2nd row speakers. There's a little back story, so bear with me.

I just started wearing glasses for the first time last week, so I'm still getting used to them. We left around 4AM, so it was dark out for the next several hours. I decided to use the dimmer switch in the truck to turn down the brightness of the instrument panel, but in particular, the stereo head unit because they just seemed overly bright with my glasses. No problem - it worked fine.

This is completely an assumption on my part, but I believe that once it gets to a certain brightness outside, there must be an automatic override of the dimmer and it just goes to full brightness where you can no longer adjust it.

The reason I felt this way was because once it got bright out, I noticed that the head unit and dash immediately went to full brightness and I couldn't make any adjustments. At the exact moment this happened, I heard a loud click sound through the speakers, saw the brightness go full and the 2nd row speakers no longer worked - all simultaneously.

How could all of these be related and any thoughts on how to go about troubleshooting this? I know the easy thing may be to pull the speakers from the front row and plug them in the back, but would love your thoughts.

Here are the speakers at the 2nd row:

Infinity Kappa 63XF

Kappa Series 6-1/2" 2-way car speakers

www.crutchfield.com

No problems with the component set of front speakers:

Infinity Kappa 603CF

Kappa Series 6-1/2" component speaker system

www.crutchfield.com

Everything worked great for the first 6 hours of the trip and because people were still sleeping, we didn't even have the volume very high.

underhood fuse box check fuses 41 & 42, drivers side dash fuse box check fuse 19
are the flip down screens working?
check that the rear entertainment is not set to video input, etc

 

[bobby2175]

Much bigger difference than I was hoping for. But, it still might not be irrelevant info. Like, if you had tested it before with the phone and it still showed the same 3-4 dB change. Thanks for the comparison! I'll be sure to do a before and after when I do mine. I'm just gonna use the phone app and have as few of variables as possible. I'll pick the same testing locations (parked and driving), phone locations and angles, weather conditions, etc.

Oh, and I'll be using an iPhone so the data will likely be more factual!

I was just waiting for that apple comment from you!!

 

[bobby2175]

Where in FL are y'all going? I drove from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Wimauma, FL (about 30 mins south of Tampa) last Friday. Did this in my old 2008 with 227K miles. The same one I often post here of the beatings and abuse I deal it. What I did to get her ready for the 800-mile journey was check the tire pressures and look at the oil, trans fluid, and coolant levels. Oh, real important- I also saved a bunch of Marketplace listings for subwoofer amps between Pensacola and Wimauma. Mine is still in the shop so I wanted to get one along the way or while I was here. Gotta take advantage of the 4-state market.

I plan to meet up with another forum member from south FL that will be up this way for a few days. If you happen to be near and available, maybe you could join?

We actually just arrived in Orlando. Took a route that kept us closer east so we could stop in Charlotte. We're jumping on a cruise in a few days.

That is so smart on looking at listings along the way - when you say marketplace, are you looking at Facebook?

I definitely would want to meet up with several of you guys where I owe you at least a few 6-packs or some good bourbons - just don't see making it a little west towards you this time, but I really appreciate you mentioning it!

 

[bobby2175]

underhood fuse box check fuses 41 & 42, drivers side dash fuse box check fuse 19
are the flip down screens working?
check that the rear entertainment is not set to video input, etc

Going to take a look at these fuses and the rest today. Thank you for the tips, Wes!

I'm even more weak when it comes to radio stuff so appreciate the point in a direction to check!

 

[bobby2175]

Checked all of the fuses and the flip down screen and they all look good/work. Rear entertainment is not on video. Any other suggestions?

 

[Doubeleive]

Checked all of the fuses and the flip down screen and they all look good/work. Rear entertainment is not on video. Any other suggestions?

meh, not sure
if you have a dvd inserted in the head unit remove it, then put it on radio and then on the rear control cycle thru all the inputs and see if the speakers kick on. that's the only thing I know of that turns the rear speakers off is when there is a dvd playing and/or the rear is set to another input.

 

[bobby2175]

Ok, figured it out and it was the dumbest thing. Actually, my wife solved it.

We started playing a DVD that was in the head unit to check the pop down screen and then stopped it which brought her to this screen:

She then started randomly changing the bottom buttons from surround to rear, driver, normal and ended up at surround again and it all worked again - all speakers were functional.

How would something like this even happen (or be connected) with the sequence of events with the dimmer, the display brightness, click at the speaker - all while nobody had a hand on the head unit?

 

[Doubeleive]

Ok, figured it out and it was the dumbest thing. Actually, my wife solved it.

We started playing a DVD that was in the head unit to check the pop down screen and then stopped it which brought her to this screen:

View attachment 417547

She then started randomly changing the bottom buttons from surround to rear, driver, normal and ended up at surround again and it all worked again - all speakers were functional.

How would something like this even happen (or be connected) with the sequence of events with the dimmer, the display brightness, click at the speaker - all while nobody had a hand on the head unit?

it happens, especially with the oem head unit, turning on a dvd cut's the rear speakers I guess so they can hear better with the headphones thru infrared

 

[iamdub]

That is so smart on looking at listings along the way - when you say marketplace, are you looking at Facebook?

Yup- Facebook Marketplace. It's all I use FB for. No friends, no posts, no nothing. I drive all over Louisiana and into Mississippi and Texas for work, so I have a huge area to search for things I want or even sell.

I definitely would want to meet up with several of you guys where I owe you at least a few 6-packs or some good bourbons - just don't see making it a little west towards you this time, but I really appreciate you mentioning it!

Coming all the way from MI, I had to mention it. No worries, though. Hell, I don't think I'm gonna be able to meet up with that other TYF member. Just too busy spending all my time with my grandparents.

 

[swathdiver]

Ok, figured it out and it was the dumbest thing. Actually, my wife solved it.

We started playing a DVD that was in the head unit to check the pop down screen and then stopped it which brought her to this screen:

View attachment 417547

She then started randomly changing the bottom buttons from surround to rear, driver, normal and ended up at surround again and it all worked again - all speakers were functional.

How would something like this even happen (or be connected) with the sequence of events with the dimmer, the display brightness, click at the speaker - all while nobody had a hand on the head unit?

I would say something got loose for a second and the unit lost some settings. Had this happen when the kids drained the battery and when the positive cable was loose on a trip. Both times the screen went bright which set internal codes.

Enjoy the trip and cruise and Happy New Year to y'all, including you Chris! @iamdub

 

[iamdub]

I would say something got loose for a second and the unit lost some settings. Had this happen when the kids drained the battery and when the positive cable was loose on a trip. Both times the screen went bright which set internal codes.

Enjoy the trip and cruise and Happy New Year to y'all, including you Chris! @iamdub

Thanks, James. I wish for joy, health, peace and prosperity to you and yours!

 

[bobby2175]

Was starting to think through some of my next repairs and PM. Are there any other weak points I should be considering? Remember, my goal is to keep running this truck for a long, long time.

I'm thinking I want to address the broken exhaust manifold bolt. In talking with my trusted shop (owner of which also has a Yukon), he recommends just changing out all of the bolts vs using the dorman clamp. What are your thoughts? Also, are these the right ARP bolts to use:

Pardon Our Interruption

We had discussed proactively changing out the torque converter a few posts back - any thoughts on that? I'm still on my original transmission with no issues right now.i also had Blackstone take a look at my trans fluid from last month and it actually looked pretty good with no identified issues. Do I even bother with this?

I typically drive long distances - 2 hours each way, so my goal is to not get stranded somewhere unprepared.

Anything else I should think about in 2024 with 185K miles now?

 

[Geotrash]

Also, are these the right ARP bolts to use:

Pardon Our Interruption

Yup, those will work

We had discussed proactively changing out the torque converter a few posts back - any thoughts on that?

You're on borrowed time with that torque converter already. It would be my top priority to get it replaced. Might as well do the rear main seal and oil galley dog bone while you're in there.

 

[donjetman]

Was starting to think through some of my next repairs and PM. Are there any other weak points I should be considering? Remember, my goal is to keep running this truck for a long, long time.

I'm thinking I want to address the broken exhaust manifold bolt. In talking with my trusted shop (owner of which also has a Yukon), he recommends just changing out all of the bolts vs using the dorman clamp. What are your thoughts? Also, are these the right ARP bolts to use:

Pardon Our Interruption

We had discussed proactively changing out the torque converter a few posts back - any thoughts on that? I'm still on my original transmission with no issues right now.i also had Blackstone take a look at my trans fluid from last month and it actually looked pretty good with no identified issues. Do I even bother with this?

I typically drive long distances - 2 hours each way, so my goal is to not get stranded somewhere unprepared.

Anything else I should think about in 2024 with 185K miles now?

Those ARP bolts are correct.

6L80 TECHM pressure switch membranes (laminents) repair.
https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thr...p0842-p0872-p0877-update.145047/#post-1838408
Replace the torque converter, and while you're in there the rear main seal, etc.
https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thr...7-yukon-denali-6-2.108334/page-3#post-1293118
Front Suspension Refresh
https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/front-end-refresh.145676/

 

[donjetman]

and oil galley dog bone while you're in there.

Also known as the oil galley "barbell".