Confession and apology

Streetwiseguy said:

I'm with Pete.  If you are unfamiliar with GM brakes, in just about any model, you will be gently horrified by the pedal feel.

Also, the abs lawyers at GM had way, way too much input.  After the second time I was terrified by my 2000 Silverado refusing to allow braking for an unreasonable length of time after hitting a pothole on perfectly dry pavement, I yanked the abs fuse.  Much better now.

And while I am a luddite, I always say, after having the abs engage in my Volvo, "Oopsie.  I should have been paying closer attention there."  So, not all abs programming is bad. 

Sorry  Tim for the hijack ...would  this work in my '04 Bravada?

My family has owned Suburbans for generations. One of the best at towing and hauling people available.  

In reply to 759NRNG :

My lawyer recommends I don't say,"Sure".

gearheadE30 said:

Yep, discs all around on those.

The older trucks (GMT400) had the long pedal because they had calipers that aggressively retracted the pistons to reduce drag/improve fuel economy, and a stepped quick takeup master cylinder. Worked fine in theory, but most panic brake applications resulted in a big WHOOSH! and not much else.

The issue I'd seen was much worse than that, and was easily corrected by disconnecting the lines from the RWAL unit and teeing them together.

All of my tow vehicles have been Fords but I routinely remark on how good Suburbans are. Around here they're known has Mormon assault vehicles as they take large families to out of the way places.

Streetwiseguy said:

In reply to 759NRNG :

My lawyer recommends I don't say,"Sure".

Who is this again?........wink  tanx

The 4L60 in my ‘96 Silverado Ext Cab was at 250k when I sold it in 2016.  It routinely pulled my Spec Miata on an open trailer to Sebring and Daytona.  Wish I had kept it, but didn’t think I would need it after selling the SM and going the rent-a-ride route.

Suburbans are *great* at what they do. When I think seminal large SUV, I think Suburban, so they've had a lot of time to get things right. 

It seems like the majority of these will need one transmission in there lifetime. But I would also say that's true of most vehicles that routinely hit 350k miles.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

In every GM I've owned I do a "double pump" technique when braking. One slight tap then off then brake. Doing this makes braking easier IMO 

In the northeast you'd be hard pressed to find one that doesn't have fist sized holes in the quarters or rockers. But they are all rusted junk here, regardless of brand. Buying one from a dry area I'd have little fear.

When it comes to trucks I feel the older they are, the more reliable they are. Though the components may be old they were better built, easier to replace and can be found at just about any O'Reilly's or NAPA on your travel route. The crap that breaks on the newfangled 'better' trucks means a run to the dealer or an overnight stay in a Motel 6.

Other people are figuring it out too, which is reflected in the prices we see now for trucks from the 70s and upwards.

Owned the previous iteration.  Was the family and boat hauler.  Got stolen and recovered but the transmission wasn't up to hauling the boat, even in flat Florida.  Bought one like yours in the 2500 class and it was a workhorse for years with no issues.  Family trips across country you could keep 3 kids outside arms reach of each other and still carry huge amounts of the crap you need for a cross country road trip.  Ate up highway miles.  Hauled a big ass boat without complaint.  My daughter still recall it with affection.  She called it the "effilant" due to its shiny dark gray hide.

My elderly neighbor has one that they are going to sell soon. Purchased new, always garaged kept and great maintenance. Keep thinking of a reason to buy it

However, already have two suv's and not anymore room. A year ago I would have. 

Now that you have seen the light on the GMT800, now I'll get you into a Korean car. 

Those early GMT800 Suburbans don't stand a chance down here in Texas. While we have zero rust concerns, we have a bunch of dudes called Takuaches who hot rod GM trucks and tear the hell out of engines and transmissions. So every Suburban is on a short road to engine and trans donor around here. Tahoes seems to fare better in regards to not being seen as simply a donor vehicle. 

ProDarwin said:

Someone enlighten me.  Did suburbans have the 4L80?  I thought the 4L60 in Tahoes was pretty much a guaranteed failure at some point during ownership?

I suspect the biggest problem the 4L60E has is being factory installed behind one of the most popular engines to stick a jury-rigged turbo system on and feed it two to three times the torque the designers expected to see.

Subscriber-unavailabile said:

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

In every GM I've owned I do a "double pump" technique when braking. One slight tap then off then brake. Doing this makes braking easier IMO 

I just do it automatically after a lifetime of practice driving old cars and doing threshold braking. Quick pump to pressurize the system. I have to consciously avoid it when driving a newer car (a rare event for me). Even my 04 Ralliart, with antilock brakes, four wheel disks, braided lines, and Stop Tech Sport front pads will give me better pedal feel with a quick pump. My autocross miata is entirely analogue, so it's pure threshold braking.

My 88 C2500 stops fine, at 4950 pounds empty. With 4500 lbs of trailer and a few hundred pounds in the bed, it takes a bit of planning.

Oddly enough, a 2500 Suburban with just over 97k miles is for sale near me for $9500. It's a 4x4, too.

I'm currently in a race to beat somebody I know to go look at it for somebody I know up North.

 

My 2500 is a real workhorse and surprisingly comfy for those long towing trips. I did have the sensor jacking issue so I pulled the fuse and have great braking now (yeah, I need to just replace the sensors and clean the hubs but it's a bit of a PITA). Love this truck, but the rust is making itself known as an ex-PA truck. Had to replace the brake lines with stainless, and redid the fuel lines and fuel pump due to the fuel pump plate rusting and leaking. Also glad these days that the 8.1 liter takes regular fuel...

That red looks good and it's nice to see one that isn't beige metallic like mine and every other one seems to be...

So who was the shipper?  I need to ship my corrado soon and want to avoid them...

I daily drive one. 193k miles. I paid 3k for it and it just plain works.

nothing is broken on it aside from the rust id keep it a long time.  I do want one of the Yukon's with the 6.0 now. The 5.3 works well but I want a little more power.  
 

door handles break as well. Every auto parts store has tons of them in stock and they are an easy fix.  
 

after our last camping trip, my wife is sold on suburbans.  
 

I think I'll start looking for a rust free one. 

I just pulled our camper 553 miles round trip to CT from upstate NY. The GMT400 is still getting it done but it's getting it done slow. He trailer scaled at 4700 lbs before the trip 3 adults 2 kids no problems. Pulling up some of the big hills I wish I had the GMT800 with a nice 6.0. 

In reply to New York Nick :

How hard would a 6.0 swap be? 

I have considered it but how many $'s do you spend on a 26 year old daily driver truck? I feel like an engine swap may be where things  come off the rails for me on this one. 

Ive had a rash of people/friends/family asking me what truck to buy. Generally with the criteria of modern-ish (they all know i like dumb old E36 M3), reliable, capable, cheap to repair, and DIY-able.

They all get the same answer. GMT800s 99-06 (07 classics) GM 1500 (including SUVs if you dont need the bed, they are cheaper) for more modern, and GMT400s for more reliable. I generally prefer the more truckish GMT400s. BTW the bad GMT400 brakes comes from the calipers/seals to reduce drag and the master. Swapping to a GMT800 master greatly improves the pedal feel.

Im a huge GMT800 fan though. They came out 22 years ago and I still think they drive like a relatively modern vehicle. If you keep them out of the rust belt they are incredibly long lived vehicles. Ive seen many with well over 300K. Plus you can get them with more modern things like dual climate, and seat heaters.

The biggest issues Ive seen are front end parts (especially on 4WDs) and transmission. If you get a 4L60, I tell people to plan on a rebuild but keep up the maintenance. I think they are more reliable than the internet will lead you to believe but they do fail sometimes. My first one lasted 264K miles and my pops is still on his original at 252K and its hooks to a trailer pretty regularly.

I really liked the 1500HDs and 2500s since you get the 80e and the 6.0 or 8.1. In personal experience Ive seen many oil pressure problems (as in lack of) on 6.0s specifically and only a few times on 5.3s. Other people have told me they have the same experience, cant explain it so maybe its a usage thing.

The most reliable truck Ive ever owned personally is a Dodge, but I also worked in the auto repair industry for a decent period and experience there tells me as a whole the GM trucks are more reliable, cheaper to fix and way easier to find parts for.