My wife wants a Suburban or Yukon XLT but my mechanic says he sees tons of them with trouble around throttle body and it takes hours to take apart. Any advice-what engine to buy? Will go for newer 2000-2002'. Also said brakes cost a fortune to replace. Is it true and just typical for a big truck?
CK5
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Is Vortec Bad news?
- Thread starter dang
- Start date
heavy4x4
1/2 ton status
I haven't heard of any troubles with the throttle bodies. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif What I have heard of is the early year (96-98) vortecs leak out of the back of the intake manifold. It's a time-consuming process to fix and just cost my Dad $600 to have a shop do it to his '97 burb...and, it's STILL losing coolant /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif. Anyway, I think that problem was solved and is no longer an issue in the newer trucks.
The half-tons are only available with the 5.3L vortec I believe. And I'm pretty sure the 3/4 tons have the options of 6.0L or 8.1L. If it were me, and I wasn't scared of the already $38,000 price, I would option for a 3/4 ton and get the 6L engine. A little more grunt if you ever need to tow. If you don't, a 1/2 ton would be more than sufficient.
About the brakes; I'm not sure if they've changed the front brake style since the '97 year that my dad has, but it's really simple. You can do the brake job yourself. It consists of; buy new rotors and pads, and then remove wheel, unbolt caliper, and pull off (that's right, just pull off) rotors. (The new rotors and doing it yourself adds up to FAR less $$$ than taking it in to get it done) My Dad's 'burb has drums in the back, and they've changed that to 4 wheel discs in the newer years...I'm not sure how they're set up though.
Hope that helps. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
The half-tons are only available with the 5.3L vortec I believe. And I'm pretty sure the 3/4 tons have the options of 6.0L or 8.1L. If it were me, and I wasn't scared of the already $38,000 price, I would option for a 3/4 ton and get the 6L engine. A little more grunt if you ever need to tow. If you don't, a 1/2 ton would be more than sufficient.
About the brakes; I'm not sure if they've changed the front brake style since the '97 year that my dad has, but it's really simple. You can do the brake job yourself. It consists of; buy new rotors and pads, and then remove wheel, unbolt caliper, and pull off (that's right, just pull off) rotors. (The new rotors and doing it yourself adds up to FAR less $$$ than taking it in to get it done) My Dad's 'burb has drums in the back, and they've changed that to 4 wheel discs in the newer years...I'm not sure how they're set up though.
Hope that helps. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
zcarczar
1/2 ton status
If you have seen the brakes on the new trucks you know why they are expensive to replace. They are HUGE and they can last 80k miles depending on how you drive.
Go for a 2000 model since they're still the older body style. Get it with the diesel and you won't have any Vortec worries /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Brake cost may be related to rear discs they added for 2001. Still fairly new, so the jobber market for brakes hasn't yet proliferated. The 2000 (and older) model uses drums. The 3/4-ton has massive 13x3.5" shoes that have remained the same for the last 20+ years.
Brake cost may be related to rear discs they added for 2001. Still fairly new, so the jobber market for brakes hasn't yet proliferated. The 2000 (and older) model uses drums. The 3/4-ton has massive 13x3.5" shoes that have remained the same for the last 20+ years.
We've replaced a couple throttle bodies on the late model Vortecs (don't recall what the issues are with them though). The earlier ones, 5.7L style, are good power makers (especially on the rev-limiters /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif), but they go through intake gaskets and injectors like they are free /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif. We have had some good luck extending the service interval of the intake gaskets by changing them over to green coolant, instead of the factory installed rust. Man, if that red stuff is 100K coolant, the old green stuff is 200K coolant. May just be what we experience here in hell (Phoenix), but, that red coolant is awful.
RockyRider13
1/2 ton status
Just some quick hyjacking questions:
What was the last year for the Gen 1+ vortec small block?
What were the major design changes?
does anyone have any experience with the MPI marine vortec engine?
TIA /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif
What was the last year for the Gen 1+ vortec small block?
What were the major design changes?
does anyone have any experience with the MPI marine vortec engine?
TIA /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif
heavy4x4
1/2 ton status
Not sure what you mean by Gen 1+, but "vortec" as we know it, started in the '96 model year trucks and I believe was unchanged until 2000.
Design changes: plenty. Everything from the valvetrain up is different from the '95 (tbi) model year. Roller cam, vortec heads (different intake bolt pattern - 4 vertical bolts per side versus the previous 6 slanted per side, better flowing), different intake manifold and throttle body, exhaust gasses no longer pass through intake manifold - they come from the left hand exhaust manifold, and of course more sensors for the even more controlling OBD II computer.
Sorry, don't know about the MPI marine engines.
Design changes: plenty. Everything from the valvetrain up is different from the '95 (tbi) model year. Roller cam, vortec heads (different intake bolt pattern - 4 vertical bolts per side versus the previous 6 slanted per side, better flowing), different intake manifold and throttle body, exhaust gasses no longer pass through intake manifold - they come from the left hand exhaust manifold, and of course more sensors for the even more controlling OBD II computer.
Sorry, don't know about the MPI marine engines.
RockyRider13
1/2 ton status
Sorry, what I meant were running changes in the vortec model.
Vortec is kinda a broad term, as the newer Gen3 small blocks are vortec also. It is called Gen1+ because it is a gen1 block, but with the special intake pattern, setting it apart from the other gen1 blocks.
Vortec is kinda a broad term, as the newer Gen3 small blocks are vortec also. It is called Gen1+ because it is a gen1 block, but with the special intake pattern, setting it apart from the other gen1 blocks.
