170k Miles: What kind of maintenance issues should I be looking at?

[Martinjmpr]

So this is now the 3rd year we've had the 2004 Suburban (1500, LT, 4x4) as our tow vehicle for our travel trailer. We upgraded to a bigger trailer in January (R-pod 179, about 3500lbs gross weight, single axle.)

Truck is nearing 170,000 miles and I'm just wondering what kinds of things I should be looking at to keep it running well. Currently, it's running fine with no problems. I do my own oil changes but anything more complex I generally go to a shop for.

I've already done the following:

* New battery Dec 2015 (right after purchase)

* New intake manifold gasket (done right after purchase in Jan 2016 by the selling dealer, as it was throwing a CEL which prevented me from passing emissions.)

* New rear brake calipers and rotors (fronts were apparently OK) Jan 2016

* Rebuilt instrument cluster, new stepper motors, LEDs, and added trans temp gauge, July 2016 (circuit board medics did mine)

* Rebuilt transmission at 149k after losing gears 3 - 4 coming back from a trip in Aug 2016.

* Replaced driver's seat heaters, Jan 2018

* Replaced Transfer Case encoder motor after getting intermittent "Service 4wd" message on DIC, March 2018


So what else should I be thinking about?

* Coolant flush? Is it a good idea to have it back-flushed or is this likely to cause problems?

* Spark plugs/plug wires? Do these really wear out that much?

* Is there an in-line fuel filter that is replaceable? I've heard horror stories about fuel pump failures that require the tank to be dropped ($$$) in order to replace the relatively inexpensive pump. Any way to mitigate this?

* Front suspension? I replaced the front sway bar links in 2016 when we put in the lift, do I need to be concerned about ball joints or tie rod ends?

I would love to keep this truck at least 2 more years (while saving up for a newer one) so I don't mind putting some money into it to keep it running (the way I look at it, I'm not making car payments so if I put $300 - $500 into the truck every 2 or 3 months I'm still ahead of the game, right?)

One reason I want to keep this truck running well is that I've put a lot into upgrades: Suspension (2" lift, new Z71 springs, lift keys, Bilstien 5100's on all 4 corners, air bags in the rear), electrical (2nd battery w/12v outlet behind 2nd row, new stereo, LED fog lights, Scangauge II), and interior (Husky floor liners, new seat heaters.)

I really do like this truck, even as old as it is it still makes me smile when I drive it and I love the interior space!

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

 

[Chubbs]

170K miles, 3-years under your ownership, and all you have done is change the motor oil?

 

[Fosscore]

This may help or jog your memory for something else to check or be thinking about, even though you already own it and have done some maintenance, there are common issues with the NBS to be aware of.

http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thre...g-a-00-06-nbs-tahoe-suburban-look-here.61834/

 

[swathdiver]

Keep an eye on your oil pressure, the pick up tube o-ring tends to fall apart at about your mileage from what I've read. Change your differential fluids and transfer case. Keep the trans fluid clean. How are your parking brake shoes?

 

[Martinjmpr]

170K miles, 3-years under your ownership, and all you have done is change the motor oil?

Other than the items I listed, yeah pretty much. Oil and filters (incl air filter.)

Don't think I put all 170k on the truck though. It had 136k when I bought it so I've put about 34k on it in 2 1/2 years.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Keep an eye on your oil pressure, the pick up tube o-ring tends to fall apart at about your mileage from what I've read. Change your differential fluids and transfer case. Keep the trans fluid clean. How are your parking brake shoes?

Is there a fix for this? Or would it require tearing down the engine to get to?

Trans should be good, not even 20k miles on it since it was rebuilt in August 2016.

I've heard fuel pumps can go out without notice. Does anyone change theirs out pre-emptively? My understanding is that the part itself is relatively inexpensive but the expensive part is that it requires dropping the fuel tank.

 

[swathdiver]

You have to pull the front cover and drop the oil pan, plenty of threads on here by people who've done it, some current and ongoing.

 

[drowssap]

So....I will try to add my .02 and attempt to answer your question by telling you a short story. I like cars......A LOT! While car collectors like to get there hands on rare and old models, I really like buying and driving mass produced every day vehicles! I have owned plenty from Lexus and Toyota and spent many many hours on the appropriate forums for each of those manufactures. They are known for reliability and longevity but a member from the Toyota forum asked a very profound question one day. He questioned the reputation of Toyota's and asked if they truly were reliable or did their owners just properly maintain the ever loving $#it out of them!

Now....some of the statements/response I read from you here in this thread lead me to believe that you may just be unaware of how moving metal parts degrade over time and that is truly ok! Not everyone needs to be a master mechanic to simply own and drive a vehicle! What I will say though is that if you really do enjoy this vehicle and have hopes and plans to keep it much longer.....you have some work to do! A member here already stated the really important first steps and said you should replace ALL fluids as a starter. After that I would look for any wear and tear items that are showing significant age. Then....if any fluids are leaking I would definitely get to those seals next. This should give you a good baselined vehicle that you can confidently move forward with in my opinion. Please take note that this is just my opinion!!!

 

[clandr1]

You have to pull the front cover and drop the oil pan, plenty of threads on here by people who've done it, some current and ongoing.

You do not have to pull the front cover to replace the pickup tube o-ring. I did it three months ago and only had to drop the oil pan. Took me less than 3 hours, although my truck is 2WD and I understand the 4WD models require dropping the front diff to get the oil pan off.

 

[clandr1]

So what else should I be thinking about?

* Coolant flush? Is it a good idea to have it back-flushed or is this likely to cause problems?

A back flush won't cause any issues - just don't let anyone put stop leak in it.

* Spark plugs/plug wires? Do these really wear out that much?

I have 180k miles with the original plugs and wires. They are supposed to be changed at 100k per the manual, but mine haven't given me any problems so I've held off.

* Is there an in-line fuel filter that is replaceable? I've heard horror stories about fuel pump failures that require the tank to be dropped ($$$) in order to replace the relatively inexpensive pump. Any way to mitigate this?

I do not believe so. It was either '03 or '04 that they deleted the external fuel filter. If you're able to access the fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail, that will make your life easier. My truck has the FPR integrated into the fuel pump, so when mine started going out (sometimes wouldn't start until the second or third attempt) I had to replace the pump altogether. I got a lifetime warranty on parts and labor at the local chevrolet dealer for around $1,000.

* Front suspension? I replaced the front sway bar links in 2016 when we put in the lift, do I need to be concerned about ball joints or tie rod ends?

My tie rods started to loosen around 120k. I replaced them myself and haven't had any issues sense. Take it to a good alignment shop and they should be able to tell you if the tie rods are good or not.