A Sticky for New PPV/SSV Owners To Re-Civilianize Our Tahoes

[jmm121783]

Joe, if you can the up fitter book it will tell you or download, it will explain a lot of the wiring.
Rear door locks are usually unhooked by taking the rod out or just disconnecting the rod, sometimes you will find the buttons and sometimes you have to order the little pieces of plastic, also the the door candle cable is usually disconnected , just have to hook it back up to the door handle. Rear windows just need new switches, the switches that are in there are missing components to let the rear passengers use them. As far as the speakers in the rear, if they are hooked up the you should check the wiring out under the dash by the floor, they may have been used for a radio and never hooked buck up.
The DIC can be added, I did mine, just cut the hole to hole the switches and plug it in, radio controls can be added to the wheel or entire wheel can be replaced with them. Fog lights you need the entire mount and light, need to see if wire is available and would need new light switch. Mirrors you will have to check the plugs that are there to see if they will match up with signal,folding mirrors. Dimming mirror will only work to dim and compass, temp gauge to work is a programming thing along with DRLs and a few other things.
I'm not sure on a rear camera but you would need wiring harnesses for rear climate and media. Center consoles can be added but you would need the harness for that also. A third row can be added, the bolt hookups are under the vinyl matting, and to add carpet the right way all seats need to be removed.
To be truthful, you saved a lot of money buying one, just the basics but by the time you add everything and get things programmed by the dealer to work it's going to cost just as much. You should have spent the extra and waited and looked for what you wanted in a Tahoe. One last thing is the spotlights, they make kits so when removed the cover the holes, just remember to seal really good. Check your light housings, if they have holes in them from hideaways, make sure they are all sealed as well. Hope this helps a bit. Also look inside the passenger side wheelwell behind the headlight, there may be a headlight flasher in there also. I'm still adding to mine, looking for the headlight flasher and push bar. Also from MI now in NC.

Cool buddy I appreciate all the info and breakdown and too bad your not still in MI. I agree I bought these trucks for the reason that they would be cheap and hopefully well maintained. I love the truck dont get me wrong, I just would like to mold this thread into a powerhouse of information for a new users like me to reference and start going down the list of mods and fixes to get the truck how they want it! I love that a lot of people are already suggesting a bunch of stuff to have added which is exactly what I wanted. So as this thread continues to expand I will try to edit the original to have more and more of the information there so its easy to find within this thread.


On another note, I just realized most of my dash lights are not "working" I would venture to guess they function fine but the bulbs have been removed. This includes Check Engine Light, Cruise Light, traction control and a few others I'm not remembering....ANYONE ELSE have this weird, somewhat concerning issue?

 

[jmm121783]

P0449 code and what do ya know a P0650 lol


Hopefully the bulb is burnt out but I have a feeling something got cut or isn't fully plugged in to have so many lights not working...

 

[techbiker]

Does anyone know if a civilian clock spring is required to swap in the civilian steering wheel? Do the radio controls just hook up?

Thank you!

 

[CobraKing]

@techbiker I believe it's a straight swap based on what I've read here. @2011SSVHOE replaced his and would be the best person to ask directly.

 

[2011SSVHOE]

Does anyone know if a civilian clock spring is required to swap in the civilian steering wheel? Do the radio controls just hook up?

Dallas, it's the same clock spring, plug and play. pull the airbag remove wheel, a 20 minute job.

not to confuse you but the only time you would have to change the clock spring is if you opted for a heated wheel, but then what other wiring changes would on need.

Keep it simple

 

[techbiker]

Dallas, it's the same clock spring, plug and play. pull the airbag remove wheel, a 20 minute job.

not to confuse you but the only time you would have to change the clock spring is if you opted for a heated wheel, but then what other wiring changes would on need.

Keep it simple

Thanks for the info. I just ordered a new leather-wrapped civilian wheel from the dealer. I guess I'm becoming a frequent customer because the price dropped to $186. Some of these OEM prices are fantastic.

I received the civilian shift lever. Do you recommend any other interior upgrades? Can I upgrade to automatic HVAC controls?

 

[2011SSVHOE]

I received the civilian shift lever. Do you recommend any other interior upgrades? Can I upgrade to automatic HVAC controls?

That I don't know, years ago that was a totally different system.

You can change the overhead console to add the garage door opener aka homelink

 

[jkssv08tahoe]

Thank you for this. Just read through all 4 pages and learned a lot about these trucks

 

[14PPVHOE]

Me too - Great thread.

For all us newbies with PPV's looking to civilianize, refurb or restore
our rides, this info would be beneficial. Many basic questions
can be answered, and easy solutions to problems can be
addressed by experienced members who have
already figured them out..........

 

[jmm121783]

Sorry for my absence been so ridiculously busy lately but I finally got my Heat fixed and all fluids changed. Heater thing was off by a couple teeth, bought new blender motor and I couldn't get it fixed, he used a scantool to see where it needed to be set to work properly, thank god.

I HIGHLY SUGGEST ALL NEW Tahoe Purchasers CHANGE OUT ALL FLUIDS
-Auto tranny
-Front and rear trans axles
-Transfer case
-Brake Fluid
-Coolant
-Oil and filter
-Seafoam treatment (I love this stuff)

I had a friend do it for me at the dealership, I easily gained 2-3mpg with E85 gas, which I love in this truck now and seek out. He said the fluids were absolutely toast, chunky and dark black, stinky. I was really worried about the ATF change because Ive heard people swear that changing the fluid in a high mileage Auto Trans actually can kill it as it has "worn in" and has crud that will be freed and clog or kill something else. I had some VERY stiff shifting from 1-2 and 2-3 sometimes, especially when it was cold. With the new fluid the tranny is SOOOOO much smoother. I haven't seen any negative affects from the change, only an increase in efficiency and MPG.

Honestly I really love the Tahoe SSV and I bought it IN PERFECT TIME for these atrocious, pots holes the size of beach balls, Detroit Metro roads. My HHR would be destroyed if I didn't have the 'Hoe to plow thru everything. The 4x4 has proven extremely effective, never got stuck and love drifting in large parking lots Overall I am super happy and would definitely recommend the purchase to friends. Just gotta get the rear passenger stuff working now, doors, locks, windows, heating/cooling. I NEED A TUNE AS WELL!