sjphi26
TYF Newbie
Hi guys, my first post here. Reddit has been helpful on previous issues, but google has often led me here when researching other repairs.
2003 Yukon XL 6.0 Denali.
Has about 175k miles (original owners didn't drive it daily) and I've had it about 4 years. It did have to have the transmission rebuilt at the beginning of 2023 but the engine seems solid. From everything I've read, the engines are considered very reliable so I plan on keeping this thing running as long as I can.
But there have been quite a few issues everywhere, mostly due to age and wear, which is to be expected so it's nothing that alarms me. It's also been a fantastic learning experience for me, as I've done some repairs that I wouldn't have thought myself capable of 5 years ago. Full front end including idler and pitman arms.. converted air ride to standard shocks, replaced leaking hydroboost, power window control unit, window regulator/motor, rear pads and rotors, and some other things I can't remember.
My next project is the instrument cluster... all of the gauges are toast. I have the rebuild kit with new stepper motors, and will tackle that this weekend. But while I'm dealing with those electronics, I also want to ask about the "passenger airbag" light on the powered rear view mirror. It's constantly flashing off and on. If it's purely cosmetic, i don't mind, but if it's indicative of another issue, I want to resolve it. Could that be a bad ground somewhere in the engine bay? Is it a solder joint that I can fix? Is it a sign of some other underlying electrical problem? Or just a bad mirror? So that's my first question.
Second question is about AC. It's been out for a while, but now that summer is approaching in TX, i need to get this fixed. The compressor wasn't running, so I jumped it with a paperclip at the relay for testing purposes, and immediately heard what has to be a leak, a very loud leak. I believe it's at one of the service ports, but it's hard to tell, i can't really feel where it's coming from... but I've ordered a kit to replace both high and low. I'm also replacing the accumulator, the pressure switch on the accumulator, and the orifice tube. I've ordered a vacuum pump and manifold. I think i've watched enough youtube videos to where i feel confident about doing it this weekend, but are there any other parts I should replace that may have been damaged by air or moisture in the lines? The AC hasn't been running for quite some time so I don't know what kind of shape everything is in. I'm not a rich man, so I don't want to throw unnecessary parts at this, but I also don't want to take the chance of not doing it correctly and ruining more AC components later down the line.
Thanks for reading. Any other things I should look at that go bad around this time for these vehicles? Any engine stuff I should do as preventive maintenance? I don't have any codes at the moment.
2003 Yukon XL 6.0 Denali.
Has about 175k miles (original owners didn't drive it daily) and I've had it about 4 years. It did have to have the transmission rebuilt at the beginning of 2023 but the engine seems solid. From everything I've read, the engines are considered very reliable so I plan on keeping this thing running as long as I can.
But there have been quite a few issues everywhere, mostly due to age and wear, which is to be expected so it's nothing that alarms me. It's also been a fantastic learning experience for me, as I've done some repairs that I wouldn't have thought myself capable of 5 years ago. Full front end including idler and pitman arms.. converted air ride to standard shocks, replaced leaking hydroboost, power window control unit, window regulator/motor, rear pads and rotors, and some other things I can't remember.
My next project is the instrument cluster... all of the gauges are toast. I have the rebuild kit with new stepper motors, and will tackle that this weekend. But while I'm dealing with those electronics, I also want to ask about the "passenger airbag" light on the powered rear view mirror. It's constantly flashing off and on. If it's purely cosmetic, i don't mind, but if it's indicative of another issue, I want to resolve it. Could that be a bad ground somewhere in the engine bay? Is it a solder joint that I can fix? Is it a sign of some other underlying electrical problem? Or just a bad mirror? So that's my first question.
Second question is about AC. It's been out for a while, but now that summer is approaching in TX, i need to get this fixed. The compressor wasn't running, so I jumped it with a paperclip at the relay for testing purposes, and immediately heard what has to be a leak, a very loud leak. I believe it's at one of the service ports, but it's hard to tell, i can't really feel where it's coming from... but I've ordered a kit to replace both high and low. I'm also replacing the accumulator, the pressure switch on the accumulator, and the orifice tube. I've ordered a vacuum pump and manifold. I think i've watched enough youtube videos to where i feel confident about doing it this weekend, but are there any other parts I should replace that may have been damaged by air or moisture in the lines? The AC hasn't been running for quite some time so I don't know what kind of shape everything is in. I'm not a rich man, so I don't want to throw unnecessary parts at this, but I also don't want to take the chance of not doing it correctly and ruining more AC components later down the line.
Thanks for reading. Any other things I should look at that go bad around this time for these vehicles? Any engine stuff I should do as preventive maintenance? I don't have any codes at the moment.
