My 2013 PPV Tahoe

[eraserhead]

Got this 2013 Tahoe ppv last October, probably paid too much for it from a dealer in Austin that got it from an auction. Searchlight was not on there. Just a tube that was sticking through. Got a bad replacement from Amazon ended up not working. Read in reviews that it was common for that but still can't figure out the fix. Apparently just a quick wire fix inside the switch area but I'm just learning wiring.

Replaced the front struts with the Belltechs that people have said work well. Before when going over bumps and railroad tracks you could feel everything and the front end would bounce around and slam really hard shaking the engine a lot. Now that's all gone. When I first got it back from the mechanic I drove that evening. Everything was fine. Woke up the next morning and drove and there was a scraping sound on tire rotation, took it back to my mechanic who is good. Just probably one of his shop guys, they said it was the dust covers on the brakes had gotten compressed during the installation of the struts. They pried them out and awat. No more scraping sound and everything almost completely gone every now and then when going over bumps I can hear a squeak. Is this due to the struts and tire size? I stuck with 265/70/R17 but got off-road cheap Rockys.
I already had to get motor mounts replaced on this because f ty bad struts. Is that a common issue with this? The engine seems to sometimes rattle when I'm accelerating lightly while cruising at 20 to 30. Sometimes 40. Anotget nechanic had told me before engine is a little loose because of being shaken around which causes it not to gain traction well with the transmission. Does that sound right?

The cabin light controls was not there when I purchased, dealer had removed the top light and siren controls and I got that on eBay and popped that in. Still want to remove that round light they place in but then there's gonna be the holes left etc so not sure what direction to go with it. All the wiring is still underneath the interior and panels etc.

I'm looking now at starting cheaply with a cold air intake then exhaust system. Here's some pics of the engine. I can't tell what kind of intake manifold is on this. It's black, then there's some sort of silver thing attached with a cross beam that matches on the other side. I'm learning. I'm all very new to this but I am obsessed with this SUV and want to tune it over time.

Due to the Texas heat the dashboard which was already cracked when I got it continued to crack even worse. The pieces have just come right off which is super frustrating cuz that's $500 part plus all the time to put it in.

On the floor beneath the accelerator there is a worn spot where the rubber interior flooring has been completely rubbed through, so trying to figure out how I want to handle that beyond just throwing some mats on top of it, tried some mats before but everything wants to slide around on the rubber interior.

Oh yeah when I first got it the back seat cage was removed by the car dealership, they had just cut the metal beams that hold it in. Had to remove those. Anyone have any suggestions on cheap ways to start tuning? Also anybody know any links on YouTube on getting the lock switches reinstalled in the back where they've been removed? I assume for prisoner transports. This unit I think is from Montgomery county from a seal that's inside the door frame. You can see on the side there are some places where they were peeling off the stickers that it lifted some of the clear coat. So that's frustrating. I also want to add tow capability on the back once I get a transmission cooler in it, going to have to do a bolt on. Would love some suggestions.

 

[Sparksalot]

I’m digging the white color. All of these have the dash cracking, but dayyuum.

I’m jealous of the spotlight. I bought my PPV directly from DPS, but they don’t order them with spotlights.

 

[Marky Dissod]

Don't waste time / money with a cool air intake. They sound cool? I guess, but they barely improve power, and only @ higher RpMs.
Better to put that money toward an ecm / tcm tune.
The engine will perform better (might even get better MpG depending on how you drive)
Engine will last longer by disabling Engine Half@$$ (enable it over 230F, so you get a hint before you overheat!)
The transmission will be more fun, when you decide to assert yself
Believe it or not, you can ALSO improve on GM's OE Tow / Haul mode pattern for more durability / longevity

To add REAL towing / hauling capability, instead of the 3.08 axle,
upgrade to 3.42, or 3.73 if you want to tow over 5,000lb often enough.
Your metro / urban stop'n'go MpG and acceleration will improve too.
The highway MpG penalty won't be as bad as you think -
you'll spend more time in 6th & 5th on the highway.

 

[eraserhead]

I’m digging the white color. All of these have the dash cracking, but dayyuum.

I’m jealous of the spotlight. I bought my PPV directly from DPS, but they don’t order them with spotlights.

Yeah it's cheaper in white, I'd love black too. I got a Unity light and it came brand new not working. Still have to call them and ask what the issue is. Read somewhere on a review they fixed it from some electrical work in the switch but didn't say how.
Thanks though, I'm super excited to work on it and get tips and post here. I've gotten the bug on PPV Tahoe's

 

[eraserhead]

Don't waste time / money with a cool air intake. They sound cool? I guess, but they barely improve power, and only @ higher RpMs.
Better to put that money toward an ecm / tcm tune.
The engine will perform better (might even get better MpG depending on how you drive)
Engine will last longer by disabling Engine Half@$$ (enable it over 230F, so you get a hint before you overheat!)
The transmission will be more fun, when you decide to assert yself
Believe it or not, you can ALSO improve on GM's OE Tow / Haul mode pattern for more durability / longevity

To add REAL towing / hauling capability, instead of the 3.08 axle,
upgrade to 3.42, or 3.73 if you want to tow over 5,000lb often enough.
Your metro / urban stop'n'go MpG and acceleration will improve too.
The highway MpG penalty won't be as bad as you think -
you'll spend more time in 6th & 5th on the highway.

Thanks these are great ideas. I will look into the axle that's a big move so gotta wait. But I was thinking of doing ECM/TCM tune. If you have any recommendations for a good one let me know. Or a thread for PPV ones

 

[Marky Dissod]

Thanks these are great ideas. I will look into the axle that's a big move so gotta wait.
But I was thinking of doing ECM/TCM tune. If you have any recommendations for a good one let me know. Or a thread for PPV ones.

I recommend pcmperformance.com. BlackBear Performance also comes highly recommended on this forum. I'm sure there are other worthy options.
Best bang for your buck is for the tuner to be in your car with a laptop for an hour or two, to better customize it to your tastes.

3.42 or 3.73 might be 'big', but it'll be the best bang for your buck.
I'd recommend axle gear and a tune over cam & heads or a 6.0L for the vast majority of people thinking about getting more performance from their engine.

After that, it's all about tires / brakes / steering / suspension, which I'm still learning about (thinking about trying PPV torsion bars).

 

[eraserhead]

Don't waste time / money with a cool air intake. They sound cool? I guess, but they barely improve power, and only @ higher RpMs.
Better to put that money toward an ecm / tcm tune.
The engine will perform better (might even get better MpG depending on how you drive)
Engine will last longer by disabling Engine Half@$$ (enable it over 230F, so you get a hint before you overheat!)
The transmission will be more fun, when you decide to assert yself
Believe it or not, you can ALSO improve on GM's OE Tow / Haul mode pattern for more durability / longevity

To add REAL towing / hauling capability, instead of the 3.08 axle,
upgrade to 3.42, or 3.73 if you want to tow over 5,000lb often enough.
Your metro / urban stop'n'go MpG and acceleration will improve too.
The highway MpG penalty won't be as bad as you think -
you'll spend more time in 6th & 5th on the highway.

So are you saying the setting I need to find and change is called "Engine Half@ss"? You saying to buy a module that u program myself? Is this referring to disabling AFM? So I set it by enabling it to kick in 230 and over? Does this mean my engine will run hotter at times too?
Do you know any sites that explain how to program and tune yourself?

What kind of mileage is passable for an axle replacement that's used?

 

[Marky Dissod]

So are you saying the setting I need to find and change is called "Engine Half@ss"? You saying to buy a module that u program myself? Is this referring to disabling AFM?
So I set it by enabling it to kick in 230F and over? Does this mean my engine will run hotter at times too?

Do you know any sites that explain how to program and tune yourself?

What kind of mileage is passable for an axle replacement that's used?

Displacement On Demand / Active Fuel Management / V4 mode / Engine Half@$$.
Normal people quite simply disable 'AFM' by setting the Enable Temp Threshold hotter than 'already overheated'.
I'd set the Enable temp @ 230F, so that V4 mode is only possible just BEFORE it overheats, which would delay overheating a lil bit.
No, it won't run hotter than it normally would anyway - normally.
However, if something's wrong with the cooling system and temps start climbing too far over normal,
Engine Half@$$ might actually delay the onset of overheating for another few minutes.

I read many websites, back when I was learning to tune mid-90s LT1s in the early noughties.
It was enough for me to extrapolate to tuning pretty much everything fearlessly, except the spark and VE tables, which I 'tune' with more cowardice.
Today you'd likely learn faster than I did by watching YouTube videos instead of reading text.

I would not hesitate to take an axle with less than 250,000 miles.

 

[Tahoe14]

I would go through your first post and just number your multiple issues so other members can address them. For example 1. Spotlight not working, could this be switch related and if so what is the fix. I think it would make it easier. Good luck getting everything sorted out and cool looking rig.

 

[Hoeston]

Got this 2013 Tahoe ppv last October, probably paid too much for it from a dealer in Austin that got it from an auction. Searchlight was not on there. Just a tube that was sticking through. Got a bad replacement from Amazon ended up not working. Read in reviews that it was common for that but still can't figure out the fix. Apparently just a quick wire fix inside the switch area but I'm just learning wiring.

Replaced the front struts with the Belltechs that people have said work well. Before when going over bumps and railroad tracks you could feel everything and the front end would bounce around and slam really hard shaking the engine a lot. Now that's all gone. When I first got it back from the mechanic I drove that evening. Everything was fine. Woke up the next morning and drove and there was a scraping sound on tire rotation, took it back to my mechanic who is good. Just probably one of his shop guys, they said it was the dust covers on the brakes had gotten compressed during the installation of the struts. They pried them out and awat. No more scraping sound and everything almost completely gone every now and then when going over bumps I can hear a squeak. Is this due to the struts and tire size? I stuck with 265/70/R17 but got off-road cheap Rockys.
I already had to get motor mounts replaced on this because f ty bad struts. Is that a common issue with this? The engine seems to sometimes rattle when I'm accelerating lightly while cruising at 20 to 30. Sometimes 40. Anotget nechanic had told me before engine is a little loose because of being shaken around which causes it not to gain traction well with the transmission. Does that sound right?

The cabin light controls was not there when I purchased, dealer had removed the top light and siren controls and I got that on eBay and popped that in. Still want to remove that round light they place in but then there's gonna be the holes left etc so not sure what direction to go with it. All the wiring is still underneath the interior and panels etc.

I'm looking now at starting cheaply with a cold air intake then exhaust system. Here's some pics of the engine. I can't tell what kind of intake manifold is on this. It's black, then there's some sort of silver thing attached with a cross beam that matches on the other side. I'm learning. I'm all very new to this but I am obsessed with this SUV and want to tune it over time.

Due to the Texas heat the dashboard which was already cracked when I got it continued to crack even worse. The pieces have just come right off which is super frustrating cuz that's $500 part plus all the time to put it in.

On the floor beneath the accelerator there is a worn spot where the rubber interior flooring has been completely rubbed through, so trying to figure out how I want to handle that beyond just throwing some mats on top of it, tried some mats before but everything wants to slide around on the rubber interior.

Oh yeah when I first got it the back seat cage was removed by the car dealership, they had just cut the metal beams that hold it in. Had to remove those. Anyone have any suggestions on cheap ways to start tuning? Also anybody know any links on YouTube on getting the lock switches reinstalled in the back where they've been removed? I assume for prisoner transports. This unit I think is from Montgomery county from a seal that's inside the door frame. You can see on the side there are some places where they were peeling off the stickers that it lifted some of the clear coat. So that's frustrating. I also want to add tow capability on the back once I get a transmission cooler in it, going to have to do a bolt on. Would love some suggestions.

For your squeak check your sway/stabilzer bar bushings and end links while there. Bushings get worn and will squeak on the bar. I've utilized some oil on the sway bar and bushing during new installation to help avoid wear and squeak in future.

For towing I purchased a 2" trailer receiver made by Curt that bolts on for ppvs. To install, remove 6 bolts under rear, then bolt on the receiver(use some wood blocks to prop it up) and pop in your ball and whichever 4 way or 7 pin connector.
I only used mine twice, would be willing to meet if you want to buy or even just rent it.
Send me a message if so.