Restoring/Upgrading 2011 Tahoe PPV

[RichardCranium]

-I believe my engine hour meter reset at some point since it only reads 181 hours.

I think we can determine between a few of us that this is plausible. My 2010 shows low engine hours as well, which any NC resident knows isn't accurate for a NC SHP vehicle. However the other stats my DIC shows are way high, such as fuel usage (I believe it shows 9999). My PPV is over 190k miles now.

Nice write-up! I enjoy following these to see how folks handle things in different ways. I am however very thankful that NCSHP also gave me a printout of vehicle history, to include every single line item ever done on my truck (from purchase price, to LED light install, oil changes, tire replacement, and decommissioning). But there is nothing like the peace of mind by getting into your vehicle yourself and even knowing what is done, what is done correctly, and finding out what will need attention.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here too, and thankfully still a pretty active forum.

 

[2011SSVHOE]

I think we can determine between a few of us that this is plausible. My 2010 shows low engine hours as well, which any NC resident knows isn't accurate for a NC SHP vehicle. However the other stats my DIC shows are way high, such as fuel usage (I believe it shows 9999). My PPV is over 190k miles now.

Yea, I think mine was reset also. I purchased mine last November and when I first saw the engine hours it showed 53 with about 70k on the odometer. Last time I looked it had about 275 or so hours. Tomorrow it will have 80k on her. I'm thinking you can reset it when you do an oil change cuz a lot of these units sit and idle more than they rack up miles. Last time I looks it had burnt about 5500 gals of fuel.

 

[PG01]

If you press and hold the check mark on your DIC’s (hahalolol, everytime) most of that crap can be reset...mileage, fuel used, engine hrs....etc

 

[techbiker]

If you press and hold the check mark on your DIC’s (hahalolol, everytime) most of that crap can be reset...mileage, fuel used, engine hrs....etc

Scary isn't it? I heard there is a service bulletin on the engine hour meter. Apparently it can reset if your batteries lose enough charge.

Can you check fuel consumed with the gauge stalk?

Darren- Great deal on your records! I have to submit a freedom of information request for service info on my Tahoe.

After getting burned a couple times, I always tear into every vehicle I buy! If I take my cars to a shop, I explain to the service techs the condition of the systems they are working on. After chatting about performance upgrades, etc. I don't usually get much BS.

Updates:

Today:

-I installed the new front ES end links and torqued all of my suspension components to spec. Greased the outer tie rods.
-Double checked the brake bleeders for tightness.
-Changed my oil again. I found some specs of black "gunk" and a few copper particles in the 225-mile old oil. Given this, I plan to change the oil again in 500-1000 miles to help "flush" out any remaining gunk. I installed a new magnetic drain plug, Mobil 1 filter and Mobil 1 oil. When the shop changed my oil last, they didn't replace the drain plug gasket so it started leaking.
-Rotated the tires.
-Unfortunately it seems I accidentally unplugged an ABS wire somewhere because the ABS light and "Service stabilitrak", etc. warnings are coming up on the gauge cluster now. I suspect the wires near the rear shocks.

I test drove around the neighborhood. The SUV is much more controlled with the new struts! Body sway is greatly reduced, the transmission shifts well, there is less play in the shifter, the steering wheel gives good feedback, and the brakes perform much better. Brake "feel" is dramatically improved. Awesome. While it's not my Z, handling is decent!

Tomorrow:

-I will take the SUV to NTB to get an alignment, tire balance, etc. I will see if they can grease the parking brake cable (forgot this) and locate the disconnected ABS plug. Then it's more time removing sticker residue.

Soon:

-Replace the spark plugs and wires. Need a 3/8 swivel to reach plug #8.
-Replace the serpentine belt, AC belt, tensioner, and idler pulley. The serpentine belt or AC belt squeals when cold.
-Install Airaid MIT
-Replace headlight bulbs
-Replace rusted aux battery tray and accessory hardware, potentially grind rust from the chassis under the tray. My angle grinder was stolen so will need to buy another, ugh!

Then it's off to the body shop to check/reseal the roof holes and replace the cracked windshield! In the meantime I will start ordering the interior parts.

 

[CrashTestDummy]

You should be able to go to any Chevy Dealer parts department, and request the service history on your truck. Most departments let GM do all the recalls and warranty work, so that should be in the system. About all I'd expect you'd get from the agency you got the truck from would be silly stuff like tire, battery and belt replacements and oil changes, if that. I had a guy on another forum who worked for GM get the service info from GM on both our truck and Caprice, and both came back with pretty lengthy lists of things that were done. Our Caprice, for instance, got a cam and lifters at about 60K miles.

And I wouldn't sweat the plugs/wires, unless the truck is running bad. I did the plugs and wires on our '10, after the mileage dropped a bit, and it got me nothing. I now DO know when the plugs were serviced, but it didn't change the performance or mileage on the truck at all.

 

[techbiker]

You should be able to go to any Chevy Dealer parts department, and request the service history on your truck. Most departments let GM do all the recalls and warranty work, so that should be in the system. About all I'd expect you'd get from the agency you got the truck from would be silly stuff like tire, battery and belt replacements and oil changes, if that. I had a guy on another forum who worked for GM get the service info from GM on both our truck and Caprice, and both came back with pretty lengthy lists of things that were done. Our Caprice, for instance, got a cam and lifters at about 60K miles.

And I wouldn't sweat the plugs/wires, unless the truck is running bad. I did the plugs and wires on our '10, after the mileage dropped a bit, and it got me nothing. I now DO know when the plugs were serviced, but it didn't change the performance or mileage on the truck at all.

I am going to drop the SUV off at the dealership to take care of the cooling fan recall. While I'm there, I will see if they can pull the maintenance history. Thanks for the tip!

I am planning on changing the plugs and wires because the engine isn't smooth at idle. I'm getting a bit of vibration (apparently not motor mount related). If the plugs and wires don't fix it, I will check for vacuum leaks. If that doesn't work, I plan to change out the fuel injectors.

 

[2011SSVHOE]

If the GOVT agency does there maintenance in house , the dealer won't be able to tell you anything unless it was warranty or a recall. I purchased mine used from a Ford dealer, so I don't know who the previous owner was other than that, I think it came from around Norfolk VA. from the car check repot.

 

[spectralen]

I am planning on changing the plugs and wires because the engine isn't smooth at idle. I'm getting a bit of vibration (apparently not motor mount related). If the plugs and wires don't fix it, I will check for vacuum leaks. If that doesn't work, I plan to change out the fuel injectors

Use the Techron Fuel Injector cleaner. Run it with a low fuel tank for a higher concentrate. Stuff works great on fixing rough idle caused by dirty injectors.

 

[CobraKing]

@spectralen Is this product similar to the Techron product you mentioned?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/gumout-high-mileage-fuel-system-cleaner-0380163p.html#srp

@techbiker I actually purchased a MOTIVE speed bleeder for my VW Passat (when I still owned it) and I still managed to get air into the lines. I think I'll just let the 'pros' handle it until I change my technique!

 

[techbiker]

Len- Techron fuel injector cleaner is a great product. Aside from Seafoam, I swear it's the only retail cleaner that is really effective. After replacing the injectors twice on my 300zx, I don't mess around with leaking/stuck injectors though. This feels like the kind of injector leakage that can flood out the oil... either that or it's a spark/vacuum leak issue. I'm leaning away from it being a spark problem because I have decent acceleration though.

Aaron- I tried a couple methods ("One Man" vacuum bleeder, 2 person traditional) until I discovered speed bleeders. Just don't overtighten them!

Just a thought- I was researching the AFM lifter failure issue when I remembered that two of the Tahoes at auction had loud lifter noise problems. One of these was built several months and the other several years before mine. Note that the county probably owns 50+ Tahoes. My Tahoe's engine sounds good (just a faint injector and/or lifter tick and belt whine at startup) and doesn't burn much oil. My Z's motor is much louder and I recently rebuilt it with new OEM lifters, upgraded cams, etc... I checked the manufacturing date for my SUV and discovered it was 06/11- nearly a 2012. Do you know when the changeover to revised AFM lifters happened? The AFM TSB came out on 02/11. If mine is a pre-revision Tahoe, I am definitely going to disable AFM.

Today- I spent a couple hours at NTB while the senior alignment tech worked on the Tahoe and removed more sticker residue. I also reached out to sellers to buy some interior pieces.

-NTB removed, flipped, and remounted one tire (originally installed backwards)
-Reconnected the unplugged ABS sensor wire (this ended up being at the rear left)
-Alignment performed, bringing all of the front specs back into spec. Toe and camber were a bit out in the front. Rear toe is wild. Do you know if there is anything I can purchase to add rear toe adjustability? (see attached)
-Balanced all tires. They were all out a good deal.

Man, the ride is great now! Good power and handling and no complaints about the stiffness. Note that I only drove the vehicle 230 miles before this alignment. I doubt the county had performed an alignment for a while, if ever.

Thanks for all of the help.