Want to take my 2010 Yukon XL Denali with 180,000 miles for a family trip from Michigan To Florida - Can you help me make this a success!

[Doubeleive]

Was starting to think through some of my next repairs and PM. Are there any other weak points I should be considering? Remember, my goal is to keep running this truck for a long, long time.

I'm thinking I want to address the broken exhaust manifold bolt. In talking with my trusted shop (owner of which also has a Yukon), he recommends just changing out all of the bolts vs using the dorman clamp. What are your thoughts? Also, are these the right ARP bolts to use:

ARP 134-1102 ARP Chromoly Header Bolt Kits | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - ARP Chromoly Header Bolt Kits with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Header Fasteners at Summit Racing.

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We had discussed proactively changing out the torque converter a few posts back - any thoughts on that? I'm still on my original transmission with no issues right now.i also had Blackstone take a look at my trans fluid from last month and it actually looked pretty good with no identified issues. Do I even bother with this?

I typically drive long distances - 2 hours each way, so my goal is to not get stranded somewhere unprepared.

Anything else I should think about in 2024 with 185K miles now?

the dorman clamp is a shortcut, do the bolts.
transmission I would find the highest rated cleanest shop in town and just have them refresh it with all the known fixes, it will be cheaper than fixing it later
that's just my .02 I have broken too many transmissions, a well built one is pretty much bullet proof.
a the very least do the billet TC
I also plan on keeping mine for the long run, at least that's the game plan for now

 

[petethepug]

Cool, they make aftermarket ones out of billet now.

 

[bobby2175]

Thanks for all of the responses!

Are you all familiar with anyone on the boards from the Detroit or Toledo area that may be able to recommend a good transmission shop? I'll also do some research on my side as well, but it sure would be good to have a reference. I've never had any transmission work done like this.

 

[Geotrash]

Thanks for all of the responses!

Are you all familiar with anyone on the boards from the Detroit or Toledo area that may be able to recommend a good transmission shop? I'll also do some research on my side as well, but it sure would be good to have a reference. I've never had any transmission work done like this.

I had great luck with looking at Google reviews. Found a great transmission shop run by a personable guy who knows his shit. That was 30K miles ago now.

 

[bobby2175]

Ok, I'm getting ready for my next big investments in getting a long life out of the truck.

I think I found a shop with good reviews and had a quick discussion with them today - they seemed to be very familiar with the 6L80 and immediately mentioned the billet TC, so they are somewhat familiar with things. I'm going to head there next week and kick the tires a little bit. I've also been getting some tips from @NickTransmissions!

I also have main seal, oil galley dog bone, ARP exhaust manifold bolts? Anything else I should get done while it's at the shop?

 

[bobby2175]

I'm a little late in saying thank you to all of you that joined me in refreshing the Yukon! We had a flawless trip with it to Florida and back! I really do owe you all so much. We're already talking about taking it down again at the holidays next year!

The only observation I really had was how much stuff gets into the oil catch can and just how incredible the Diode Dynamics ss3 max fog lights are. On the 1200 mile trip back (which we did in 1 day) the catch can was completely full of a mix of oil and moisture! Crazy to think where all of this could have gone without it?!?

I'm currently working on plans for the transmission. I have a local shop that is telling me to just run the transmission into the ground and then they will just give me a rebuilt one with a billet TC but if I drive an hour away to another shop, they will rebuild it before major issues. I'm leaning towards rebuilding my current one, so I'm going back and forth with the 2nd shop on making sure I understand everything they will do line by line.

Fortunately, the Yukon gets a little bit of a rest now making a drive maybe every couple of weeks or so which should give me time to sort out the transmission without having to rush into it.

@iamdub - I'm going to be in New Orleans for work next week. Where in the world are you?

 

[donjetman]

The only observation I really had was how much stuff gets into the oil catch can and just how incredible the Diode Dynamics ss3 max fog lights are. On the 1200 mile trip back (which we did in 1 day) the catch can was completely full of a mix of oil and moisture! Crazy to think where all of this could have gone without it?!?

Somethings not right with your pvc system if your catching that much oil.

I get 1-2 oz of oil in my catch can every 5,000+ miles.

 

[petethepug]

Bobby back at you Bro. 43 pages (so far) of what owners need to know if they should dive in or bail on their NNBS. Better yet, you took all that info cross country on a little vacation drive to FL.

I drove my 6L80 into the ground until 170k. Not by choice though. It aligned perfectly with getting my tax return back. I was lucky on the timing. Key word here, timing. Rebuild it when you’ve financially prep’d.

The additional $1.5k I spent sourcing my own parts and almost free labor for repairs made accessible while the trans was out saved about $4k if I had to do it with the trans reinstalled.

 

[iamdub]

I'm a little late in saying thank you to all of you that joined me in refreshing the Yukon! We had a flawless trip with it to Florida and back! I really do owe you all so much. We're already talking about taking it down again at the holidays next year!

The only observation I really had was how much stuff gets into the oil catch can and just how incredible the Diode Dynamics ss3 max fog lights are. On the 1200 mile trip back (which we did in 1 day) the catch can was completely full of a mix of oil and moisture! Crazy to think where all of this could have gone without it?!?

I'm currently working on plans for the transmission. I have a local shop that is telling me to just run the transmission into the ground and then they will just give me a rebuilt one with a billet TC but if I drive an hour away to another shop, they will rebuild it before major issues. I'm leaning towards rebuilding my current one, so I'm going back and forth with the 2nd shop on making sure I understand everything they will do line by line.

Fortunately, the Yukon gets a little bit of a rest now making a drive maybe every couple of weeks or so which should give me time to sort out the transmission without having to rush into it.

@iamdub - I'm going to be in New Orleans for work next week. Where in the world are you?

I'm in West Baton Rouge, about 2 hours from there. Up until the end of last year, I spent the majority of my work week in NO and surrounding areas. Since our dispatch is now handled with a pseudo-AI program and the part that isn't AI is managed by mindless mediators, I've been kept out of NO. Who knows what the future brings?!

 

[bobby2175]

Hi guys,

Hope you've all been doing well!

Wanted to come back to one of the issues I've never completely resolved - and going back to my original post:

"When I hit the gas, the truck hesitates for a split second where it feelslike it hits gear a little hard (gear is a complete assumption). If I'm gentle on the accelerator going from stop, it's perfectly smooth - but even knowing this, sometimes I forget."

So, I can describe this a little better when it happened yesterday - probably one of the hardest ones yet. Was sitting at a red light. Traffic started to move, so I hit the gas and started forward. Had to take my foot off the gas because the car in front of me started to slow and then hit the gas again when traffic started to go (within a second or two). I get the split second hesitation, the truck hits hard and you feel it throughout the vehicle. This is all happening at under 30 mph. Once I'm moving, it doesn't really happen...it's usually when I'm starting from a stop or when I hit the gas while in motion. I feel like it's at lower speeds when I have to get the momentum of the vehicle moving vs when I'm cruising at highway speeds and have to make small speed adjustments.

I replaced the engine mounts with OEM back in November.

Any thoughts?