Yukon Denali worth with blown engine

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Dustin Jackson

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I don't know a darn thing, but I would say that it is more likely to have a dropped/damaged valve than it is that the piston damaged.

Stop guessing and pull the head above cylinder 5 and you will learn very quickly what the problem is. If you can prove what the problem is to a prospective buyer your odds of making a good sale will increase.
 

swathdiver

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You guys are probably right about the valve. That happens a lot more frequently than the pistons! I always think of the worst things first! Luckily, the guys here set me straight!

A leakdown test will confirm this. That's just a few hundred bucks to fix.

@bub

Fixing the engine is a lot less expensive than dropping in a new one IF the shop is not lazy and has the know how.

Good to hear about the fuel used. Have two of those glorious motors in my driveway and they get fed 93 or E85, lots of it!

We know that the '07s and '08s had a tendency to break the #7 or #8 valve springs above 160K and they can drop a valve seat when overheated.

Have the guy do a proper leak down test on number 5 or stick his bore scope camera in the spark plug hole and literally "see" what the problem is.

Where in Jersey are you? We have a couple of guys on here from the Garden State.
 
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Doubeleive

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the bad news is it's worth $350 to "maybe" $500 to a junkyard so anything over that, that you can get for it is a win
otherwise if you have a place to put it while you list the parts on it and slowly sell them off and then scrap it.
either way you need to have the title in the end.
 
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bub

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Thanks for the advice everyone!
My mechanic confirmed that the piston was damaged. First, he tried seeing if it was a spark issue and it wasn’t. Then he pulled the valve covers to look at the lifters and see if they were opening and closing correctly as well as performed a compression leak down test.
So, what everyone is saying is that it can definitely be fixed by someone knowing what they’re doing. Unfortunately, I don’t have that knowledge or time on my hands. It’s my wife’s vehicle and needs it for work everyday. I guess I’m just trying to see what a fair price of what the Yukon is worth for all parties.
 

tbone911

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Going through the same thing with my 2011 Denali. The value of the vehicle (clean) is much higher than what you quote. I've got a local shop that is the recommended shop for Jasper who is going to do it for me. It's got a 6.2L so it will cost me an arm & TWO legs but I've gotten 205,000 miles out of it so I'll flip a reman motor into it and try for another 200K, this time with the AFM delete. Fraser & Jasper were the two best reman options. Don't bother with a new 6.2L, nobody has them.
 

91RS

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Take it to a real shop that will actually diagnose the dang thing…
 

petethepug

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Goodnesses! Why hasn’t someone posted the 'L94 to L96 engine swap thread'
https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/l94-to-l96-engine-swap.138093/

Especially the Denali trim with leather & heated seats. Pick the right year L96 out of a 1/2 or 3/4 ton and you’ll get near the same hp but it’ll run on regular and e85.

I love playing LEGO’s with GM truck parts.
 

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