1995 Chevy Tahoe 4X4 - Adventure Rig Build

[Larry]

You mean the 94-97 generation? Yeah, there is an entire group of guys 3 times the size of this group pretty dedicated to keeping 94-97 3/4 and 1 ton PSDs on the road. Still one of the best diesels ever made. Ask me how I know. Most of them do leak somewhere though. :sombrero:

No, since Dave’s thread is more along the topic of ’88-’98 GMT400 trucks and SUVs I was more speaking of Ford light trucks and SUV’s of this same generation. IE: Expeditions/F150. You just don’t see people do anything with old Fords. Not only this generation but older as well. Very few old Fords on the road compared to GM vehicles of the same generations. Stupid Duty/Powerjokes are a different ball of wax. I work for the company that built the 6.9, 7.3, 6.0 and 6.4L for Ford. I don’t believe any of those engines were the best diesels ever made although all of them work great for marine applications. You can throw one of those engines overboard tied to a chain and fish in the same spot through any kind of weather. Those engines were perfect for use in a Ford truck.

Diesel discussion off… back to Dave’s sweet Tahoe.

 

[Shawn686]

These are great and really help daytime gauge visibility. I have them in my truck and they are awesome, I have the white ones.

http://www.whitegauges.net/products/1995-GMC-Yukon-White-Face-Gauges.html#

Shawn

 

[BBslider001]

No, since Dave's thread is more along the topic of '88-'98 GMT400 trucks and SUVs I was more speaking of Ford light trucks and SUV's of this same generation. IE: Expeditions/F150. You just don't see people do anything with old Fords. Not only this generation but older as well. Very few old Fords on the road compared to GM vehicles of the same generations. Stupid Duty/Powerjokes are a different ball of wax. I work for the company that built the 6.9, 7.3, 6.0 and 6.4L for Ford. I don't believe any of those engines were the best diesels ever made although all of them work great for marine applications. You can throw one of those engines overboard tied to a chain and fish in the same spot through any kind of weather. Those engines were perfect for use in a Ford truck.

Diesel discussion off… back to Dave's sweet Tahoe.

CORRECTION: Best FORD diesel ever made...yes, back to Dave's Tahoe. Side note, I would take a Cummins any day over my '97 PSD, but it's what I have now and it seems to be working well now that I have the fuel system and sensors figured out.

 

[Chevrolado]

haha. Sweet! We have some conversation going in here now.. I like it. Thanks everyone.

i dig your build. I have been on the fence lately about doing a VERY similar build. I want to ask you....now that you are where you are with your build. IF...you did it again...would you want a GMT800 in its place? If so....why? If not....why? I keep going back and forth (even throwing a 4th gen 4runner in the mix) Just curious now that you have some seat time and build time in your rig....

Thank you for the kind words on my rig! I am starting to enjoy it more and more.
If I did it again, I would still do a GMT400, however, I would do a Vortec 96-99 GMT400 chassis model. Best of both worlds in my opinion.
I used to own a 94 K2500 4x4 Silverado, then I owned a 97 K1500 Z71 Silverado, and now I have my 95 4x4 Tahoe. After considering all of them.. I like my Vortec 97 Z71 the best.
The 94 had the older style interior and this same TBI motor, my 95 has the newer interior (which I love) and this TBI setup, but then the motor got the little bit of overhaul to Vortec system in 96. So honestly.. the 95 to me is sort of the black sheep year. Its got the heart of a 94 but the body of a 96.
That being said though, the only GMT800 I have ever had is my wife's 2000 Chevy Blazer and its a great little reliable rig. Its not modified at all (other than the drop in K&N filter I put in it) and it's been a great vehicle for her and I. So I wouldnt say GMT800 is worse off than GMT400.. but I just have always enjoyed the body styling of the 90's Chevys for some reason.. Just my $0.02. Hope that helps.

Looking good Dave!

Those water pump gaskets were ugly. Blue and red RTV is worthless stuff in my opinion. Right or wrong, I use Permatex Right-Stuff for everything. Sometimes things are hard to get back apart later but I never have any leaks. You could park by K10 or my Burb on your living room carpet and not worry about any drips from anywhere.

The rig looks great for having a 175K on it. Notice you never see anybody refresh any Fords of this generation? Hmm, I wonder why that is.

. They just throw them away.

Thanks for the helpful info on that gasket maker Larry. I'll have to look for it and get me some for any future work.
haha Yeah. I do notice rarely ever do I see anyone working the mid 90's Fords.. hah. Nice.

Your truck looks great with those fender flares.

Thank you! I enjoy them. I need to drill a little bigger holes in the bottoms of them because right now when we get significant rain, they get a little water in them, and then when I shut my rear doors it all sloshes out and dumps all over my feet. Hmm. Not sure why they are collecting rain water in them but that cant be good.

I have to second Larry on this I use it at work on everything from Ford to Kenworth.

Sweet. I'm definitely going to look into it. Thanks for the input on it as well.

These are great and really help daytime gauge visibility. I have them in my truck and they are awesome, I have the white ones.

http://www.whitegauges.net/products/1995-GMC-Yukon-White-Face-Gauges.html#

Shawn

Thanks! Yeah, I like the standard faces on the stock gauges, however, I do enjoy the blue light bulbs that I replaced them with.
The white face gauges look pretty good though too. Nice buy.

CORRECTION: Best FORD diesel ever made...yes, back to Dave's Tahoe. Side note, I would take a Cummins any day over my '97 PSD, but it's what I have now and it seems to be working well now that I have the fuel system and sensors figured out.

Haha.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Little update over the weekend. Drove it around a bunch trying to make sure all is good for the trip to Vegas this next weekend here (going to attend the Mint 400 offroad race).
Took it in to a Chevron Oil Stop place and got the full 33-point inspection and full synthetic oil change (running 5W-40 oil now). They checked quality and levels on all fluids, re-greased the suspension points, checked for any leaks (They didn't find any either - Awesome news!), oiled up the door hinges and locks, all that good stuff. I always hate those quick lube places that are in the business of getting an oil change done in 15 minutes and just race through it all. I do LOVE this place though. Sit there and they go through everything thoroughly, slow oil change, process everything the right way and are quite knowledgeable people. Plus they go over everything and keep the records on the vehicle and its just great work all together. Those quick lube people you always have to go over and check their work and hope they didnt strip out your oil pan and jack everything up.. Even though I STILL go over all this places work afterwards, I have yet to be dissapointed in it at all.
So I feel pretty good on the truck right now.
Still need to do sway bar bushings, but for right now.. she's feeling good, looking good, and I think ready for the trip to the Mint 400 this next weekend.
Will report back. :victory:

Oh and just cause it's fun to have pictures...
Got a couple random lunch time parking lot shots the other day plus one at dusk of the light output on the new LED tail lights (I'm a huge fan of these - even with the smoked lenses the output is bright and easily seen).

 

[dieselndixie]

Thanks for the info!!!

 

[Chevrolado]

Thanks for the info!!!

You're welcome.

 

[rayra]

Enjoyed reading your topic, lots of nice work and fixes. We've had a '99 and now a '05 Z71 Tahoe really love them a lot, very versatile. Great vehicles for road trips, our last was L.A. to Albuquerque for the hot Air Balloon Festival. Even at just under 15mpg it was still worthwhile, a good ride.

Did you ever get a better 'average' fuel economy number? Also if you have not, clearing the memory on the computer so it re-learns your performance and mix values with the new sensors may also help somewhat - you might be plagued with the wrong settings carried over from your bad / fouled sensors. And curious to see what you'll get mileage wise for your Vegas cruise.

Rich

 

[BBslider001]

looks fantastic Dave! I'll be anxious to hear how your trip goes driving to Vegas. It's a scenic drive and you'll be able to really see the mileage and how it performs just cruising. Enjoy and look forward to hearing about it!

 

[Chevrolado]

Enjoyed reading your topic, lots of nice work and fixes. We've had a '99 and now a '05 Z71 Tahoe really love them a lot, very versatile. Great vehicles for road trips, our last was L.A. to Albuquerque for the hot Air Balloon Festival. Even at just under 15mpg it was still worthwhile, a good ride.

Did you ever get a better 'average' fuel economy number? Also if you have not, clearing the memory on the computer so it re-learns your performance and mix values with the new sensors may also help somewhat - you might be plagued with the wrong settings carried over from your bad / fouled sensors. And curious to see what you'll get mileage wise for your Vegas cruise.

Rich

Thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed looking through the process so far.
Sweet. Sounds like fun. I've heard good things about the Air Balloon Festival before. Never been. But sounds cool.
As for any better average.. no. Currently, I'm still driving the thing for my 9 mile commute each way Mon/Wed/Fri and then around the town driving Sat and Sun. So it is bad city driving almost 95% of the time and I'm still getting between 8.3-8.6mpg's. It hurts. But the thing runs great, so I have no idea what the issue is. Apparently it is just a VERY thirsty engine. hah. :snorkel:
Unless maybe my wife is hot rodding it when she is driving it Tues and Thurs. Maybe she is drag racing it or something.. :smiley_drive: But then again, I'd probably notice the tires being worn out faster than expected. hah.
Thats a good thought on the computer reset. Maybe I'll unplug my battery for a bit and try and get it to re-think again. Not sure if it'll make much a difference. But I think the only harm it could cause would be clearing my saved radio stations. hah.
I'm going to see how it does on the trip to Vegas and then I'll experiment from there.

Also, great pic Rich! That trip looks great..

looks fantastic Dave! I'll be anxious to hear how your trip goes driving to Vegas. It's a scenic drive and you'll be able to really see the mileage and how it performs just cruising. Enjoy and look forward to hearing about it!

Thanks bud! Yeah, I'm anxious about it too.. My lack of faith is disturbing (in Star Wars terms). So I'm hoping the truck runs flawlessly and my trust in it will raise tremendously. The thing was plagued with so many hiccups constantly for so long, sadly, my trust in it is pretty low. I need to get some serious successful miles under the tires to try and rebuild some trust. :sombrero:
I'll definitely post up my findings after the weekend on if it was successful and how she fared.
I'll have some gear, some bags, and 3 passengers.. So it'll be loaded down a bit so it can give me a good idea of what it would be like if me and the wife jumped in and packed it up for a long weekend with camping gear, surf gear, and a BBQ.



Aside from all that.. I had standard issue 9006 bulbs in the headlights and I decided to upgraded to my favored brand for the Vegas trip (in case I end up doing any night driving in the desert, Ill need all the best light I can get):

 

[rayra]

btw, do those interior LED bulb replacements come in red? I'm also into astronomy, my club has some property on the back side of Frazier Park and man those guys get grouchy on dark sky nights if any white light is switched on.

That green mountain pic is on the 178 on the lower Kern river on the way home from Lake Isabella / Trail of 100 Giants (sequoias). Place is beautiful green this time of year, about two months worth, then it's a typical CA scrub wasteland. Wanted to make a ghost town / Death Valley trip this spring, but going to have to put that off a year. Best part - increasingly the only good part - of CA is the land. So many variations and places to go / see.

The Balloon Festival is a great trip, definitely a touri$t trap though. Tickets are good for morning entry or afternoon entry, they do two major launches a day, hundreds of balloons. You can stay there all day on the morning ticket, but they'll bleed you white if you do, more expensive than Disneyland. Really cool though as you can get right on the field with the balloons, within feet of them. We hit two mornings and toured the rest of Albuquerque the rest of the day, some interesting stuff there. Got a lot of great photos. We hit Meteor Crater on the way there and Grand Canyon on the way back.

 

[Chevrolado]

btw, do those interior LED bulb replacements come in red? I'm also into astronomy, my club has some property on the back side of Frazier Park and man those guys get grouchy on dark sky nights if any white light is switched on.

That green mountain pic is on the 178 on the lower Kern river on the way home from Lake Isabella / Trail of 100 Giants (sequoias). Place is beautiful green this time of year, about two months worth, then it's a typical CA scrub wasteland. Wanted to make a ghost town / Death Valley trip this spring, but going to have to put that off a year. Best part - increasingly the only good part - of CA is the land. So many variations and places to go / see.

The Balloon Festival is a great trip, definitely a touri$t trap though. Tickets are good for morning entry or afternoon entry, they do two major launches a day, hundreds of balloons. You can stay there all day on the morning ticket, but they'll bleed you white if you do, more expensive than Disneyland. Really cool though as you can get right on the field with the balloons, within feet of them. We hit two mornings and toured the rest of Albuquerque the rest of the day, some interesting stuff there. Got a lot of great photos. We hit Meteor Crater on the way there and Grand Canyon on the way back.

Cool. Thanks for the info!
Yes, I believe the seller I got my LEDs from also sells red. However, I did replace the same type of LED (168/194 bulb) in my wife's Blazer with these red LED's and I love them.. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&vxp=mtr&item=191093359547 I think these round ones actually put out more light than the flat ones like I had. Just another option for ya.

 

[rayra]

thx

 

[chilliwak]

Your rig is looking great as usual Chev. How much did those nes headlight bulbs cost you?

 

[Chevrolado]

Your rig is looking great as usual Chev. How much did those nes headlight bulbs cost you?

Thanks Chilli. They were only about $30. Nothing major.

 

[Chevrolado]

Well.. so the Tahoe has developed a new issue I am trying to figure out. This one has me a bit perplexed.
The thing runs fantastic through the normal driving gears between 0 mph and 45 mph. But as soon as I hit 45 mph, the transmission will drop down into its final gear (which feels to me like its a little too soon, because the thing is rolling along at like 1000-1200 rpm at 45. Idk, feels low. ANYway.. at about 50-60mph, I'm still fairly low on the RPM band and if I'm cruising along and decide, okay, I'm going to give it some gas and accelerate to try and pass someone or go up a larger hill or something.. All of a sudden there is extra load on it and I'm pushing the throttle down. Instead of downshifting and RPMs shoot up and it pulls along (as I would expect it to do), it continues to chug along in whatever gear it's running and instead, the motor starts pinging/clacking/clanking.. whatever you want to call it. Sounds like bolts in a spinning dryer under the hood.

If I give it a great amount of gas, eventually, the computer says, "OH you want to really GO.. got it" and then will kick down a gear and rev up like I assume. But there is that middle ground there where I am cruising at 60, lets say someone is coming up behind me on the freeway and I say, Oh I need to get a quicker pace going, lets up it to 70.. the thing will just chug along at low RPM and clack away with the bolts-in-a-dryer sound.

My father in law extended a theory that it's something in the timing. And those are the valves I'm hearing. We're not getting the detonation in the cylinder as needed? Or something along those lines.
Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about timing a vehicle.. So I don't know where to begin with that.
When I put the new motor in, I had a shop nearby do the timing for me and he explained to me that in order for the thing to end up running properly, he couldn't get it to 0* timing, instead it's advanced by a few degrees.

Could my advanced timing be the cause of this freeway speed issue?
Or could it just be something in my transmission that isn't down-shifting properly? Or... ?

Until I get this figured out.. No long trips for me.