eBay Impulse Purchase 98 Chevy Tahoe

[trbon8r]

eBay plus some late night adult beverages got me in trouble. It’s a California truck with 87k miles.

So what am I in for with the Tahoe? I had an 89 and a 90 GMC Sierra way back when, so I’ve got a bit of experience with the GM throttle body 350s, and IFS, but that was a long time ago. Is there anything I need to know about the Vortec 350s? They are sort of a bridge between the old 350s and the newer LS engines and were only around for 4 years.

Any advice would be appreciated. I kind of had visions of doing an ORD solid axle swap, but I may not want to get into all of that. If I stay with IFS and most likely 33s, who is making the best lift these days? I used to have a 3” Rancho kit and dual shocks with 33s on my Sierra and it took a real beating at Glamis Dunes, but Rancho doesn’t show that kit as available anymore. I saw BDS has a 6” kit, but I don’t think I want to go quite that high for this particular truck. Thanks.

 

[NevadaLover]

The vortec series were pretty much bulletproof engines easily capable of 1/4 million plus miles, the fleet I used to work for had over 40 assorted vehicles with vortec engines, our regular maintenance schedule ensured they reached high miles as a rule not an exception.

We did have a recurring problem with intake manifold gaskets on the V6 and small and big block engines, not a huge pain to fix but still a pain, we fixed a large percentage of those problems by using quality fel-pro gaskets and replacing the dex-cool coolant with regular green antifreeze.

Having owned small block and still running a big block powered suburban of the 96-99 years I wouldn't hesitate buying another clean example, enjoy your new purchase.

Edit: when I spoke of vortec engines here, I was talking strictly the vortecs of 96-99 model years, the newer vortecs of 2000-2015 were even better.

 

[trbon8r]

Thank you! That’s what I was looking for.

 

[NORDFORD]

Probably some of the most bullet proof vehicles made. 2dr or 4dr? How bout some pics?

 

[trbon8r]

Probably some of the most bullet proof vehicles made. 2dr or 4dr? How bout some pics?

4 Door. I was looking for a 2 door, but couldn’t find one that was the right combination of mileage, condition, and price.

It was owned by an older gentlemen that passed away and his daughter ended up selling it to the dealer I got it from. I think in today’s devalued dollars for $12.5k I didn’t do too bad.

I just need a heat gun to remove those awful decals and buff the paint out.

1998 Chevrolet Tahoe low 87k miles, K1500, 4x4, Gmc Yukon, | eBay

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[NORDFORD]

Oh man! She’s sweet!

 

[1stDeuce]

Clean looking truck.

Skip the heat gun and buy a rubber wheel. If the stickers have been on in the california sun, that's you're best bet. Run it fairly slow with the drill in low. They'll buff right off and it doesn't leave a bunch of residue...

The only issue I know with that generation of truck is the stupid speed sensitive steering gear. There are a few "fixes" for when it starts getting wonky, from a fixed oriface to replacing the gear with one from a '96, which didn't have the variable effort steering.

Enjoy!

 

[Todd780]

Reminds me of my old '98 Tahoe. Good trucks.

 

[trbon8r]

Clean looking truck.

Skip the heat gun and buy a rubber wheel. If the stickers have been on in the california sun, that's you're best bet. Run it fairly slow with the drill in low. They'll buff right off and it doesn't leave a bunch of residue...

The only issue I know with that generation of truck is the stupid speed sensitive steering gear. There are a few "fixes" for when it starts getting wonky, from a fixed oriface to replacing the gear with one from a '96, which didn't have the variable effort steering.

Enjoy!

Thanks!

I haven’t found too many issues with these trucks so far after doing some reading.

The one thing so far I’ve come across is the push button transfer case controls and actuator can sometimes be problematic.

The biggest thing I found is “pump rub” with the transfer case, where the pump can actually wear a pin hole in the transfer case housing. But it sounds like there is a fix for that with an updated part that cures that issue. The only bad thing is that of course it requires removing and opening up the case.

 

[1stDeuce]

Both of those "issues" are over-rated in my experience. I've got a supposed pump rub candidate in my 2006 with 320k on it and no issue to date. Run it, and if you see ATF on the back, fix it. My guess is it'll go a LONG time before a problem comes up if it's made it this far...

As for the electric shift transfer case, the most common culprit is that people don't use it enough and the contacts that tell the controller what the shift position is get gummed up and then it doesn't know where it is in the pattern. USE IT OFTEN and it'll work fine forever, particularly on a California truck, which doesn't have the issues from corrosion that the rust belt sees. I recommend shifting through the high ranges any time you hit a gravel road. Get down into low and back out a few times a month if possible, even if you do it a couple times in a row in your driveway.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I think your biggest weakness is going to be the notoriously crappy 4L60 transmission. I killed two of them on my Suburban.

I don't know if the GMT400 t-case is different from the GMT800 I had. If it's the same, the cool thing is that the actuator motor can be replaced without dropping the case. It bolts on from the outside. It's also not an expensive part, I think you can find the motors for around $200.

 

[NevadaLover]

Never had any issues with any 700r4 or 4l60 transmissions we had, regular oil changes and good cooling system cleanings kept them alive.