My lovely Camaro!
Hello & welcome
Whenever I publish a video about my Yukon, I get many questions asking about these models of Tahoe & Yukon
In this video, I'll be talking about these models of general motors vehicles
& I'll tell you why I chose this car specifically
From all the cars that I've seen for sale, why I chose this one
Whenever I publish a video, many people comment on how they own these cars
and how hey can't sell it or they're not convinced to get a newer one
I'll be talking hard about GM today
Let's begin...
Let's see the expert opinion on the Yukon
Everything is good?
Should I continue the video?
Let's talk about that era, I called it the golden era of the automotive industry
It starts in the late 90s and ends in the early 2000s
I'll talk about the cars that have been made in that era and are being used until now
and their owners cling to them strongly
The Land Cruiser 1998-2007
Nissan Y60 & Y61
Mercedes W140
Toyota Camry 2006
Ford Crown Victoria
Tahoe, Yukon, Sierra, & Silverado up to 2006
The HD specifically
The owners of those cars cling to their cars and don't want to sell them
10 years ago, I was selling a Mercedes S-class 2007  or 2008
and someone came from Saudi Arabia to buy it, he was driving a 1998 Mercedes W140
I asked him if he decided to release it
He said that he's getting the S-class to show off, but the 1998 W140 is for the hard use & for traveling
He said that he won't sell the 1998 W140, because they won't make a car better than it
When Mercedes made the W140, they committed a crime in the quality of the industry
He has the money to get a new car, but he can't leave the old cars
You can't get rod of the cars that have been made in that golden era
The Land Cruiser VXR from 1998-2007
Toyota made that engine just to beat the American cars in the v8 battle
in terms of industry quality
That VXR is till in the streets
It's normal when you see a VXR that has over 500k km mileage on the odometer
When its mileage is 300k km, it's still in break-in period so don't drive fast in it
In that era, there was a fierce competition between the cars factories
Each factory wants to develop itself to get more customers
That's a nice thing to see, because the factories are making awesome creations
In addition,
Up to 2007 the restrictions related to the emissions and preserving the ozone layer were less than 2007 up to now
That's one reason why these GM vehicles are very successful
Quite simply, these cars were simply built
Everyday I see these cars in the streets even though their condition is so bad
Their wheels are slanted and the car's lifted from a side and lowered from another besides having dents from everywhere
They're still working tho
The temperature is good
Oil pressure is good
Cold AC
Wheels, bearings, brake pads are good
There is no problem
It will keep working
Ignore the other sounds
Since I bought this car, there has been a sound coming from the front
I used to it, so I don't hear it anymore
It's not affecting anything
I'm driving it everyday
I drove 10000 miles on it since I bought it
If there is lower than 87 octane, I'll fill my car with it
These cars only needs to smell the fuel
Or any burning thing smell
From a guy who loves GM cars and has owned many of GM cars over the years
I was addicted to Cadillac
The last Cady I owned wiped me out
Because it has turned to plastic
It was 2000 or 2001 model
It was a bad car and its spare parts were too expensive
Many of its parts are from a Chevy Lumina
Then the new Tahoe showed up
That Tahoe had many issues like the oil pump, oil pressure, the sound of the locks, & many other issues I'll be talking about
GM factory began to let me down and many other people
I'm a Blazer lover
That was one of my goals when I was a kid
I want to get older to buy a Blazer
They made a Blazer that's not related to any previous Blazer
Then they started to convince the people saying it's a fast car
Same thing happened for the Corvette lovers, who won't think of using another car
When GM produced the Corvette C8
It's a modern car with a mid engine
Very well balanced, wheel distribution, ....etc
That should not be at the expense of a name as old as Corvette
People who love to own and drive the Corvette, love to be scared by it
If it's not scary, it's not drivable
Like the C6 ZO6
That's the reason why Corvette owners cling to Corvette
What I'm seeing is that GM is trying to have more Corvette owners
In the past, people who drive the Corvette know what will happen when they floor it
Now anyone with a driving license can drive the C8 Corvette
It's nice to see where the Technology reached, but not at the expense of a name as old as Corvette or blazer
At that moment, I realized that GM factory had become a purely commercial factory
That's works depending on the numbers
not depending on the customer satisfaction
or satisfying the loyal people that care about that brand since long time ago
They are making the parts last shorter to make more money
For me, the family cars from GM stopped after 2006
The Corvette has stopped for me after the C6
My friend and I installed a Yukon starter on his 08 or 09 C6 Corvette back in Qatar
We changed the plug and installed it on the Corvette
Then we took that after market starter from  his Corvette and installed it on the LS1 engine that's on my Blazer
That what distinguished GM cars
Not a mid engine
Or a Blazer with a transverse twin turbo v6 engine
Leave me alone
A simple example on that
Is there any GMC Acadia owner that drove 100k km on his car without having to change the engine or the transmission
Or without having some huge issues in it even though it's under warranty
People get new cars for peace of mind
Any Acadia owner didn't encounter any of these problems?
I don't think so
Forget the Acadia
Let's discus some of the issues in the 2007 and newer Tahoes and Yukons that don't exist in the old models
Any one has a 2007+ Tahoe that's doors closing sound like this
Or when you close the door you must hear a lot of noises
Why?
Because 2007+ models have malfunction of these locks
Not only the sound of closing the door
In some cars the interior lights will stay on and will give you a message on the dashboard saying the door is open even though it's closed
Each lock costs 800 QR
x4 every 3 or 4 years
The second problem is the lifters sounds, the low engine oil levels,
and the problems that occurs because of the weak oil pressure in 2007+ models
Most of that models
I had that problem on 100k and 150k km before the mileage reaches 200k km,
which is the lifters sound when you start the engine in the morning
That's because of the weak oil pressure
That happens because of the O ring or the oil pump
The oil pump in the new models should be changed
The O ring may increase the oil pressure
When you change the O ring, change the oil pump in the same time if your car has front differential
Because the front diff should be removed to reach the oil pan
Change the oil pump in the same time to save the labour money
Buy your peace of mind
These old models don't have that issue
Now after using them for 16 years, some oil pressure issues began to happen
After 300k or 400k km, the oil pump should be changed because it's a consumer part
The oil pump is a consumer part that should be changed
That's one of the things that distinguish these models than the newer models
Let's talk about a problem in 2014+ models
I talked about it in the catch can video
GM 2014+ engines use direct fuel injection system
The injector is located inside the cylinder not on the intake manifold like this
So the PCV is inserting the oil vapor to engine
That oil vapor and deposits will stay on the intake valves
The valves where the air enters the engine
That problem exist in GM cars that have direct fuel injection system
The deposits will stick on the valves and will prevent them from opening or closing
There will also be many other problems and maybe the valves will break and slip to the combustion chamber
You will ask why the factory didn't install a catch can?
When you pay huge amount of money to fix the head of your engine after the valves get stuck, you will know why
That problem don't occur in these models
Neither I nor anyone I knew had ever encountered this problem with these models
Because they have the old injection system
So the injector is cleaning the intake valves from the PCV valve deposits
In these models, installing a catch can is a precaution, it's not necessary
Ford for example,
Ford uses in their direct injection engines 2 injectors on each cylinder
One inside the combustion chamber
And one on the intake manifold to clean the intake valves
Like any other car, this car has some common problems in it
But because it has been for a long time in the market, that problems are known
And there are many solutions
The 1500 comes with a 4L60E transmission
It's weak
After 200k km that transmission should be renewed
That issue has many solutions
1- Install a 4L80 transmission from a 2500 HD
2- Some companies made rebuilt kit for this transmission
That develops its performance so it can afford more HP, more hard use, and more heat
One of the essential changes is the external transmission cooler
That will make the transmission live longer and afford more hard use
The main problem in this transmission is overheating
Do you see that part connected to the dynamo?
That's the dynamo regulator
In the new models, the regulator is installed inside the dynamo
You can't change the regulator separately anymore
That original regulator is weak
Because of that, the lights in your car flicker sometimes
There is a company made a regulator that solves the flickering issue in the car
Charging the battery will be more stable
Let's cool down
The electric fans that came on these models take a long time to start
and if the AC isn't working they start on 105°C or 110°C
If you're idling and the AC isn't working, the temperature should pass the half then the fans will work
In term of pulling the air, they're weak comparing them to the fans used in 2009+ models
2007 and the early 2008 models have these fans
To the owners of these cars ...
If you use you car for towing, off-roading, or you live on the mountains like Al Ta'if in KSA
Cancel the electric fans and install an original mechanical fan like this
The water pump has the threads for its bolts, so you can install directly
and install an extra electrical fan to cool the AC condenser
An important point in these models is that changing parts in them is too easy
Let's say you're going from Al Ahsa to Makkah to do Umrah
and one of the coils got broken
Changing it will take exactly 10 minutes
Remove this bolt
Unplug this spark plug cable from the coil
And the coil will come out
The dynamo starter is located on the passenger side in these cars
From the down
Just go from underneath the car and you will see it
2 bolts
Unplug the plug and remove the bolt holding the cable
and you're done
Whenever we travel with our parents in the past
The car had to break down on the way
Then your father goes to the nearest stop to get the Cressida parts
then you try to make it work
so it can reach the nearest city that has spare parts
I don't think there is anyone travelled in the car in the 90s and never had that kind of problems
being able to change the broken part in your car when you're travelling is so important
Look at the seat my dear
Look at the seat of the Yukons up to 2006
That seats for me are the end of that era
Caprice, Cadillac, Crown Victoria, these are the proverbial seats in the American cars
Why I've got a Yukon not a pickup truck?
Person like should be using a pickup truck
This model of Tahoe and Yukon is almost a pickup truck
The front suspension torsion bar
There are no springs in the front
That susp system comes on the 2WD and the 4WD
The 4WD comes only with this system and the 2WD comes either with this system or with springs
This system is too simple
Very practical and you can lift the front of the car from bolts located under the middle of the car
That torsion bar is extended to the middle of the chassis
There 2 bolts underneath the car
you can lift the front of the car by tightening the bolts
Or you can lower the front by loosening the bolts
Having the ability to change the height this easy is awesome
The differences between the trucks and the Yukon or the Tahoe
They're more comfortable on the highways
Because they use spring in the back not leaf spring like the pickups
That's a disadvantage if you want to tow or load
As I said, there are solution for that problems
There setups for this cars to tow or load without getting to low from the back
I will show it to you when the air helpers arrive
Why this Yukon especially even though I found many cheaper Yukons with lower mileage than this ?
and almost the same features
This Yukon has some special specs that are rare to find in a 2WD Yukon
This brake system is only available on the 4WD cars
Or as a limited edition in the 2WD Yukons
Hydro-boost braking system
There is no brake booster
That kind is called vacuum
This is called hydro-boost
This pipe is coming form the power steering pump
This system depends on the hydraulic to stop the car faster
More practical
The brake is much stronger
Which is so important for off-roading and towing
First thing I looked for when I went to see this Yukon
The hydro-boost braking system
The 1500 2007+ didn't came with this system
Also my Yukon has bigger brakes than the other Yukons because it has the towing package
The rear brakes are disks with 2 piston calipers
The caliper is bigger than the caliper that comes on the normal Tahoe or Yukon
Because it has towing performance package
The braking system in this car is perfect
Not only for towing or off-roading
For the normal use, it stops the car faster
For the sudden stops, it works perfectly
This Yukon's rear differential ratio is 3.73
The other Tahoes and Yukons come with 3.08 rear differential ratio
The same ration that comes on the Sierra or Silverado 1500
Not all the 1500 Sierras and Silevrados come with 3.73 rear diff ratio, some of them come with lower ratio
That's the best 1500 ratio for towing and loading
I previously talked about this topic in one of the videos
I explained in detail what is the differential ratio and why it's important
I don't think the one who sold me this car knows this specs
The people who have this specs always ask for higher prices
Do you recommend buying Tahoe or Yukon 2006 and older?
Yes
I also recommend that you renew everything in the car
Change all the consumer parts in the car
Because any part you change in this car will live longer than the newer cars
Install an original compressor and forget it for many years
I think this compressor is the original one that came with the car
Because the AC is not cold enough comparing it to these models
it also look too old
Take these cars
If you need a car for off-roading, take a Yukon, lift it, change the wheels, change some parts, and you are done
Do whatever you want to do
Lift it of lower it
Everything is available in the market
There are many parts and solution for these cars
These cars are awesome, practical, and simple
It's too easy to service them
their parts are available everywhere
Their are cheap and expensive aftermarket parts
The expensive after market parts are better than the original parts
They solved some original parts' problems
The original parts are available
If you have this car, don't skimp on it, as this model will not be repeated
See you later & Thanks a lot!
