Bought an '02 Tahoe Z71, have a few problems...
10-22-2009, 12:58 PM
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Bought an '02 Tahoe Z71, have a few problems...
I had been looking for a replacement tow vehicle, and came across a great deal on this 02 Tahoe Z71. For what I paid for it, I cant really complain about the issues, I would just like to get them fixed.
First, the HVAC blower doesnt work on the first two positions, but blows good on 3 and above. From what I read, this is probably related to the blower resistor. Also, the control panel backlight doesnt work. Where should I start looking?
Next, the rear (barn) door doesnt unlock electrically. It looks like there may be a problem with the contact plungers above the doors. I think this because the lights didnt come on with the rear door open until I played with the plungers a little. Does anyone have a pinout of what these contacts do?
Lastly, the engine has the cold startup lifter tick. It clears up after it warms up, and the truck maintains good oil pressure. I bet the check valves in the lifters are going bad. I will probably replace the engine down the line, but I am not too worried about it at the moment (I will drive this less than 2k miles a year).
Any advice would be appreciated.
First, the HVAC blower doesnt work on the first two positions, but blows good on 3 and above. From what I read, this is probably related to the blower resistor. Also, the control panel backlight doesnt work. Where should I start looking?
Next, the rear (barn) door doesnt unlock electrically. It looks like there may be a problem with the contact plungers above the doors. I think this because the lights didnt come on with the rear door open until I played with the plungers a little. Does anyone have a pinout of what these contacts do?
Lastly, the engine has the cold startup lifter tick. It clears up after it warms up, and the truck maintains good oil pressure. I bet the check valves in the lifters are going bad. I will probably replace the engine down the line, but I am not too worried about it at the moment (I will drive this less than 2k miles a year).
Any advice would be appreciated.
10-22-2009, 04:04 PM
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The cold start tick, I have been told is a spark plug knock that is common with the 99-02 5.3s. Apparently it's not a bad thing, it can be fixed with running higher octane fuel. That is just what I heard, I could be wrong but mine has been doing it since I bought it. The control panel problem, I'm not sure but my switch just started doing the same thing. It only works on level 4 and 5. I'm not too worried about it for now, but eventually it will get on my nerves enough to fix it so, hopefully someone else can help there. I thought that would be just the control panel which I found on ebay for around $30, once again I could be wrong. Hope this helps.
10-22-2009, 09:42 PM
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First, the HVAC blower doesnt work on the first two positions, but blows good on 3 and above. From what I read, this is probably related to the blower resistor. Also, the control panel backlight doesnt work. Where should I start looking?
Yep, get the blower motor resistor and all will be good. had to replace it on my truck. about the back light, there is a write up on putting LEDs in it. cant rem who did it tho.
Next, the rear (barn) door doesnt unlock electrically. It looks like there may be a problem with the contact plungers above the doors. I think this because the lights didnt come on with the rear door open until I played with the plungers a little. Does anyone have a pinout of what these contacts do?
Ill see what i can find on AllData
Lastly, the engine has the cold startup lifter tick. It clears up after it warms up, and the truck maintains good oil pressure. I bet the check valves in the lifters are going bad. I will probably replace the engine down the line, but I am not too worried about it at the moment (I will drive this less than 2k miles a year).
The lifter tick is the famous 5.3 Signature
it will be fine, my dads truck is getting close to 300k and his has been ticking since around 100k
Any advice would be appreciated.
Sweet looking truck man. i like it.
10-22-2009, 10:59 PM
#5
Nice ride, congrats and good luck with it 
Blower resistor is a common failure, as are bulbs in the climate control panel. A couple of mine burned out and I de-soldered them out of the circuit board and soldered in new ones that I matched up at Radio Shack.
Sounds like you're on the right track with the rear door lock problem...if you get the contacts cleaned and working properly and the problem still persists, you may need a door lock actuator, but I'd troubleshoot the contacts first.
The noise that you're hearing upon cold start up may be the famous piston slap that the GENIII is known for...there's a wealth of information about it here and everywhere on the net. It's extremely common and not a problem, just annoying.
Blower resistor is a common failure, as are bulbs in the climate control panel. A couple of mine burned out and I de-soldered them out of the circuit board and soldered in new ones that I matched up at Radio Shack.
Sounds like you're on the right track with the rear door lock problem...if you get the contacts cleaned and working properly and the problem still persists, you may need a door lock actuator, but I'd troubleshoot the contacts first.
The noise that you're hearing upon cold start up may be the famous piston slap that the GENIII is known for...there's a wealth of information about it here and everywhere on the net. It's extremely common and not a problem, just annoying.
10-23-2009, 08:08 AM
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Nice ride, congrats and good luck with it
The noise that you're hearing upon cold start up may be the famous piston slap that the GENIII is known for...there's a wealth of information about it here and everywhere on the net. It's extremely common and not a problem, just annoying.
The noise that you're hearing upon cold start up may be the famous piston slap that the GENIII is known for...there's a wealth of information about it here and everywhere on the net. It's extremely common and not a problem, just annoying.
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10-23-2009, 12:12 PM
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It is a tick, it is just louder than piston slap. My 09 has piston slap, so am familiar with that. My friends new G8 does it too. This almost sounds like a rod bearing, but it clears up in a minute or so. I think I am hearing the pushrods banging around until the lifters get pumped it up. After a minute or so, it is perfectly quiet. It actually seems to run quieter than my 09. I will probably put a PD blower on it down the road, but a new longblock will come before then.
10-24-2009, 09:45 PM
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I took the door panels off tonight to do a little diagnosis on the speakers. I thought the woofer wasnt working, just the tweeter, because I was only getting high frequencies out of them. Turns out the factory speakers just suck and all of the bass just comes from the subwoofer.
Also, something a little weird happened when I unplugged the rearmost connector on the power window switch (while the front was plugged in) . It made a buzzing sound and the radio came on. WTF would cause this? There doesnt seem to be any problems with the radio or windows, so what was the buzzing noise?
Also, something a little weird happened when I unplugged the rearmost connector on the power window switch (while the front was plugged in) . It made a buzzing sound and the radio came on. WTF would cause this? There doesnt seem to be any problems with the radio or windows, so what was the buzzing noise?
Last edited by explorer5.0; 10-25-2009 at 09:40 PM.