Time for a new tow rig, aka go big block or go home.

[ChrisV]

Finally decided to sell my '94 Chevy 3500 dually with the 6.5 turbodiesel. 3rd glow plug relay in as many months (dying twice while towing the travel trailer) and the limitations of driving an extended cab dually have made my mind up (getting real people into the back seat of the extended cab without rear doors is a PITA and those dually rear fenders make it SO wide when driving in normal situations, like Home Depot runs... Good tow rig for 4 seasons, though, and it was cheap (under $4k after all repairs), so I got my use out of it.



Since the travel trailer is 7500 lbs loaded I needed something with a little extra capacity, but I'm still a cheapass, so a newer 2500HD diesel truck was out of the question (damn those things hold their value good). So armed with a sub $10k budget, I shifted my gaze a little. I found this 2002 Suburban 2500 HD 4x4 with the 8.1 gasser for cheap (A/C inop and "Service Ride Control" light on the dash).Was asking $6900, but got it for far less due to those issues.











I swear to god every one of these out there is this damn beige color.

The 8.1 (496 cubic inch) had serious nads. It hauls ass in a most authorative way. It also drinks fuel, but no more than the diesel did. I actually got 15 mpg with it on the road coming back from PA where I bought it. And that included a couple 60-90 mph romps and one shot of playing with a C6 Corvette on the interstate. Luckily, it'll only see about 1000-2000 non-towing miles per year (and maybe less than 5k miles a year total) so fuel costs won't be too bad overall. I mean, I have the Volt for daily driver duties, and my wife is driving the MINI, so this won't get used for anything other than what it was intended for. But carrying the dogs and people on RV trips will be so much nicer. And the ocasional Home Depot runs will be nicer too (and I won't have to park so far out in the lot like I did with the dually that didn't fit in normal parking spaces).

The PO had used it for hunting, so there was a carpeted gun box in the back of it (shown in the rear interior pic) that has since been removed. Normally there would be a third row seat in that space, but I don't really need one of those now, either.

[CJ]

Make sure and check that third brake light. Common failure point on these things. Looks pretty solid.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Needs a supercharger.

[ChrisV]

Needs a supercharger.

lol! I don't need single digit fuel mileage unloaded...

[Eye of the Tiger]

lol! I don't need single digit fuel mileage unloaded...

Good point. I suppose a compound turbo setup would be more efficient.

[ChrisV]

Good point. I suppose a compound turbo setup would be more efficient.

The 8.1 really doesn't need more power, at least not for what I'm doing with it. It'll tow that trailer just fine.

[Soup DeVille]

Make sure and check that third brake light. Common failure point on these things. Looks pretty solid.

Who cares about that?

More to the point: who is going to let that affect their purchase decision?

[68_427]

Nice.  Love 3.4 ton Suburbans

[Madman]

Hey, it's Shed of the Week: Truck Edition!  I love it!  Less than $6,900?  How much less?  Even with non-working air con and that other thingy going on, that's one heckuva deal.  I'm sure with your epic (and well documented) wrenching skills, you'll have those sorted in no time.

Looks big and comfy but I would physically wince with pain every time I pulled up to a gas pump!

[S204STi]

Nice vehicle, Chris.  Too bad they didn't offer the Duramax in the Yukon/Suburban, but the 8.1 will do nicely, and be less mechanically complex/unreliable to operate.

[Mustangfan2003]

A guy with a Volt and a Suburban with an 8.1 in it.  Talk about Ying and Yang. 

[S204STi]

A guy with a Volt and a Suburban with an 8.1 in it.  Talk about Ying and Yang.

Yin* and yang?

[Raza]

How about another old Range Rover instead?

[Mustangfan2003]

How about another old Range Rover instead?

Maybe he wanted something a little more reliable. 

[MrH]

Woah, that thing looks clean.  Good find.  Should prove to be a good deal more useful than the previous truck I bet.

[CALL_911]

Dude, this is fucking awesome. Great find, and best of luck with it.

[Laconian]

Wow, what a steal. My parents were risk averse with their options and ended up paying twice what you paid ('03 Sequoia with 1X0k miles) even though their requirements were the same as yours.

[SVT_Power]

The 8.1 really doesn't need more power, at least not for what I'm doing with it. It'll tow that trailer just fine.

Had to look around a little bit to find power figures, 455 ft-lbs sounds plenty to me 

[ChrisV]

Yeah, the thing supposedly has a 10,200lb tow rating, which should do nicely. Got the rear air working, just a blower motor bad there, but the front is still blowing only heated air, like the blend motor stopped working. Not a problem with the temps around freezing now, but I'll have to get it dealt with by summer.

The "Service Ride Control" light is tied to the rear electromagnetic shocks. Either a shock or sensor has malfunctioned so the self leveling won't work. The ONLY way to check what the fault is is to take it to a dealer. Since it actually doesn't affect the driveability or towing capability (everyone else with one that I've talked to has the same issue, and many have had the light on for over 100k miles with no issues) I think I'll leave it for now. Did find one more issue with it though, the windsheild washer fluid reservoir is cracked and won't hold fluid. It's only $15 new, but replacing it requires taking the battery and inner fender liner out... Ugh.

As to why not a Rangie? Good condition ones are going for more than I sold my last one for and are definitely out of my price range now. AND, I'm towing what would be the very TOP of the tow rating for one (7k lbs is max for one, while the trailer is a bit over 7500lbs).  I'd still love to have a classic Range Rover for an offroader, and they are still fairly cheap, but i dont' need another toy right now. That can wait.

Since I'll only be using the 'Burban for towing the trailer and the occasional Home Depot or Ikea run, the fuel mileage of the 8.1 won't be a factor. But yeah, I cringe at the $100 fillup...

[giant_mtb]

Perhaps JB Weld or some other epoxy could fix the washer fluid reservoir?  Or would that be just as much of a pain in the ass as replacing the whole thing?

[ChrisV]

I thought about that, but you can't get to the cracked area without taking it all apart anyhow.

[giant_mtb]

Yeah, that's what I figured.

[shp4man]

Don't know much about Chevys, but looks like a nice truck 

[J86]

My buddy's still driving the one he had in college.  It's got over 230k on it.  Original transmission, motor, etc.- new steering pump about a 100k ago 'cause we weren't the brightest bulbs in college, but man that thing has been a champ.

[Submariner]

Yeah, the thing supposedly has a 10,200lb tow rating, which should do nicely. Got the rear air working, just a blower motor bad there, but the front is still blowing only heated air, like the blend motor stopped working. Not a problem with the temps around freezing now, but I'll have to get it dealt with by summer.

The "Service Ride Control" light is tied to the rear electromagnetic shocks. Either a shock or sensor has malfunctioned so the self leveling won't work. The ONLY way to check what the fault is is to take it to a dealer. Since it actually doesn't affect the driveability or towing capability (everyone else with one that I've talked to has the same issue, and many have had the light on for over 100k miles with no issues) I think I'll leave it for now. Did find one more issue with it though, the windsheild washer fluid reservoir is cracked and won't hold fluid. It's only $15 new, but replacing it requires taking the battery and inner fender liner out... Ugh.

As to why not a Rangie? Good condition ones are going for more than I sold my last one for and are definitely out of my price range now. AND, I'm towing what would be the very TOP of the tow rating for one (7k lbs is max for one, while the trailer is a bit over 7500lbs).  I'd still love to have a classic Range Rover for an offroader, and they are still fairly cheap, but i dont' need another toy right now. That can wait.

Since I'll only be using the 'Burban for towing the trailer and the occasional Home Depot or Ikea run, the fuel mileage of the 8.1 won't be a factor. But yeah, I cringe at the $100 fillup...

Does it have an air suspension or just adjustable dampeners?

[Soup DeVille]

Does it have an air suspension or just adjustable dampeners?

Just the magnetic shocks. When they fail they still act like shocks, just on the most compliant settings. The suspension is good old steel springs.

It was always n overly complex and expensive system for a truck anyways.

[hounddog]

Nice grab!

Honestly, that is a good tow vehicle with its weight.

Any modern half ton pick up would have been a good choice for that travel trailer, but heavier duty is of course always better.   More so if you wanted passenger room.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

LOL at Beige! Thats must have been the "Default" color on ALL Full size GMC/Chevy trucks and SUVs at the time!

[ChrisV]

Update, it's been all over and tows so nice. Very comfortable place to spend time while towing, and have passengers and the dogs along with us.



So far it's getting about 11 mpg towing, while it gets about 12 mog empty. Lol.

It did have one major issue though, while setting it up for towing to start with I was testing out the 7 way trailer plug and pressed on the brake pedal and had it hiss and go all the way to the floor. Turns out one of the brake lines blew out from rust. This was one of the lines going to the rear (two lines go from the master cyl down the top of the frame rail to the ABS controller in the rear, then two lines go forward up to the front brakes and one goes rearward to the rear brakes). In order to change them out you have to raise the body up away from the frame rail, which is a major undertaking, and one that I don't have the equipment for. Luckily, I have a truck shop that did work on the diesel dually and they replaced all the lines for $1200 with stainless steel, as well as replacing the rubber lines. So now I have all new brake lines and hoses for peace of mind.

[68_427]

TCL darling