New to me 2003 Tahoe with 200,000 miles

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GOPHER FREAK

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I just bought a 2003 Tahoe super cheap. The body and interior are pretty much perfect. It's going to be my daily driver. The is only one catch, It has 202,000 miles on it. It really doesn't scare me as I have a long history of driving vehicles well in to the quarter million mile range. Just wonder what you think for oil? I know nothing of the history, but I was thinking either Dino Maxlife, Full Syn Maxlife, or Mobil 1 HM. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I think I pretty much store this vehicle at $3600, And I like it and would like to drive it another 100K.

Also, it still has Dex-cool in it. FLush it or keep it? Judging by the condition of the rest of the vehicle I would assume the previous owner cared for it very well and the dex-cool in there is clean and there is no sign of any sludge in the coolant recovery tank.
 
Dyno Maxlife would be my vote, those engines run well with dyno. If its been ran with dyno its whole life, switching to synthetic might cause leeks. As far as the dex cool, i think its fine as long as its been changed on a regular basis, its only bad when its been in there too long, so flush it to be safe. Either with dexcool or the green stuff. just dont let them mix. You have a good truck there, change out all the fluids to be safe.
 
I would just drain and fill the cooling system with Dexcool, or Prestone All Makes All Models, which has the same ingredients, but is cheaper.

As for oil, conventional Maxlife is excellent stuff in cars that use conventional oil.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Dyno Maxlife would be my vote, those engines run well with dyno. If its been ran with dyno its whole life, switching to synthetic might cause leeks. As far as the dex cool, i think its fine as long as its been changed on a regular basis, its only bad when its been in there too long, so flush it to be safe. Either with dexcool or the green stuff. just dont let them mix. You have a good truck there, change out all the fluids to be safe.


Maxlife is a synthetic blend, not dino.
 
Fill with Dex cool I assume it is a 5.3 with pessurized overflow.

Here we go again. This truck is an LSx based motor. DRY intake, no oil or collant touches it. They do not suffer from the Dex problems the 3.1, 3.4, 3.8 and 4.3 had.

Swap it with clean dex and drive on. Good luck with it.
 
Agree with the choice of dino oil but I would run it for a bit on cheap dino and see if there are any leaks to speak of. If not then get a good brand dino and do 5 K runs (daily driver) . I believe I would be more concerned about the transmission fluid condition than the motor oil. 5.3L's are not hard on oil but I have read a lot of issues with older transmissions. Sounds like the guy before you took good care of it so probably not much to worry about. Run good dino, change tranny fluid and diff fluids and call it a day.
 
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Don't forget the transmission/transfer case/differentials. Maxlife definitely gets my vote for the transmission. Differentials? Meh. Cheap 80w-90 if that's what they call for. Transfer case is pickier on those I think. IIRC you have to use GM's fluid.

Engine oil: If it's leaking oil, stick with plain old dino 5w/10w-30. Not much reason to use anything else. No reason to use HM oil if it isn't leaking.

Coolant: Stay with Dex-Cool, IMO. Those engines don't have the problems the V6 engines do.
 
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Wow. Thanks for the quick responses. Rear Dif was just rebuilt. Gears were good, But all bearings and seals were done. I'm buying this Tahoe from my cousin who couldn't pass it up a auction because it was so clean. He is a mechanic, I trust him and he has been all through the car.

I have to admit I'm a little nervous about the tranny. It seems perfect, but I have no idea about it's service history and I'm kinda torn about changing the fluid. Sometimes it's better to leave them alone. But basically I have been looking for a driver to commute in and keep the miles off my Ram and I'm not sure I can do much better for the money I'm willing to spend. I'm kinda going into it expecting to have to replace the tranny at some point. My cousin is convinced the tranny is solid though. It feels like it, but you never really know. One thing is certain, it certainly is better than one in the 1995 Dodge Ram it's replacing. 298,000 miles on the original.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Flush the dexcool! When it shows visible problems it's way too late.


And at 200k it is a must? Dexcool was only an issue with certain engines and it was gasket design and air being introduced that caused the issues. This is a tired subject. I would drain and refill the Dexcool and go with M1 HM. Also look at the transmission fluid (Maxlife) and diff fluids (Anything.) Drain and refill if needed
 
this vintage seems to have chronic rear main seal issues, other then that i am a big fan of pre-bailout chevy trucks.
 
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I've got a 99 with a 5.3 with close to that mileage. I've run everything from amsoil to m1 and everything in between. Mine is happiest with a conventional 10w-30 in the summer or an hdeo is also great if you are hard on an engine,and a 0w-30 in winter.
The winter is when piston slap will be most noticeable however it doesn't seem to be doing any harm as there engines last for well into the 400-500k range.
Change the oil when it smells really strongly of fuel but other than that drive er.
 
Yep you pretty much stole it at that price : )

Try Quaker State Defy 5W-30 or other similar high mileage oil - your engine will like the slightly higher viscosity and the high ZDDP. GC 0W-30 is also a good option, but a bit expensive.

Keep the Dex-Cool - just do a drain and fill once every few years.
 
Well the plot thickens. Before picking it up today, I ran a carfax (I could have still backed out at that point) . The truck is actually a Suburban Z71. It's been debadged, other than the Z71 on the sides. Doesn't change anything right? from what I can tell it's just about 15" longer but drivetrain is interchangable. Also it's an FFV. An nice bonus as I have an E85 station right by my house.

I ended up buying the truck.

It has a few minor issues that I'll deal with. One is the the check valve in fuel tank must be stuck open and it cranks a little longer (5-6 seconds) if I don't leave the key in the acc position for a few seconds before cranking. I'll put a fuel pump in when the weather gets better. $120 and two hours of my time. The other is one key door lock is broken. No big deal as the Hardware store I manage has a few locksmiths on our reference list who owe me a favor or two for sending them some business. Other than that it's SOLID. Drove it 60 miles today mixed hwy city driving and it drives like a truck with 50K on it.
 
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The Suburban can be a bit more difficult to find a parking spot for. How did you fail to notice this?
 
Originally Posted By: yonyon
The Suburban can be a bit more difficult to find a parking spot for. How did you fail to notice this?


Honestly, I was so focused on trying to verify the mechanical condition of the vehicle I didn't really notice. I feel kinda dumb.


It's been debadged, and on the Z71 they sit higher so they don't look as long.
 
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