New to me 07 Chevy Suburban what do I need to know

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First time Chevy owner. 07 Suburban LT 5.3
Purchased at auction with 167k on the clock. Hear a lifter tick for sure and the CEL code is for an evap leak. First thing on agenda is the lifter tick, complete tune up, CEL and detail. Anything else I should keep An eye on with these suv’s?
 
Does it have the cylinder deactivation system? If so a lot of people deactivate it as it was known to cause problems in the early years.
 
Well, ive work on a couple avalanches, 1500s,and escalades we sold used. Not sure how much they all share but i think quite a bit. Those models i have replaced an evap canister, replaced failed catylitic converters, replaced an exhaust manifold that cracked. Replaced failed airride on an escalade. These are higher mileage rigs, 120k-180k. Other than that just usual higher mileage front end stuff like balljoints, swaybar links, and tierod ends that any vehicle needs eventually.
 
07 is early DOD technology and there were some problems with it. It can be deactivated or removed completely. Synthetic oil and conservative OCIs seem to be the best bet to avoid dead cylinders. Do you know it's maintenance history?
 
Originally Posted By: will1780
Unfortunately I do not. Picked it up at an auction today


Here's a good site that i'm on. And I have a 01 Suburban 1500 myself and LOVE IT !! Been all over US with it and not major issues. Just turned 250K other week
smile.gif



http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/

Dave
 
Originally Posted By: will1780
First time Chevy owner. 07 Suburban LT 5.3
Purchased at auction with 167k on the clock. Hear a lifter tick for sure and the CEL code is for an evap leak. First thing on agenda is the lifter tick, complete tune up, CEL and detail. Anything else I should keep An eye on with these suv’s?


2007.5 was the first year of the cylinder deactivation/AFM in the 5.3. Like others have said, it can be problematic. If you already have a lifter tick it could be one of your DOD lifters failing. Run some MMO through it before the next oil change and switch to a high quality oil like PYB, Castrol or one of the other oils that is known to clean well.

If that doesn't help then I guess drive it until it really starts to make noise.They tap really loud whe they go fully bad. Then get ready for a expensive repair, the heads have to be pulled to replace the AFM/DOD lifters.

I have been looking for a new to me truck and did tons of research on this motor when looking at Silverado's and Sierra's. If you disable the DOD/AFM from the get-go usually it's not a issue. If it's already making noise its usually too late.

Could be something else all together too like a exhaust leak etc, just wanted to pass along what I found in my research on these recently.

Best of luck, keep us posted.
 
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lifter tick/piston slap they all do it..at some point..just get used to it.

evap code http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/threads...cuit-low.18964/

tuneup- as soon as i pulled a wire to check the condition of the spark plugs the wire broke...so with yours being probably 10 years old plan on plugs and wires unless someone has done it. I went with NGK plugs.

fuel filter- take a peek at it..its probably oem so change it.

rear diff fluid- may or may not ever been changed

trans fluid- maxlife atf

throttle body- pull off front intake hose if its black and oily you can clean it.

brake lines- look along the frame rails- if they are rusty plan on changing them- mine blew on me.
 
Originally Posted By: krismoriah72
lifter tick/piston slap they all do it..at some point..just get used to it.



Possibly so but earlier than 07 won't lead to DOD lifter failure.

A guy at work has an 08 5.3 and he ignores maintenance and gets oil changed whenever at whatever quicky place is handy and it makes no noise so you're not necessarily destined for a failure. www.silveradosierra.com forum has lots of discussion about it.

Good truck, best of luck with it.
 
Is disabling the DOD/AFM difficult to do? I’m going to YouTube it to get an idea but I’m not sure I’ll be mechanically inclined if it’s a big job
 
Also, wouldn’t I feel it going from 4 cyl to 8 cyl via shuddering, upshot or downshifting? Nothing on my dashboard shows me anything about going from 4 cyl to 6 or 8 cyl. I’ve only driven it about 20 miles or so due to getting late yesterday and having to work all day today. I won’t be able to really see what’s going on with AFM till tomorrow. Thanks to all that have replied !!!
 
Also, wouldn’t I feel it going from 4 cyl to 8 cyl via shuddering, upshot or downshifting? Nothing on my dashboard shows me anything about going from 4 cyl to 6 or 8 cyl. I’ve only driven it about 20 miles or so due to getting late yesterday and having to work all day today. I won’t be able to really see what’s going on with AFM till tomorrow. Thanks to all that have replied !!!
 
I will never understand some people's need to 'punish' themselves - buying an 11-year old truck with 167k, a ticking engine, AND a CEL on, in a time of rapidly rising gas prices??

What you need to know: You have bought a gas-guzzling money pit. Congrats!
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
I will never understand some people's need to 'punish' themselves - buying an 11-year old truck with 167k, a ticking engine, AND a CEL on, in a time of rapidly rising gas prices??

What you need to know: You have bought a gas-guzzling money pit. Congrats!



Maybe he already has a reliable economical car and has always wanted a Suburban. He also did not say how much he paid for it, so maybe he got a really good deal on it. His money and he can spend it as he wishes.
 
From a standing start, floor it, up to say 70 mph, do this 3 times, if it holds together, your good, if it blows up, well it most likely was going to let go anyway,,,try it...imho.
 
A fantastic vehicle for travelling with a group of adults on long trips. Very comfortable riding experience for all with plenty of storage for suitcases and toys for the trip.
 
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