'04 Tahoe common problems to look out for?

[El Pee]

Howdy all, I am considering an '04 Tahoe LT. Are there any common problems I should be on the look out for?

 

[MO Viet Vet]

It would be great if the knock sensors, sensor harnesses and intake gasket upgrade had already been done. Want to be sure the steering shaft has been upgraded, also.

Make sure all heater and a/c controls and directions work correctly.

Check the lumbar seat adjustments to be sure all work correctly.

Be wary of a very slow window regulator/motor operation.

Listen for cold start belt chirping noise that could not only be belts but also the 2 tensioners and the idler assembly.

Check for any broken exhaust manifold bolts.

 

[Treehan77]

Instrument cluster eventually will fail with some gauges stuck or working intermittently. But rebuild is less than 150 bucks. Watch out for 706 Castec heads (google it). if it has auto climate, the sensors will make noise after a while, it looks like a mic speaker grill right above your head if you have it. Make sue it either doesn't have "autoride" or that, if it does, shocks and compressor are in good shape. This is expensive to fix, but most tahoes don't have it anyway. Get a code reader and make sure the gauges are accurate or the readings are good if the gauges don't work with the obd 2 dongle and torque or DashCommand. Obd2 reader and app can be had for less than 30 bucks. This can tell you what any check engine lights mean and allow you to reset them, see what most of the gauges SHOULD be saying (my temp gauge usually looked normally but wasn't actually working anywhere near correct, then sometimes would point at the ground!). This are mostly minor problems and these are great trucks if been taken care of. Make sure oil, trans oil etc aren't burnt smelling etc obviously.

 

[Treehan77]

The other common biggie is fuel pump, pretty expensive to replace and usually no warning.