99 tahoe newbie

[keek007]

picked up a 99 4 door tahoe lt with 182k on it. 5.7, auto, 4x4. had it about 2 weeks now. eating coolant that slowly ends up in the oil so i dont drive it often but have ran about 4 tanks of fuel through it and changed the oil twice lol. cant find a leak but guessing its the intake from what i have found online sense its not burning it or smoking. its hitting the shop in a few days for all that. what im wondering is about the weak points of the four wheel drive and what i can expect from the ifs front end. i have read about a transfer case computer and a motor that engauges the front end with their related issues. i know my t case seems to work from the crawl ratio i end up with when i hit the switch but dont know about the front end or not yet. have also read about the rear end. 10 bolt i guess. dont know yet as i havent got that far into it yet. im going to replace the engine, trans, and t case and drive it daily. it rattles and creeks but i could care less. what im wanting out of the vehicle is a bug out vehicle and some light off roading and camping. will end up on 33 inch tires but done correctly. not my first 4x4, this is just my 2nd chevy. had a 2001 but sold it ( stupid ). anyway im looking more for what usually breaks or needs to be beefed to handle some family off roading with daily driving and towing a boat or small camper

 

[lesterl]

Lower Intake Manifold gasket (LIM). I have never had issues with the main 4x4 components other than CV joint. Keep you fluids full and fresh..... If you raise it look for CV joints to fail.....

 

[keek007]

i was thinking the lift over and im going to go with a body lift and leveling kit. i think when the time comes that i start that project, im going to replace the cv joints with stronger ones or just do a solid axel swap. none of that can happen till i have a garage to work in tho, right now im in the driveway of y rental cause of my last divorce lol. all good tho. if i look into it i may also be able to move the rear axel back a few inches and just do some fender trimming to fit larger tires. im not so worried about a lift as i am the rest. my head tells me to gut the computers and efi and put a carborated driveline in, 700r4 ect. and that just seems like more work than i want to do lol. really im outfitting it with a rebuilt driveline and setting it up as an all around trail/family rig to enjoy on weekends and bug out in if need comes up

 

[lesterl]

The EFI stuff can be pretty reliable... I had a buddy that was all about "rip that s##t out and carb it" and I think most of that came from lack of understanding and or willingness to learn a bit about troubleshooting. He was always coming up with hack together stuff that never got finished.... if it runs I would leave it stock....

 

[keek007]

i most likely will. im more about reliability than anything. only reason i want larger tires than 31 inches is cause of the likely trail conditions ill find in my area. other than that decent comfort, storage capacity, and reliability are the top needs. but its a work in progress that has just started. right now i have to see if changing the door pins will fix the door sag on the passenger side door. then on to the next bit. got my sterio and siren/speaker installed today and ill be addressing the intake and sorry breaking system soon as well.

 

[keek007]

intake gasket is fixed so the idle, coolent leak, and the heating duct selector also works better lol. the throttle responce is better and the truck seems to be doing better on gas as well

 

[lesterl]

Yea!!!

 

[rabbiporkchop]

On mine, the NP241 Transfer case was the only part worth keeping.
replaced factory suspension with Ford axles
replaced engine and transmission with 2005 Vortec 5.3 and 4l65e
100hp more than stock and up to 18 mpg on the highway with 35" tires

 

[keek007]

ill keep that in mind. my only rear issue is all the computers. i know it all makes for a great truck and mileage and all that but durability and being able to do field repairs, or even scavenge parts if needed. hard to diagnose computer issues on an old logging trail, in the dark, at 10 pm on a sunday if ya know what i mean. when i say durability i mean it. any build would include aux oil, and tans coolers, filter upgrades. when new driveshafts were made, upgrade to the largest ujoints possibl, ect. pretty much this thing will end up more like an expedition rig. my family of four, this tahoe and a pickup/ camper yet to be started.

 

[rabbiporkchop]

computer issues are easy to diagnose at night in the middle of the woods. all you got to do is plug it in and hit the Scan button

 

[lesterl]

Yeah, right chop... Scanners are an Aide, not a know it all.... I am assuming sarcasm.

 

[keek007]

dont have a scanner. need one but if im going to bother i want a good one and just aint got the cash right now. unemployment pays the bills but thats bout it

 

[lesterl]

I've been eying this $1100 unit at HF, but I make due with the Equus 3160 as a basic scantool for now..... I understand about the cash strapped times, been there done that...

 

[Dneel81]

welcome man. Glad to hear you're back in a Chevy. Just got back in a 1997 tahoe 2 door. Had a 1993 yukon in high school that I should have never given back to my father. Oh well, it's still in the family. Bought my 2 door, ripped the 4L60e out and the 243 transfer case and put in an NV4500 and a 241. Just got some wiring issues and then she'll be ready to roll. Good luck man, lots of good folks on here willing to go far to help another guy out.
-Dave