Help a girl find a tow vehicle

[overlander64]

Greetings Gringo!

Originally Posted by Gringo

I think I would actually rather have a vehicle I can work on myself without a computer, if I can find one. Doesn't look promising, though.

Don't give up! There are Vintage cars out there that can do the job, but do be prepared to do quite a bit of preparation before your first major trip. My coaches are both lighter than yours - - my Overlander maxes out at 6,100 pounds. I have towed both of mine with my 1975 Cadillac Edlorado Convertible - - it is rated lower (at 6,000 pounds) than its rear drive cousin the DeVille. In 2008, I completed a trip with the Cadillac and Minuet that included Yellowstone National Park, Bozeman, Montana, Glacier National Park and points between those locations and Southern Illinois. The only issues encountered in more than 4,000 miles of towing were the newly rebuilt alternator that failed in the first 200 miles and the speedometer cable that broke toward the end of the the last week of travel. Other than those two issues, the biggest challenge was keeping the fuel tank filled -- that 500 cubic inch V8 likes to stop at nearly every gas station -- and in the mountains it can get a little scary when the gas stations can be almost too far apart (in the mountains, I averaged between 4 and 6 MPG). Elsewhere on the Forums, I have posted the list of modifications that were necessary to make the Eldorado a good tow vehicle as well as the modifications on my older 1965 Dodge Coronet 500 Convertible.

Good luck with your search!

Kevin

[overlander64]

Greetings Star Kitty!

Your Suburban shouldn't have any problems towing a coach the size of yours. When I ordered my K2500 Suburban in 1999, the dealer tried to talk me into a K1500 with the HD towing package as it had a 6,000 pound trailer tow rating (with max tow package, the differential was 3.73). I suspect that you will find that your Suburban has either the 2.73 or 3.08 differential which would pose issues when towing in the Rockies. If the truck has the 3.73 differential, I would suggest some potential culprits that might include:

• A partially plugged catalytic converter.
• A dented/restricted exhaust or tail pipe.
• A partially collapsed "double-wall" exhaust pipe.
• A muffler with collapsed baffles.
• An exhaust heat riser valve that isn't operating freely.
• Dirt in the fuel injection/throttle body system.
• Weak fuel pump.
• Leaking intake or exhaust gaskets.
• One or more Vacuum Leaks.
• Mechanical issue with the motor.

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin

[davidz71]

Originally Posted by star kitty

I have a label called Service Parts Identification and its full of codes that I don't know how to read. The only code with a decimal point is 131.5 on the top of the list and that doesn't sound right.

star kitty,
Let's try this again. The axle ratio is not listed numerically in your glove compartment. It is represented by two capital letters and maybe one number like GU4. You will have these which represent parts or option codes when they built your vehicle. You may have 20 or more of these listed on a white background and adheared to the inside of your glove compartment. Hunt for the codes I mentioned and if none of them match, write them all down and I will tell you what you have.

[star kitty]

Originally Posted by overlander64

Greetings Star Kitty!

Your Suburban shouldn't have any problems towing a coach the size of yours. When I ordered my K2500 Suburban in 1999, the dealer tried to talk me into a K1500 with the HD towing package as it had a 6,000 pound trailer tow rating (with max tow package, the differential was 3.73). I suspect that you will find that your Suburban has either the 2.73 or 3.08 differential which would pose issues when towing in the Rockies. If the truck has the 3.73 differential, I would suggest some potential culprits that might include:

• A partially plugged catalytic converter.
• A dented/restricted exhaust or tail pipe.
• A partially collapsed "double-wall" exhaust pipe.
• A muffler with collapsed baffles.
• An exhaust heat riser valve that isn't operating freely.
• Dirt in the fuel injection/throttle body system.
• Weak fuel pump.
• Leaking intake or exhaust gaskets.
• One or more Vacuum Leaks.
• Mechanical issue with the motor.

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin

Holy crap Kevin, that list is impressive.

Here are a few mechanical issues I do know about the vehicle and maybe they are leading to the lack of power.

I do know it has an exhaust leak because I can hear it up near the engine compartment and a friend of mine who is a mechanic also stated that it had a leak. Also, I had to replace the fuel pump in Denver before leaving for a road trip and I made it 300 miles before it failed in Grand Junction. Had to get it towed and a new fuel pump re-installed. Two fuel pumps in one trip got very expensive.

I know it's time to leave this older vehicle for someone else and step up financially to get a newer, more reliable vehicle for me.

It's just finding the right vehicle for towing and every day use that is the challenge.

[davidz71]

Originally Posted by star kitty

Holy crap Kevin, that list is impressive.

Here are a few mechanical issues I do know about the vehicle and maybe they are leading to the lack of power.

I do know it has an exhaust leak because I can hear it up near the engine compartment and a friend of mine who is a mechanic also stated that it had a leak. Also, I had to replace the fuel pump in Denver before leaving for a road trip and I made it 300 miles before it failed in Grand Junction. Had to get it towed and a new fuel pump re-installed. Two fuel pumps in one trip got very expensive.

I know it's time to leave this older vehicle for someone else and step up financially to get a newer, more reliable vehicle for me.

It's just finding the right vehicle for towing and every day use that is the challenge.

star kitty,
I've found that it pays to change the inline fuel filter religiously when dealing with Chevy products. Our '95 Astro had a smaller fuel pump electrical wire from the pump relay to the in tank fuel pump than the '96 Astros. Ours burned up in the tank and we went through three relays when the contacts also showed signs of burns. After the pump was replaced I ran a larger wire back to the tank and change fuel filters often even in my 2500HD and C1500 stepside.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Two fuel pumps!!!

I'm with Craig, sometime during one of those replacements it should have dawned on someone that the filter might need replacement.

It was always a given at the dealer I worked at, new pump gets a new filter.
KISS principle at work here.

It's 'kinda like suck'n a Mickey D shake thru a straw.

OL64's exhaust recommendation's are another common cause for droopy performance.

A little more research and you might be able to forget that new TV,

Good Luck

Bob

[star kitty]

Originally Posted by davidz71

star kitty,
I've found that it pays to change the inline fuel filter religiously when dealing with Chevy products. Our '95 Astro had a smaller fuel pump electrical wire from the pump relay to the in tank fuel pump than the '96 Astros. Ours burned up in the tank and we went through three relays when the contacts also showed signs of burns. After the pump was replaced I ran a larger wire back to the tank and change fuel filters often even in my 2500HD and C1500 stepside.

The fuel filter was replaced during the first replacement. That filter had about 300 miles on it when I broke down again. I didn't have it replaced when I had the second pump installed because it was brand new.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by star kitty

The fuel filter was replaced during the first replacement. That filter had about 300 miles on it when I broke down again. I didn't have it replaced when I had the second pump installed because it was brand new.

If you had the fuel filter replaced at the first pump replacement, you did your due diligence and are entitled to chalk the failure of the new pump to a defective pump.

[davidz71]

It is amazing how terrible the quality is on some products today. I replaced an alternator a few years ago and it failed the same day. In-take fuel pump replacement is labor intensive and a pain if the pump is bad.

[marzboy]

I have a 2002 Suburban 1500 with a tow package. The bigger gear ratio along with bigger air intake modified computer chip and bigger exaust gives a lot more horse power.

[star kitty]

Wanted to follow up and thank everyone for their recommendations. I ended up purchasing a 2008 Toyota Sequoia with the 5.7 liter motor. Holy cow, what a tower! Super psyched.

Towed it through the mountains a few days ago to do some camping and to see how it would perform in the hills. It far exceeded my expectations in terms of power and handling. It has a tow/haul feature and sport shifting which allows me to choose my gear range. I was able to keep up with traffic with plenty of power available to maneuver safely. Also used a weight distribution hitch.

The downside to all this power and luxury was the fuel mileage. I looked at the computer once during an accent of a mountain pass and quickly backed off the throttle and slowed down! Yikes....she's a thirsty competitor. Also, the price for the vehicle. I paid more than I wanted but in the end I have a vehicle that pulls well with a great warranty.

Thanks to mojo for talking to me about the Touareg and TouringDan for the Sequoia recommendation.

P.S. I am selling my Suburban for a great price if anyone is interested!

[blmitch5]

Nice! Now that's a "big girl" truck!! Enjoy your new ride.

[Gene]

Congratulations on your new Sequoia. We had a 2002 and it was a very comfortable SUV, but burned lots of gas. So does the 5.7 L. in our 2007 Tundra. We can tow up the passes our much heavier trailer very fast, but every time I glance at the fuel gauge, it looks lower. Keep it down to 50 or 55 and that'll help.

It's easy to go faster and pass sports cars, but it costs a lot. It's tempting to air it out and that engine can certainly do it. The mpg readout should read 99 going downhill if you keep your foot off the gas. Don't forget to downshift going downhill. You don't use any more gas and it's a lot safer. I just had to replace our front rotors as they warped at 62,000 miles, probably from overheating even though I downshift on steep and long grades. In 3rd, you can go up to 60 or so and get some engine braking. In 2nd, top speed is around 55. You can tell if the rotors are warped if you get brake chatter when you use the brakes. For a while they used thinner rotors that were supposed to dissipate the heat better, but they didn't. Thinner meant warping.

One time when we were late, I towed our trailer up Monarch going east and passed everything hitting about 65, but got about 3 or 4 mpg.

Gene

[star kitty]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Congratulations on your new Sequoia. We had a 2002 and it was a very comfortable SUV, but burned lots of gas. So does the 5.7 L. in our 2007 Tundra. We can tow up the passes our much heavier trailer very fast, but every time I glance at the fuel gauge, it looks lower. Keep it down to 50 or 55 and that'll help.

It's easy to go faster and pass sports cars, but it costs a lot. It's tempting to air it out and that engine can certainly do it. The mpg readout should read 99 going downhill if you keep your foot off the gas. Don't forget to downshift going downhill. You don't use any more gas and it's a lot safer. I just had to replace our front rotors as they warped at 62,000 miles, probably from overheating even though I downshift on steep and long grades. In 3rd, you can go up to 60 or so and get some engine braking. In 2nd, top speed is around 55. You can tell if the rotors are warped if you get brake chatter when you use the brakes. For a while they used thinner rotors that were supposed to dissipate the heat better, but they didn't. Thinner meant warping.

One time when we were late, I towed our trailer up Monarch going east and passed everything hitting about 65, but got about 3 or 4 mpg.

Gene

That's funny! That's about what my computer was reading too - 4 MPG. And yes, there was plenty of power to spare but at that price, no thanks!

I just took it up Monarch Pass today and it didn't even break a sweat. Drank a lot, but didn't sweat much.

Gene - maybe I'll see you out there someday. I hit the western slope quite a bit. Great area.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Boy....hard to believe 4mpg under any conditions!!!

backwards?

[Gene]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Boy....hard to believe 4mpg under any conditions!!!

backwards?

We make some of it back going downhill. I haven't tried backing up hill, but I have to go over Monarch Pass today and I'll see if it helps.

Gene

[mojo]

Glad you found your salvation Ms. Kitty. You'll get used to the trade off of gas for power before long and it's nice to feel confident that you can make it home.

By the way the V8 Touareg found a home in Denver where I traded it for an Ecoboost F150. But the V10 is also towing just fine!

[TouringDan]

Bob and others.

Ok, so 4 mpg up the hill and 99 mpg down the hill. That averages out to over 50 mpg! Sounds good. Unfortunately it does not work that way. While 4 mpg up the hill is scary, this is probably typical for most tow vehicles. What makes it scary is that the information is available by way of the instantaineous fuel milage readout. It means nothing just as the mileage going down the hill means nothing. The 5.7L Tundra is really probably less thirsty than most large gas engine tow vehicles. And I don't think there is a gas engine tow vehicle made that has more towing power and accelerates as well towing a trailer as the big Tundra. I typically get 13-14 mpg towing my Tradewind- admittedly a pretty light trailer that weighs about 4750 # loaded.

Star Kity

Congratulations on your new Sequoia. It should do the job for you for a long time. It will just take a while to get used to the size. Is it really much larger than your old Suburban?

Dan

[ROBERT CROSS]

Dan,

and others..

I just posted this elsewhere...

Western NY-Simi Valley

11.4 average towing.

With all the comforts of home and room to spare...

So whats your point?

Mine...TEHO

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