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Questions about a 2003 Chevy Suburban 1500 LT 4x4


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Hi, 

 

    I just picked up a 2003 Chevy Suburban 1500 LT 4x4

 

    I have several questions: 

 

 

    1) My automatic climate control nobs don't work properly (driver VS front passenger, round temp nobs). They turn, but the digital display numbers dance around, and won't follow the nob direction. It can take 2 minutes to get the temp all the          way up, or all the way down. Is this fixable, or do I need to order new controls? 

 

     2) The front differential output shaft seals are bad, and leaking a lot of gear oil. The seal issue is not new, I can tell they have been leaking for a long time. 4x4 works, but there is a clunk in the front end when you engage or disengage the                  4x4. Also, there is some error message on the dash. It says something like "service 4x4" or something to that effect. Should I replace the front diff? Should I replace the seals? What triggers the service 4x4 message? 

 

     3) My heated seats turn on, but they often turn themselves off almost immediately. Lower temp setting seems to keep the system on longer, but they are not reliable. The driver's side back heats, but I'm not sure that the seat does.  Both                  front seat heaters turns them selves off prematurely. 

  

      4) Any suggestions on what remote start system to buy? Looking for range, ease of installation, and ideally - an ignition immobilizer / anti-theft feature. 

 

      Thanks guys. 

 

        Any input is appreciated. 

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1) sounds like corrosion on the potentiometer contacts in the unit. Try disassemble and clean (experiment) or replace
2) clunk is normal but sound diminished for this certain with proper fluid levels. Replace the input/output shaft seals
3) seats idle
4) don't have fsm in front of me, likely a signal generated from low fluid

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

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I will try to disassemble the heater controls as you suggest. 

 

What do you mean by "seats idle"?

 

Also, I noticed that I have play in the steering center link. When the front end is off the ground, I can press on the tire and it will "tow in" about an inch. When I do this, I see that the center link is rotating a little, allowing the free-play. Think the pitman and idler arms have worn out bushings or something, allowing the rotation of the center link. Can I just tighten the bolts on the pitman/Idler? Can I add new bushings or washers? Do I have to replace these parts? 

 

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Temp dials: Try spinning them in both directions several times and see if performance improves or clears up completely. I've had this issue in the past when truck has been idle for a while. Spinning the dial helps clean the contacts.

Front end: Tightening bolts ain't gonna get it. Replace worn steering and suspension parts

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Sounds like worn steering parts.  Replace all that is worn for sure.  Not good for safety reasons of course to have worn parts. 

 

Check front diff fluid level.  Since it is leaking more than likely low.  Fill it and see how it goes. But you need to change out the seals.  They can be easy or they can be hard. Depends on if the snap ring inside will allow the shafts to come out so you can replace the seals.  Mine wouldn't and I had to replace the entire front diff on my 93 Sonoma.


As for an alarm.  Most are pretty good. Viper comes to mind. Seems to have been around a long time and so it should be a good choice I would think.

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I will try spinning the nobs a bunch to see what happens. 

 

Ya, I was thinking of replacing the Pitman and Idler arms. Before replacing them, I wanted to see if there were any quick fixes specific to this rig- prolly not though.. 

 

As for the front diff, it seems like throwing a junk yard unit in there would be easier than replacing the seals. I watched a video on it, and it doesn't look fun, plus the bearings might be worn out from low oil. Local junk yard price is $75 for the diff. 

 

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4 minutes ago, starman8tdc said:

I will try spinning the nobs a bunch to see what happens. 

 

Ya, I was thinking of replacing the Pitman and Idler arms. Before replacing them, I wanted to see if there were any quick fixes specific to this rig- prolly not though.. 

 

As for the front diff, it seems like throwing a junk yard unit in there would be easier than replacing the seals. I watched a video on it, and it doesn't look fun, plus the bearings might be worn out from low oil. Local junk yard price is $75 for the diff. 

 

Can't beat that price.  Just make sure the seals on the used are not leaking. 

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Ya, gotta make sure the seals are good on the junk yard unit. 

 

   I'm all about price. I searched for 2 years to find this vehicle, but $800 later I have it. Interior and body are in near perfect condition. Engine has no piston slap or oil leaks, trans shifts perfect. Only issues are the front diff seals and the play in the steering. 

 

Google pics, but that's exactly what it looks like. 

1010460642.jpg

2006-chevrolet-suburban-10.jpg

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That's a nice truck! You need to check out more than just the pitman and idler arms I think. The play you describe could also be caused by bad wheel bearings or inner/outer tie rods. The ball joints should be looked at too. I'm not sure exactly what your rig has but go to YouTube there are good videos on how to check to see if these parts are bad. You don't want to suddenly lose control of your vehicle.

Edited by Brandon5778
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That's good advise. I checked the inner and outer tie rods, and hub bearings. The play is in a strange spot. Imagine this center link rotating, like a chicken on a skewer over a BBQ. As it rotates, it changes the distance between the tie rods, because one side can flex and rotate more than the other side, so it tows in. The pitman arm and the idler arm are supposed to support that center link and keep it stable, but there is slop between the link and arms, allowing the center link to "rotate". 

136543A.jpg

pitmaninstalled.jpg

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5 minutes ago, starman8tdc said:

Any idea what controls the seat heaters? Mine wont stay on, so I want to replace what ever relay or timer device that controls them. Where is it located? 

When ours did this the issue was a bad heating element in the seat.  They would come on but then in a little while go right back off.

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As for the heater nobs, I did try spinning them around a bunch. It did seem help a little, but they were still badly malfunctioning-  so I took it to the next step. I removed the control panel, opened the case, and packed small pieces of paper towel around the base of the nob shafts. Then I put drops of 91% isopropyl alcohol on the tip of the shaft, and it flowed down to the seam between the shaft and the base of the potentiometer. This allowed the alcohol to enter the area where the electrical contacts are inside. Then I wrapped a string around the shaft and then pulled the string real fast, like starting an old school pull start boat motor. The shaft went "zip" and the base of the potentiometer heated up a bit. After the alcohol has done its job, the heat that was generated would help the high proof alcohol vaporize and exit the base of the potentiometer. After doing this, I put it all back together - and here were the results:

 

Nob function: 

 

Driver side went from about 10% functional to about 95% functional. 

Passenger side went from about 30% functional to 100% functional. 

 

The results eliminated the need to replace the unit. Thanks for the info guys, it got me going down the right path to solve the problem. 

 

The part looks a lot like this: 

02710211_00_9d423000-f724-4924-9d8f-bf74ae705ca5_grande.jpg

Edited by starman8tdc
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