98 Burban problems

[stockrahmba]

New to forum. Have some questions regaurding my recent purchase of a 98 K2500 (454) Suburban. I bought it with 100K and got what I thought was a great deal. After I bought it I found out why I got such a good deal . I have Autotrack (NP246) and the transfer case was bad. You wouldn't have known it was bad unless you go down a very steep hill. It would go into nuetral and make a horable grinding noise. I just replaced it with a new one. My question is, is it normal to hear a slight whining noise in the drive train? I can only hear it above 50 MPH and only when under load (not real load). Also I noticed that I can spin my front drive shaft easily on my old one and the new one does not turn when sitting in park.

 

Do you guys that tow use OD? My toy hauler weighs about 6500 lbs loaded and the rig seems to pull it pretty easily in OD.

 

I have slight miss at idle and was told that it is normal for my vehicle because GM has them idle pretty lean.

 

When I drove it in the rain my passenger floor got wet. Seems to only be water (not antifreeze). I can't seem to find where it is comming in from. Is this a common problem?

 

Horn doesn't work (fuse and relay is ok) again, is this common?

 

Thinking about a K&N and 3.5" Flowmaster cat back. Anybody done this with good results? Looking for improvement in performance and milage when towing.

 

Anybody with some insight would be greatly apreciated!!!

Britt

[intruder217]

I have a 99 Suburban K1500 with the autotrac. It has 135,000 miles on it now. I pull a steel 2 horse trailer that weighs about 5000 with two horses on. I can pull that without any complaints. The engine temp will rise a little but never dangerously. It has the 5.7l Vortec with 3.42 gears. I have a Wester's program in the PCM. It is tailored for mild performance and towing. Mileage is 17 empty and 10-11 towing, with the AC on. I keep the trans in OD and let the PCM do the shifting. Works real well.

No miss at idle.

I hear tire whine at highway speeds.

[Rookie]

My auto trac case went out right after i bought mine. it had 58,000 miles on it. after a few trips to the dealer and a letter to the BBB and the state attorney (sp)general the dealer replaced it. Over the two month ordeal i became friends with the tech that was working on it. Saw him at a bar bought him a beer and he spilled his guts. He stated that they are a weak link if they are used in the auto trac mode often . The computer is so sensitive that if there is as much as two PSI difference in tire pressure between the front and rear it will pop it in and out. This will then strech the heck out of the chain. He suggested using only the auto trac if on ice or heavy snow but for the most part stay away from it. Like he said if in dought put it in four high. As for the flomaster and KNN i noticed a few MPG increase when i add mine. the big thing was the increase in low end torque. I notice no whine in mine, but have heard that the front hub will make a slight whine when going bad. Hope it helps.