99 Suburban 6.5td

[332bill]

I am new here. I am looking at purchasing a 1999 Suburban with the 6.5td. It has 93,000 miles. It is very clean and drives nice. From my research it appears that GM appeared to fix most of the head cracking and injection pump problems that were prevalent with the earlier years. Is there anything else? What kinds of things should I look for? The owner claims that fluids have been changed frequently. Any help is appreciated.

Bill

[AndyL]

That is the last of such a great vehicle I would buy it even if it had a few problems. The 99 year was the last year for the diesel burb, and so far there are no "Official" plans for a Duramax burb. If the seller knows what he has it could be pricy, they often sell over book on Ebay.

If it runs now and doesn't appear to be abused, then buy it.

The 99 model year was the first for the "506" block. The engine was basically the same as the 97+ but had a few minor fixes like smaller Oil spray piston holes. The 99 ECM program is also the most desireable.

[332bill]

Thanks Andy. The Burb is a K2500 and loaded (LT trim) and in really excellent shape. I don't know of anything that needs fixed. It was just detailed so it looks its best. It starts immediately and idles smooth. Tranny shifts well. The seller wants a new Burb and seems rather anxious to sell. At 93k, is there any problems that are likely to crop-up soon? He has recently replaced the glow plugs. Is it wise to go-ahead and relocate the FSD right away?

Bill

[catmandoo]

332bill that wouldn't be a jd332 would it,if so i love mine.anyway there is a dealer in nw iowa that has a 99 burb 2500 loaded and only 60,000 miles but he wants 21,995.

[332bill]

Catmandoo, yes that is a JD 332. I love my diesel garden tractor, I thought I would like a diesel truck as well. If we (the wife and I) decide to go for this burb I think we can get it for $16,000 or so.

Bill

[ANXIOUS-SUBMAN]

332Bill,
I bought my 99 in Feb of 2001 and love it. Yea, these trucks have their issues but as AndyL said they have become a rare bread. Not diesel specific but brakes come to mind. If it hasn't been done already you will probably need to upgrade to higher quality components as many have. When I bought mine it was like new with only 25k on it and I paid $28800 (completely loaded LT) I have 85k on it now. If you can get that for $16000 and it's as nice as you say, you'd have what I have now for dang near half the price.
(After my first post, 332Bill, I realized you probably saw something scary in my signature having to do with oil cooler lines. Yea...well...you'll probably want to upgrade those. Just a suggestion ;)

[ 04-05-2004, 07:47 PM: Message edited by: ANXIOUS SUBMAN ]

[catmandoo]

332bill thought so not many things numbered 332 ,don't ya just love the sound of those things.and the fuel usage is nothing.i could probably do the house yard here in town all summer on one tank of fuel.i have always had thoughts of a turbo but don't know if the bottom end could take it.

[332bill]

Mike I did notice that the brakes were not the greatest. I had not driven a suburban before. Is that normal? What upgrades are necessary? Even though the truck had been detailed, when I peaked underneath the front, I noticed a couple drops of oil on the oil cooler lines. Sounds like those are a problem too? Did you get aftermarket lines?

Catmandoo, Yes, I do love the sound of the little Yanmar diesel (I love the smell of diesel exhaust in the morning). You are right about the fuel consumption. I use about 1/3 gallon per hour while mowing. My old 314 used about a gallon. The 6.5td has a nice diesel sound too. I just wish it had more turbo whine like the older Cummins and Powerstroke.

Bill

[Bruce Ostien]

332bill, I have a 99' Burb that I bought a year ago from a GM dealership with 115K on the clock. The build date is 4/7/98 so I don't know if I have the newer 506 block that was mentioned. You should be able to get a build sheet from a dealership that lists the build date and all of the option codes for your vehicle. I have the oil pan off now to check for cracking around the outer main bearing webs. No reason to suspect a problem, just want to be sure before upgrading. Am considering DSG's Stud Girdle Kit which is supposed to increase rigidity of the bottom end and prevent cracking. Some like this product, others don't.

The brakes on my truck are terrible. One of the biggest problems seems to be front rotor warpage. I have read posts by others that say they are happy with their brake performance after upgrading the pads and rotors. There is also some confusion about how to adjust the rear Duo Servo drum brakes when replacing the shoes. I have read may posts on this topic and am still unsure about the correct method. I would encourage you to use the search feature to find some topics dealing with brakes.

Good luck on with your vehicle search.

[Keith Richards]

In reply to the brake question,I beleive they're adequate.I tow some pretty heavy loads with my 3/4 ton and have had a same year 1 ton and notice little,if any difference in braking.They may not stop as quick as some other trucks.I see alot of guys in the off-road magazines with the 14 bolt rear end and disc brake conversions.They say it makes a big difference.But you gotta have$$

[Bulls99Sub]

Might as well join in the fray. I love my 99 Sub LS and would probably buy another if I could find one as cheap as we picked up this one. It had 98K when we bought it and ran like a champ. Had a small problem with the serpentine belt that ended up being the fault of the guy at the parts store. I did change the plugs due to hard cold weather starting and it made a huge difference. I even like the brakes, much better than those on my past 87 V20 gas Sub. I can really only complain about two things: oil leaks and some of the maintenance aspects. There seem to be a lot of small nagging oil leaks (rear main, front oil pan seal, oil lines). Maintenance wise, I hate the oil filter location - oil runs all over the front drive shaft u joint when you change it and glow plugs on the passenger side are a PAIN. But overall I am very pleased with the truck. My recommendation - Buy it!

Thanks,

Bull

[Perry]

I have a 99 Burb w/49k miles that I ordered new back in Oct 98 and is still completely stock. The only problems to date are oil cooler lines twice, some other oil seals, the glow plugs by the turbo and a corroded battery cable. I'm pleasantly surprised how well the burb has held up. I bought the extended warranty as I was concerned about GM quality, but only have made a claim w/the oil cooler line and the glow plugs.

The brakes IMHO are horrible. I complained about brake pulling at every service at the dealer and at 15k when the first set finally went, GM paid for it along with new rotors. I had new front pads again at 30 and 45k. I think a big problem is how the rear drums are adjusted. Until the last service, the rears were adjusted perfectly and the car would brake straight and even. Now, you can feel one of the rears catching first when lightly braking which causes the car to pull to the side.

My front rotors also warped pretty quickly after the recent brake service. I think they turned the rotors right to the limit, so maybe thats why they warped so quickly. Anyhow, I'm considering purchasing a front brake upgrade if I can find someone to install them for me.

The lights are inadaquate as well. The lighting was way better on my old 89 Suburban. I just received my Headlight booster package from Diesel Services which i hope will fix this problem.

Also, you might be disappointed with your MPG. I ordered the 6.5 instead of the 454 on the lot because of the better fuel mileage. While its better than a 454, I figured I would be better than the 13.5 average mpg to date. At least I get 17mpg on the highway with the 3:73.

Perry

[Bulls99Sub]

Perry,

Your gas mileage seems a little off. I have the exact same truck as you, stock with the exception of a high-flow air filter. Non-towing, I am getting 17 around town and 19-20 on the highway. I will give it a good test this weekend on the way to Florida.

Thanks,

Bull

[MJEasly]

Here is a little info on my Suburban.

My Sub is a loaded 99 K2500 LT that I bought new off of the lot. Right now it has about 65,000 miles on the odometer. It features the new block and has every imaginable option, including running lights, leather, towing, limited slip rear end, ambulance doors, etc... I don't know if I would have ordered it with so many options, but it was on the lot and the dealer wanted it gone.

The instant I got it home I put a Racor 2 micron filter mounted next to the driver's side battery. I also added a headlight booster and some Alcoa wheels w/Michelin LTX 265 tires. Last, I installed a front and rear sway bar. Other than that it remains mostly stock.

Recently I had to replace the actuator motor on the auto-trac transfer case. Very expensive. I also had only 1 FSD failure that was repaired under the extended GM warranty (with some difficulty). Rear axle seal bled fluid on the drum brakes and ruined those - replaced under warranty.

I do have some gripes. The alignment has always been a little off and no one seems able to correct it. The brakes absolutely suck. I am seriously considering a MC/rear disk brake upgrade in the future since I get tired of adjusting those huge drum brakes in the rear. Mileage is average - with a high of 600 miles on a single tank of fuel. And, there is a mysterious vibration at highway speeds that will shake the passenger seats.

All in all I have been happy with the truck.

[Perry]

I figured that my 13.5 avg MPG was low based on all the figures everyone posts here. While the rig was under the GM warranty, I would complain at the dealer, and they would state that they plugged it in and everything was normal according to the computer.

It must be the terrain that I drive. Lots of steep hills in Seattle. I bet the MPG would be much better in Kansas.

[jspringator]

I get around 13 MPG with a 4.10. Since diesel has gone up so much, I have been driving my Miata more! Lights are not very good, and really can't be remedied without changing the grill to the base model and adding e-codes, or possibly adding aux lights. I think my Hydro-Boost pump is weak, causing high brake effort, at least since I bought it at 120,000 miles. Despite its faults, I love my truck. I paid $16,000 2 years ago. Truck has every conceivable option, and is perfect for my use. It would cost $45,000 to replace it with a new one.

[Dave C]

Here's my TCW... I ordered mine from the dealer and took delivery Aug. of 98. It has 72,000 miles and runs great. I just got back from a trip to Florida and got 18.6 MPG (averaging 70 MPH with 3.73 rear). When it was stock I would get about 17.4. I think the JK exhaust accounted for most of the improvement in milage. I've had no problems with it but do plan on upgrading the brakes with Powerslot rotors and Hawk pads. I also want to add a pre lift pump fuel filter and oil bypass filter. Also, I paid $40k for it new, so if you haven't bought it yet, go for it. :D :D

[332bill]

All: I did it! I will be taking delivery of the Burb this week. Thanks for all your input.

Dave, with regard to the front brakes, I was thinking of doing the exact same thing. Are you getting your rotors and pads from the Tire Rack? Let me know how much it improves the braking performance.

Bill

[ANXIOUS-SUBMAN]

I've had Praise Dyno rotors on the front of my burb for over 30K miles with no warping. I've since changed out the calipers with NAPAs loaded with ceramic pads. I've seen the Power Slots mentioned numerous times but don't know much about them. Are they cryo treated like the Praise? Also, if you do the brakes yourself the rotors have to come off the back of the hubs, so the hubs have to come off. Use only a six point impact socket so you don't round off those hub bolts. I'm sure if you search this forum you'll find plenty about doing the brakes on these trucks although much may have been lost during the big crash a while back. Goog luck with your new burb!

[Dave C]

Originally posted by 332bill:
All: I did it! I will be taking delivery of the Burb this week. Thanks for all your input.

Dave, with regard to the front brakes, I was thinking of doing the exact same thing. Are you getting your rotors and pads from the Tire Rack? Let me know how much it improves the braking performance.

Bill I found good prices at www.truckperformance.com (http://www.truckperformance.com) and they were giving a 25% discount for TDP members. I haven't ordered anything yet but it's on my to do list. I'll have to do some research before I start since I have'nt done it on my 99 before (had a truck shop do it last time).
Dave

[Bruce Ostien]

Dave C.,

25% is a pretty good discount. I called and ordered a Flomaster cross over and down pipe from them. They gave me a 10% discount.

[MJEasly]

Bruce,

What vehicle did you use to get a quote on the flowmaster xpipe and down pipe? On the site, I used my 99 Suburban but it didn't show it as a diesel application.

Thanks

[Dave C]

Originally posted by Bruce Ostien:
Dave C.,

25% is a pretty good discount. I called and ordered a Flomaster cross over and down pipe from them. They gave me a 10% discount. I'm not sure where I got the 25% off. I just have it written down on the list of things I want to do to my truck and where I might find the parts. It may have been a special they had on the rotors, but it's been a month or so since I looked into it. :confused:

[Bruce Ostien]

MJ,

I told them 98' for the year. Flomaster pn: 17220. It's probably not listed for 99' because the pick-ups were the new body style that year and the 6.5 was no longer available. I always tell the parts guys 98', that way they don't ask me new body style or old.