i was pulling approximatly 2500#'s
but the idiot thing that wrecked it was i wasnt in tow haul mode!!!!!! [:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]

so it F***ED IT RIGHT UP!
but i still have to tow this thing 4-6 times a year.. plus a trailer! so i thought that a cooler would help it along! plus stopping for 20-25 minutes every hour!

what do you guys think!?!?!

i haven't got the cooler yet.. and im going camping this weekend! i have to haul 3 quads, a dirtbike, and a fully loaded camper! do you think im going to run into troubles again?!?!?

i hope not! im going to load the heavy quads on the back of the trailer to ease the load on the leafs of the truck... but as for the towing weight im pretty sure im under. the trailer with all the quads probably weighs just over 1500#

yes or no?!?! please let me know

 

i would think you would be ok. but i would get the cooler as soon as you can. they seem to help alot. Heat is the #1 killer of transmissions.

have a good time camping

 

Watch out for fuel gauges that jump around or dont work at all, Deffinatly check for clunking in the drive line and on all 4X4s put the thing in four wheel drive and drive both frontwards and backwards and turn the wheels to make sure the CV Axles arent going out. Check for rust around the 3rd brake light and on the bottom of the body. Make sure the underneath of the truck doesnt have mud caked in the frame. Open the rear doors and peel the carpet back a little to make sure nobody has every buried it in the water and mud.Oh and hit the brakes hard a couple times to make sure the ABS and BRAKE!! lights dont come on. These are all issues Ive seen between my 2000 model and a couple friends trucks rangeing all the way up to 2006.

 

Thanks cowboy.... those are good things to check. That's what I was wanting to know!

If there's a clunk in the driveline, do you hear it all of the time, or only when shifting? Is it easily remedied, or is something shot? What about the CV axles? Same thing.... cheaply replaceable, or bad enough to not buy the truck? (I haven't really started shopping yet, I'm just trying to get a feel for the issues.)

joe

 

The CV Axles are relatively cheap (120.00ea) and the clunking shouldnt be a big deal if only when shifting to reverse and drive (most likely just a u-joint) . If your hearing it every time you shift then thats something to worry about. Honestly when I got mine everything seemed all tight and in good shape and then 20,000miles later the transfer case started making noises. Just make sure if you get it from a dealer of any kind that you buy some sort of extended warranty and you should be fine.

 

Is there any to tell what kind of gear ratio it has?

Also, How does the 4.8L compare to the 5.3L? I've seen a few trucks with the 4.8, but it doesn't seem to be very popular.

joe

 

if you are going to be towing alot go with the 5.3 it is a much better engine. the 4.8 is a good engine but the 5.3 is better. little more power but almost the same mpg's

 

Mine clunks when shifting into reverse and every once in a blue moon, it will clunk a little when I go quickly from a dead stop. I already replaced one U-Joint. Maybe the other one? It seems ok tho.

 

That was the assumption I was making. It is similar to the Dodge's.... I have a Durango w/ 5.2L (318ci). The 5.9L (360ci) is the more popular option. The 5.9L can actually get better MPG, and has more power. I don't even know why they sold the 5.2.

joe

 

i believe these are the codes in your glove box to tell you which gear ratio you have

GQ1 -- AXLE REAR, STD RATIO
GT4 -- AXLE REAR, 3.73 RATIO
GT5 -- AXLE REAR, 4.10 RATIO
GU4 -- AXLE REAR, 3.08 RATIO
GU5 -- AXLE REAR, 3.23 RATIO
GU6 -- AXLE REAR, 3.42 RATIO
G80 -- AXLE REAR, LIMITED SLIP (POSITRACTION)

HC4 -- AXLE REAR, 4.56 RATIO