My Tahoe Is Dripping

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Old 05-21-2005, 10:22 AM
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Exclamation My Tahoe Is Dripping

Whith all the knowledge on the board I figured I would throw this up here. I have no clue what this fliud is. Any ideas?

I think I jinxed myself talking to my old man about how great my truck has held up after 17000 miles.





I have an appointment at the dealer on Monday, but I wondering if I should drive her around town this weekend.

My test drive this morning showed no warning lights or strange sounds. At first I thought it was coming from the transfer case up front, but the leak seems to be originating from higher up in the engine compartment.

It's oily to the touch, and has a hint of pink color. Leak started last night at a buddies and he called this morning saying there was a huge puddle in his drive. I only had a couple drips on my garage floor, but after the drive this AM, dripping fast.

JZ
Old 05-21-2005, 10:29 AM
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Maybe tranny fluid, but that's a darker red.

Also, since when is 17k miles a lot? Oh wait, it's a GM car.
Old 05-21-2005, 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by phipark
Maybe tranny fluid, but that's a darker red.

Also, since when is 17k miles a lot? Oh wait, it's a GM car.

Like a Rock.

Z
Old 05-21-2005, 10:55 AM
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probably tranny fluid, take off the skid plate to get a better shot of it if you can/
Old 05-21-2005, 10:57 AM
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Originally Posted by subinf
probably tranny fluid, take off the skid plate to get a better shot of it if you can/


As soon as he said pink, I figured it was tranny fluid too (it's red).
Old 05-21-2005, 01:00 PM
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It's an Chevy, you had to know it was coming
Old 05-21-2005, 03:10 PM
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Originally Posted by DiscoTL
Like a Rock.
Old 05-21-2005, 03:14 PM
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Its better than your tranny dying.
Old 05-21-2005, 04:31 PM
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Reddish is probably trans fluid. At 17K you should still have a warranty.
Old 05-21-2005, 05:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
Its better than your tranny dying.
Mine never "Died". It was shifting kinda strange and the dealer changed it out at 20 k. 50K now and no problemo.
Old 05-21-2005, 06:00 PM
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Originally Posted by 1killercls
Mine never "Died". It was shifting kinda strange and the dealer changed it out at 20 k. 50K now and no problemo.


Replaced tranny at 20k < leakin tranny fluid at 17k




I shouldnt talk, im sure by the time i hit 50k my car will blow up. Even though no issues now.
Old 05-21-2005, 07:43 PM
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100k warranty wned:
Old 05-21-2005, 08:54 PM
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Its a tahoe....nuff said....
Old 05-22-2005, 05:55 PM
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GM's transmissions suck.
However Honda's Automatics do too.
Old 05-22-2005, 05:58 PM
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Actually heard GM trannys are one of the best. Even other auto makers use them.
Old 05-22-2005, 06:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
Actually heard GM trannys are one of the best. Even other auto makers use them.
whatever dude we had one in our 2000 GMC Sierra (a GM transmission) with a 8.1 motor. we had the transmission replaced in 2.5 years. finally dad traded it on a Allsion. Which that transmission 100 times better.
Old 05-22-2005, 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
Actually heard GM trannys are one of the best. Even other auto makers use them.
thats accurate. GM is known for some of the best/strongest trannies.

as for the fluid, does your tahoe have the gm red antifreeze? it could be that too, if it does check your radiator fluid level
Old 05-22-2005, 07:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Water-S
whatever dude we had one in our 2000 GMC Sierra (a GM transmission) with a 8.1 motor. we had the transmission replaced in 2.5 years. finally dad traded it on a Allsion. Which that transmission 100 times better.

i always thought the 8.1 came with allison...

i may be wrong though..
Old 05-22-2005, 08:34 PM
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Originally Posted by nahooneyya
i always thought the 8.1 came with allison...

i may be wrong though..
There was no 8.1L in 2000
Old 05-22-2005, 08:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Water-S
whatever dude we had one in our 2000 GMC Sierra (a GM transmission) with a 8.1 motor. we had the transmission replaced in 2.5 years. finally dad traded it on a Allsion. Which that transmission 100 times better.
I have an old '88 Chevy Astro cargo van with a little over 390K on the clock and it still has the original GM 700R4 tranny and it still shifts smooth without any slipping. Most GM trannies will last a long time, like mine for instance.
Old 05-22-2005, 08:40 PM
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makes me miss my 99 tahoe sport.

At least your paint stays on. Mine didn't. It'll be nice to see GM go down the toilet.
Old 05-22-2005, 09:41 PM
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Originally Posted by fsttyms1
as for the fluid, does your tahoe have the gm red antifreeze? it could be that too, if it does check your radiator fluid level
I was wondering teh same thing. My sisters Grand Am GT has the orange/reddish/coolant.

But he would smell coolant if it was truly that.
Old 05-22-2005, 10:10 PM
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i love chevy tahoes and Gmc yukons...one of the better styled SUVs imo
Old 05-22-2005, 10:46 PM
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I'd go with tranny, or coolant for $200 please Alex.

could just be some overfill or a loose drain plug
Old 05-22-2005, 10:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Astroboy
I'd go with tranny, or coolant for $200 please Alex.

could just be some overfill or a loose drain plug
Daily Double!

Old 05-23-2005, 09:21 AM
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Here's my 04 Tahoe at the top of Trail Ridge Road last summer. 27k miles and no problems.
Old 05-23-2005, 11:30 AM
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Originally Posted by cob3683
There was no 8.1L in 2000
whatever the biggest gas motor was that year. It might have been the 454. the thing is dad trades trucks every 3-4 years. I know the 2000 big gas engine truck had a shitty transmission
Old 05-23-2005, 11:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Crazy Sellout
Actually heard GM trannys are one of the best. Even other auto makers use them.

...including BMW if I'm not mistakin'.
Old 05-23-2005, 11:51 AM
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GM uses Dexcool coolant which has a deep pinkish/orange color.

It looks like it's dripping all over the skidplate; you can do two simple tests. Check the transmission fluid dipstick for the level, and check the coolant reservoir tank for coolant level. It's most likely one of those two fluids.
Old 05-23-2005, 11:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Water-S
whatever the biggest gas motor was that year. It might have been the 454. the thing is dad trades trucks every 3-4 years. I know the 2000 big gas engine truck had a shitty transmission
It could've been a bad transmission in your dad's truck.

GM's transmission are very good overall; even BMW used it in their previous generation 5-series.

My '97 Tahoe had the 4L60E and that transmission was rock solid. In 130,000 abusive miles, it never had a hiccup. My dad's '04 XL Denali has the 4L65E (if I remember right... I know the K3500 comes with the 4L80E) and that transmission is pretty good, too. It's not the same as my Tahoe, because of the AWD configuration so it acts a little different, but so far after about 33k miles, it has no problems. The best part is that we don't have to WORRY about the transmission failing. Of all the cars my family has owned, my TL is the only car that worried us about transmission failure. To me, peace of mind is priceless.
Old 05-23-2005, 02:09 PM
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GM's tranny's/engines are ok, its more the little stuff like axles breaking in half and paint peeling off a 2 month old vehicle.
Old 05-23-2005, 06:07 PM
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[QUOTE=Pure Adrenaline]GM uses Dexcool coolant which has a deep pinkish/orange color.QUOTE]

It was a bad water pump. Dexcool all over the place. Had it fixed under warranty today. Hope it holds up, I've heard bad things about Dexcool.

http://www.dexcoolcase.com/

Thanks for the help!

JZ
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