Considering another Envoy (Denali)

[rizzo20]

I'm looking at an '08 Denali tonight. I know the V6 vs V8 debate has been beatin' to death so I won't address that but is there anything in particular I should check out on this Denali that would be different than my SLE ? The only differences I can think of as far as mechanics and condition is rear air bags, the V8 (known for any obvious issues?) and interior features that my SLE doesn't have (Sun roof, power heated stuff ect.)

I bought my SLE two months ago and done a lot of modding......might be starting over from scratch.

 

[rizzo20]

Well, I checked it out and it looks pretty good. Main concern, owner says it uses a quart of oil per oil change. I don't see it smoking but I can smell burnt oil in the engine bay. I'm guessing its a valve cover leak ?
All in all it seemed very nice. Had a little curb rash? on the runningboard but other than that no dents, or rust issues that I could see. I hooked up my OBDII tool on the drive and nothing weird jumped out at me. It said 9300 miles since last MIL clear. She said dealer replaced oil pressure sensor last year. It's an '08 4wd with 98k miles on it.
Edit* while idling at the end of the road test I heard the compressor running, not worried about that, that will be one of the first things Im getting rid of.



Thanks!

 

[Sparky]

An 08 with the 5.3 probably has AFM, which can be a troublesome system. My 07.5 Silverado with the 5.3 with AFM started guzzling oil and went through 2 quarts in 3k miles. I disabled AFM via a tune, and oil usage is very minimal now (1/4 to maybe 1/2 quart in 7500 miles).

1 quart used per oil change isn't bad though, so good chance just turning off AFM will prevent most further issues and might even drop oil usage down further.

 

[rizzo20]

Thanks for the info Sparky! Good to know, I never read about that anywhere. Well, one of the first mods I would make is getting a PCM tune anyways. After test driving today I noticed the 5.3 isn't as snappy as i expected. I honestly think my 4.2 would out run it. I would hope a PCM tune on this 5.3 would wake it up as much as it did on the 4.2. I'm thinking the difference is in the shifting and not so much a horsepower change with these tunes.

 

[Mooseman]

Oh yes, a tune really wakes these up. And I agree with disabling AFM. It has been known to fail without warning with a collapsed lifter.

 

[northcreek]

I don't think you will regret the move, I have had great service from my 07. I did disable the AFM and at 107 k miles oil use has been minimal.
I'm a big proponent of the air ride system and can't see why you would want to remove it without a try, it's a great system that all the high end vehicles use.

 

[Mooseman]

I'm a big proponent of the air ride system and can't see why you would want to remove it without a try, it's a great system that all the high end vehicles use.

Yeah, until something fails that will bankrupt you to fix. Springs are the way to go when it does fail.

 

[Mike534x]

I'm surprised the V8 felt sluggish, even with the PCM tune on my previous I6 Envoy, test driving one with the 5.3 felt like an entirely different animal. I would go through roughly 2 quarts of Oil between changes on my previous TB. It sucks there is no way of anticipating when/if the lifters will fail, mine went at 157K on the TB on a 4 hour trip from home. I'm eager to get DoD disabled for good whenever I'm able to get the PCM sent in, the article Mooseman wrote up works wonders as a temp solution until the tune can be done.

My Denali is still new to me (got it in Jan), and so far its been great. Engine doesn't show any signs of being opened up and worked on, but it has almost a full history of whatever work the dealer has done to it. Feature wise, my previous TB had all the bells and whistles, minus the touch screen navigation system and air ride.

 

[rizzo20]

Yeah, until something fails that will bankrupt you to fix. Springs are the way to go when it does fail.

Maybe I will stick with the air ride. I guess I figured since I have a Belltech 1/3 kit sitting here that I was about to install on my SLE that I would put it on the Denali. How often does a compressor run on a good working air ride system? I could hear this one running for a little bit after a 5 mile test drive.

I'm surprised the V8 felt sluggish, even with the PCM tune on my previous I6 Envoy, test driving one with the 5.3 felt like an entirely different animal.

I would say it felt equal to my 4.2 . I think it felt sluggish because I expected it to be very noticeable different. It felt like it had the same acceleration to me as the 4.2. I must say though, after having the PCM tuned on the 4.2 it runs and shifts much better than when it was stock. The coolest difference I did notice over the V6, was the sound You can't beat that small block V8 sound.

 

[Sparky]

Please use the multi quote feature (+Quote) instead of multi posting, thanks!

I would imagine the difference (or lack of) is likely due to a tuned I6 vs a stock, torque-managed 5.3. If both were stock tune, or both tuned, then the difference would be more noticeable.

 

[northcreek]

Yeah, until something fails that will bankrupt you to fix. Springs are the way to go when it does fail.

Yeah but...if your fix is to downgrade it every time a system fails, pretty soon you're driving a KIA
**107 K miles no air ride problems**

 

[rizzo20]

Well, I now own two '08 Envoys I think I got a good deal on this Denali. 98k miles, and looks and drives great! Picked her up for $7200 . It's cleaner and tighter than my '08 SLE. I was able to go to mycarfax.com and get some free info on the history. For the 1st 57K miles the oil changes were done every 3k miles. Thats about the time the former owner bought it and started using a smalltown mechanic for oil changes. Here's a few pics. Let the modding begin!

 

[jsheahawk]

Nice grab, man!

 

[shovenose]

Looks VERY nice!

 

[Bow_Tied]

Spitting image to my '06. That oil usage is similar to slightly better than mine and I have less miles. I hope you have less problems with it than I have had.

 

[dna59]

@rizzo20 Nice acquisition! I'm jealous and its the perfect color.

 

[07Denali]

very nice!