Joined the club! Meet my ‘98 454 K2500 Suburban

[spacklesworth]

Bought this ‘98 K2500 Suburban with the Vortec 7400 to use as a winter vehicle, toy hauler and potential overlanding rig. With 238k on the clock it’s got some rough spots inside and out as expected, but all of the work the previous owner had done earlier this year (last two photos) makes me hope she’s got a lot left in her.

I’m also hoping to use this truck to learn how to work on cars myself since I’ve heard they’re fairly easy to work on and parts are cheap and plentiful. Any tips on how to keep it running well and things to lookout for would be greatly appreciated!

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[HotWheelsBurban]

Looks like your new Burb was well maintained by its previous owner. That's always a good thing! These trucks are easy to work on, especially compared to newer models. There's several of the 2500 Burbs on here, 2wd and 4x4. Most of them see towing duties and seem to handle it well. There's a few overlanders too, and your Burb seems like a good place to start that project with.
My Suburban is a 99 C1500 5.7, but it does what my family needs it to. Mom and I go all over Houston in it for our jobs, and I use it to haul my stuff to swap meets and toy shows (when there are shows).
Nice Burb, welcome to the forum!

 

[1ton-o-fun]

Welcome! Nice 'burb.

 

[SUBURBAN5]

Very nice burb. What color is that?

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Very nice burb. What color is that?

Looks like the same color as yours. His is a 98 too, maybe this is a one year color on Burbs.

 

[Steve Cunningham]

Very nice, welcome to the forum.

 

[SUBURBAN5]

Looks like the same color as yours. His is a 98 too, maybe this is a one year color on Burbs.

That's what I was thinking lol. He copied me

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

That's what I was thinking lol. He copied me

Well you know the old saying: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery....It is a pretty color though, and not near as common as my pewter is. When we got the other 99 in 2005, I had to learn our license plate number quickly because there were so many of these Burbs/Tahoes/Yukons in the parking lots of the stores I was working in.

 

[SUBURBAN5]

Well you know the old saying: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery....It is a pretty color though, and not near as common as my pewter is. When we got the other 99 in 2005, I had to learn our license plate number quickly because there were so many of these Burbs/Tahoes/Yukons in the parking lots of the stores I was working in.

Funny you should say that. Words cant describe how much I miss my burb. I've been using our white 06 highlander. That suv gets lost easily and blends in..... plus it's small so cant see it. Suburban would be like 5min to locate. This car. More like 10 to 15 min. Hate it so bad. Lol. As for the color I like it a lot too. It's funny though because some of these color look more lighter then the same color on others. That's why I'm curious about the code

 

[Aparke4]

Welcome!

Having worked on a few of the 3/4 suburban's and now my k2500 truck which is essentially the same thing firewall forward, here are a few tips for working on the 3/4 tons:

- map gas/ yellow bottle. pick one up at your local hardware store! even being in CA / no to little rust these trucks are just heavier and everything tends to take a little more oomph to loosen
- HD jack stands: heavy truck, again with 454 so I use 6 ton jacks and brace with 4 jacks no matter the job
- hubs: the 4 bolts are very stubborn and its easy to round off the 15mm head plus corrosion gets under the head and knuckle... PB blast a few days before and map gas where the threads enter the knuckle and then quickly hit with impact to break loose... replace with 4 new bolts and light anti seize.
- oil leaks: looks like some were addressed by PO but there always seems to be weepage around oil pan gasket and oil cooler lines. IMHO its worth taking the time to drop the diff, brake clean around and take your time setting gasket for oil pan... if its doesnt mark its spot its not a OBS! haha
- check motor mounts and tranny mounts for degraded rubber/ splits... the k2500 series kinda ride like dump trucks and there are a lot of vibes and torque that goes into both these mounts
- MPG: not much to say here but i did get a good boost in torque and movement with a basic black bear tune... worth looking into
- warm starts/ hesitation and fuel related issues: stock injectors are notablly weak and will go out... good time to address FPR as well
- distributor: known for worn gears... worth inspecting if any start issues occur

Enjoy! Once of the best platforms GM ever came out with and yes they are easy to work on- just take your time as there is a lot of mass in the air!

 

[spacklesworth]

Very nice burb. What color is that?

It’s the darker brown but I think it’s been a little faded over time.