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2004 Yukon XL 2500 LBZ

I dont remember who wrote about steering gear boxes.
It seems that even the brands that used to be upright and dependable and not so much like that today.
Hit and miss it seems.
Might be someone will post in some info that is better informed on such matters as I.
 
MrMarty51 said:
I dont remember who wrote about steering gear boxes.
It seems that even the brands that used to be upright and dependable and not so much like that today.
Hit and miss it seems.
Might be someone will post in some info that is better informed on such matters as I.
Click to expand...
Yeah that’s what I gathered after reading some threads but they seem to be a few years old. Hopefully things are improving. I have read that PSC seems to be a little better but almost twice the $$. I’m willing to pay whatever to make it right as it’s really annoying having to keep over correcting to keep the rig straight with the trailer. I did get some Michelin Defender LTX M/S in LT265/70R17E mounted today on the h2 wheels. We leave Friday for glacier so we’ll see how different it behaves with these tires over the continental’s.
 
Here is recent experience with a big name steering box (the blue one): hit-and-miss. Bought one early last year and had to replace the unit after maybe 500 miles or so. Waranty support was good, but did not pay for my shop labor cost. Second one seems like it is holding up a bit better, but still not a 'new' feel.

Nice choice on moving over to H/T tires. That should get an instant 10% improvement in fuel economy and firm-up the ride a bit as well.

About the sway, I never met a 3/4 ton Burb that did it and they were very stable with a 8K# trailer. So that steering box is likely the issue. While not missing my old 3/4 ton Burb's habit of unscheduled shop visits, I do miss its rock solid towing manners.
 
I'm really liking the Michelin's. I've only got ~150 miles on them -- I'll have more on them next week with the trailer.
Got an order placed for a new PSC box but could be a few weeks before it gets here. I've read about blue top steering too, but decided to go with PSC and see if this solves my issue. I'll be sure to update.
 
Will L. said:
Fingers crossed for the psc stuff. Something out there has to stay good quality!
New TT keeping the boss happy ?
Click to expand...
Definitely keeping the wife happy. We've upgraded from a popup tent trailer, to a truck camper to this. So big upgrade and tons of storage compared to our previous rigs. Unfortunately no trip this week, plans changed, got a sick pup. we'll go in a few weeks. Maybe I'll get the new box in time before that trip. 🤞
 
How’s that conversion working out with California smog laws? Latest I heard is they are matching the engine to the VIN # which would create problems for a conversion.
 
So smog is actually due right now. I’m gonna do it tomorrow. Last two times was no issue with the state smog ref. It has a BAR label on the firewall. So they just smog it as if it was a 2006 Chevy Silverado 3500 with an LBZ based on the engine family. DMV has the vehicle marked as fuel type Diesel and there’s something in the computer that directs them to check for the BAR label. I’ll update after tomorrow’s smog test.
 
I’m not gonna say who or what what exactly, but there is a guy I know with a hmmwv now with a 6.5 but a sticker from unky sam saying smog exempt and it created a problem in cali smog, but he somehow went home and searching his truck a couple days later he ‘found’ a special sticker and took it back again- suddenly it passed inspection.
If he had admitted anything, his rig would be on the permanent no-go list. Instead he wisely said nothing, found out the one needed and somehow it was right where it is supposed to be and must have just not been noticed. Because if he had put the sticker on himself that would have been a disqualification in itself...

Here, engine swaps are jo problem if ALL of these occur:
Engine is same type (diesel stays diesel, gas stays gas)
Engine is same year or newer- never older
Engine passes emissions output requirements for the year of the vehicle (not the engine)
1996 and newer must communicate through obd2 port for emissions as well as dyno smog
Vehicle passes federal and state D.O.T. and E.P.A. requirements.

unfortunately thats why I can’t to a ds4:db2 conversion on a 99 suburban like I want.
Also cant get a hmmwv registered and sell my hummer like I want.- hmmwv doest have all the federal safety feature requirements, and no military vehicle has to pass smog - so Nv rules out hmmwvs- they let a few get registered, but are refusing to re-register them now.

Years ago Nv started copying Cali laws, and now is worse for requirements, back to 1966 vehicles. We smog and re-register every year. Anyone doing any swap here- NEVER ask dmv, always find someone whose shop does it and get current details from them. It might be my sticker friend did that in Cali...
 
Will L. said:
I’m not gonna say who or what what exactly, but there is a guy I know with a hmmwv now with a 6.5 but a sticker from unky sam saying smog exempt and it created a problem in cali smog, but he somehow went home and searching his truck a couple days later he ‘found’ a special sticker and took it back again- suddenly it passed inspection.
If he had admitted anything, his rig would be on the permanent no-go list. Instead he wisely said nothing, found out the one needed and somehow it was right where it is supposed to be and must have just not been noticed. Because if he had put the sticker on himself that would have been a disqualification in itself...

Here, engine swaps are jo problem if ALL of these occur:
Engine is same type (diesel stays diesel, gas stays gas)
Engine is same year or newer- never older
Engine passes emissions output requirements for the year of the vehicle (not the engine)
1996 and newer must communicate through obd2 port for emissions as well as dyno smog
Vehicle passes federal and state D.O.T. and E.P.A. requirements.

unfortunately thats why I can’t to a ds4:db2 conversion on a 99 suburban like I want.
Also cant get a hmmwv registered and sell my hummer like I want.- hmmwv doest have all the federal safety feature requirements, and no military vehicle has to pass smog - so Nv rules out hmmwvs- they let a few get registered, but are refusing to re-register them now.

Years ago Nv started copying Cali laws, and now is worse for requirements, back to 1966 vehicles. We smog and re-register every year. Anyone doing any swap here- NEVER ask dmv, always find someone whose shop does it and get current details from them. It might be my sticker friend did that in Cali...
Click to expand...
Cali used to have all those same requirements and would allow diesel swaps so long as the diesel was emissions certified for a like vehicle(the engine from a 2500 pickup to 2500 Suburban was acceptable, but say the engine from a 2500 pickup to an S10 would not fly as they were in different emissions categories). I haven't heard from anybody in a Cali who has smogged a diesel swap since the new July 13, 2021 rules went into effect. I know I talked to Rick Fletes and he said he had to stop doing LLY/LBZ swaps to 02 and older Subs because they required a tune segment swap to make the fuel guage work, and Cali would no longer allow anything but a 100% stock GM calibration(even though he was using stock GM tunes, just mix and matching them to make everything work). I know several are saying even LS swaps are getting difficult to do and make emissions legal in Cali in OBS trucks.
 
I’m actually at the smog shop right now. So I’ll have results shortly. But as Ferm mentioned, I actually had this problem back in 2017 when I got it ref’d for the bar label. I had a stock tune with the modified dual tank stock gm segment and hey wouldn’t accept it. They called it a part number that was not issued from gm for the donor vehicle vin. So I flashed the original tune from the donor with all original segments and it passed with flying colors except the fuel gauge didn’t work. After smog was done, flashed it back with dual tank fuel segment and all is happy. We’ll see what happens here shortly.
 
So I do have the factory tune loaded from the donor truck so the fuel gauge doesn’t work. But it makes the smog machine happy. Other than that I still have the cat and egr intact. So it passes visual as well. The smog tech knew it wasn’t stock when I pulled in. He just wanted to know if it had a BAR sticker. It does, so he was happy to do it.
 
Glad we don't have any of that out here. Of course, we're an Ag State and you'll see combines driving down 4 lane divided State highways from one field to harvest another - ½ on the shoulder ½ in the outside lane, 15-20 mph and 100% legal. Or the night, near midnight I was about 5 miles west outside of Valentine, Nebraska heading east on US 20 and here's three pickups, some guys on horseback, and a herd of about 400 head of Black Angus being moved from one pasture to another in the middle of the night down the middle of a Federal Highway, US 20! Best part? Five miles later we get into Valentine (remember, it's about midnight) and what do my headlights pick up? A stray calf wandering through the middle of the intersection of US 20 and US 83 in the middle of town! Giddup, lil doggie!

Nebraska used to have an annual Safety Inspection and a sticker for the lower right corner of your windshield if you passed, said inspection was at various authorized service stations, mechanics, etc. Your brakes, suspension, exhaust integrity, lights, glass, steering were checked. You could fail for things like a bad ball joint, rusted out muffler, cracked windshield, etc. They did away with it for two reasons. First, something that would pass at one inspection station might fail at another (or vice versa). Second, a lot of times in small towns, the owner of the service station might be your cousin and for the $5 fee, he'd just slap the sticker on your vehicle and call 'er good, even if it was a piece of junk. They dropped that back in 1980.
 
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