GMT360 questions

"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin) 10/04/2015 at 17:03 • Filed to: None

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What can you teach me about the gmt360’s? Thinking about picking up a Bravada for a friends daughter for when she gets her license in the spring. I know that the engine kicks asss, I know the Bravada was loaded for a base model, and I know the failure prone rear airbags can be swapped for Tahoe z71 coils in an afternoon. That’s about all I know. What are the things to look for on the gmt360’s when buying?

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 17:10

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The usual 4L60E worries, the gauge cluster actuators like to fail so gauges don't work, there was a recall for window switch fires I think, usual early 2000s GM cheapness but that's to be expected. That's all I got.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 17:12

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Other than the 4L60E being garbage(went through 2 in under 100k miles, wasn’t abused) and the interior being meh, I kind of miss ours. The Atlas is great, and as long as you don’t romp on it, it returns respectable mpg’s. It’s super comfortable and handles decently well for a BOF SUV. So basically check to see if the trans has been rebuilt (bonus if it’s built with stronger internals), and don’t expect much in the way of the interior, and you should be good to go. Also, 4L60E rebuilds are cheap as shit, so it’s not a huge deal breaker if you are prepared for it.

Round headlight enthusiast > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 17:15

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Everything I’ve seen about these has lead me to swear them off. My high school shop teacher had a Trailblazer and it sure kept us busy. Transmission blew up at 180k, motor spewed oil, cheap components, etc...

And from what I’ve heard, this isn’t entirely unusual.

mazda616 > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 17:17

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Side airbags deploying without warning or reason was a worry for some. My cousin’s TrailBlazer did that. Driving down the highway one night and boom, side curtain airbags deployed. She about had a wreck because of the airbags popping right in her ear.

I don’t know how widespread that problem was, though. As has been said, the gauge cluster will fail if it hasn’t already, the window switches have issues, and the transmissions are hit and miss.

If the Bravada has the air suspension, it’s probably out or on the way out as well. Easily remedied by fitting standard shocks instead, though.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Round headlight enthusiast 10/04/2015 at 17:18

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What trans was that at 180k, because ours went through two before 100k?

ly2v8-Brian > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 10/04/2015 at 17:25

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A normal one you just weren’t lucky. My mom’s is fine at 150k.

ly2v8-Brian > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 17:26

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Weird shit can happen. Ours has been pretty solid.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > ly2v8-Brian 10/04/2015 at 17:27

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Having had 700R4 vehicles bofore that, I think your Mom is lucky and we had a pretty normal one.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 17:36

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Be unique. Get a Saab.

PS9 > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 10/04/2015 at 17:44

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Man were those 4L60e giant piles of birdshit. My V6 Firebird even ate one.

Damn, the LS1 guys must have had to switch them out at every oil change, lol.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > PS9 10/04/2015 at 17:48

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They probably spent a few more bucks on the rebuild lol. That trans is best suited behind an Iron Duke.

jkm7680 > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 17:55

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Rust.

Bad tranny.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 18:40

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My buddy’s 2004(?, maybe 03?) went through more fuel pump/fuels system components than a car should.

Not a fix that breaks the bank, but not the easiest stuff to deal with either.

Moral of the story, you’re better off finding a W-body with the 3800.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 18:41

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Great engines, mediocre at best tranny, love or hate interior, ultimately a solid all-round package.

Placement/replacement procedure of things like washer bottles, air filter is, like most GM vehicles of the period, idiotic.

DoYouEvenShift > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 20:43

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4L60 is a hit or miss, itll go for 250k + or die at 50k. Engine is great, no major issues besides regular maintenance. Interior is fine unless your an interior decorator. All in all, its a midsize suv, body on frame, can be had in 4wd, and pretty reliable IMO. Would buy another.

Oh yeah, some had aluminum 5.3s!

boxrocket > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 21:06

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No.

No, no, no, no, no.

No.

While not quite as awful as a cobalt, they’re essentially ticking time bombs. Electronic problems (a very wonky BCU, for instance), cheap parts, cost-cutting like crazy, and a oddball suspension. Not the safest or most controllable, either. Certainly a bad choice for a young driver.

C62030 > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 10/04/2015 at 22:13

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It does resemble a rather sporty hearse.

Jcarr > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/04/2015 at 22:33

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Issues I’ve had on our ‘04 Envoy in the 40k miles (66,000-106,000) and 6 years that we’ve owned it:

- Just replaced the water pump last month, no big deal.

- Radiator sprung a leak right after we bought it. Was replaced by the dealer as it was a CPO.

- Replaced all 4 OEM wheels this spring after fighting a losing battle with lip corrosion that required me to fill the tires every other day.

- Interior quality is absolute garbage. Front door panels are held on by two extremely flimsy pieces of plastic that break at the drop of the hat. No amount of JB Weld will keep them together.

- Been battling a CEL this summer from some sort of evap leak. Replaced the gas cap which seemed to help for a while, but now it’s back.

- Replaced the blower motor resistor last fall after speeds 1-3 stopped working. $30 and 15 minutes of work.

The Atlas and 4L60E have been flawless for us. I know the transmission gets a lot of hate, but this is the second one I’ve owned with absolutely no trouble. The first was in my ‘94 S10 Blazer. It had 150,000 miles on it when I sold it and had zero issues.

It also has held up quite well to rust. We live in IA so there’s tons of road salt in the winter and since my son was born last year I have had almost no time to wash it regularly. There is a little rust on the inside bottom of each door, but it’s very slight and not penetrating to the outside at all.

Overall, I’ve been quite happy with it. My biggest complaint is with the interior build quality which is very typical of early/mid-2000s GM. Otherwise it’s a very solid and capable SUV.

Jack Does Cars > mkbruin, Atlas VP 10/05/2015 at 09:22

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My mother bought a 2003 TrailBlazer in 2007, and I hate it. We haven’t really had problems with it (other than the fact that the bumper is falling off. We’ve never run into anything, and we don’t think anyone has run into us). It’s supposed to be my first car, and I’m trying to convince my mother to let me sell it.

The interior materials are of very poor quality, the seats are uncomfortable, it doesn’t get good MPG for a BOF SUV, I think it’s quite ugly, and the steering is very sloppy, even by early 2000’s GM standards.

On the upside, it has the last American built, gas-powered inline-6, put into a production car, it does wonderful burnouts and donuts, and it is surprisingly powerful.

One of our neighbors has a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 4.0 I-6 and that thing is slow. And to think the inline-6 Grand Cherokee and inline-6 TrailBlazer competed with each other at the time is very surprising.

Anyway...

Based on experience, I would not purchase a GMT360 vehicle unless it is a TrailBlazer SS or a SAAB 9-7X Aero.