2002 2500HD 8.1 - Any Chronic Problems I Should Expect or Try To Prevent?

[Sir Real Ed]

Hi Members,

I recently bought a real cherry.
2002 GMC 2500, Allison 1000 AT, 8.1 Liter Vortec with 21,000 miles.
I bought it from the son of the owner. The owner bought the truck new when he was 70 and only used it to pull his 5500 lb camper.

Anyway, enough BS.

Are there any inherent problems that I should expect to experience with this truck?

If so, any links or solutions any of you can provide will be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[steve53]

Save your money, gas mileage is going to be around 10 to 11 per mile at best...

 

[Bill325]

Chronic Problems?

Are there any chronic problems you should expect with your 2002 GMC ?
Yes. Can you prevent them ? Probably not. The list of factory service bulletins is scary. But, if you take good care of your truck , you'll likely have fewer problems. You may actually be able to take a short trip without having a new problem .
The EPA requirements for better fuel economy and lower emissions have forced manufacturers into technologies that are unproven, and designed to last no longer than the warranty. As an example, a competitor of GMC trucks ( something about a ram ) has introduced a new and quite complex system for preheating the automatic transmission fluid during cold start operations. Why ? Because the manufacturer will get fuel economy credits toward their corporate average fuel economy requirement. Oddly enough, the very slight increase in fuel economy from this system doesn't even show up in the published city and highway fuel economy numbers. But, if the manufacturer can prove that, under certain conditions, there is a fuel economy improvement, the EPA gives them credit for that improvement. Of course, the second or third owner of those trucks will inherit complex and non-functional systems that will trigger trouble codes and bounce us out of inspection lanes, but nobody cares about us.