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What dashboard warning lights do you drive with?

ngrome

Full Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2016
Messages
144
Location
Chicago, IL
So I'm new to the Avalanche family.  The one I'm debating whether to buy from my brother-in-law or not had a multitude of problems. I replaced an alternator, I resoldered the bad connection in back of odometer display to get that back, I replaced the intermediate brake cable so the annoying dinging stopped.  I know it has an ABS issue, could be sensors, who knows, I still need to look into it.  But since replacing the middle parking brake cable, the e-brake light stays on lit solid, despite the annoying dinging in the cabin going away.

So is anyone currently driving their Av with any indicator lights lit on their dashboards (ABS, e-brakes, message center, etc.)?  I only posed this question as it seem this vehicle has so many warning lights that need to be addressed and wonder if anyone gave up and is just driving their Av with these lights on (at least currently).
 
When I bought my used 2004 EXT, it had an error for Service Suspension System and something about the tire monitor system.

Someone had taken out all of the tire pressure monitors from all of the wheels and the rear air shocks and air compressor were all burned up and blown out.

:E:

Replaced all of those bad or missing parts and the errors went away.

Later, I got a CEL and code concerning one of the O2 sensors.

Discovered the pigtail lead on one of the O2 sensors had mysteriously been ripped completely away and was missing.

We still have no idea how that could have happened, especially since this truck never leaves the pavement and I never remembered running over anything that could have snagged the pigtail and ripped it off.

Replaced the pigtail and error went away.

I try to stay ahead of things as they break to prevent a huge number of repairs that need to be fixed somewhere down the line.

I often see here in the forum where people are pointed to checking the grounds to help solve weird electrical issues they may be having.

That and the wheel speed sensors in the front hubs might be a good place to start.

Hope you can get everything sorted out without too much trouble.

It's nice to have an error free dash.

(y)
 
Ignore them at your own peril, I had an intermittent check engine light and toasted my transmission. I think it was an O2 sensor and something else.

Rotors rusted out twice and a brake line did once, I had intermittent ABS and e-brake lights before and after replacing rotors and pads. They never did get it corrected but I knew I had new brakes, kept an eye on the brake lines though and was going to replace the rest of them.
 
As mentioned above, I always fix the problem even if it means going to a dealer so they can read the codes etc. You should assume there is a reason for the warning light and fixing the issue could save you money in the long run by not letting it get worse. It also gives me piece of mind driving with no warnings flashing.
From your signature you have a 2002 AV so unfortunately that can be one of the downsides of driving a 14 year old vehicle in that electrical gremlins start appearing due to age and wear and tear on parts.
Good luck with your efforts to fix things.
 
Thank you guys, yes, I have an 02 Av, though it's not officially mine yet. My bro-inlaw is selling it to me cheap with its problems, and this is what I have done so far:

1) Odometer light out - fixed by soldering the bad solder pin joint in back of odometer display, common problem, now I see the mileage 111,000 miles :)

2) Battery indicator in message center blinking - fixed, thought it was battery first but when I replaced it, the new battery started draining, so replaced alternator, now message is gone.

3) E-brake light flashing and constant dinging in the cabin - fixed, replaced intermediate brake cable, no more annoying dinging when truck is moving, e-brake light went out all of a sudden when I thought it was staying on but sat overnight and started no more brake light on, though I still have to adjust the brake cable I think.

4) ABS light gone, but my ABS kicks in at low speeds, so will have to get the fixed. Will pop out the ABS fuse in the meantime, which means ABS light will stay back on.

5)  Four-wheel drive out, will have to get that fixed.

Now that I cleared the dashboard of all lights except the ones we want (odometer, speedometer), the low coolant light is on, so I'm going have to look into that one :( I haven't bought the truck yet from him and it's already drained me some $$$ but bro-inlaw said he'll split the difference or deduct from his asking price, so in this case, truck may end up being free ;)  though not sure if I really want it, so many common problems I see, which is why I joined this forum.  But the truck looks really clean otherwise for a 14-year old truck, and I haven't really owned anything this large to drive before, I usually drive small imports, but it sure is nice to ride high and not get bullied on the road for once with the vehicle this big to ride on  (y)
 
Vaeagleav said:
you have a 2002 AV so unfortunately that can be one of the downsides of driving a 14 year old vehicle

Early release in Feb 2001, many '02 AVs will be 16 years old this coming spring.

Sounds like some maintenance was neglected, I hope not too much as 111,000 miles the engine could easily last another 111,000.
 
Couple of related favorites from The Big Bang Theory...

Sheldon: Your check-engine light is on.
Penny: Uh huh.
Sheldon: Typically, that's an indicator to, you know, check your engine.
Penny: It's fine. It's been on for like a month.
Sheldon: Well, actually that would be all the more reason to, you know, check your engine.
Penny: Sheldon, it's fine.
Sheldon: If it were fine, the light wouldn't be on. That's why the manufacturer installed that light, to let you know it's not fine.
Penny: Maybe the light's broken.
Sheldon: Is there a check-the-check-engine-light light?


BEVERLY: Thank you for driving me back to my hotel.
PENNY: Oh, it's not a problem.
BEVERLY: I was going to ask Leonard to do it, but he seemed a bit mentally unstable, and you don't want someone like that operating heavy machinery.
PENNY: No, you do not.
BEVERLY: Your "check engine" light is on.
PENNY: Yeah, I gotta put a sticker over that.
 
ngrome I hope you don't get discouraged by reading too many of the "problems" threads. You have to realize the vast majority of AV owners never join our website, then even though we have over 55,000 members (As of today.) Not all of them have problems. Think of it as very few people would post things like "drove my AV today and nothing bad happened!"
It is the minority that post about problems and looking for solutions that get the attention.
You can get the other side of AV ownership if you read the threads about owner satisfaction, high mileage members, multiple AV owners (some have owned 3 or more AVs at one time.), those who answer questions such as would you own an AV again or those threads where members get hopeful of a new version of the AV to be released.
I also realize that the more feature filled and electrically hooked-up or vehicles become the more expensive and involved the repairs become. Reminds me of my dad who refused for years to buy a car with electric windows since it cost big bucks to replace a motor or switch compared to a crank handle replacement you could do yourself on a roll-up window. When he finally bought a car with electric windows and he traveled on a toll road and didn't have to crank the windows up and down all the time he was sold and never looked back at crank windows.
I do remember the advantages of older cars and trucks though that you could go through standing water and still drive it without a breakdown or having to have major repairs or to total out a vehicle due to water damage to the electronics.
 
Vaeagleav said:
It is the minority that post about problems and looking for solutions that get the attention.
You can get the other side of AV ownership if you read the threads about owner satisfaction,...

I started a POLL in 2008 about getting stranded that's a pretty fair representation of major malfunctions. Only 20.5% broke down, it's slightly humorous as I added a few choices like I broke it.


Broke down or never broke down ? 


In 15 years of owning an Avalanche, mainly the '04, I had few complaints. I think the seat heaters, instrument panel and front door power window regulator assemblies are the only items I can blame on GM and the windows may have been my fault too for trying to open them when frozen shut but they should have been built sturdier or had a quicker cutoff if there was drag.

 
ngrome said:
Thank you guys, yes, I have an 02 Av, though it's not officially mine yet. My bro-inlaw is selling it to me cheap with its problems, and this is what I have done so far:

1) Odometer light out - fixed by soldering the bad solder pin joint in back of odometer display, common problem, now I see the mileage 111,000 miles :)

2) Battery indicator in message center blinking - fixed, thought it was battery first but when I replaced it, the new battery started draining, so replaced alternator, now message is gone.

3) E-brake light flashing and constant dinging in the cabin - fixed, replaced intermediate brake cable, no more annoying dinging when truck is moving, e-brake light went out all of a sudden when I thought it was staying on but sat overnight and started no more brake light on, though I still have to adjust the brake cable I think.

4) ABS light gone, but my ABS kicks in at low speeds, so will have to get the fixed. Will pop out the ABS fuse in the meantime, which means ABS light will stay back on.

5)  Four-wheel drive out, will have to get that fixed.

Now that I cleared the dashboard of all lights except the ones we want (odometer, speedometer), the low coolant light is on, so I'm going have to look into that one :( I haven't bought the truck yet from him and it's already drained me some $$$ but bro-inlaw said he'll split the difference or deduct from his asking price, so in this case, truck may end up being free ;)  though not sure if I really want it, so many common problems I see, which is why I joined this forum.  But the truck looks really clean otherwise for a 14-year old truck, and I haven't really owned anything this large to drive before, I usually drive small imports, but it sure is nice to ride high and not get bullied on the road for once with the vehicle this big to ride on  (y)

Well, took a closer step to owning it. It passed smog test today :) If it didn't, I wasn't going to dump any more $$$ into it to have emissions fixed, that would have been a deal-breaker.  I just have the typical ABS/ebrake light issue rearing it's ugly head again. Will have to look into the solder fix of the EBCM module if I'm brave enough to undertake it.  I was able to do the odometer solder fix so hopefully such soldering skills are sufficient for the EBCM, if I manage to get it off properly. Will also need to recharge the AC and investigate the slow coolant loss.  May also have to bleed brakes as well to get better grip.  I get it to slow to a stop properly in normal braking, but in hard braking without ABS, can't get it to lock.
 
I believe this may have been mentioned since you initially described it. From the first Avalanche model through about 05 and until 07, the OEM Brakes on the 1500 Avalanches were notorious for having very poor or less than desired braking ability with hard or even just above normal and typical stopping expectations.

My 03 had the adjustment for Adjustable Brake and Fuel Peddle settings. Mine were set by the folks that installed my Hand Controls to a setting that allowed the pedals to be just about as close to the floor as was possible. I have longer legs than I arrived in this life with by a few inches.

At one of our GTG's, the Driver's Door inside panel was off and I had the guys allow me to do some adjustments with the setting and the Hand Brake/Throttle stuff. Surprisingly, My hand did not smash into the dash during hard stops any more. Many times before this when I've had to do serious panic stops, I had no more travel available, the backside of my fingers were pressed hard into the dash, and I was just along for the crash that fortunately never happened.

After the adjustment, all was fine.

When I moved on to the 2010, it was slightly better than the 03 after that adjustment.

This is how we've learned from each other about non obvious solutions to stuff that should not require a solution.
 
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