2002yukonxl
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- Joined
- Jul 11, 2014
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Long story short (ill save it for a field report) I rolled my Yukon yesterday around 4pm.
luckily I wasnt moving very fast, i avoided a collision on the highway, drove down into the median (read slid down into the median via wet grass and mud), came almost to a complete stop, then the wheels sank in, and it slowly tipped over onto the drivers side of the vehicle in a swamp/muck area. If you have never been in this position, I will tell you, it is excruciating how long it seems to take for the thing to go from upright to on its side. I had half my body in the passenger seat by the time it actually landed on its side.
There is no damage to the body, no airbags went off, the only physical damage was a broken rear drivers door window that broke when my laptop fell on it. Even the window mirror on the drivers side door is undamaged. The front of the vehicle was in about 6 inches of muddy water, the rear end was not submerged at all.
All in all, my cell phone, laptop, and drycleaning were ruined by the water entering the vehicle, as well as some signed witness statements. (the boss is not happy, neither is my bank account).
It was on its side for approx 20-30 minutes, and was tipped back on to its wheels (a roll back winched it from the passenger side frame rails). The cop suggested i drive it out to save some cash, but the tow truck operator said it wasn't worth the risk since the fluids had all shifted, and if it did start, i would be risking damage. I had them drag it out by the tow hooks on the front (in Neutral), and winch it up on to the truck. $480 later, it was in my driveway.
I plan on a full damage assessment (check cv axles etc) but I have it all a good look yesterday, and due to the slow motion tip over, I think/hope I'm in fairly decent shape as far as physical damage goes.
Now on to the fluids issue. I have never been in this spot before, but my gut tells me that i should change out the engine oil, tranny fluid, coolant, and differentials, flushing where possible, before even trying to start the vehicle. I should note that could smell a hint of gear oil (not sure if it was tranny or otherwise, the tow truck driver said it wasn't tranny, but that's what it smelled like to me) when it was on its side, so i am thinking it must have leaked out of a vent somewhere? I let the vehicle sit overnight without touching anything, so it should be as settled as its going to be by this evening.
As far as my skill level goes, I am no excuse for a mechanic, but i do all my own work, ranging from body work, to paint, to mechanical. I've replaced or rebuilt almost every possible part on a vehicle including engines (with assistance), a transmission, axles, suspension, rear ends, a couple hundred wheel bearings, etc. You name it, I've probably been there on this vehicle or another. To be honest I don't fully understand how everything necessarily functions, but i can follow instructions and I like to think i can understand the main concepts of how things work.
What i would like to do is take a crack at it myself before getting insurance involved, as I am very hopeful that i can have it back up and running for under a grand if my math is right (including a detail to get the swamp water out of the interior). That is if the wiring in the drivers side door and surrounding areas survived the submersion. Electrical problems i realize are likely, and could spell the end for me, but i am keeping my fingers crossed.
Has anyone ever rolled one of these things before, or repaired one that a less fortunate individual had rolled? What scares me about trying to get this thing back on the road is what i may not know about the vehicle, or about vehicles that had rested on their side in general.
I have spent some good time searching the web for tips, etc, and think i have the basics down, but I'm sure there is a lot out there that I don't know, and I am very concerned that learning the hard way could lead to a nightmare down the road.
So, here is my plan of action, I would really really appreciate it if anyone had anything to add, whether specific to Tahoes, or tipped vehicles in general.
1 - Change engine oil
2 - Flush coolant
3 - Change tranny fluid
4 - Change diff fluids
5 - See if it starts/runs
6 - figure out how to get the swamp water smell out
7 - replace window
I apologize for spelling, grammar, etc. as I am using a laptop from 2002, since i ruined my brand new laptop in the incident, and half the keyboard keys don't always work (shift and space being the biggest offenders).
It's pretty clear to me that I wont be towing my boat to the fishing trip I've had planned for months that was supposed to happen today, but I would like to be proactive in getting this thing fixed, as the last thing i want to do is let it sit full of swamp water with a trashbag over the window for a month.
Again, I really really appreciate any advice anyone can give me, with all the items i lost in the incident, i cant afford to pay a shop to handle this, and frankly I don't know any I trust for such a laundry list of potential complications. I have a guy who i may pay to change the tranny and diff fluids, if i think it will make it the few miles to his shop without any damage. I haven't changed those fluids on this truck, and the mess/aggravation/learning curve might not be worth it since he will let me bring my own fluids, and change them out cheap - plus he has a lift.
mods - as this is my first post, I believe i have followed all the rules, however if I need to move, edit, or otherwise change this post, please just let me know and I will do so.
Vehicle info - 5.3L 2002 Yukon XL 1500 with a strange selection of 2500 parts (possibly towing package? brakes are 2500, etc.) I believe its a 4L60E Transmission, I'm unsure if there were different models used in these things or not.
luckily I wasnt moving very fast, i avoided a collision on the highway, drove down into the median (read slid down into the median via wet grass and mud), came almost to a complete stop, then the wheels sank in, and it slowly tipped over onto the drivers side of the vehicle in a swamp/muck area. If you have never been in this position, I will tell you, it is excruciating how long it seems to take for the thing to go from upright to on its side. I had half my body in the passenger seat by the time it actually landed on its side.
There is no damage to the body, no airbags went off, the only physical damage was a broken rear drivers door window that broke when my laptop fell on it. Even the window mirror on the drivers side door is undamaged. The front of the vehicle was in about 6 inches of muddy water, the rear end was not submerged at all.
All in all, my cell phone, laptop, and drycleaning were ruined by the water entering the vehicle, as well as some signed witness statements. (the boss is not happy, neither is my bank account).
It was on its side for approx 20-30 minutes, and was tipped back on to its wheels (a roll back winched it from the passenger side frame rails). The cop suggested i drive it out to save some cash, but the tow truck operator said it wasn't worth the risk since the fluids had all shifted, and if it did start, i would be risking damage. I had them drag it out by the tow hooks on the front (in Neutral), and winch it up on to the truck. $480 later, it was in my driveway.
I plan on a full damage assessment (check cv axles etc) but I have it all a good look yesterday, and due to the slow motion tip over, I think/hope I'm in fairly decent shape as far as physical damage goes.
Now on to the fluids issue. I have never been in this spot before, but my gut tells me that i should change out the engine oil, tranny fluid, coolant, and differentials, flushing where possible, before even trying to start the vehicle. I should note that could smell a hint of gear oil (not sure if it was tranny or otherwise, the tow truck driver said it wasn't tranny, but that's what it smelled like to me) when it was on its side, so i am thinking it must have leaked out of a vent somewhere? I let the vehicle sit overnight without touching anything, so it should be as settled as its going to be by this evening.
As far as my skill level goes, I am no excuse for a mechanic, but i do all my own work, ranging from body work, to paint, to mechanical. I've replaced or rebuilt almost every possible part on a vehicle including engines (with assistance), a transmission, axles, suspension, rear ends, a couple hundred wheel bearings, etc. You name it, I've probably been there on this vehicle or another. To be honest I don't fully understand how everything necessarily functions, but i can follow instructions and I like to think i can understand the main concepts of how things work.
What i would like to do is take a crack at it myself before getting insurance involved, as I am very hopeful that i can have it back up and running for under a grand if my math is right (including a detail to get the swamp water out of the interior). That is if the wiring in the drivers side door and surrounding areas survived the submersion. Electrical problems i realize are likely, and could spell the end for me, but i am keeping my fingers crossed.
Has anyone ever rolled one of these things before, or repaired one that a less fortunate individual had rolled? What scares me about trying to get this thing back on the road is what i may not know about the vehicle, or about vehicles that had rested on their side in general.
I have spent some good time searching the web for tips, etc, and think i have the basics down, but I'm sure there is a lot out there that I don't know, and I am very concerned that learning the hard way could lead to a nightmare down the road.
So, here is my plan of action, I would really really appreciate it if anyone had anything to add, whether specific to Tahoes, or tipped vehicles in general.
1 - Change engine oil
2 - Flush coolant
3 - Change tranny fluid
4 - Change diff fluids
5 - See if it starts/runs
6 - figure out how to get the swamp water smell out
7 - replace window
I apologize for spelling, grammar, etc. as I am using a laptop from 2002, since i ruined my brand new laptop in the incident, and half the keyboard keys don't always work (shift and space being the biggest offenders).
It's pretty clear to me that I wont be towing my boat to the fishing trip I've had planned for months that was supposed to happen today, but I would like to be proactive in getting this thing fixed, as the last thing i want to do is let it sit full of swamp water with a trashbag over the window for a month.
Again, I really really appreciate any advice anyone can give me, with all the items i lost in the incident, i cant afford to pay a shop to handle this, and frankly I don't know any I trust for such a laundry list of potential complications. I have a guy who i may pay to change the tranny and diff fluids, if i think it will make it the few miles to his shop without any damage. I haven't changed those fluids on this truck, and the mess/aggravation/learning curve might not be worth it since he will let me bring my own fluids, and change them out cheap - plus he has a lift.
mods - as this is my first post, I believe i have followed all the rules, however if I need to move, edit, or otherwise change this post, please just let me know and I will do so.
Vehicle info - 5.3L 2002 Yukon XL 1500 with a strange selection of 2500 parts (possibly towing package? brakes are 2500, etc.) I believe its a 4L60E Transmission, I'm unsure if there were different models used in these things or not.
