1996 Chevy Tahoe

1996 Chevy Tahoe questions and answers

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Q: Why are there two different styles for the alternator for the 1996 Chevy Tahoe?
I needed to replace my alternator tonight and when I went to the auto parts place, the guy asked me if my current alternator had a plastic casing. I was confused because I didn't think that alternators had plastic casings and I didn't remember seeing one on mine. I told him no. He then gave me the alternator that met the needs I had expressed to him. When I got back to my SUV, I realized that mine did have the plastic casing. Why is it that there are two different styles, one with a partial plastic casing and one that is entirely metal? And why does the one with the plastic casing supply considerably less power than the one with the metal casing? It doesn't make any sense to me why they didn't just pick one and stick with it. Thanks. Nate

A: the plastic casing allows it to be manufactured easier, but it does not have the strength of the metal housing to withstand the extra forces to produce more amperage.

Q: About how much will it cost to replace shocks on a 1996 chevy tahoe?


A: it all depends on where you go for the parts but typicly if you are doing it yourself the shocks will cost you about 25 each. also deppending on what shocks you choose. i would recommend just simple gabriale gas shocks, they are good parts lifetime warrenty and inexpensive. if you have it done you'll usually pay a bit more for the parts and then somewhere about 85 an hr. for labor.

Q: I bought a used 1996 two door chevy Tahoe 4x4 350 150,000. What can I do to make it last?
What are some maintenance things I can do to make this vehicle last? I changed the oil and its already black again. Is there something i can put in it to clean it up so the oil will stay clean? Also where is a good place to purchase interior parts for this vehicle? ie Sun visor bucket seats, power lock switch. Thanks you for your Help. also it needs a new heater core, the heater does not work, is this hard to do and is it costly.

A: For interior parts try a salvage yard or Car-Parts.com. Usually a heater core goes bad because the antifreeze was not maintained allowing corrosion. Check your coolant, is it orange and bright and clean or is it dirty and brown? If it is dirty you need antifreeze service. Bad antifreeze can also damage your aluminum intake manifold and other aluminum parts by corrosion. How do you know your heater core is bad, was it leaking onto the passenger floorboard? I would need more info on your heater problem to make sure it was the heater core or not something else. For maintenance, spray lubricate your door hinge pins and bushings regularly like when you change oil. The bushings are brass and if they get dry they will wear out making your door sag. For detailing use silicone free products.

Q: where is the radiator drain plug on a 1996 chevy tahoe?


A: On mine, bottom on the driver's side.

Q: I have a 1996 Chevy Tahoe with brake problem. Could anybody help?
I have tried replacing everything on the brake system rotors, calipers, master cylinder, booster, ect. The brakes are very spongy. And yes I have bled the brakes. Over and over. No matter what I do I can't seem to get a solid pedal. Please help!!

A: Hoses if you havn't already. Did you do the rear calipers/wheel cyls.It doesn't have to be front to have that problem.good luck.

Q: what kind of transmission does a 1996 chevy tahoe have its 4x4 is it 1 piece or 2?


A: Automatic 4L60e with transfercase for 4x4 attached to it

Q: My 1996 Chevy tahoe cargo door will not and the other side won't open ..Why?


A: This is actually fairly common. Usually it's that the tab on the handle mechanism inside the door has broken off. The handle assembly needs to be replaced. It's accessed by removing the interior door panel.

Q: 1996 Chevy Tahoe Hard Starting when Warm?
My Tahoe has a hard time starting after being driven for a while. (when warm) It has new battery, rotor, cap, spark plugs, ignition wires, fuel filter, and ignition coil. Just in case you are wondering I've changed these items because of scheduled maintenance and not because of this issue. What do you think could be causing this? I checked the battery cable and I see a little bit of dried up battery acid on the wire but not on the terminals. Thanks for the help I have a trouble code reader and when I scanned it no DTC found, everything good. I've checked fuel compression and it is optimal.

A: Does it blow black smoke out the exhaust when it does start. If it does check for leaking fuel injectors

Q: I will change my 1996 Chevy Tahoe radio (Thetflock cassette/CD slave), and i need know the dimensions (L,W,H)?


A: go to crutchfield.com and enter your vehicle info. it will tell you all the measurements for your unit

Q: 1996 Chevy Tahoe high beams come on low beams do not come on at all what is the problem fuses and blubs ok.?


A: There are two "relays" to check. The headlamp relay, and the daytime running light module. Both would be located near your fusebox. The headlamp relay is sometimes built-in to the headlamp switch. The daytime running light module, turns on your hi-beam lights at half power while driving during the day. This isn't likely the source of your trouble. Could also be your Hi-Lo dimmer switch.

Q: 1996 Chevy Tahoe brake problem!!?
I do have rear drum brakes which was also replaced. New drums, wheel cylinders, and shoes. There is no leak in the system. Everything from the master cylinder to each wheel was bled over and over again. I have replaced everything in the brake system that I could. Unless I'm forgetting something. And yes the rear brakes were properly adjusted. I just simply out of ideas and still no brakes. Thanks for all the help. And if you have any more ideas I would certainly appreciated it. Thanks again.

A: Check the brake proportioning valve. It adjusts braking power between front and rear.

Q: 1996 Chevy Tahoe starting problem?
Hello...Question for ya! I have a brand new battery and truck is just giving me a problem starting? When I turn the key to start it, it just won't turn over? Just keeps cranking...no clicking sound or battery doesn't die? But if I hook up the charger and jump it, it starts right up? I'm alittle confused about what's going on? Is it the starter or could it be just the starter solenoid? Or maybe just a bad cable from the battery? Thanks for any replies or help!!!!

A: Wow! That's an old truck. It sounds like that truck is going to die soon. Sorry I wasn't much of a help, but I can offer some advice. If you are going to buy a new car, do not buy anything american. American cars are built for short life. Your old truck was the original era of tough trucks. Today, all the american auto dealers are set up to make cheap cars that won't last. The auto companies want you to buy a new car every 5 years. What I'm saying is, you buy a new american truck, lasts 5 years. You go to the same dealership and buy another truck that lasts 5 years and so on. If your going to buy a car, buy from a reliable company like Toyota, Honda, on German autos. Just a little advice.

Q: 1996 Chevy Tahoe?
The original problem was I burned up my brakes coming down a mountain with my boat. Every since then they have never been the same. When this happed the pedal went all the way to the floor and the brake light came on. I had the truck towed home and started with the front rotors, calipers, and so on. The fluid was burnt as well so I flushed the lines as best as I could after replacing the booster and the master cylinder. Then I moved to the rear and replaced everything there as well. Like I said before I replaced everything that I could. This system should not be that complicated. But I'm out of ideas. Yes the truck does have ABS in the front. The rear is just drum, no ABS

A: When you say you burned up your brakes, do you mean you burned them up? When going down a mountain your brakes will heat up and cause the fluid to boil. This fills the system with tiny air bubbles. What fluid did you go back with? You need to go with at least a DOT 4 fluid. The wrong fluid will boil at a much lower temperature, and your brakes won't work properly. If you don't get all the air out of the system, you will continue to have problems. Try putting some good fluid in it, and stay away from those hand bleeders with your brakes. Bleed them the old fashioned way. Pump the brakes up, and open the bleeder and keep your foot on the pedal all the way to the floor, and hold it there until the bleeder is tightened up. Then pump them up again, and repeat this until the air is all out of the system. Don't let the master cylinder get too low or you will get more air in the system. Start by bleeding the master cylinder first at the lines where they come out of the cylinder. Keep bleeding them for about 4 times on each line. This will insure all the old fluid is out and you have all new fluid in the lines. Oh I forgot to tell you to remove all the old fluid from the master cylinder with a pump, and replace it with the DOT 4, or 5 fluid before you start to bleed them out. Once you are done with the master cylinder, start with the closest wheel cylinder to the master cylinder and bleed it at the bleeder valve. This should be the drivers side front wheel. Now go to the passenger side and bleed it the same way. Bleed them a good 4-5 times to make sure you get all the old fluid out. Go to the rear wheel on the drivers side and bleed it the same way, and go to the rear wheel on the passenger side and repeat the process. Once you have completed this bleeding without letting the master cylinder get too low, then you should have some real good working brakes. DOT 3 fluid has too low of a boiling point for mountains, and must be gotten out of the system along with all the air that's trapped in there before the barkes will work right. I know this because I live in the mountains, and deal with this all the time. A word to the wise! Have some trailer brakes installed on your boat trailer, so you don't over work your brakes the next time you are going down a mountain. If this don't resolve the problem, then you might need to replace the rubber hoses that go from the frame to the wheels, especially on the front brakes, as they get the hottest, and can melt the hoses enough to make them act like directional valves not allowing the release of the pressure back to the master cylinder, thus causing more over heating problems. I'm glad I could help you, Good Luck!!! Part 2: I know you said you have ABS brakes on the front only, but you must think of this. If the rear brakes are allowed to slide the wheels, the rear end will come around with you if you lock the brakes down. The way to be sure is to look for a sensor at the wheels and a recluctor (a wheel looking ring with many teeth on it). Unplug the sensor for each wheel and use a meter to test the sensors. The sensor is nothing more than a generator that makes electricty but its on the low scale since its very low voltage. I think you may have to use the lowest scale on your meter to test them, and it may even be the AC scale and not the DC as one would think. Try both as I don't remember which it is. Either way; hook your meter leads to the terminals that come out of the sensor, and spin the wheel to see if you are getting a voltage reading. Brake dust is metal, since the pads are metalic, and this dust will build up between the reluctor, and the pick-up (sensor) and not let the computer see the signal (voltage) thus causing the brakes to do funny things. Clean all this dust out of there in order for the wheel sensors to send the correct signal to the computer. Also; on your vacuum booster, there should be a directional valve that lets the vacuum move one way but not the other. It (usually) is the black plastic elbow looking thing that the hose attaches to. It should be checked by removing it, and sucking on one side and then the other to see if the air will move one way and not the other. If it moves air both ways, then replace it. Check the hose for leaks also. Look for it being cracked where it plugs onto the intake, and the directional valve at the booster. Make sure this is a reinforced quality hose that won't collapse when it gets under a good vacuum load. If all of this don't resolve your problems, then take it to the dealer, and have them reset the computer, and clear out the codes. You can try to remove the (-) negative battery cable for about 20 seconds to see if they will re-set on their own. Some will and some won't. I feel very sure this will resolve your problem. New brakes will feel spoongy or funny until they break in. Do the 45 mph thing and do some hard stops for about 5-6 times, and then drive it normal for about 3-5 miles to let them cool back down. This is called burning in the brakes, and all good mechanics know to do this in order for the brakes to work right. Once you do this, the pads and the rotors will wear their patterns to match each other, and the brakes will start working real good. Going down a mountain the brakes heat up real hot, and the wrong fluid will actually boil in the cylinders creating air bubbles in the system if you have the regular brake fluid, so go ahead and spring for the good stuff, as it won't boil, and you'll be glad you no longer have that problem. Have fun, and again, Good Luck!!!

Q: 1996 Chevy Tahoe battery draining truck won't start?
Hello-My problem is sometimes my battery will die when my doors are left open (without dome lights being on) and if something is left plugged in 12v outlet overnight(ex. gps or satelite radio) The problem started one day when truck wouldn't start in the morning...jumped truck, started right up. Kept checking truck at work everything fine until truck sat for alittle time...jumped everything fine. Took battery to get checked, battery was fine. Truck was starting fine, until I was packing my truck up for a trip home, had the back barn doors open(maybe 30min) Truck wouldn't satrt. Charged battery truck started right up, but same thing happened on the return trip. I have turned the dome lights off and unplug everything at night...but if the doors stay open for a period of time, truck will not start. Truck wants to turn over, but after multipule times of trying battery just goes dead. Jump battery and everything is fine. Voltage reg reads normal and alt. is fine. HELP!

A: some other light is being tripped by your door switch, easy fix, disconnect door switches...

Q: 1996 Chevy Tahoe, Rear breaks clunk when taking off from stop light.?
My driver side rear break would lock the wheel when backing up. Sometimes it would release if you took it out of reverse. Other times you would have to set the parking break, hear a pop, and it was fine. This is what brought me to this journey!! After inspecting the rear breaks, I found that the holding spring was bad on the drivers side so I replaced all the springs on both sides. I also sprayed the breaks with break cleaner and inspected the adjusters and shoes. The shoes didn't look to bad and the adjusters seemed to work ok also so I left them in. After driving for a little while. I had noticed that when I braked for a stop light, came to a complete stop, and then accelerated again. I would hear a sort of clunk-pop from the drivers side rear break. Almost like the shoes where sticking to the drums or the shoes would not release there hold of the drums. I also noticed that the drums may have been hotter then normal. Not real sure about that one since I don't make a habit out of touching my break drums. I also could swear that I heard the slightest of squeak coming from that side, but it would got away once the breaks were applied. I pulled the drum off that side again and saw nothing unusual. WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!!!! Any ones help would be greatly appreciated.

A: OK , here's the deal. The noise that you're hearing is not coming from the brakes (yea, it sounds like the brakes, and it feels exactly as you described). BUT. The noise is coming from the drive-shaft slip yoke. a sticking condition between the transfer case output shaft and the driveshaft slip yoke. HERE'S THE FIX Remove the driveshaft. Clean slip yoke and inside of driveshaft splines with solvent. Apply grease (GM part # 12345879) to slip yoke spline with a brush as to completely cover the entire spline. Reinstall driveshaft. GM has released, a (new & improved) nickel plated slip yoke designed specifacly to rectify this concern.here's the bulletin . #01-04-17-004B: Clunk, Bump or Squawk when Vehicle Comes to Complete Stop or Accelerating from Complete Stop (Replace Rear Drive Shaft Nickel-Plated Slip Yoke) NOISE GONE ...trust me.