Good Car Security?

denverpilot said:
If you're kind enough to leave it in 1st, all they'd have to do is short out the clutch position sensor. They wouldn't be leaving very quickly, but they'd be able to do it. It's usually just a switch that closes when the pedal is depressed far enough, and it's usually right there on the clutch arm, wiring completely exposed.
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True, but it's hard to get at... then theres the problem of driving any distance without being able to use the clutch. That would be fun to watch.
And of course so many of these idiots today cant drive a stick... they wouldnt even know about the sensor, and if they did, theyd be at a loss, club or no club. My old LX is definitely not a beginners manual shift car, LOL.
 
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We all know any vehicle can be stolen, especially by professionals. The point is that if you can discourage them from stealing your car and instead stealing someone else's, then you're more likely to be able to keep your car. The deterrant that makes the thieves go on to the next house is good.
 
Ted, you can always give him a rottweiler to keep in the car....:D
 
wsuffa said:
Ted, you can always give him a rottweiler to keep in the car....:D
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Rottie would just lick the criminal to death. I was thinking a snake. ;)
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Rottie would just lick the criminal to death. I was thinking a snake. ;)
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A snake won't do any good when it gets really cold. How about a skunk? Even if they did steal your car, it would be easy to tell who did it. :)
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Other thing to figure out - the center console is lockable with a key different from the main key. I'll probably have to go to the dealer to get a replacement.
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That sounds like the console was swapped or re-keyed. Even my '97 Suburban uses the same key for everything.

They'd stopped doing door keys by '97, if that info helps any.
 
Thanks, Nate. Alex's info seems to indicate that's how the truck came. Keys are completely different.

I think I got a good idea on the kill switch. :D
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Rottie would just lick the criminal to death. I was thinking a snake. ;)
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Yeah, my rottweiller was a sweetheart, most of them are. But she wasnt big and she wasnt a barker. I used to work with a guy who had a 140 lb Rott named Kaiser...a big marshmallow when introduced properly, but left alone in the Suburban full of sound gear, he was terrifying. Anyone who approached that vehicle would get the full show. A lot of urban thieves are scared of big loud dogs.This guy never bothered to lock the truck when he had Kaiser in there.
 
Duke (my rottie) puts on a good show, too. And I think he'd actually attack someone with bad intentions - he's been called a very good judge of character.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Duke (my rottie) puts on a good show, too. And I think he'd actually attack someone with bad intentions - he's been called a very good judge of character.
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Dont think any of mine would hurt anyone for any reason, but there's 230lbs of barking between the three of them and the "little" one grins at you so she looks like she will tear your face off at the drop of a hat.
 
Alex, I took a look on the lock cylinder and got the number off of it. I'm guessing it's the one on the face?

Since I don't have any of the proper keys, is that one you linked the proper one for a 2000 model year?
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Alex, I took a look on the lock cylinder and got the number off of it. I'm guessing it's the one on the face?

Since I don't have any of the proper keys, is that one you linked the proper one for a 2000 model year?
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Yup. 3 digit key code. I like the one in the link because it says "console" just like the factory ones did. If you want two copies just email the guy, I'm sure he'll do it for a couple of bucks more.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Picked up the new truck today. It needs a fuel pump, so I get to drop the tank and put that in. I'm overjoyed. :mad2:
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I know you said you did not want to cut the factory wiring.
Well you are doing this it would not be hard to cut the fuel pump wire and run it to a switch on the dash.
Then all he has to do is turn off switch when he parks car and then no fuel. No real need to hide the switch most people will not think to look for a switch to turn on.

I like the big dog Idea best.
 
Just finished up the fuel pump swap. Actually, it wasn't nearly as bad as it was to do on the previous two Suburbans I've done it on. This generation locates the tank next to the driveshaft, between the axles, and makes it out of plastic. The location is worse from an accessibility standpoint, but the lighter weight tank that's longer is easier to maneuver. Overall, not a bad job to do. Started the truck and it ran fine, I'll do a test drive tomorrow.

We ended up ordering the AutoLock Pro for the truck, and I still have to wire up the kill switch. Opted not to do something with the pump, but I have another idea that I think will be good.

Now the real question: When will I have to do the one in the Avalanche...
 
Glad you got the fuel pump sorted out. You just never know with the Avalanche. The pumps usually start whining quite a while before they die on the GM stuff. Whine might not be the right word... annoying buzzing? That's not quite it either. Not sure how to describe it... An overachieving beehive?
 
Yeah, the Suburban's pump was making all kinds of awful noises like you describe. Plus the falling flat on its face was a clue. Avalanche still sounds great and makes power, so maybe I can get away with longer. I'll wait until it gives symptoms.
 
Best damned security.
.
My '93 Bonneville had the chip in the key. If I recall correctly, replacing it was $65. That was the same time the valet lost the remote. For a $20 valet parking, the business reimbursed me $225 for the key and remote.
.
At least they didn't steal the car.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Yeah, the Suburban's pump was making all kinds of awful noises like you describe. Plus the falling flat on its face was a clue. Avalanche still sounds great and makes power, so maybe I can get away with longer. I'll wait until it gives symptoms.
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I had my pump die once in my Suburban. Yes it is a pain. After the thing was pushing ten years old, I was driving to work thinking maybe I ought to get something smaller and more fuel efficient. I decided that I might as well keep driving it until it dies. Two blocks later I was struck by a moving van. It spun me around nearly 180 degrees on dry pavement and drove me back 20 feet. Airbags went off, but I was fairly uninjured (enough so that I was out of the car and checking on the driver and passenger in the van until some bystanders enouraged me to sit down they already had help on the way.. just my nature having been a paramedic for years).

I replaced it with an Avalanche which despite some of the body hardware having fell off when a deer ran into me one night, it's still going strong after ten years. I've also got a Toyota Tundra (D-cab) and while that's a nice vehicle, I really, really like the Avalanche.
 
My wife loves her Avalanche. I'm more of a Suburban fan (having owned one and also an Excursion). Just fits my mission better. Mechanically, they're pretty much identical and are good vehicles.

Now on the drive to work I'm thinking what I'd believed to be tire noise is a right front whele bearing. I'll check that tonight. Belt was squealing a little at idle, but probably just from the heavy rain today. Of course, the way my brain works, I'm always thinking how to fix something.
 
Well, he's on his way home. I'll be curious to see what he gets for mileage. I drove it last week and got 16.8 MPG on my commuting cycle. Not bad for as big of a vehicle as that is. Wouldn't surprise me if he gets 20.

He's very haappy with the truck, and I think it will serve him well. We got a good list of normal maintenance to do on it as time allows, but he's driving it home in good condition.

For security, we ended up getting him one of the AutoLock Pros that RottyDaddy recommended. At least it will be a deterrant.

We also did the kill switch/horn blast setup. $10 for two relays and a switch, and the setup works nicely and is installed in such a way that you wouldn't catch it until it's too late and the horn is blaring on the truck. At the very least, it should convince some would-be thief to go look at the neighbor's truck. Hopefully they'll catch the guys doing this in the act and solve the problem.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Well, he's on his way home. I'll be curious to see what he gets for mileage. I drove it last week and got 16.8 MPG on my commuting cycle. Not bad for as big of a vehicle as that is. Wouldn't surprise me if he gets 20.

He's very haappy with the truck, and I think it will serve him well. We got a good list of normal maintenance to do on it as time allows, but he's driving it home in good condition.

For security, we ended up getting him one of the AutoLock Pros that RottyDaddy recommended. At least it will be a deterrant.

We also did the kill switch/horn blast setup. $10 for two relays and a switch, and the setup works nicely and is installed in such a way that you wouldn't catch it until it's too late and the horn is blaring on the truck. At the very least, it should convince some would-be thief to go look at the neighbor's truck. Hopefully they'll catch the guys doing this in the act and solve the problem.
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Sounds like it's running great.

Did that console key ebay seller work out? I've got a friend that just lost his keys to one.

I assume this is a 1500 suburban with the 5.3? I always found those a bit underpowered. Just a little too much downshifting on minor hills. I much prefer the 2500 with the 6.0, of course you really pay for it at the pump.

Glad it all ended up so well.
 
Alexb2000 said:
Sounds like it's running great.

Did that console key ebay seller work out? I've got a friend that just lost his keys to one.

I assume this is a 1500 suburban with the 5.3? I always found those a bit underpowered. Just a little too much downshifting on minor hills. I much prefer the 2500 with the 6.0, of course you really pay for it at the pump.

Glad it all ended up so well.
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The seller of the truck called us a couple days later and actually said she found a console key, another ignition key, and asked if we had found some padlock keys (which we had). So she brought those over, and I didn't contact that eBay seller.

This is a 1500 with the 5.3. I'm a 2500 kind of guy, but B-I-L is a 1500 kind of guy. He just tows a small boat and has no need for the 2500. We did find a few good deals on Yukon XL Denalis (with the 6.0) but they had higher miles, this was a better deal, and we figured the better mileage was more important for him since he doesn't have a big power need.

With this in good running condition now, I don't find it underpowered at all. It does have to downshift a bit on uphills, but living in the flatlands, it'll happily sit at 2000 RPM and 70 MPH. I actually found it surprisingly torquey, and faster than the Avalanche, which makes me think I need to do some work on the Avalanche!
 
Ted DuPuis said:
The seller of the truck called us a couple days later and actually said she found a console key, another ignition key, and asked if we had found some padlock keys (which we had). So she brought those over, and I didn't contact that eBay seller.

This is a 1500 with the 5.3. I'm a 2500 kind of guy, but B-I-L is a 1500 kind of guy. He just tows a small boat and has no need for the 2500. We did find a few good deals on Yukon XL Denalis (with the 6.0) but they had higher miles, this was a better deal, and we figured the better mileage was more important for him since he doesn't have a big power need.

With this in good running condition now, I don't find it underpowered at all. It does have to downshift a bit on uphills, but living in the flatlands, it'll happily sit at 2000 RPM and 70 MPH. I actually found it surprisingly torquey, and faster than the Avalanche, which makes me think I need to do some work on the Avalanche!
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I'm probably just spoiled by diesel power. Hard to go back.

If they made a Duramax Suburban 2500, I'd buy one tomorrow.
 
You do get spoiled by diesels. It's also annoying they didn't make any Duramax Suburbans. I've always thought it would be a great combo.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
You do get spoiled by diesels. It's also annoying they didn't make any Duramax Suburbans. I've always thought it would be a great combo.
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Agreed. I believe Ford made a diesel version of the Excursion (or still does), but I'd prefer the Isuzu diesel of the GM variety with the Allison transmission if the option were available... with the engine brake that's available on the Silverado also.
 
denverpilot said:
Agreed. I believe Ford made a diesel version of the Excursion (or still does), but I'd prefer the Isuzu diesel of the GM variety with the Allison transmission if the option were available... with the engine brake that's available on the Silverado also.
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Ford stopped making the Excursion I believe in 2005. Somewhere in the mid 2000s for sure. The deisels are extremely popular on the used market and fetch a high premium.

On the surface it surprises me that GM or Ford hasn't reacted to this, but I suppose overall sales were still low compared to the 1/2 ton gas SUVs, so I'm sure they had their reasons.

steingar said:
Best security device I ever found for a vehicle was a good insurance policy.
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It's good to see you haven't started providing useful advice. I'd wonder about your mental health if you did.

The truck is well insured.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
It's good to see you haven't started providing useful advice. I'd wonder about your mental health if you did.

The truck is well insured.
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Good to hear. I insure any vehicle I can't easily afford to replace, and replace any vehicle I can easily afford.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
On the surface it surprises me that GM or Ford hasn't reacted to this, but I suppose overall sales were still low compared to the 1/2 ton gas SUVs, so I'm sure they had their reasons.
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Didn't know they'd stopped, but shows how much I pay attention to the new car market. :)

Wasn't that around the time the ULSD came out, and the Eurocars had to start putting that silly urea-based catalytic converter type thing on the imported diesel engines?

Perhaps the Isuzu engine got caught up in that silliness? Dunno...
 
denverpilot said:
Didn't know they'd stopped, but shows how much I pay attention to the new car market. :)

Wasn't that around the time the ULSD came out, and the Eurocars had to start putting that silly urea-based catalytic converter type thing on the imported diesel engines?

Perhaps the Isuzu engine got caught up in that silliness? Dunno...
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The last Excursion came out with the Powerstroke 6.0, which ran ULSD fine. The 2007 diesel emissions are another issue, but Ford has starting producing their own diesel design the Powerstroke 6.7 for the trucks that could be used.

The Duramax Isuzu design is still being offered in GM trucks. Plenty of modifications along the way mainly for emissions also. No reason IMO that the Duramax LML (latest design) couldn't work in a Suburban.

There is a company doing conversions called a Duraburb. Here is an example of one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCmONI_sanE

They are awesome IMO, just really expensive.
 
Alexb2000 said:
The last Excursion came out with the Powerstroke 6.0, which ran ULSD fine. The 2007 diesel emissions are another issue, but Ford has starting producing their own diesel design the Powerstroke 6.7 for the trucks that could be used.

The Duramax Isuzu design is still being offered in GM trucks. Plenty of modifications along the way mainly for emissions also. No reason IMO that the Duramax LML (latest design) couldn't work in a Suburban.

There is a company doing conversions called a Duraburb. Here is an example of one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCmONI_sanE

They are awesome IMO, just really expensive.
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I remember something about a company that was doing conversions. Of course, something like that would be really expensive given the parts and labor involved when it didn't come from the factory. One look at the factory wiring harnesses makes it pretty obvious why it's a pain.

Some people have also been known to put Cummins turbo diesels in Suburbans and the C/K series trucks. That would be a neat option, although probably not fit as well as the V8s.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I remember something about a company that was doing conversions. Of course, something like that would be really expensive given the parts and labor involved when it didn't come from the factory. One look at the factory wiring harnesses makes it pretty obvious why it's a pain.

Some people have also been known to put Cummins turbo diesels in Suburbans and the C/K series trucks. That would be a neat option, although probably not fit as well as the V8s.
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The nice thing about the Duraburb is that it is just like a factory model. All the parts are GM. If you plug in a Tech 2 it will see it as just another Duramax powered truck and allow full factory diagnostics. With all of the integration required on the newer models it is the only option that makes sense to me.

The older ones, well do what ya like. I saw a Cummins powered 79' Bronco on ebay that looked well done. It only brought $6k so that must have crushed the owner.
 
That Duraburb is drool-worthy except that the buyer bought an awful color. ;)
 
Alexb2000 said:
The nice thing about the Duraburb is that it is just like a factory model. All the parts are GM. If you plug in a Tech 2 it will see it as just another Duramax powered truck and allow full factory diagnostics. With all of the integration required on the newer models it is the only option that makes sense to me.

The older ones, well do what ya like. I saw a Cummins powered 79' Bronco on ebay that looked well done. It only brought $6k so that must have crushed the owner.
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I agree. The new trucks are such that you have to keep things integrated at a factory level.

Engine swaps otherwise aren't uncommon. You've got the normal ones like putting a 351 in place of a 302, etc. In the Jaguar world there were a number of folks who put V8s in place of the factory 6 and 12 cylinders. Normally the swaps were very poorly done and came out as junk. However I drove a few well-done swaps, and they had a very nice end result. A 383 in place of the 6 cylinder or a 454 in place of the V12 were great.

Personally, I always wanted to put a PowerStroke in a Town Car or a 6.5/Duramax in a Cadillac.
 
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