Top 5 Problems GMC Envoy SUV 2nd Generation 2002-09

In this video, we're going to be going over the top five problems on the 2nd Generation GMC Envoy.

Now, there's nothing wrong with owning this vehicle or buying one. These are just the top five problems that we have found, every vehicle has their problems. Number one, the thermostat. Now, the thermostat's located down here. It's actually extremely hard to get to on this vehicle, underneath the alternator. Now, this hose right here, that's connected to the thermostat. It's actually a thermostat housing, you replace it altogether. You don't replace just the thermostat. The first thing you'll probably notice when your thermostat's bad is your check engine light comes on. Now, the computer monitors the engine temperature, and if the engine temperature isn't getting up to where it needs to be, then it's going to set that check engine light with a P0128. So, you may notice also your heat's not as hot as usual. What's going on is the thermostat's stuck open a little bit and causing all the warm coolant to go right back into the radiator not letting the engine get up to temperature. Normally, they get stuck open, not stuck closed. If it was stuck closed, then your engine is going to overheat and that's not good at all. The way to fix it is just to replace the housing. That's all you can do. There's not really any way to prevent it. You can do coolant flushes and it may help a little bit, but pretty much when that spring goes bad, that's it.

Number two, camshaft actuator solenoid valve. Now, this valve is located right here. Now, when this goes bad, you're going to get a check engine light with a P0014 and also a P1345. And you may also notice the engine is running rough. Now, before you order one of these valves and go to replace it, you want to pull it out, just take a look at it, and see if there's any metal debris on it. If there's excessive metal on it, you have other internal engine damage that needs to be addressed. If it looks pretty clean, maybe there's a little bit of gunk on it, then you can probably get away with just replacing the valve. Now, whenever you replace these valves, it's always a good idea to change your oil. And if you change your oil regularly, that will help prevent those valves going bad.

Number three, steering wheel position sensor. So you may end up with a code C0455, which has to do with the angle of the steering wheel position. There's going to be an open in the circuit or something wrong with it. Most of the time, it's just the sensor. And the sensor is located at the base of the steering column. You have to take one of the panels off underneath. Sometimes you have to take the steering column out depending on if the brackets are different. So, you should find this code in the brake control module, the EBCM, when you're looking for it. You may get different warning lights on it, may even set a check engine light from the EBCM telling the main computer what's going on, or even a traction control light.

Number four, the ignition switch. So, some of the symptoms you may find with the ignition switch going bad is you're driving down the road and the vehicle will just stall randomly. Or you go to start the vehicle and it won't start. You could also have some strange electrical issues with strange lights coming on or things not working properly. Obviously, the ignition switch is located in the steering column itself. You take this lower panel down and you can gain access to the connector and pop it out, pop a new one in, you should be good to go.

Number five, front hub bearings. So, you may notice while you're driving down the road, you're hearing a groaning sound coming from the front of the vehicle and it changes slightly as you turn one direction or the other, if it's worse going right or worse going left, and then you turn the opposite and it almost goes away. Most of the time, that's the front hub bearings. And you may notice the noise and sometimes the hub bearings could even go bad and they don't make any noise. What you need to do is lift up the front of the vehicle, grab the tire on the top and on the bottom, and just shake it back and forth. So, when you're shaking the tire back and forth, if you see significant play there, you probably need a hub bearing.
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