2004 Bravada --- do i have problems?

Hi gang,

I just purchased a 2004, final 500 (#300 of #500!:runaround:) Bravada w/46K miles. It is amazing.......however, ive noticed a few things i thought i would ask about.

#1 - I am getting a vibration above 50MPH. There is also a pulsing when stopping so i assume this is warped rotor(s) causing the issue.

#2 - On cold starts i hear a knock for a few minutes until the engine warms up. I've looked online and heard that several have experienced "piston slap" on these motors. It does sound like that, but should i be worried?

#3 - Upon fast acceleration the motor "hangs/hesitates" then catches up and goes like hell. I'm assuming this could be anything from a bad air filter to dirty throttle body. I doubt it would be electrical with the low mileage.

#4 - This one i cant explain. When stopped, after driving at a stop light, etc. I get a loud "thunk/thud" after being stopped for several seconds, even minutes. The first time i heard/felt it, i thought someone had bumped into me. It doesnt do this all the time, only occasionally. Could this have anything to do with the auto-leveling rear suspension? It feels like a tranny issue to me to be honest, but i cant figure out what it is.

#5 - My driver/passenger mirrors go crazy when i try the reverse down feature. They never come back to the original spots. This is minor and i will be taking it into the dealership to address all these issues.

I have the 75K warranty until Apr 2009 with zero deductible. Its the major guard, which i understand to be the best they have.


One other mention is about the brakes at nearly 50k. I would bet they are almost gone and was thinking of going with EBC brake pads. Anyone ever used them before? I've heard very good things about them.

Thanks for reading and your help in advance!
-Mark

Hi again, i just read the TB forum on hesitation and it could possible be a bad/dirty Throttle Position Sensor. Can anyone tell me where this is located on the Bravada? I've cleaned them before and the last one i did was on the bottom of the Throttle Body.

Thanks!
-Mark

The tps is mounted on the gas pedal and is not a serviceable component. A tps no matter where it is located is a sealed unit and cannot be cleaned, maybe the maf?

Thanks for the response! I am leaning toward a gummed up TB, so thats what im going to start with. The TPS on my 93 F150 is accessible and can be cleaned. I've had to do it twice now to get out the "gunk".

Do you have any idea what that noise could be i'm hearing at the stops?

-Mark

Most common issue is the driveshft ft yoke needing lube on the internal spline into the trans, but have this checked out other as things may be causing this.

I have the 75K warranty until Apr 2009 with zero deductible. Its the major guard, which i understand to be the best they have.
-Mark

I'd be taking it to the dealer and getting it fixed under the warranty. A neighbor of mine took his in to the the dealer without mentioning his extended warranty and asked for a full inspection. They came up with over $4,000 in suggested repairs which all ended up being covered.

Excellent idea!

I am definitely doing that. Did they charge anything for the complete inspection? I beleive im going to go to the local Cadillac dealership. I here the mechanics/specialists are really good at caddy places.

Thanks for the input.

-Mark

I beleive im going to go to the local Cadillac dealership. I here the mechanics/specialists are really good at caddy places.
-Mark
I think Maxwedge should chime in on that one as his profile show him to be a former caddy trouble shooter.

I have a 2004 Bravada final 500 #445 and everything you described i have it also. I dont know what is it but car has been doing those things since we bought it when it had only 26k miles on and now 43 still does it didnt get better or worse.

Hi gang,

I just purchased a 2004, final 500 (#300 of #500!:runaround:) Bravada w/46K miles. It is amazing.......however, ive noticed a few things i thought i would ask about.

#1 - I am getting a vibration above 50MPH. There is also a pulsing when stopping so i assume this is warped rotor(s) causing the issue.

#2 - On cold starts i hear a knock for a few minutes until the engine warms up. I've looked online and heard that several have experienced "piston slap" on these motors. It does sound like that, but should i be worried?

#3 - Upon fast acceleration the motor "hangs/hesitates" then catches up and goes like hell. I'm assuming this could be anything from a bad air filter to dirty throttle body. I doubt it would be electrical with the low mileage.

#4 - This one i cant explain. When stopped, after driving at a stop light, etc. I get a loud "thunk/thud" after being stopped for several seconds, even minutes. The first time i heard/felt it, i thought someone had bumped into me. It doesnt do this all the time, only occasionally. Could this have anything to do with the auto-leveling rear suspension? It feels like a tranny issue to me to be honest, but i cant figure out what it is.

#5 - My driver/passenger mirrors go crazy when i try the reverse down feature. They never come back to the original spots. This is minor and i will be taking it into the dealership to address all these issues.

I have the 75K warranty until Apr 2009 with zero deductible. Its the major guard, which i understand to be the best they have.


One other mention is about the brakes at nearly 50k. I would bet they are almost gone and was thinking of going with EBC brake pads. Anyone ever used them before? I've heard very good things about them.

Thanks for reading and your help in advance!
-Mark

I work in a (former) Olds Dealership
#1 Probablly Tires and brakes causing your vibration/pulsation
#2 I believe thats caused by carbon build-up on top of the pistons. It won't really hurt anything.
#3 Hard to say w/out being able to experience it
#4 We had one Bravada do this and we got a GM engineer involved. He came to our dealership and suggested we replace the transmission. We did and it fixed. But I have no idea why it fixed it. It could have been the trans or it could have been something we removed and reinstalled differently or tighter or who knows.
#5 Needs further diagnosis

GMPP major Guard is the best plan out there.
And my opinion is that AC Delco pads are just fine.

I know this is an old post, but re: your problem #3. I had that happen alot, and it was the mass air flow sensor that was the problem, and I had a fuel pump problem at the same time. So check either of those??? After I got those 2 fixed (simultaneously), it was fine after that. I have a 99 bravada AWD.