1997 Suburban Dash issue

[SuburbanLover]

I just got this 1997 suburban and the guy forgot a few things. He told us about the fuel pump and we took care of that. First of all the passenger door wont open from the inside I have to roll the window down and open from the outside. Probably gonna have to purchase a new door from LMC trucks no biggie. However he said they had the heater core done and the guy went threw by taking the dash off. Mind you the heat it puts out SUCKS!! but on my 93 burban it doesn't put any heat out cause some flap got stuck. Anyway the lights on the radio nor the clock work anymore and I dont' know enough about dash wiring to try something. Also the CD player wont work. Its the stock player. The blue light lights up dimly but thats all it doesn't eject or take a CD so i found out when i tried to put one in and it didn't take it and i had to pry one out. Is this a common problem?? If so how do I fix it or is it just easier to find the wire issue and put in a new radio?

[mishalah]

Originally Posted by SuburbanLover

I just got this 1997 suburban and the guy forgot a few things. He told us about the fuel pump and we took care of that. First of all the passenger door wont open from the inside I have to roll the window down and open from the outside. Probably gonna have to purchase a new door from LMC trucks no biggie. However he said they had the heater core done and the guy went threw by taking the dash off. Mind you the heat it puts out SUCKS!! but on my 93 burban it doesn't put any heat out cause some flap got stuck. Anyway the lights on the radio nor the clock work anymore and I dont' know enough about dash wiring to try something. Also the CD player wont work. Its the stock player. The blue light lights up dimly but thats all it doesn't eject or take a CD so i found out when i tried to put one in and it didn't take it and i had to pry one out. Is this a common problem?? If so how do I fix it or is it just easier to find the wire issue and put in a new radio?

First, go to Auotozone or some other aftermarket store and buy a new interior handle for about $15. If you aren't adept with pulling door panels with the GM pegs you might also get the $10 door panel tool. You can get instructions for pulling the panel here or online. It's a PITA but the inside handle R&R can be done in a couple of hours. It's a common problem.

Those old GM stereos are common problems, too. I changed mine out and added the CD player...even got a head unit with an IPOD jack built in. Very reasonable. They are easy to change out, just requiring pulling that dash panel and being careful with the clips and plugs. Couple of hours tops. The separate CD players are cheap on Ebay....but get a warranty.

The heat flaps are addressed on this site numerous times; another common issue.

Since I bought a 2005 I am thinking about selling my 1996 K1500LT with 109,000 miles and in almost perfect condition. I love it, but owning two at the same time (and a T&C van and a Sable wagon) is impractical. How much did you pay for your '97 and how many miles??

[SuburbanLover]

Originally Posted by mishalah

First, go to Auotozone or some other aftermarket store and buy a new interior handle for about $15. If you aren't adept with pulling door panels with the GM pegs you might also get the $10 door panel tool. You can get instructions for pulling the panel here or online. It's a PITA but the inside handle R&R can be done in a couple of hours. It's a common problem.

Those old GM stereos are common problems, too. I changed mine out and added the CD player...even got a head unit with an IPOD jack built in. Very reasonable. They are easy to change out, just requiring pulling that dash panel and being careful with the clips and plugs. Couple of hours tops. The separate CD players are cheap on Ebay....but get a warranty.

The heat flaps are addressed on this site numerous times; another common issue.

Since I bought a 2005 I am thinking about selling my 1996 K1500LT with 109,000 miles and in almost perfect condition. I love it, but owning two at the same time (and a T&C van and a Sable wagon) is impractical. How much did you pay for your '97 and how many miles??

I'll have to look up the heat flap issue.

The 97 truck has 330K miles on it but there was a jasper motor and trans put in 50K miles ago. It also has a brake booster for trailer pulling. The insurance company quoted it at blue book worth $6,000 more if i fix the small rust spots and the door and driver seat that has a rip. I paid $1,800 for it. I paid more for my 1993 but it has tow package and lift kit its my mudd truck. My husband is able to fix things but not so good with wiring. I was debating on taking it to like abc warehouse and having them just put a radio in and see fi they could figure out the wiring problem the guy said it has that caused the lights to stop working.

[mishalah]

One of the common issues with the lights is that crappy rheostat dimmer wheel on the headlight switch panel to the left of the steering wheel. It gets dirty and works intermittently.