Offending left front "clunk" & K & N Filter question...

[OjYukon]

Hiyas - I have 2 different questions.

I have a '03 GMC Yukon XL 1500 with "auto ride" and was curious if any other owners experience a "clunking" noise from the what seems to be the left front end. This happens mainly on sidestreets where you are crossing over a street and there's a hump. At first I thought maybe my left front shock was going bad but the dealer said no - and can't seem to figure out what this "clunking" noise is. Anyone know?

Also - I'm considering a K & N Cold Air induction replacement air box kit for my truck and was curious if anyone else has tried model 77-3023KP on thier truck and what their experience is. I currently have an aftermarket cat-back Magnaflow exhaust and I'm concerned the K & N box may make it louder than it already is (not that it's too loud now but it's "just right" to me). Anyone?

Thank you in advance for any replies.

[the blur]

The kn filter oil will ruin your maf sensor, and GM will not cover that. there is a TSB on it.

[Vroom2]

The K&N filter will do no such thing. When maintaining it, if you over-oil the filter you may need to clean the screen and/or wire element on the MAF sensor, but otherwise you'll never encounter a problem.


I've been running that exact intake for almost two years - and multiple filter cleaning/re-oiling processes - without a single problem.

You will notice an increase in intake noise. Personally I find the sound to be very pleasant, but it's definitely much louder than the stock system. If noise is a concern you might want to consider the Volant intake kit. It uses a sealed box which is much more quiet. Volant also claims theirs to be the only "true" cold air intake because of the box, but I wouldn't put much weight in that. It does look very classy under the hood, whereas the K&N, with the open filter, looks a bit more aggressive.

Other than to state the obvious - the clunk has nothing to do with the autoride rear shocks - I'm sorry I have no insight on the front end clunk. Good luck with that one, and please keep us posted.

Take care,
Jerry

[2000CAYukon]

I have a 2000 Yukon and it developed a clunk. I noticed it more going over a bump and turning the wheel at the same time. Turned out to be the intermediate steering shaft. GM sells a lube kit or a dealer should fix it under warranty.

//2000CAYukon

[the blur]

Originally Posted by Vroom2

The K&N filter will do no such thing. When maintaining it, if you over-oil the filter you may need to clean the screen and/or wire element on the MAF sensor, but otherwise you'll never encounter a problem.
Take care,
Jerry

dig up the GM TSB on the K-N filter oil. Let me know what it says.

[OjYukon]

they did try the intermediate steering shaft fix (i was getting some extra play and noice in the steering anyway and that did fix it) but the clunk persists.

I did some searching on the NHTSA's TSB websearch and found the following:

Make: GMC
Model: YUKON
Year: 2003
Service Bulletin Number: 030309002
NHTSA Item Number: 10005181
Summary Description:
REAR LEAF SPRING SLAP OR CLUNK NOISE. *TT

Wondering now if that could be the issue? I can't see the full bulletin on the NHTSA's site but I have a call into my dealer now to see if he can look up the full TSB and let me know.

[Vroom2]

You're the expert....share it with us. Or give me the number. I'm not suggesting there isn't a TSB. I'm simply stating that it's ill-advised to issue a blanket statement like the one you made above. If all K&N filters ruined mass airflow sensors, they wouldn't be selling them. Ditto for Volant and all other intake manufacturers who utilize oiled filters.

Any aftermarket item can do damage if it's not installed and/or maintained correctly. It's also important to distinguish between damaging an item and ruining it. As I suggested, there are certainly cases where MAF sensors have required cleaning. I'm sure the average dealer won't make this distinction - clean vs. replace - but again, that shouldn't warrant a blanket assumption about a product.

Just my two cents...

Take care,
Jerry