1995 Yukon - Throttle Body Spacer worth installing?

Discussion in 'The Choo-Choo shop' started by Smartin, Jul 3, 2011.

  1. Smartin

    Smartin antiqueautomotiveservice.com Staff Member

    My 95 Yukon is a pig at low and mid RPM range. I've heard that a throttle body spacer will help out this range power-wise. Has anyone done this or heard of others doing it? I'd hate to spend $100 only to find out a bought a gimmick.

    Thanks!
     
  2. kenm455

    kenm455 Gold Level Contributor

    i have one on my 97,but it was there when i bought the truck.i think you would do better by installing headers & free flowing exhaust.
    when i added a spacer on the 91 i used to have i did not really notice any difference.
     
  3. David G

    David G de-modded....

    I know it's something the 3800 Series II vendors sell too, but I have yet to hear of anyone with noticeable diff after install. $100 seems awfully steep too. I think the 3800 spacer was under $30. I bought one, then resold it before installing.
     
  4. 436'd Skylark

    436'd Skylark Sweet Fancy Moses!!!!!

    I doubt it. My philosophy on on all those types of gimmick add ons, such as those spacers, cold air kits, Fuel magnetizers... after the millions and millions of money the manufacturer spent on R&D for these vehicles, do you really think they would have overlooked a 40 dollar throttle body spacer? if they could have increased power and picked up mileage for 40 bucks they would have.Especially considering how competitive the market is.
     
  5. GSXMEN

    GSXMEN Got Jesus?

    Better things to spend $100 on....or at least put towards.

    What gears are in that?

    Have you checked out the www.thirdgen.org site? I've seen alot of good articles on TBI stuff over there.
     
  6. sean Buick 76

    sean Buick 76 Buick Nut

    I found a slight increase in power in the mid rpms with a spacer on the 91 GMC 2500.

    The things that reall helped more were:

    -Dual echaust and headers:3gears:

    -3000 stall converter to get the truck off the line better... Also add a huge trans cooler and change the lockup converter to a toggle switch so you can control when it locks up. A locked converter when you do not need it makes the truck a dog... get control of that lockup converter. :Smarty:

    -Adjustable fuel pressure regulator and good fuel pump:beer
     
  7. Tom Miller

    Tom Miller Old car enthusiast

    Best way to get more power out of a 350, is to sell the 95, and find yourself a 96-newer vortec 350.
    Night and Day, no comparison.

    All the 88-95 TBI 350's are Hog's, the vortec in a 96 feels like a 454 compared to the TBI 350.

    Not what you were looking for, or wanted to hear, but I could see a person spending a ton of money on a TBI trying to make it run, and still not match a stock 96&newer vortec.
     
  8. Smartin

    Smartin antiqueautomotiveservice.com Staff Member

    I've been coming to that realization, Tom...I like this Yukon, but it is such a pig. I guess I'll live with it for as long as I can.
     
  9. kevin mcculloug

    kevin mcculloug 72 GS 455 Convertible

    I had a mechanic friend swap trucks with me. He was doing work on my 96 with the Vortec 5.0 . I was unbelievable what a difference it was when I got in his 94 non Vortec 5.7 Less cubes in the 5.0 but way more horses. Milage only a little better 1, maybe 2 mpg but it was better and more power.
     
  10. batcar

    batcar Well-Known Member

    Make your own, go to a cabinet shop and get a chunk of 1/2" plyscore plywood . It's a high grade plywood with kind of a paper like finish, trace out your gasket and cut it out. :TU:
     
  11. Wildcat GS

    Wildcat GS Wildcat GS

    Tom Miller hit the nail on the head !! In `95 I test drove a Suburban and refused to buy another underpowered vehicle after driving a 307 equipped Electra wagon. I heard about the increase in H.P. attributed to the Vortec for `96, test drove one and bought it. 300,000 miles later the engine still amazes me. I had to do the intake gaskets twice, replaced a finnicky injector and a little piston slap for a minute when the temps drop below freezing but the engine is amazingly tight, good oil pressure and uses a quart of oil every 2000 miles !! Better oil consumption than the wife`s 2003 6.0 liter with 1/2 the Vortec`s miles. Only problem with the `96 is getting decent life out of the front brake pads but that is another story...

    Tom Mooney
     
  12. Smartin

    Smartin antiqueautomotiveservice.com Staff Member

    The thing that sucks, is that I really like this Yukon...it's just a pig. And the fuel economy SUCKS compared to my 99. I wish there was an easy bolt-on that would get it moving.
     
  13. GSXMEN

    GSXMEN Got Jesus?

    Adam,

    What about swapping in a 5.3L LS series engine? Being that you have a 95, the tranny is the first year for the PWM pump & converter. That would work with the later PCM.

    Tons of swaps out there. Check www.fullsizechevy.com, www.gmfullsize.com, www.LS1truck.com, www.67-72chevytrucks.com, stuff like that.

    www.LT1swaps.com shows a ton of wiring schematics and other info. He covers both the LTx and LSx series engines. (frankly, an LT1 swap isn't a bad idea either)

    With either of these engines, you're getting a sequential EFI setup - much more efficient than the old TBI stuff.

    Friend of mine converted his early 90's C1500 5 speed to an LT1.....that was a fun truck.:TU:

    If you don't want to get quite that involved, you could swap a Tuned Port intake system on your engine. It's also easy to update to the hyd. roller cam setup that the cars had from 87-95. Add a ZZ4 cam or even an LT1 F-body cam & 1.6 ratio rockers.

    A TPI engine would have been the perfect fit for a GM truck. Long runners and great low rpm torque.
     
  14. tonytheplumber

    tonytheplumber chasin turds

    If you could get ahold of a set of 96+ 5.7 vortec heads and buy the Edelbrock manifold that is a TBI manifold with the mounting provisions for the vortec heads (which have a completely different intake bolt arrangement from the old style) you will see a large diference in torque. The design on the vortec heads are pretty darn good for a stock casting. I have built a couple sb chevys very reasonably with those heads and they run really well. Lots of torque for a small block chevy. One of them was a 95 1/2 ton 4wd pick-up which was a dogggg before the engine swap. That one got a comp cam with a little more duration and lift over stock along with a higher volume fuel pump and adjustable regulator. He really needed to get a custom program to make it run at its peak, but it still was flat out night and day difference. Now that I think about it we also used a roller cam in that engine with a stock set of roller lifters and hardware so we were able to get a little extra lift without having to go to a longer duration. The lifters and hardware were either out of a tuned port engine or a vortec, I don't recall. If your short block is still in great shape it may be worth a try, although a 6.0L or 6.2L LS motor sure would be nice!
     
  15. Wildcat GS

    Wildcat GS Wildcat GS

    Pretty sure one of the features of the `96 Vortec was a roller cam.
    Tom Mooney
     
  16. Daves69

    Daves69 Too many cars too work on

    Adam,

    The stock "Y" pipe on those engines flow poorly, if you can go with a true dual exhaust.
    Some good reading here http://www.tbichips.com/truckmods.htm

    I did a set of heads, cam, headers, fuel pump and regulator, custom chip, and I fabbed a 2 1/4" mandrel bend "Y" pipe to a aftermarket cat and a summit cat back exhaust. This was on a 94 truck with TBI. The truck had better response and better mileage, definitely worth the effort.
     
  17. GSXMEN

    GSXMEN Got Jesus?

    True...but the L05 block also has the provisions for the oem hyd. roller cam setup. You can get all the needed parts from a 305 or 350.

    A mid 90's LT1 F-body cam can be run in there. They have .450/.460 lift stock....adding 1.6 ratio rockers would get you to .480/.490 lift. Totally computer compatible.

    Personally, I'd look at something like the ZZ4 cam. A little more duration and lift, but still computer friendly.

    A good TBI engine to get parts off is the 91-93 Caprice 9C1 cop car. They have bigger injectors, TPI roller cam, 64cc heads, and bigger Y-pipe for starters.

    For factory exhaust pipes that are really decent in diameter, check out the Express full size vans. I was checking out the underside of one at the yard the other day. They look to have 3" pipes coming off the manifolds and going back into the muffler as duals in, single out. That would be a nice upgrade. (I've got a 94 GMC with the 350", so it's always nice to find stuff that would work out better)

    BTW....that TBIChips truck mods page is an excellent read.
     
  18. mrad

    mrad Mark R

    Yep X2.. had a 95.. Neighbors 96 was a bunch better. Ran the 95 till it had
    about 180,000 though,.
    Mark
     

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