GMT360, what year would you look for?

[waSAABi]

Friend from work likes my SAAB 97x but would like the selectable 4wd. He asked me which years to watch out for, I told him to avoid the 02-04's. Was I wrong in my telling him this?

Which years where the most reliable? Thanks!

 

[TollKeeper]

I prefer the 02-04 in V8 models. None of that AFM/DOD crap, and in line fuel filters, vs in tank fuel filters. But I am also not against the 05-09 models with a V8, I just know I have to get the PCM reprogrammed. Which for all intensive purposes, should be done no matter the year or engine.

 

[MBS1994]

I prefer the 02-04 in V8 models. None of that AFM/DOD crap, and in line fuel filters, vs in tank fuel filters. But I am also not against the 05-09 models with a V8, I just know I have to get the PCM reprogrammed. Which for all intensive purposes, should be done no matter the year or engine.

Funny enough I was gonna talk up my 06 because of the lh6, lucked into that when I bought it because I had no idea. Good to know where my filter is though because that might be a issue I have.

 

[waSAABi]

I think he was interested in the 4.2. Is the fuel milage about the same with the 6 and v8's

V8's are like hens teeth around my parts, lots of 4.2 though.

 

[Mooseman]

Just slightly better mileage with the I6 but having the V8 is nice. The early ones with the V8 are rare. 05+ are a bit easier to find but are not nearly as plentiful as the I6.

I would suggest 08-09 as they would be younger, hopefully less mileage and they had replaced the failure prone electro-viscous fan clutch with a thermal clutch. Also, the PCM is a bit more tunable for speedo accuracy if the tire size or gearing are changed. Look for either 3.73 or 4.10 gears as the 3.42 are dogs and would help for towing if that's a consideration. They usually came with 3.42 unless a different one was ordered or the towing package was included. Both are rare.

Other than those things, all years are pretty much the same.

 

[waSAABi]

Just slightly better mileage with the I6 but having the V8 is nice. The early ones with the V8 are rare. 05+ are a bit easier to find but are not nearly as plentiful as the I6.

I would suggest 08-09 as they would be younger, hopefully less mileage and they had replaced the failure prone electro-viscous fan clutch with a thermal clutch. Also, the PCM is a bit more tunable for speedo accuracy if the tire size or gearing are changed. Look for either 3.73 or 4.10 gears as the 3.42 are dogs and would help for towing if that's a consideration. They usually came with 3.42 unless a different one was ordered or the towing package was included. Both are rare.

Other than those things, all years are pretty much the same.

From my time searching on here, I was under the impression that the earlier 360's had issues with the TCCM? Other than the fan clutch and ecm there hasn't been any updates to the 4.2 engine mechanically?

 

[TJBaker57]

earlier 360's had issues with the TCCM

I have heard that but not experienced it. I understand they can be simply swapped out with a newer used one. And around here TCCMs can be had at the Upullandpay for under $20 and if you know how you can pull one out without a single tool.

 

[Reprise]

I'll approach this from the other way, and recommend which year to stay away from, and that would be the '02, IMO. It's a bit of an oddball in that it was the 1st year, and there are differences in some parts & circuits that aren't found in the '03s forward (this is regardless of engine).

If you want a V8, '04 is the last year before it got cylinder deactivation (that tends to fail)
(this is for the 5.3L; if you find a 6.0L, the LS2 didn't have it)

I6 engines got a few subtle changes over the years, in different areas. IIRC, I think the '06 forward has a wee tiny bit more HP / TQ because of some changes that were made to the head (but would also limit your replacement options, if you ever needed to put a new one on.) Do your homework on this one, as I'm not as familiar with the I6 as I am the V8.
.

 

[Mike534x]

I think there were certain 02-03 models that had a TSB out because of the possibility of the piston sleeves dropping. Personally, I'd probably stick to something from 04+, just because most of the gremlins/kinks were worked out and you don't have to worry about the odd ball configurations the 02 models had versus the later years. Then you have the exhaust manifolds cracking, but I think that affected all of them no matter the year? Or was it the earlier models?

Only annoying thing with the 04's were the SAIS, though thats cheap to deal with by removing it.

 

[Mooseman]

Just remembered that 08-09 also got a new exhaust manifold that moved the O2 sensor to the pipe and the manifold itself was redesigned with a split in between cylinders 3 and 4 which was supposed to prevent cracking. Did it? Not sure as the production numbers were lower for those years therefore lower reports however have heard of a couple of these cracking. I wouldn't base my decision on this alone.

Changes were minor across all years. Any year would be fine really. 02 were the only problematic ones with a few minor problems that can be easily rectified. As for the ones with the dropping cylinder sleeves, unless it's a very low mileage museum piece or barn find, those would have blown up in short order and should be gone by now.

 

[waSAABi]

Thanks so much, will be passing this along. Currently he's found a 07, original owner with just over 100k miles. BUT the people want a fair chunk of change for it.. will see.