Engine and transmission (Chevrolet Tahoe 2)

The GMT800 platform vehicles were equipped with 4.8-liter engines; 5,3; 6.0 and 8.1 liters. Models with volumes of 4.8 and 8.1 liters were not widely used. The GMT900 platform also used 4.8 engines; 5,3; 6.0 and 6.2 liters.

The description of the engine design and the principles of operation of the systems is described in the chapter. Here it can be noted that the introduction of the variable valve timing system on engines since 2006, one might say, has lagged a little behind the times, since it has been installed en masse by almost all automakers since 2000-2002. Therefore, the installation of a variable valve timing system on engines for the new platform has become obvious.

The engines began to use a cylinder deactivation system, which is less common in the segment of passenger cars and SUVs. Its purpose is to reduce fuel consumption by switching the engine operating mode according to the V8 scheme to the V4 scheme. The system only works in certain driving and load modes. The system, or rather this technology, is designated by GM as DoD - Displacement on Demand. Since 2007, GM has introduced this technology to the market under the trademark AFM - Active Fuel Management. The AFM system is installed on the 6.2 L engine, and therefore on all Escalade vehicles. The use of the system on 5.3 and 6.0 L engines depends on the configuration. The presence of this system is encrypted in the identification code of the car.

The design of the engines themselves has remained virtually unchanged, with the GMT900 models being equipped with a "new" all-aluminum 6.2-liter engine, which was obtained by increasing the cylinder diameter. The use of aluminum cylinder blocks is somewhat alarming in terms of maintainability. But cast-iron cylinder blocks are also still in production. That is, when buying a car with a 5.3-liter or 6.0-liter engine, only by knowing the decoding of the identification number can you understand which cylinder block is used - cast iron or aluminum.

Also, with the new 6.2 liter engine, a new six-speed Hydra-Matic 6L80 gearbox is used. With 5.3 and 6.0 liter engines, the old proven four-speed Hydra-Matic 4L60 automatic is used. Of course, there are small design differences from those installed on the previous platform. The main differences concern the automatic transmission control system, which, together with the engine control system, must meet modern requirements.