Blazer from Hell

[Beck]

I spend very little time in the garage any more because I am always at work. My DD, a 2002 Blazer, had a broken door in the heater box. This is a common Blazer problem. Shops are charging $800 up for the repair. The part is about $25. With winter coming I thought it would be a good idea if the heat would come out on the floor instead of the defrost ducts. Since Uncle Sam takes a big bite out of my overtime pay I decided I would do the repair instead of working the OT at work. I spent 3 evenings and got it working as designed. While I had the heater box out I put a new heater core in it. There isn't anything hard about the job, you just have to take so much apart to get to it. Time well spent. I feel I came out ahead, but Uncle Sam lost.

This truck has been fighting me since I purchased it nearly a year ago. There isn't much that I have not had to work on. It has just about beat me. My wife says it it time to move it along. I keep telling her I have fixed EVERYTHING, then something else pops up.

[wayne petty]

want to save some headaches on your blazer.. print and perform this voltage drop test.. if you find something out of spec post results..takes 3 to 5 minutes to perform it properly..

http://i.imgur.com/WMDprhm.jpg

please perform test 5 to multiple fuses in the under hood fuse block.. i have found a bunch of 98 models that were missing a single nut on the fuse box studs that caused about half the fuses to not get full power..

[fast401]

want to save some headaches on your blazer.. print and perform this voltage drop test.. if you find something out of spec post results..takes 3 to 5 minutes to perform it properly..

http://i.imgur.com/WMDprhm.jpg

please perform test 5 to multiple fuses in the under hood fuse block.. i have found a bunch of 98 models that were missing a single nut on the fuse box studs that caused about half the fuses to not get full power..

Wait until you have to replace the rearend.  Ours sheared the teeth right off.  It was 800 for a used one.

[Arnold]

I spend very little time in the garage any more because I am always at work. My DD, a 2002 Blazer, had a broken door in the heater box. This is a common Blazer problem. Shops are charging $800 up for the repair. The part is about $25. With winter coming I thought it would be a good idea if the heat would come out on the floor instead of the defrost ducts. Since Uncle Sam takes a big bite out of my overtime pay I decided I would do the repair instead of working the OT at work. I spent 3 evenings and got it working as designed. While I had the heater box out I put a new heater core in it. There isn't anything hard about the job, you just have to take so much apart to get to it. Time well spent. I feel I came out ahead, but Uncle Sam lost.

This truck has been fighting me since I purchased it nearly a year ago. There isn't much that I have not had to work on. It has just about beat me. My wife says it it time to move it along. I keep telling her I have fixed EVERYTHING, then something else pops up.

  Maybe this will make you feel better

  I basically bought online..last Feb.like new blah blah..3 hrs away..yes I literally just drove it around the block..then drove back home and back to get it.
  Part of the deal was that this vehicle would be checked out very thoroughly by the top rated garage for like 7 years in a row by some magazine.This guy also has a car radio show.

  This car also had a rear end noise when I did drive it around the block..that the dealer would fix.

  The car goes to this bonehead for inspection.Did I say he was REALLY CONCERNED with WHO? was going to get any work that it MIGHT NEED?
I said I had no idea.

 His list: Rear end noise,broken rear spring,broken side door,hatch rotted out at the bottom,battery has only 300 cranking amps,no spare,jack,wheelwrench.
 Back to the dealer so his mechanic can fix the above.
 Back to bonehead who says the rear end noise is fixed,the back spring is still broken,so is the door.
 Back to dealer who says the spring is not broken,the spare,jack,wheel wrench have been in the csr all along.

  I get someone to drive it the 3 hrs home to me.He says it is like a brand new car. I drive it. Yes it is.

  Pretty much immediately.. right near one of our big box stores..the drivers wiper blade pretty much falls apart in very bad weather.Read Ontario winter.Oh well I guess they missed the wiper blades.
  A month later the awd disable light comes on.
  I just keep driving it.
  Not long after it will not start..no electrical.I pop the hood. The battery terminal is actually not visable due to corrosion. (No sadly I never even looked under the hood of this thing..trusted others :evil: )
  The terminal is of course toast. I vice grip it back on.
  L'emme see now..the dealer must have lifted the hood..said he boosted it..it was inspected,went to his mechanic,re-inspected.
  And yes this terminal was not hard to see.

   The rear hatch..right..it had a bunch of stone chips? that has starred and cracked the paint. Rotted out right. Took all of an old piece of course emery cloth to take it down to almost no rust. I was so pi**ed at this I grabbed some white house paint I was working with..and a new brush..
   painted it with a brush with house paint. My buddy says it looks good. I offer to do any of his touchups on his original paint mint 71..30,000 ,mile Cutlass.

   Oh the rear end. One day I make a left turn from a stop onto a highway.There is a very.VERY BAD loud sort of a screaming/grinding
STOP THE CAR type of noise.Yes..the rear end did have a noise..was fixed..here's Johnny!
 
   I hobble this thing to a garage near me that does some of my work.
 
   They are on this thing like pro's!
 
   Yep..someone has been putting something in there..spillage.Oh the drain and fill plugs are stripped. The mechanic needs to use an air hammer..on a steel plug..in an aluminum(magnesium?)  housing.
   The rear end has had the "Old standby". I can't believe that this is still done today?? Noisy rear end=pump it full of grease whatever.
    And this goes by how many inspections?

   It was like really thick chocolate milk.
   It takes Auto Trac Fluid that is about as thick as lacquer thinner.

   Change it flush in hope that this works.

   Rear diff is NOT repairable/re-buildable/NO parts.
  New GM is $4800 Cdn. There are used ones for $500-$1000.
  Putting that thing in is not on my Christmas Wish List. TO DO.

   This is one of those "hydraulic (gerontor pumps) on demand 4wd
limited slip axles

  Awd disable light on/off FLUSH the dif AGAIN has gotten old now.
  Although the light has not been on for several weeks now.


  Yesterday when the  vehicle was cold it felt like it was laboring..then vibrating..say this is new..

   I guess they figured if they filled the TRANSFER CASE TOO
with the same muck as they filled the rear end....
    The transfer case takes that ultra thin Auto Trac Fluid too.

    SOooo right before going to a Rememberance Day today
 
    Yep..in the garage..flushing the transfer case now

    Just gotta love moving UP from a Police Suburban as a d/d to the above . At least the Suburban is a 3/4 ton/3.73 gear  with a 380 Hp  HO 6 L cop engine

    Daily drivers can take driving,REPAIRS,COSTS,FRUSTRATION
   to a whole new level.

   Along with that comes human nature..very dishonest garages..
   
   Wow that's a surprise

   I was in the middle of bone chips in my knee walking with 2 canes unable to do just about anything.I had to get others to check out/deal with my vehicles.

   Just a good thing that I kept my Suburban and how good it has been.
  And that the knee is fixed and life is good!

[Beck]

I quickly went through the repairs I recorded in my maintainance log on my above Blazer. I am sure there were some items missed in the log (like the struts on the rear glass). I added up about what I spent on parts and added the purchase price. It looks like I have about $5400 in it. It has a rebuilt title. I purchased it lightly hit in the rear from an ins co. None of my labor was added to the total.  I don't think this thing is worth any more than $3800, probably less. All the guys I work with think I make a profit on my cars.... Yea right!