I bought this piece of s*** in august of 2006. Since then I have had nothing but problems with it starting. I think it's spent more time sitting in the driveway or on the back of a tow truck than I've spent driving it. Less than a month after I bought it I replaced the battery. Nope. Then I had a fuel pump put in it. It ran for a while and then the not starting again. Replaced the inline fuel filter, alternator and numerous other parts. I just put the biggest battery I could find in it about a month ago. Now it's sitting at another garage. I have been through more mechanics than I can count and nobody can figure it out. Now this one is saying I need ANOTHER fuel pump! Very expensive. Oh yeah. It's a nice looking truck and runs beautifully. When it runs. The thing sat in the driveway all summer because I'm on a limited income and have to do one thing at a time. I have looked online and many people are having the same problem but no solutions. I can't afford to buy another vehicle and I'm at my wits end. I can't work on it myself because I don't know anything about cars. Anyone want to buy a clean, pretty lawn ornament?
sell it for a used Cherokee or jeep with with the inline six, or go for an 80 series landcruiser if you want something nice, an 80 would be my 1st all around choice
sell it for a used Cherokee or jeep with with the inline six, or go for an 80 series landcruiser if you want something nice, an 80 would be my 1st all around choice
Yeah. I used to have a jeep wagoneer with a 327 engine in it. Nice truck untill my brother totalled it. LOL I can't sell the Blazer unless it starts. Which isn't often.
those blazers are picky about their fuel pressure. its usually the fuel pump. i would assume the mechanics have checked things like the fuel pressure regulator. evap leaks? beats me. hows the emission laws in your state? you could revert back to carb, or swap out the engine.
probly wanna get rid of it and cut your losses. get something older= K.I.S.S.
I believe the 2001 blazer has a 4.3L engine. If so, they are known for fuel pressure regulator problems. About 2 years ago we had a problem with our blazer starting and after much internet research I found that this is a common problem. After replacing the regulator all has been fine since. The whole job only too about 45 min. Now I keep 2 spares just in case.
I'm not a mechanic and figured what the hell I can't make it any worse. Believe it or not it really turned out to be a DIY job to replace it and the part only costs about $30.
It's not the fuel pressure regulator. The mechanic checked that. I have replaced most of the things it could be. The fuel pump was replaced 2 years ago and now he thinks it might need another one? Expensive to replace as it's in the fuel tank. I too have researched problems and there are a lot. My main fear is that it might be electrical as this is the second battery I have bought and it keeps killing the battery. I'm afraid there's a short somewhere but to find it could be costly. I am on a fixed income and can't afford to even trade it in. I paid cash for the Blazer only because I got a small settlement. So each month I have the mechanic try something different. I probably could have bought another cheap car by now but I'd still be buying somebody elses problems. Thanks all for your input.
Imbrid is right.
It isn't a big job. Fix it and sell it. Then get a Cherokee or a toy or something more reliable. GMs are known for all manner of electrical issues as stated and more. The 2001 and newer ones are not as bad as the late 80s to late 90s models but they were still just coming back as far as QC in those days. I made a bunch of money working on anything GM in the mid 90s. Much of it electrical.
If you fix and sell stay away from Ford Explorers. If you look at a small Ford get one with a standard trans. The autos are junk. Take the vin number down to a dealer and have them do a check to see if all the suspension recalls and updates have been done.
That can actually go for any newer vehicle.
You would be amazed at how many vehicles are rolling that the owners never did the recalls on. That may even be the case with your Blazer.
These have multiple years of much-worse-than-average reliability among 1999 to 2008 models. Listed alphabetically.
Audi A6 Allroad
Audi A8
BMW X5 (V8)
Buick Rendezvous (AWD)
Cadillac SRX Chevrolet Blazer
Chevrolet Colorado (4WD)
Chevrolet S-10 (4WD)
Chevrolet Uplander
Chevrolet Venture
Chrysler Pacifica
Chrysler Sebring convertible
Chrysler Town & Country (AWD)
Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD)
GMC Canyon (4WD)
GMC Jimmy
GMC S-15 Sonoma (4WD)
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Kia Sedona
Land Rover Discovery, LR3
Mazda RX-8
Oldsmobile Bravada
Oldsmobile Silhouette
Pontiac Aztek
Pontiac G6 (V6)
Pontiac Montana, Montana SV6
Porsche Cayenne
Saturn Relay
Volkswagen Cabrio
Volkswagen Jetta (V6)
Volkswagen New Beetle (turbo)
Volkswagen Passat (V6, FWD)
Volkswagen Touareg
Volvo XC90 (6-cyl.)
------------------ Best of the best
Midsized and large SUVs
Honda Pilot
Introduced in 2003, the Pilot is roomier than its MDX sibling and less expensive. It's roomy and refined, delivers good fuel economy, and has flexible seating for eight. Crash-test results are impressive, and reliability has been excellent. The Toyota Highlander is a good choice with an optional third-row seat.
Other good choices:
* Toyota Highlander
* Lexus RX
* Toyota Land Cruiser
* Toyota 4Runner
* Infiniti FX35
* Acura MDX
* Infiniti QX4
* Lexus GX
* Hyundai Santa Fe
* Subaru Tribeca
* Nissan Xterra ('05-08)
* Toyota Sequoia
Are you absolutely positive that the mechanics have truly replaced everything (with new parts) that they claim to have replaced? You mentioned you don't know anything about auto repair, I can totally relate to your situation.
Please don't interpret my text as talking down to you, I know very very little about auto repair myself. I ended up having some issues with my last truck and decided to learn how to figure out if the mechanics were lying to me. I came to that conclusion out of economic necessity. It just seemed odd to me that I knew nothing about it, and they kept coming up with new ideas every couple weeks. Turns out that some of them were lying to me. Every single mechanic and shop I took it to were super nice guys, I didn't expect any of them to take me for a ride. I supposedly had my alternator replaced with 'a brand new one' and had the same problems a month later. Turns out the mechanic did change my alternator, but used an old part pulled off a junked vehicle. Charged me full retail for the part, by the way. So I decided to learn something about it, which seemed pretty intimidating because I'm not mechanically minded at all.
If you are having constant problems with your ignition system, you might want to see if you can read up on it and try to problem-solve it on your own. For example (probably already gone down this road) have the spark plugs been changed every 30,000 miles, or just cleaned and put back in?
If you know nothing about auto repair, it might help to use this truck as an opportunity to learn. If you decide to take the challenge, I think it'll pay off for you in spades. I found the following 2 books to be really well written & straightforward for giving me a quick 101 in auto repair: "The Complete Car Care Manual" written by Popular Mechanics; & "Auto Repair for Dummies". I'd recommend "Auto Repair for Dummies" for someone that knows nothing at all about auto repair. Of course a Chilton's and your vehicle's Factory Service Manual are great assets as well.
Try to buy the best fuel pump your money can pay. Perhaps japanese. And sell the damn thing. Buy a Nissan Patrol. A coworker got his blazer set on fire as the catalizer got clugged on, and blew up the exhaust manifold, burning a rubber fuel line. Piece of crap.
go to the parts store and get a cheap fuel pressure test gauge, screw it on and you will find that it probably doesnt hold pressure, replace the regulator yourself(easy job) and it will run
one note to keep in mind on fuel pumps in those vehicles is DON'T use an aftermarket fuel pump from a local parts house. those vehicles require a specific fuel pressure to operate properly, and aftermarket pumps won't cut it. use a gm factory pump when you replace it. trust me i have been through this too many times as a mechanic. As for the battery problem, it sounds like you have a parasitic draw on the system if you have been through that many batteries.
Hmnnn. I don't know if the first fuel pump replacement was gm or not. He did show me the new one in the box but I don't remember the brand. And what is a parasitic draw and where could it come from? I need to talk to the mechanic about it before he says it's absolutely the fuel pump.
And thanks to Composter for your reply. I am a disabled female in my 50's and can't work on cars. I used to be able to do mostly anything back in the 70's, including changing engines and doing my own repairs. These new cars are a nightmare. And I don't have tools anymore anyway even if I could. I have owned this thing for a little over 3 years and havn't even put 6,000 miles on it. Mostly it sat dead. And I know what you mean about liars. The last guy, who was not a licensed mechanic, said he changed the alternator. Then he said I needed a wheel bearing or the wheel would fall off. He charged me 275.00 cash only and no receipt. Dumb me. He drove it back. Don't ask me how he got it started. The next morning it was dead again. So I had a friend pick me up the strongest battery he could find and he put it in. It ran for this past month but started really hard in the morning. And the needle was on charge for about 10 minutes after I started it. I brought it to a licensed mechanic for a sticker and told him the horror stories. First he said the alternator was used and it needed a wheel bearing because he couldn't give me a sticker with the abs light on. I told him I just had the bearing replaced and he said it was loose and the other guy must have repacked it. Then he said I needed two shocks also to pass inspection. So for those two things and a sticker he charged me 333.00. I paid him and went to start it and no go. So it's been there for almost a week again. He keeps saying he will get it in but is busy. He said he won't charge me storage. Nice of him. LOL I'm ready to pull my hair out now. I feel so trapped. Maybe I'll WALK to the package store! LOL I know it won't solve my problem but maybe numb it for a while.
a parasitic draw is when something in the vehicle is using electric when it is shut off. GM radios were bad for that, or if the ignition switch is bad it can cause the problem. (the ignition switch is not the key cylinder either).the key will be off but the switch its connected to is still in a partially on position. it may be worth your wild to take it to a dealer, even though it costs a bit more, and get it fixed correctly. sounds like you have spent enough with the shadetree mechanics already. good luck.
Thank you shadow and everyone else. I looked up parasitic draw and three mechanic sites said the same thing. It sounds exactly like what's wrong. It has a brand new battery, the biggest I could find. Go to start it in the morning and it started hard. Once it charged it started all day. I will tell this mechanic to check that before he tells me again that I need ANOTHER fuel pump that I already had replaced.
Parasitic draw on GM's is a very big problem as most will drain a battery in about a week of sitting. Aftermarket electric fuel pumps are all made in China along with the fuel regulators and are pure junk right out of the box. I know this because I run an autoparts store and see this every day. If the mechanic needs parts get them yourself from the dealer or an AC DELCO dealer and insist the part is US made. Retail on a AC unit is $360.00, but you get what you pay for. A quick trouble shoot search shows the S-10 has a long list of re-occuring problems( a long,long,long list) so in my humble opinion you need to find a diffrent vehicle.
And Greg 5791 the export Venezuela models show the greatest number of defects/ problems, so your buddy was right to get rid of his. Better off with a Jeep or a Toyota.
Unless I missed something I don't think we know for sure if it's a fuel delivery problem or something else.
You mentioned a battery, alternator, and parasitic drain so that is making me think that it won't even crank. True?
You also mentioned fuel pump and fuel regulator, so that makes me think maybe its a fuel delivery problem. Does it crank but it just doesnt fire over?
If it's just the battery being drained and you can't even crank it then there has to be something in the car thats pulling on the battery. Someone else mentioned a couple things it could be. If you're having trouble finding what it is and correcting the problem you can always kind of work your way around it. You can get a device that plugs into the cigarette lighter that has solar panels on it. It's meant to keep a charge on a battery in a car that isn't used very often. That might keep a charge on the battery enough to be a work around.
If it does crank but doesnt fire over then it's got to be a fuel delivery or spark problem. When it's giving you a hard time you could squirt a little starting fluid down the throttle body and try again. If that makes it fire up then you have a fuel delivery problem, if it doesnt then there is a spark/ignition issue.
Hope that helps....
I would agree with what others have said, try and fix it and offload it.
One of my best friends had a 2001 ZR2 Blazer. God, it was a flaming piece. Everything rattled and squeaked, constantly, horribly, aweful. The door hinge bushings went out and you had to lift the door to shut it. The fuel pump went out. It ate tires about as bad as it drank gas. The blinker constantly "dinked" whether the blinker was on or not. The CD player didn't work. The exterior mounted spare tire rattled constantly. The altenator had to be replaced. The interior door panels all broke from the use of cheap plastic...all before 150K miles.
It was a piece. I don't think you got a lemon, I think you got a typical Chevy Blazer.
One of my best friends had a 2001 ZR2 Blazer. God, it was a flaming piece. Everything rattled and squeaked, constantly, horribly, aweful. The door hinge bushings went out and you had to life the door to shut it. The fuel pump went out. It ate tires about as bad as it gas. The blinker constantly "dinked" whether the blinker was on or not. The CD player didn't work. The exterior mounted spare tire rattled constantly. The altenator had to be replaced. The interior door panels all broke from the use of cheap plastic...all before 150K miles.
It was a piece. I don't think you got a lemon, I think you got a typical Chevy Blazer.
OK.
Put on eye(preferably whole face) protection long sleeve shirt and gloves.
Make sure battery is clean. If you have oily grunge all over it you will get surface discharge. If dirty get baking soda mix a table spoon in a cup of water tap water and disconnect the negative(-) cable and clean it off.
EYE PROTECTION IS ALWAYS A MUST WHEN WORKING ON BATTERIES.... THEY EXPLODE.
Get a volt meter, turn the key to the OFF position or better yet.... no key in ignition at all but in off position and disconnect the positive (+) battery cable. If you see a spark or arc when you separate the cable from the terminal with the ignition off and key out and all doors, hatches radio etc off you DO have a draw. Most vehicles however do.
Place one lead from the meter on the positive(+) terminal on the battery and the other on the metal portion of the positive(+) cable.
You may need assistance of another person.
If there is a draw off the battery it will result in a voltage reading on the meter. Start removing fuses until the voltage reading drops to zero (0). When it does you have your problem circuit.
Go from there.
AGAIN, BATTERIES BLOW UP AND CAN BURN, BLIND OR KILL, WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING.
After sitting all night raise the hood with out the keys in the ignition and put your hand of the alternator(carefully). If it's hot your diodes are shot in it. I recall this being a specific issue with that series of alternators some years ago.
BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO GET NEAR THE BELT.
I just had a new fuel pump put in it and it starts right up. But the battery keeps showing it's charging in the morning untill I drive it for 10 minutes so so. Thank you all for your input. The mechanic was a little insulted when I told him about all the suggestions I got here. He said " I know what I'm doing". LOL He wouldn't give me a sticker because the ABS lights were on. He said I needed a wheel bearing. So he replaced it. Everything was going great. UNTILL both ABS lights came on again. And no. I won't sell it. This truck looks like brand new and when it starts it is a strong little truck. I can't afford to buy anything new so I'll keep putting money into it. If I buy used, I will be getting somebody elses headaches.
get your charging system checked at autozone. it;s free.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Survivalist Forum
11.6M posts
167.1K members
Since 2007
A forum community dedicated to survivalists and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about collections, gear, DIY projects, hobbies, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!