So, I have been having an issue as of late and I now know more about the problem. So, Kyle had kinda pointed me in the direction of vacuum actuator when I orginally had an issue with this clicking/grinding sound whenever the truck went forward. I thought it might have been a wheel bearing/hub assembly, but I doubt that now. Sometimes the sound would be there, other times after sitting for the night, the sound would not come back. Then a few days ago, my wife took it out, the "Check Engine Light" came on, went away after a few minutes, then came back on, disappeared again, and finally the clicking sound was present (louder than last time, I think) and the fuel gauge went to zero, Low Fuel Light and Battery Light came on, Gear Indicator box disappeared, and the 4LO, 4HI, 2LO lights disappeared and were non responsive. I saw a post that had a picture and description that matched mine, turned out they had an issue with a blown/loose fuse for "4WD".

So, I checked the fuse, it was blown. I replaced it and everything seemed fine. Wife takes it out again, and the fuse blows 20 minutes later (no clicking noise though). She brings it back, I change the fuse, and this time it blows within 10 seconds of going forward. I replace the fuse, start back up, engage 4LO, I hear it click in the module and then the fuse blows again right away. So, I replace the fuse again so I can get the Blazer out of 4LO. This works, I get it out, and now the fuse hasn't blown again. I cycle it through 4LO, 4HI, and back into 2LO, everything seems fine. Drove it this morning for about 20 minutes, no problems, no blown fuses.

So my question is, if it is the vacuum actuator, how would that have caused a blown fuse? Could having used and cycled through 4WD finally loosened up the vacuum actuator or cable on it so that now it is working properly? This is a new vehicle to me and I had never used it before. If the vacuum actuator or cable was acting up, why would it have been sticking or causing the clicking noise even when I wasn't engaging 4WD? Can it be jostled or shaken to do this? I know my shocks are bad, so it is a rough ride. I am replacing the shocks next weekend. Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions?? Thanks everybody for the help earlier.

I would like to try and track this down, but if it doesn't make the sound again or blow a fuse, I will have trouble figuring out where the problem is.

Greg-'98 Blazer LT, 4WD, 104,400 miles

 

if the fuse was blowing repeatedly, i believe that the problem is the switch in the dash. I had the exact same problem on my 97, new switch was 35 bucks from the dealer. I guess this was a problem on blazers from what I have seen and heard.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. This is the switch behind the lighted buttons on the dash?? How do you pop it out, with a screwdriver? Also, if this was the case, wouldn't it have blown the fuse this morning again?

You say you had this same issue, did you have an issue with this clicking sound, kinda like a "card in spokes" sound on the front passenger side? It is intermittent, so I am having trouble tracking it down. It is not doing it now, nor did it blow the fuse.