Hello-
I am new here. I currently own a GMC Safari with 311,000 miles on it that is being overtaken by rust. Was a Ford man prior to owning the GMC but the GMC has been such a good vehicle I am probably going to replace with another GM product. I am contemplating replacing it with a Blazer probably one with 100,000+ miles on it. Would like to know any spot that might be of special concern when looking at a prospective Blazer/Jimmy. Are the ball joints a weak spot? Seen a fair amount of ads for Blazers that indicate the ball joints have been replaced. My GMC van still has the originals. Any suggestions on what to look for will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Jeff

 

Specific to this model:
Lower intake manifold gasket
Door hinge bushings

I'm at 201,000 and the other things that I have needed:
fuel pump
alternator
radiator
ac compressor
front wheel bearing


George

 

Make certain that the SES light works with key on engine off, and that no codes are set or pending (even if the vehicle is super low miles and looks perfect). Give it an extended test drive and on the highway, warming it up all the way. Would have saved me a lot of grief and money if I had done this. The wire for the SES light on my vehicle was pulled out of the IP cluster connected and taped. Problems with the vehicle were intentionally hidden, probably by the previous owner who traded it in at a new car dealer. It had a SES light on all the time with false misfire codes. Turned out to be engine bearings causing it.

I now carry my own cell phone (app) scanner and Bluetooth OBD2 dongle. Bought a 2004 Avalanche last January and knew I would need to fix a P0446 when I bought it. I also have the ability to look at history codes to see what has been cleared.

Make sure transfer case and 4WD operates reliably in all ranges.


Good luck.

 

Thanks to both of you, have not as yet found anything but I'm not in a big hurry either. The Safari has needed intake gaskets recently and I have also put in 2 fuel pumps, 2 water pumps and 2 alternators. Also replaced spark plug wirtes and repaired distributor and replaced the radaiator, there's probably more but nothing major. I'm pretty sure the engine and transmission are original as I have put on ove 200,000 miles on the vehicle and have replaced or rebuilt neither.
I appreciate the advice on the SES light, to be honest I had not even thought to verify it works. I might also take your advice on having a code reader for any vehicle I test drive.

Jeff

 

One of my recommendations is to avoid 4WD unless it is a necessity. You mentioned your Safari is being overtaken by rust, so you may live in an snow area where 4WD is a top priority. The 2003 and up 4.3L V6 already has the factory FI spider assembly upgrade. Some of the weak points I have found from personal experience are: front wheel bearing hubs, starter, cap and rotor, distributor in general/ ref. to Skip White version. From reading this forum: fuel pump, intake manifold gaskets/ ref. Fel-Pro IM gasket upgrade, front ball joints/upper and lower. I see you have considerable knowledge and experience with the reliable 4.3L engine and 4L60E trans. All that will be useful with your new Blazer. Look for a clean, well maintained one and I hope you will be happy with it.