Hey All, I am new to the Blazerforum and am also a new owner of a 2001 Blazer LT. It has 111,000 miles on it with the 4.3L motor. The interior is clean and has new brakes, shocks, and decent tires. I just finished changing the oil, spark plugs, and wires...the plugs gave me hell. I also plan on doing the front/rear differental fluid...oh ya, I bought it for $300.00.

Problem with it is, that the owner assumed that the transmission was shot. He told me to come haul it to scrap and he would split it with me or give him $300.00 and I could have it. Knowing that the vehicle would not go into reverse and wasn't sure how many miles it will go in any of the forward gears, I have begun diagnosing this vehicle and started the tear down. The Blazer did not have any DTC codes. The oil was fair to bad. The plugs needed changed.

I noticed when I pulled the vehicle into the shop, that it was in 4-Low. I placed the transmission into neutral and tried to select 2-Hi. I tried this multiple times without any luck. I lifted the rear end and then git the selector to 2-HI and if finally went into 2-HI, but still no reverse....and this is why I came to you guys. Does anyone knowhow I can diagnose this issue prior to dropping the transmission? When I pulled the trans dip-stick, the fluid didn't look horrible and didn't smell burnt. Any advice would be great, Thanks in advance!!!

 

Nobody.......

Well I have begun the removal and it is not an easy one. The upper bolts on the bell housing are impossible to get to. I think that when the cross-member is removed and I let the transmission down a bit, I may have access. If anyone has done one of these and give pitch in a bit, I would GREATLY appreciate it.

 

The upper two bolts are not impossible, just difficult.

Rather than wait for responses, have you tried out the search feature? "transmission+removal+tips" brings up a few threads. "transmission+removal" brings up even more.

 

So good news! I got the transfer case out today and was able to "droop" the tranny enough to see the upper bell-housing bolts. I finally believe that this can be done. I was worried in the beginning. I have taken many diesel transmissions out, but this one had me wondering. I should be able to get it dropped by the end of tomorrow...I hope. I found another transmission at one of my friends salvage yards for $500. It only has 42,000 miles on it and he said he would warranty it for the new owner for 2 years.

 

Transmission is out!!!

Question. The 2 plugs that are on the driver's side of the transmission that connect to the selector module. Are they supposed to be epoxied. I had the break the housing to get them out. That, or they were melting for some reason. Any thoughts?

 

They aren't epoxied, but for some reason they seem like they are very often. GM recommends heating the Park/Neutral Switch connections before attempting to pull the connectors out. At least it isn't that expensive to replace.

 

I wished I would have taken more time. Can someone give me the wire configuration for the lower plug on the Park/Neutral switch? When I was trying to undo this one, the wire pulled clean out. There are four that go into this one. Thanks guys.

 

The lower connector has the wires for the position sensor.

Here are the park neutral position switch connector views:

 

Thanks!!! That is exactly what I was looking for.

Any do's or don'ts when installing the new transmission? I am hoping it all goes EXTREMELY smooth. Wish in one and and...you guys know the rest. I will begin install tomorrow.
Thanks in advance.

 

Tip #1 - Make absolutely sure that the torque converter is fully engaged into the pump & input shaft. There should be two clunks as you push in and turn the torque converter. To make certain that it is properly installed, measure the distance from the front of the transmission bell-housing to the lugs on the torque converter using a tape measure and a straight edge. Then measure the back of the engine bell-housing to the mounting location on the flex plate. The difference should show a bit of a gap, not much, but still a gap. If there is interference, then the torque converter is not fully seated. Failure to fully seat the torque converter will lead to breaking the pump which will require you to pull the transmission again.