So my wife inherited this 1997 4x4 Blazer and we've been running into all kinds of issues. One of them has been a huge annoyance of mine for the last 3 years. I feel like the brakes are weak and my wife always say that that's the way they've always been and several shops have looked at them and they never found anything.

Anyways, if i'm driving down the highway with my foot on the gas and need to brake, there is a huge time delay between moving my foot over and actually slowing down. The brakes have always felt stiff or hard to push. Not only that, when I first start pressing on the brake, i don't start braking immediately, I have to push the brake pedal down about maybe an inch before I can actually feel myself stopping and i'm having to press fairly hard. This has been a problem for me for a very long time and it's something that my wife and her family has always been used to and say has no problems because all of the shops they took it to found nothing wrong.


In the past few weeks there have been a few other issues. A/C was blowing hot air. Pep Boys found a leak but I was on a tight budget and needed the car for a long drive so I just told them to evacuate and recharge. Now I'm thinking that that was a mistake because I need to fix the leak and I'm probably going to have to have the evacuation and recharge down again. Pep boys told me that they wanted to replace the low and high side service valves and the A/C pressure cycling switch and the four seasons low pressure cut-out switch. This was the reason why I told them no. I had a hard time believing that all of those were leaking. Well today I took a close look and it appears to me that it's only leaking at the back of the compressor where the switch connector connects to the compressor. I saw no leaks anywhere else. i went ahead and bought one but I'm thinking the system has to be discharged before this can be replaced. Am I correct?


During the drive home yesterday, the check engine light came on. P0420 - catalyst efficiency below threshold bank 1. I got under the Blazer to look at the oxygen sensors. 1 aft of the cat. converter and the three forward of the cat. converter. The wiring looked okay. I'd had to just start replacing them to find the problem. Is there an easy way to test? I was doing a little googling around to solve the brake problem and I briefly read somewhere that the EGR valve could be connected to this code and I also read somewhere that a clogged EGR valve could cause brake pedals to be hard to push. Is anybody familiar with this system.


Lastly, i think the steering sucks. I don't know, maybe I'm used to my ford but I feel like the steering wheel is a little stiffer than it should be. I also feel like there's a little bit of slack in there, as in, driving on the high way I feel like I over compensate when trying to stay in one lane if that makes any sense. While at my dads, he mentioned something about on some vehicles the brake system is sometimes linked to the power steering system so here again, I wondered if the two are associated......

 

On the A/C leak. Yes, the system needs to be evacuated prior to attempting to replace the high pressure cut-off switch. Have you gone over the system with a UV light (black light) to inspect for any other leaks?

On the braking issue. You may have air in the system or possibly a master cylinder that is starting to fail internally. A hard brake pedal may be caused by a problem with the brake booster. I would start by thoroughly flushing brake fluid. To do this, start at the passenger side rear brake cylinder. With an assistant pumping the brakes up & holding it while you open the bleeder, flush the line until the fluid looks clear again while keeping the reservoir topped off. A section of clear tubing pressed onto the bleeder with the other end in a jar or other suitable container will help in monitoring the quality of the fluid and help reduce the mess involved with this procedure. Repeat at the driver rear, passenger front, and driver front. It is VERY important to keep the reservoir full throughout all of this procedure. Check it frequently.

I would search for 'P0420' and see what has already been posted. This does not point directly at a failed O2 sensor and proper testing will save you money.

As far as the steering goes, wear/tear on the steering components can cause the slop. Be it the inner/outer tie rod ends, the pitman arm or idler arm, or even the rag joint (connection of the steering column to the steering gear box) can all have some play that will add up to a somewhat disconnected feeling. A thorough inspection of the mentioned components should show you what needs attention.

If the resistance seems excessive, it could suggest a problem with the power steering pump not putting out the pressure that it should. As with the brake fluid, I would recommend a power steering flush before condemning the pump. The DIY procedure for this is to disconnect the return line from the back of the pump & cap off the outlet on the reservoir. Direct the return line into a suitable container. Have an assistant start/stop the engine while you keep the reservoir topped up with fresh fluid. Do this until the fluid entering the container is nearly the same color as what you are pouring in.

 

UV light... never knew. Will only Freon be visible or will all fluids be visible? Where can I get a decent UV light from? I wish Pep Boys had made it clear to me that I would have to do another evac and recharge when I decided to fix the leak. Either that or recommend only replacing the components that are leaking instead of replacing the car, typical...

My father and I bled the brakes a few weeks ago. When I took my car to Pep Boys for the A/C, they also recommended a complete coolant exchange and a brake fluid exchange package. I can't tell you how mad it makes me when I take my vehicle to a shop for one thing and they want me to spend over a thousand dollars on something that may or may not be needed but who cares right, everyone is made of money, but I never said anything to them about the brakes so I can't understand why they recommended the fluid exchange. I wonder if there is a way to test the master cylinder or the brake booster.

I know the list for the P0420 is endless so I'll just have the shop troubleshoot that one. I have had bad experiences in the past with my F-150 though, I used to get a bunch of codes and I was replacing O2 sensors like every 5-6 months and then I took my truck to a Ford dealer in Fort Worth and the master mechanic installed a wire harness overlay. Not sure what that means... but no code anymore...thousands of dollars later. Every shop I took it to always recommended replacing everything under the sun that could cause the problem, it was always the 02 sensors, the EGR valve, EGR solenoid, a few other things, etc, etc.

I'll just have the shop inspect the steering components. I need the vehicle in good operating condition for a drive to the Colorado mountains.

 

Most autoparts stores carry UV lights ranging from ~$15 on up to over $50 depending on the design & kit components. I purchased a multifunction NEBO LED flashlight online for around $20 that I use camping that has 5 UV LEDs, 5 green LEDs, a single high output white LED, & a laser pointer (it's fun watching the dog chase it!).

As far as the recommendations on fluid change/exchanges, the condition of the fluid in the brake or coolant reservoir could have lead to their recommendation. If you just flushed the brake fluid, then they may have just been going from a standard "lets see what we can get the owner to agree to" playbook.

What sensors have you been replacing (your truck has 4 of them total)? What prompted you to replace them? And what brand of sensor did you install? From my experience, it pays to use AC Delco O2 sensors.

 

Usually the only thing I use a flashlight for is looking for my kill at night time. I shot a 200 lb boar last sunday night around 8:15 pm. Though he didn't run far. The NEBO LED flashlight you have sounds like something I could use....

Yea, it's that playbook you mention that I worry about. I often compare doctors to auto mechanics. They usually don't know what is wrong and just make a bunch of guesses and hope they are right. Every now and then you find a really good one.

Yea, the sensors on my F-150 were always replaced by a shop. First it was Adams Automotive in College Station, TX. They replaced them at least 2 times. Then it was a Pep Boys who did the work twice. The second time around at Pep Boys only a week had passed so I went back and complained, i think I got a discount or something. Light came back a little later on so then I took it to Bankston Ford (dealer - one of those drive thru places where you drive next to the master mechanics little booth). The mechanic I spoke with trouble shooted it and the guy called me up and said he installed a wire harness overlay and i haven't had a problem since. That was a year and a half ago. So all that time and all that money was all for nothing.