My 1997 Blazer was involved in a hit & run accident, I didn't have full coverage, and since the idiot who blew the stop sign drove away quickly, this means I need to attempt to repair my truck myself. I do not believe the frame of the Blazer is bent, so I can most likely get replacement parts from others who are parting out their Blazers, as I believe the 1996 - 2002 year Blazers all have the same body parts and same engine. The damage is to the front end. Driver side headlight is smashed out, front bumper is bent, hood is bent, and the plastic silver grill was cracked, but amazingly I was still able to drive home 15 miles. Over the past 3 weeks I have successfully started the Blazer about 6 times, and I have driven it a few blocks each week. Today it did not start. It turns over so it's not the battery, and it's not the starter. What is your best guess as to why it's suddenly not starting?

+ I checked the oil - and the oil level looks fine, brake fluid level is fine, radiator fluid level in the reservoir is good. Fan shroud is bent and cracked, but I think I have a brand new fan shroud in my garage, which I will search for this afternoon. I'm guessing that during the collision perhaps 1 of the motor mounts had come loose (or broke). My main concern at the moment is getting it to start again. Any ideas?

Also, anyone reading this in Southern California selling used 1996 - 2002 year Blazer parts for cheap?

 

There's a "no-start" sticky thread I think that will guide you. One of the standard things to check is if there is enough fuel pressure at the top of the engine. Of course, you need to check if there is spark too.

 

Thanks for the info about the fuel pressure, I will check that. I did find the brand new fan shroud in my garage. Since the fan shroud is damaged it may have caught the fan, which might have caused the serpentine belt to come loose (or "off track"). I will know more once I remove the cracked fan shroud and see what's going on under there.

 

Update #2 - I have removed the upper fan shroud. This has 7 screws, and requires a 10mm socket. A 10-inch socket wrench extender is needed to reach the 4 screws that attach the upper fan shroud to the lower fan shroud. With the upper fan shroud removed, the Blazer started up immediately and the engine runs great. My guess is the fan must have been "stuck" on the upper fan shroud. Update #3 - Serpentine belt was examined by me - it appears to be in alignment, nothing looks off track. Actually everything inside the engine compartment appears to be unaffected.

I still have 2 concerns (1) - I don't think the frame is bent, but I'm not 100% sure yet.
(2) - I'm not yet sure if any motor mount is cracked or broken. Is there a way I can check that myself?

+ I ordered a new plastic front grill: New Grille Silver w/ Sealed Beam Headlight For 1994-1997 Chevrolet Blazer
+ I also still need to buy a new front bumper, and new $20 headlight on drivers side (because it's cracked).

 

As for (1), there are specifications for the dimensions of the frame elements but they differ by body style and if it is 2wd or 4wd. They might depend on year also. Is your 4wd? I could scan the pages with the dimensions from my 99 service manual.

Regarding (2), if you get a prybar into the mount, you and see if you can lift the engine away from the mount. But don't try to hard, you don't want to damage the motor mount. I believe lifting the engine by the oil pan is not recommended.

Perhaps someone else will have the frame dimensions for a 97 and can provide first-hand experience with checking the motor mounts.

 

Thank you! My 1997 Blazer is a 2wd.

 

The scans of the frame dimensions are attached. I hope they may be of use to you!

Be sure to report back on your progress.

 

Thank you very much for the frame measurements! I'm in California and we are experiencing heavy rain this weekend, so my progress will be slow, but I'll update as soon as I can.

 

New Update - this afternoon I examined lower fan shroud. The lower fan shroud middle clip was busted. There are 3 plastic clips that usually insert into the bottom of the radiator (left / middle / right) - the left and right clips are OK - but since the middle clip is busted I have decided to also order a lower fan shroud. I will need to remove the fan itself to get a new lower fan shroud in place. To remove the fan, I must loosen the center fan-bolt by turning it counter-clockwise, and then turning the fan counter clock-wise until it comes off. There is a YouTube video which shows how this is done.

Also, the lower fan shroud does not seem to fit in "perfect" alignment because the radiator itself had shifted about 1/16 inch towards the drivers side. So, I'm going to need to move the radiator back over about 1/16 inch towards the passenger side, and make sure it's in as close to perfect alignment as possible before seating the new lower fan shroud in those 3 clip positions on the radiator. The odd thing is the radiator doesn't feel "loose" meaning it doesn't seem to move left to right at all. There are supposed to be 2 plastic pins or "feet / guides" that stick out of the bottom of the radiator to help it slide into perfect position and force it to stay in that position. (see attached photo) - Is there any way to know if those 2 plastic pins or "feet / guides" sticking out of the bottom of the radiator are broken (or not) without going to the extreme of draining the radiator and pulling it out to look at it? Is there any way to "push" the radiator about 1/16 inch towards the passenger side?

 

This is the replacement headlight that I purchased from AutoZone:

- (photo attached) - but I also need the metal bracket that goes around this headlamp to hold it in place.