I think it's a personal preference about the price. And it give a good idea on what parts will need to be changed, and a ball park figure of when.

I know mine will be growing again when March comes around and i get the blazer back on the road.

 

I got my 2001 chevy blazer 4 door 4x4 LS pewter metallic with 103k miles on March of 2023 (this year). Now it’s August, and I’ve done quite a bit of work to it just to make sure everything is good to go. I got 105,400 miles on it as of August.

So this blazer has been kinda sitting for a little over a year before I bought it. From what I’ve been told, the previous owner just drove this blazer a every once in a while. The previous owner had some health issues, so he didn’t drive it much last year. I paid $3,500. The car was in excellent shape, not a single ding or scratch on the car. Interior was in great shape, no tears or wear on the cloth seats. No paint fades at all.

Everything on this blazer is original, and if it has been worked on, it got all genuine AC Delco parts from a Chevy dealer. Dealer maintained since day one. One owner. The previous owner had most of the records from the local Chevy dealership. Nobody messed with it at all. Zero aftermarket parts. All OEM stock parts. Zero modifications. And I plan on keeping it plain and stock. That was what i was most excited about. Most of these blazers I see nowadays are trashed by people over the years installing aftermarket parts and doing dumb modifications that don’t make any sense at all.

Here’s a list of things I’ve done so far since I bought it on March:

- Detroit Axle drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic pads. All 4 corners. Cost me $220. Got a smoking deal on EBay.
- Gates belt tensioner and Belt. Got these for about $50 on eBay.
- Fuel filter change. Wix filter went in. $12.
- Transfercase ball switch was stuck and corroded. $25 for an AC delco switch.
- Mahle metal reinforced lower intake manifold gasket. $55 on eBay.
- 4 coolant flushes with Prestone all makes and models green antifreeze. Probably a $100 on coolant. The original red coolant was still in good shape, but I saw a lot of crusty brown stuff on the bottom of the overflow tank, so I just fished the whole system 4 times, and I also took out the overflow tank and cleaned it real good.
- 2 Transmission fluid changes. The reason I had to do two already was because when I did it the first time, one of the solenoids went bad right after the first fluid change. Fluid, filter and gasket was $70. I had to buy a new solenoid from autozone. I believe it was a solenoid B. It was $25.
- I also changed all the vacuum hoses that are under the hood. Hoses were free from work.
- I also changed all the fluids. That was probably about $100 in just fluids. I use Mobil 1 0w40 FS Euro formula. Car runs buttery smooth with it, and it’s just good oil.
- I also changed all the coolant hoses. Upper, lower, thermostat bypass hose, and the heater hoses. Got these hoses for free at my work. $0

So far, that’s all I’ve done to it.

Also, recently my car has been overheating when I sit in traffic. The culprit is the fan clutch. It’s still got the original fan clutch. I ordered a Hayden severe duty fan clutch. It was $40, and I’m just waiting for it to arrive. Will be changing the fan clutch out this weekend. The reason I went with the severe duty fan clutch is because I live in South Carolina and the heat is brutal here in the summer. It’s about to be 104F this weekend. Also, it doesn’t get that cold in the winter so a severe duty should be fine and it should keep my truck from overheating in the SC heat.

So the total parts cost so far is: $697. I’ll just say $750. That ain’t too bad, since from now on all I gotta do is just basic maintenance. No more “always something”, hopefully. I think I got everything, and I should be good for a couple years.

 

Congrats on the truck!

The one thing that stood out to me is your choice of engine oil. I would NOT run a 0W-40 of ANY brand even up here in MA where it is MUCH cooler. This engine is pretty much your run-of-the-mill GM smallblock 350 with a couple cylinders chopped off, and the addition of a balance shaft in the lifter valley. Those engines ran for decades and lasted forever on cheap, non-synthetic 10W-30 & even 20W-50 back in the day. I'd be running at least a 10w-30. I know the cap says 5w-30, but that's to meet fuel mileage requirements - not make the engine last forever. You went the opposite way, which is even worse. Unless you live in northern AK, I'd get a 10W-30 in there, ESPECIALLY in SC!

I just got out of the auto repair business after 14 years running my own shop. Been turning wrenches since I got my first bicycle at age 5.

I have a 2007 Silverado with the 5.3, and run Amsoil Signature Series 10W-30 in that. I was getting VERY high wear metals in my oil analysis reports until I switched to 10W-30. Automakers aren't in the business of making vehicles last forever. That's YOUR job.

 

I bought my 99 Trailblazer in 2015 for $600 with around 180k miles on it. It had a ratchet strap wrapped around the door to the headrest to hold the door shut because... the previous owner let the door bushings go so long that it not only ovaled out the hinge, it broke the sheet metal where the door latches onto the body!!! Otherwise the body was perfect, interior good except for the obligatory broken driver side interior handle as well. Since then I have fixed/replaced the following *big breath*
Welded the sheet metal around door striker so door operates as a door. *Note copper spoon from HF makes filling holes/gaps a breeze for guys like me who never welded before. 8 years and counting with no signs of breaking!
Going short hand for replacements w/o explanation in no particular order now:
Window regulator
Door switches, AWD/4WD switch, headlight switch
Vacuum lines for transfer case
Transmission filter and 4 solenoids
Alternator
Cap and rotor (twice), plugs and wires (once)
Tires (almost ready for 2nd set)
Radiator, thermostat (on 3rd one, Texas...) belts & hoses
Belt tensioner
Heater core.
Brakes and brake lines at all 4 corners, and replaced piston and seals in D-side rear caliper
Sun load sensor and drilled hole in new dash vent cover (can't get the 'right one' anymore and original crumbled to pieces
Fuel pump
Fuel injection spider upgraded to actual injectors instead of poppet valves.
HVAC door actuator
Headlight, driving light, and tail light bulbs
Battery

Replaced/Installed but didn't absolutely 'need':
Radio w/Crux adapter to retain Bose amplifier, replaced all speakers and added an old (now 19 years old) subwoofer
Bug deflector
Window rain guards/vent shields
Rear seat dog hammock
Phone holder/charger
Rear hatch glass in hopes of having rear defrost again from junkyard (just as broken as original, go figure!)
Rear privacy cargo cover (from same minty truck I got the door from)

Have purchased but not installed just yet:
New distributor (aluminum non-AC Delco! &#128561
New oil cooler lines
A/C lines
Coil (still amazed that the ORIGINAL has lasted 235K!!!)

I'm sure there's more that I'm not rembering right now but it's been 8 years after all! So much for a cheap little truck to haul the dog around in though, right? 😅 I still love it though!

 

I like thicker oils in all my engines. I’m on BITOG too much 🤣 but I really do believe the lower the first number and the higher the second number is, the better it is for the engine. I also prefer euro spec oils. The Mobil 1 FS Euro 0w40 is full saps, it’s got plenty of zinc and calcium, it’s got PAO in it, and it cleans very well. I’m sure it’s great for my engine. And the hot oil pressure is right at 20psi on the gauge with the 0w40.

 

2001 BlaZR2. Purchased new in June of 2001. Replaced the head unit with an Alpine, had remote start installed, and installed rear tire drop kit.

It is currently a molding rusting pile decaying in my driveway. However, It's going to be rolled into the garage for some long over due love before winter. First repairs will be replacing fuel and brake lines so it's drivable. Then onto the rust. Then on to all the things I've wanted to do for 20 years, but never had the time or money to do. My plans are to turn it into an overlander.

 

I just bought my 2002 Blazer Ls and am already putting in the work!

passenger cv axle
e-brake lines
e-brake hardware
rear rotors and calipers
brake lines all around
new headlights
drivers side weather seal
rear seatbelt
Y pipe
battery

and it already had

new motor
rebuilt transmission
2.5” lift
new intake system

going on 190k and still staying alive!!

 

Well, this morning (5/25/24) is the first notification I've received from this forum in 4 or 5 years.

My 95 Blazer has been parked since October, 2019. We returned home from a two week vacation with friends in their vehicle.
Our Blazer would not start. The fuel pump is likely frozen. I had changed the pump about two years earlier with a new Delco.

Bottom line, I wish I had never bought the Blazer. I got it in the fall of 1999 with less than 6k miles on it. The guy's wife bought it for his retirement gift in 1995. He liked his Chevy pickup best. So, it was never driven. We drove it 133k miles to 2019. I spent a hell of lot of money on it .............. it was not worth the cost and aggravation.

 

Yeah, I hear that, Andy. It wasn't one of GM's better platforms, especially the 2nd gen. The electronics & all their failures will drive you insane! The 1st gen can be made to work with a lot less effort.

Mine are both gone. The carcass of the Jimmy is long since in the crusher, and the '89 that had its engine was sold over 10 years ago. Now I've got 2 Volvo 940's, a '93 W250 with a Cummins & 5-speed, and a '86 Grand Marquis we've had for 21 years / 305k miles. Each gives me MUCH less grief! All my modern OBD-II crap is GONE, and I couldn't be happier.

 

my dad bought it for my brother back in 2013, had 105,000 miles. Now 11 years later its in my hands with 181,000 miles. Shes been a reliable thing. Best car the family has ever owned really. No major issues have ever happened until now with the 4wd issue. Shifts good, runs good. No issue starting in cold weather below zero.