a 92 Bravada. I currently own a 94 s10 Blazer that I adore and I had a 93 s10 shortbed before that. My girlfriend is in desperate need of a winter-worthy vehicle (we live in CT and she has a third-gen firebird) and I have been looking around for a first-gen s-type for her.

I am curious what people's thought of Bravadas are. I am considering getting a 92. I know that was only the 2nd year they came out, and I have my reservations about relying on a Smartrak AWD system that offers no driver control and is almost 20 years old. Also, I know all too well the troubles that plague Vortecs. Did Olds do anything before throwing it in their new "luxury SUV?"

Any answers or other insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

all i can advise you of...is take it to a good mechanic before hand...and ask him to do a good once over before purchasing..(like i should have to find out there was about 1200$s in vital repairs)..or i might have just waited and GOT that black zr2 2002 i so badly wanted...*after i bought my 97 blazer*

 

A 92 Bravada eh? Don't see many of those around. I'm not sure anyone on the forum has one. If you do but it you might be the only one...

 

their Smartrak AWD system is the same system that the AWD Blazer/Jimmy's had. while they have their own particular quirks, so do the electronic 4WD systems from the same era. i actually had that front bumper shin on my '92 Jimmy. i had never seen the Bravada up here in Canada when i first picked up my Jimmy in '96, and on my first major road trip to the US in the Summer of '97 fell in luv with that front bumper.

what are they asking for the Olds? and snap a few pic's of 'er if you end up buying it.

 

Actually, these older AWD trucks had very few issues with the transfer case. There was nothing electronic or vacuum controlled in the AWD system. The borg warner transfer case was a fulltime 30/70 split F/R respectively. They made for a pretty good truck unless something went physically wrong with the viscous clutch in the transfer case...

I would inspect the fluid quality in the transfer case. This is an often neglected area and if it is black and smells burnt, the clutch in the transfer case might not have much life left to it.

Other than some badges, body moldings, leather seats, and some other miscellaneous differences, the Bravada is essentially a dressed up blazer. The engine and transmission are the same thing used in the rest of the family of vehicles.

 

sorry, i never meant to imply it was electronic/vacuum controlled. i was simply comparing it to the electronic 4WD systems from the same era.

 

Thanks for the info. I am somewhat familiar with the vacuum issues. My Blazer's 4WD stopped working at about the same time that air stopped coming through the vents. I changed the 5-pronged check valve, the reservoir ball, and ran new lines and suddenly everything worked again (including the A/C which had never worked). I'm still not quite sure why...

old skool--they are asking $1200 for it. I am expecting to have to fix a couple things right of the bat.

I have a couple more questions about the AWD. Are all the front suspension parts (i.e. ball joints, tie rods, spindles, bearings) the same as the 4WDs even though there is no engage/disengage mechanism?
Also, I have read that even though the Bravadas had AWD they did not have "off-road" suspensions like Blazers/Jimmys supposedly to make riding on pavement smoother. Does anyone know what, if anything, they changed?

 

Yep, everything else is the same design. The shocks would be a bit cushy-er in stock form, but that's about it.

 

I went to check the thing out and it was a rust bucket. it was a shame - Z-code 4.3 that shifted strong and looked good from far away, but it had some cosmetic issues including a missing foglight, and a severe vacuum leak. Oh yeah, and a missing cab mount, oops.