02 blazer 2wd 75k miles
hood is pretty much stuck closed hard lifting gets it open
rear window squeaked still rattles on rough roads
crappy alternator(thanks GM)
factory radio was the first thing i threw in the garbage
all panels are siliconed to keep them from rattling by the speakers


if i get any headaches im gonna spare everyone else and have it crushed and get a challenger

 

It's funny you mention the hood issue, I am having the exact same problem. I gotta kind of reach with my left hand and tug up on the extreme edge of the bug guard and with my right hand find the lever to pop the hood and it works most of the time. But if I don't do it that way, it opens less than half of the time.

 

Hi Dave! hey to you and lownslow, you can EASILY remedy the hood concern with a can of penatrating oil, just lube up the hood latch, close and open the hood several times and you should be good to go.

 

As for the No.3 spark plug on a 4.3 4x4...I went and bought a $5 swivel socket at AZ and went through the wheel well...Took all of 30 seconds to get out.

 

My Jimmy has been pretty good, however, few issues have appeared after 1 y of ownership:

needed U-joint replacement (rear driveshaft)
plastic cover of driver's seat rail broke
battery died (maybe I left the dome light on, then completed the death by getting key stuck in ignition with weak battery)
rear hatch glass used to squeak badly last winter, seems better this year
driver's seat cloth beginning to wearing through
cracked windshield, certain cars seem to get cracks more easily than others (hasn't spread, don't intend to fix unless it gets worse)
I see signs that the fuel gauge wants to misbehaves, but this disappears if the engine is shut off and restarted
Bose stereo sounds wimpy
controls are not the most user friendly or intuitive (have read owners manual many times, still not sure how everything works)
swing out spare tire often doesn't latch closed, if this happens, it swings out as you start driving away
poor visibilty out rear, in blind spot, and to side (makes life hell trying to merge into traffic from an angle, mirrors useless)
parking brake won't engage

So, overall, my Jimmy has been pretty reasonable maintenance-wise, no major problems with fuel systems, electricals,etc. So, I have been lucky so far and once someone is aware of the Jimmy/Blazer's idiosyncrisies, one can exercise care and get good use out of the vehicle. I bought mine used from a friend who seems to have maintained it excellently (still had new car smell after 7 years, 94,000 km on the odom) and maybe this was one of the best to leave the assembly line, because seems like a solid truck, minor quirks and wear aside. When problems arise, I try to fix them myself first. Good way tolearn about working on cars, although things are pretty crowded under the hood. Changing plugs sounds like it is going to be a major chore, lucky it doesn't need to be done too often.

 

Where do I start? Oh well-I must say it has been the most problematic vehicle I have ever owned. Geez, my old Ford Pinto which was supposed to be a pile never gave me this many headaches:

1. Heater Core
2. Intake Leak
3. Dex Crap (see 2 and 3)
4. Ball joints (it loves these)
5. Possesed HVAC system (amazing what some vacuum hose and little plastic small engine gas shutoff valves can be made to do when you're sick of throwing money at the CCC system vacuum valve and head units-looks a little hillbillish but I don't care)
6. Fuel pumps
7. Seat recline handles
8. vacuum lines
9. Transfer case vacuum switches

The plus side is the 4.3L and the body both are in really good shape after 135,000 miles.

The down side is that I have WAY MORE in this POS than what it is really worth. Should have stopped months ago but I hate to see a good engine and body go to waste.

I'm sure I missed something. If this is any reflection on GM quality it's a wonder they weren't crying bankruptcy years ago. Can't recall a good GM product madeafter they did away withTBI-both cars and trucks. I've had severalolder GMcars and GM K-Series trucks and never did I have the problems like this-most of these went 200,000 miles and beyond.

Not that TBI was the cure all-I'm just using this as a general time frame as to when quality really went down the drain.

Give me a mid to late seventies Ford or Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 with a 4 speed stick and a 300 or 292-these were the most reliable rigs ever made.

 

Back Window squeaking! Non-Stop! High Pitch Squeak. Tried everything; replace hinges, lubed, oiled, coated, still there.

 

Well I found my rattle in the front was the obvious but not really, the ash tray, that was my main rattle, i took it out and put a ashtray delete in place and the rattle went away and now I have an extra power socket.

And the rear shade is another one... I ordered a plain jack cover to replace the shade...

Those were my 2 headaches...

 

List of my quirks....

-Rattling noise coming from engine/dash board. Very hard to trace although lately I haven't heard it or my ear just mutes that sound by itself lol.
-I also have that hood issue. WD40 temporarily fixed it... for a week.
-plastic on the speaker housing on the dash board (under the windshield) is brittle as egg shells. You touch it and it breaks. (overall the plastic is very brittle in this car and degrades faster)
-My driver side window refuses to go up most of the time or usually when I need it (has a mind of its own). Sometimes I have to pull on it to get it to lift, then it stops and I can't lift it as I'm holding down the button. I swear that's annoying.
-Sometimes the door latch that holds the door to the frame when you close, is in the close position when it's open, so when you go to close your door, it bounces right back at you!
-I have to mash on the unlock and lock button numerous times to get the freaking thing to lock or unlock, even when I'm a foot away.

-Last and final quirk. Having a gold color Jimmy. It looks like a blazer. So, when I'm at school or at a store I try to unlock my car, both with the remote and key and nothing works. Turns out it is someone's car! Happened to me recently at a store, where there was one parked next to mine, but I was facing the other car. I have yet to come up to one with an alarm or get yelled at by the owner if they see me lol.

As long as the tranny works, no over heating, no burning oil, and get decent gas mileage, then I'm happy as a clam with it.

 

list of my quirks:
my 94 blazer 4.3 w 4x4 175,000miles,,,,ball joints, a-arm bushings, drag link, pitman arm, head gaskets, transmission, horn button wire, heater controls, many tranfer case vaccuum switches, rear main seal, fuel pump/sending unit, gauge cluster, all the vaccuum hoses twice, console door, rear window latch,

my 96 blazer 4.3 w 4x4 206,000miles,,,,getting ready to put in the second transmission, tp sensor, rear dif, front dif,transfer case vaccuum switch, all vaccuum lines,gotta keep all the grounds clean,factory radio works when it wants to andsometimes the displaydissappears so i turn the radio off and the music keeps playing at the same volume until it decides to turn off, power window switches
the middle, drivers sidespark plug on both are a real nightmare to get to,
and of course brakes/tune ups and fuel/air filters,,,,all this andi keep buying them,,,,