Ive got a 2000 4dr ls 4x4 and i just did bodywork and got rid of my rusty panels. My car just seems slow, overly slow. Im looking for some performance upgrade suggestions that are easy and cheap. Im in highschool so I dont have much money to work with so im not looking into something at much as a turbo, some cheaper, easy performance upgrades. Any suggestions???

 

I would start with a tune up, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, clean the MAF, replace the air/fuel filters, verify timing, etc. If all is good, realize the 4.3 is not a race engine in the least. It has great torque for what it is, but not a hp monster by any means. Go off road, put it in 4lo, find some steep climbs and see how it does. If you keep spinning the wheels, it is not a lack of power, you just need better tires. You might also want to change the oil, tranny fluid, diff fluids, and transfer case fluid. Some basic maintenance may wake up you Blazer.

 

I changed the plugs last year so those are good. Id bet my MAF and air filter hasnt been touched in forever, ill see where that gets me

 

Also, ive heard good things about the Spectre and K&N intakes. Would that be a nice upgrade?

 

As AJBert mentioned, these are not known as speed-demon vehicles, well except for the Typhoon ones.

You might look to see what the RPO codes say you have for gear ratios in your axles. Your acceleration may be not so good because you don't have the 3.73:1 gears. If you don't, your mileage is probably better than mine!

My advice is I'd concentrate on making your Blazer reliable and bulletproof. There is a sticky thread with lists of common issues with the Blazers that you might consult to identify possible upgrades and replacements. Replacing the remote oil cooler lines is almost a rite of passage for Blazer owners, as is replacing the lower intake manifold gaskets that can blow out ruining your engine in a matter of seconds if at highway speed. Your 2000 might be new enough to have dodged that issue though.

Some conventional wisdom regarding parts is that for the distributor, only use GM caps and rotors. Similarly, only use high-quality spark-plug wires. For suspension and steering components, Moog and Proforged are considered the best. (Watch out for the Proforged idler arms, they may be using the nylok nuts which I don't like for such applications.)

Once you have your bulletproof Blazer, you'll be the popular one rescuing all your friends when their rides break-down or go in the ditch!

P.S. Regarding the replacement intakes: I'm agnostic on those, leaning towards that they don't likely help much.

 

I'm with Christine on aftermarket air intakes. Unless it properly isolates the intake air from the heat of the engine bay, any decrease in flow restriction is likely negated by the decreased air density due to higher temperatures.

 

I see, I would indeed rather have my car last longer than beating it to **** with mods lol. I do think that after this winter i will replace the oil cooler lines. And as I told AJ i did replace the spark plugs with some AC delco plugs. I am going to do some fluid changes aswell soon. I do have a question for you though, my friend mentioned some engine sea foam that may help get carbon cleaned out and help my engine, especially because it is 24 years old, have you heard anything about this stuff and is it good?

 

I am not familiar with using Sea Foam on engines. I've heard of people using it, but only on really messed up engines. Perhaps others will know more and can chime in. Since you've had your replacement plugs in for a while, you might pull them and see what they look like to get a sense of how the engine is running. Reading plugs is one of the oldest, but still a very valuable way to diagnose engine performance and potential issues.

BTW, that middle plug on the driver's side is hard to get out, isn't it! There are special sockets for that if you ever want to get at it again. And good catch on using the AC Delco plugs.

When do you do your fluid changes, the transmission is hard to do by yourself since you can only get a small fraction of it out. It can also be hard to get at the pan bolts due to the cross member. Furthermore, there is some thoughts that our transmissions, the 4L60E, can actually have their performance harmed by doing a fluid change. What can happen is that with new fluid with its detergents, the 3/4 clutches will start to slip as they are cleaned off. The failure of the 3/4 clutch-pack is not uncommon if the transmission has been overheated. I should know as I did that by towing my boat while in overdrive. D'Oh! The owner of the transmission shop made me promise never to do that again. LOL I have since installed an oversized radiator and the largest transmission cooler I could find.

You should definitely do the front and rear differentials. Be sure to look for any sparkling in the gear oil. If there is none, the gears are in good shape.

For the transfer case, be mindful that the type of fluid you will use will depend on they type of transfer case. If it is a "4-button" type with the Auto4wd option, it takes a special blue fluid.

A last easy thing to check, are the underhood vacuum hoses. These tend to wear out and start to deteriorate over time. The vacuum hoses supply vacuum to both your HVAC system and your front axle engagement. If you have a leak you won't know you don't have 4wd until it is too late. Often a symptom of leaks is that the HVAC actuators don't seem to direct the air flow correctly.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

Lol that middle drivers plug was indeed a hell of a sucker to get out… Thanks for the help Christine and AJbert i’ll make sure to keep you guys posted on how it goes!

 

Lack of power or being overly slow could be anything. Maybe a weak fuel pump or failing fuel pressure regulator. Do a fuel pressure and leakdown test. The pumps and regulators are FUN to replace.

There are plenty of tests on YouTube proving Seafoam does work. It won't hurt to do it at least once. Also add fuel injector cleaner to the gas tank the next time you fill up. I prefer LUCAS brand for most everything, but any are okay I'm sure.

Keep it simple, start with the basics such as new engine oil and transmission fluid, spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, fuel filter, and you should see improvement in vehicle performance. At least up to where it should be for these Blazers.