Thinking days are numbered for Sapphire
 

Well, after dealing with my daughter's car issues I've turned my attention back to the state of our present Blazer. Not the Trailblazer, that one is purring right along. But Saphire, the wife's 2000 Blazer is definitely showing it's age. I mean it was kinda beat when we bought it. But I thought after the rebuild I had to do with our 1995 Jimmy "Little Easy" I could bring this one back. I mean it hadn't been crashed like the Jimmy. But someone had messed with the suspension and put some small-arse little ghetto wheels and tires on it. I had to replace most of the front suspension parts and reshim the alignment. It still isn't perfect but passable. But the brakes were a mess. one seized caliper, one that was leaking, and a third that I can't bleed due to a totally fronzen and rounded bleeder. Then there's the upper A-frame bushings I've already replaced. And then the ongoing issue with the driver door that was messed up when we got it. Now I replaced the hinge. It does the job, but not a long-term fix. I can go about 5 months and the oil goes low and throws a P0420 O2 sensor code. Now the engine itself runs fine (one saving grace) but I could tell from an early point that the transmission is wearing out. Good indicator was when I picked up a boat two years ago (18 footer) I couldn't get over 70 mph through the rolling hills of north Texas. In my first Blazer back in 2004 I towed a grand am from Oklahoma City to Houston with no problem. So I know it can be done.

As of right now the door still needs to be fixed completely (new panel, new mirror, hinge mounted correctly) the tranny...ugh I don't even want to think about that, the gear box needs to be replaced, steering is sloppy as hell, new tires up front, replace the caliper in back with the frozen bleeder (just got that today) deal with the worn suspension in back, you can tell it sits a little low on the springs, And just this week, the window switch lock stopped working. windows will ONLY open from the driver door. And the keyswitch is starting to jam, getting hard to get the key out. Then there's the cracked windshield. If it weren't for the worn tranny I'd say it's still fixable. But with EVERYTHING, we are thinking when we get the Trailblazer paid off we might send this down the road. Looking at options. Maybe find another around here that needs parts to get back in good shape, or maybe ditch the Blazers/Jimmy's altogether and get a car, like an Impala or Monte Carlo. We've got the Trailblazer so our truck issues are covered. But maybe get something with better MPG next time. Problem is I've got a storage shed stacked with numerous acquired blazer parts. Headlights, an entire upper intake, distributor, even the condenser and coil from a working a/c. A fuel pump assembly. Then there are the good parts off Sapphire. And even a few left from Little Easy. Hate to just trash them. But anyway, we're going to have to do some hard soul searching by the end of the year. depends largely on how well Sapphire holds up between now and then. One more major failure and the decision might be made.

Will having it functional bring you enjoyment and or utility that will make the time and effort/money put in justified in your eyes?
If yes, keep wrenching, it'll be right at some point soon. if no, the forums does have a sales section.

Well crisis averted for now. I was able to get the frozen bleeder out of the original caliper and replaced it with a new bleeder. I was able to finally bleed that line and all the others together and got them balanced. They are the most firm since we bought it. So we might have saved it for a little longer. Still have to deal with the worn tranny. We'll see how things go at the end of the year.

I am glad to hear that you got the brake bleeder problem solved. Having good brakes is crucial to say the least. Good luck with Saphire ! Hope you get many more happy miles on it.

Oh crisis is averted but I'd be pushing it to say anything past this will be happy miles. It's more like limping along until the inevitable catastrophic breakdown. It's just going to take too much to get this one back into good shape. We're just going to ride it out until the end of the year and replace it. If we can find a descent replacement that needs parts maybe. But prob looking at pulling and selling parts and getting something like an impala. We've already got the Trailblazer so next, maybe, get something with better mpg.

Well I had to take it for a week. The wife needed the reliable drive so I took the blazer for the week. I hadn't really driven it long in a while. Hooooly crap! I didn't realize how bad the steering had gotten. It was down right dangerous. I had to finally break down and replace the gear box. Not terrible to do. Getting the pitman arm off was a bugger. But got it done and I gotta say that it is now the most stable it has been since we bought it. It still needs new rubber up front. But drives fairly smooth. Right now the main mechanical issue is the driver side 02 sensor needs replacing. Dont know if I'm going to dig into the door or just leave it till it craps out. But for now it's humming along. Since then we've switched again and I have it back as my daily driver. Mostly because the past couple weeks I've been dealing with some REAL bonehead roadragers. And I'd rather damage go on this one as opposed to the trailblazer. I know sacrafice. But since I still haven't been able to install my bluetooth head unit in the trailblazer I'm fine. At least they both have a/c (a must here in TX)

Well it looks like I'm going back to my original statement. Last week we went to our older daughter's place. On the way back (a 40 mile drive) the truck was showing over a quarter tank. It didn't seem to want to move. Previously the gas guage would wiggle just like the fuel sloshing in the tank. Very slight. But lately I've been noticing the gas guage has been slow to respond on the lower levels. Well on the way home, the last 4 miles into town I watched the guage go from quarter tank down to just above E. The low fuel light never came on. Then it sputtered out. I was able to coast a mile (down a slow grade) and around the corner to the gas station. But I can see now that the fuel sending unit is becoming unreliable. Sure I've got a spare fuel pump in the shed, yes I CAN replace it. Do I want to??? NO. I'm getting sick and tired of patching this thing up. I still love my blazers, but this one is breathing it's last gasps. Problem is we need to keep it limping until the end of the year when we get the Trailblazer paid off. And I've been looking around and finding even descent blazers that aren't over priced or jacked up or already trashed is becoming harder and harder. So at the end of the year if we can't find a suitable replacement, we're going to give up on the blazers and just get a car. Maybe an impala or Monte Carlo. We'll see.