I've been having a few issues with my Blazer. I'm new to the forum, so apologies if these questions have been answered already. Admittedly, I also am far from a mechanic, and know very little about cars. First off, I have a 2000 2-dr Blazer (4.3 engine I think) with about 60k miles on it. I currently live in Germany, and had my Blazer shipped here from the States. I fear that the sea air or something might have taken a bit of a toll on it, because problems have been popping up ever since. Here are some of the things I have/had problems with:

- My heater seems to blow warm air all the time, unless I have the A/C on. Is this common?? Not a big deal, just curious

Real Problems:

- First, my fuel gauge went haywire. It seems to read normal above 3/4, but after that it flops back and forth, full to empty, occasionally activating the low fuel gauge. I have had this problem for several months now, but due to lack of funds and fear of great expense to fix a problem that I seem to be able to avoid (I fill the tank based on miles travelled), I haven't had it looked at. Any idea what it might be and estimated cost of repair?

- Recently, my wife noticed a puff of smoke coming from the steering column. Since then, the directional sound (the blinker tick tock) activates almost non-stop, even sometimes making strange somewhat grinding sounds. The actual blinker functions fine when activated, but its annoying

- About a week later, we noticed that the Emergency Brake Warning Light and ABS Warning Light would randomly be illuminated, and stay illuminated for the remainder of the trip.

I assume the last two problems were caused by some sort of short in the wiring of the steering column, and possibly the first real problem too. I want to get all these fixed, but since American mechanics here are limited, I'd like to be able to go to the German mechanics with an idea of what might be causing the problem, to minimize troubleshooting time and cost of repair. If anyone can help me with any of these problems, with info on possible causes and cost of repairs (atleast in the US) it would be GREATLY appreciated. I love my truck, this is actually my second Blazer (first was an '88) and I want it to function like it used to. Please help.

Mark

 

To avoid confusion, try posting the topics separately. You'll find you get better responses if you only have one question per thread.

 

the gas gauge thing is very common with these trucks. I know mine has been repaired before I had gotten it. I have the same as you, 2 door, 4x4, 2000. I'll ask a friend of mine what that part was that it needed. but thats a VERY common issue. In my opinion it should be a recall!!

 

first one is a fuel lever sender...

second one is...bad multifunction switch

not sure on anything else...

 

There is a recall on the multifunction switch in the steering column. A puff of smoke is NOT good.

The fuel gauge problem isn't a safety issue and it isn't all that wide spread. I'd like to see the ball-joint issue be a recall, but just like the gauge, it isn't very wide spread. It is more of a safety issue, but it depends a LOT on maintenance and driving conditions. The fuel level sender really depends on how often the sender is kept out of the fuel (ie. fuel level below 1/2 tank).

I do agree that you'll probably get more appropriate answers if separated into different threads. The heater issue could be a vacuum leak in the dash not closing the heater door when on vent or a/c. It could also be a sticking actuator.

 

Okay so lemme clarify for myself here. The problems I'm experiencing with warning lights on the dash are possibly caused by a faulty multifunction switch. So if it has been recalled, I could expect that replacement costs should be relatively minimal?

And what about the fuel lever sender, how complex (expensive) of an operation could I expect that to be?