Why should I like my blazer?
 

I have a 2000 Blazer 4 door LS 4WD (I have owned it for 2 weeks now) and thus far I am finding it to be a frustrating vehicle. I know there are lots of people that love the Blazer and I would really like to know why. Here are my personal observations so far.

1. To replace the spark plugs I had to remove the wheels and the steering shaft.
2. The intake manifold was a bit of a nightmare to replace the lower gaskets.
3. The doors sag over time and need to have the bushings replaced.
4. Replacing the tranny pan gasket requires removing the transmission support bar.
5. Replacing the idler arm is an exercise in retrieving bolts from inside the frame channel through a small hole.
6. The drivers seat adjustment arm is easily broken off......not easily repaired.
7. The pushbuttom 4wd activation system is just a mess. I had to replace lots of vacuum tubes.
8. The transfer case vacuum activation switch is a real pain to replace. (no room to work with)
9. The ABS sensors require the removal of the front caliper and bracket just to replace the sensor.
10. The ABS sensors are very sensitive to rust and corrosion on the wheel hub. (I am not sure I will be able to figure out why my ABS is not working without replacing every component)
11. My blazer is often blowing the 4WD fuse when I activate/deactivate the pushbutton 4WD.
12. There is no useful undercarriage protection built in for the gas tank, transmission or engine. (my idea of using this SUV for off roading appears very limited now without some significant upgrades)

Overall it seems like the engineers designed this vehicle to break down. And the engineers didnt give much thought to making it easy to repair.

I just recently purchased this Blazer and I really want to like it.........but I need some motivation.

What are the great things about the 2000 Chevrolet Blazer? (I already know some of its shortcomings.......and I assume I will find more)

Mine is a 98, I had a large list of repairs from lack of maintenance. But once all the little things where fixed its been pretty dependable. Just keep up with basic maintenance.

I have a 2000 Blazer 4 door LS 4WD (I have owned it for 2 weeks now) and thus far I am finding it to be a frustrating vehicle. I know there are lots of people that love the Blazer and I would really like to know why. Here are my personal observations so far.

1. To replace the spark plugs I had to remove the wheels and the steering shaft.


Have you tried changing the pugs on 99% of the newer vehicles? You will be wishing you only had to remove a tire and steering shaft! (you don't actually have to remove the shaft either) For comparison to change spark plug wires on my Land Rover Discovery the lowest quote I received was $1200 JUST FOR THE WIRES due to the fact that the service manual says to remove the upper intake manifold. I'm willing to bet you don't even have a third of that in all the little things you have had to do.

2. The intake manifold was a bit of a nightmare to replace the lower gaskets.


That's a one time repair and is really easy on a 4.3 compared to a lot of vehicles

3. The doors sag over time and need to have the bushings replaced.


Door bushings are annoying but very cheap and easy to do yourself and will likely be a one time ordeal.

4. Replacing the tranny pan gasket requires removing the transmission support bar.


It can be done without removing it but its really only a couple extra bolts and once again should be a one time ordeal.

5. Replacing the idler arm is an exercise in retrieving bolts from inside the frame channel through a small hole.


Toss a small round high power magnet (about $3 for a handful from the hardware store) inside your socket and it will prevent you from dropping the bolts inside the frame:)

6. The drivers seat adjustment arm is easily broken off......not easily repaired.


I have power seats but just replacing the arm seams pretty straight forward and easy to me!

7. The pushbuttom 4wd activation system is just a mess. I had to replace lots of vacuum tubes.


Its easier and cheaper to just eliminate the vacuum portion of the system. I did a write up on it on the first page of my build thread on how to do it for about $40!

8. The transfer case vacuum activation switch is a real pain to replace. (no room to work with)


Its tight but its doable with a bit of patience. Again have you tried to work on any of the newer model vehicles out there?

9. The ABS sensors require the removal of the front caliper and bracket just to replace the sensor.


That's pretty standard and its only a couple bolts so in my opinion not a hard job.

10. The ABS sensors are very sensitive to rust and corrosion on the wheel hub. (I am not sure I will be able to figure out why my ABS is not working without replacing every component)


Do some reading around here and you will find a bunch of helpful posts about diagnosing the abs issues. There's only a few things that can cause issue and a lot of times it comes to a sensor or pinched/broken sensor wire.

11. My blazer is often blowing the 4WD fuse when I activate/deactivate the pushbutton 4WD.


There is a good bit of info on this subject as well just spend some time reading. I never had any issues with mine so I don't have much knowledge other than what I've read online.

12. There is no useful undercarriage protection built in for the gas tank, transmission or engine. (my idea of using this SUV for off roading appears very limited now without some significant upgrades)



Mine came with front, motor, tcase and gas tank skids so everything is very well protected! They are just hit or miss on the factory options. I was able to go everywhere I attempted with 31s and the factory locker in the rear. (yes I have gone much bigger now but that apparently only means I get stuck deeper lol)
Attachment 31024
(yes I'm whoring this pic because now that I'm not stuck in the river anymore I find it amusing and I kinda like the pic!)

Overall it seems like the engineers designed this vehicle to break down. And the engineers didnt give much thought to making it easy to repair.


After reading through all of your points I still can't find where you said you had to pay someone to do any of the repairs so in my book your way ahead of the newer model cars that you cannot even start to diagnose without fancy computers and tools made specifically for the application.

I just recently purchased this Blazer and I really want to like it.........but I need some motivation.


Give it some time get all the little and seemingly tedious and annoying things out of the way and I'm sure you can learn to love it!

What are the great things about the 2000 Chevrolet Blazer? (I already know some of its shortcomings.......and I assume I will find more


Overall I think it is a really easy platform to repair and maintain and if properly maintained is pretty low on needed repairs. You didn't mention how many miles you have but you have to expect some amount of repairs after 14 years and however many miles.


Oh and best of all about owning your blazer you get to spend time with all of us here on Blazerforum!!!

I understand that the newer vehicles are a bit more tedious to repair. I really just want to like my Blazer After all the time spent doing the repairs I am having some buyers remorse..........I sometimes find myself wishing I had purchased a Ford Explorer, Toyota 4Runner or Jeep Grand Cherokee.

My other car is a 2004 Jaguar X-Type. I am having a love hate relationship with that vehicle. The electronics in those vehicles is not entirely wonderful. But its a Jaguar! :-) Jaguars just look awesome!

Its a shame I didnt get a blazer with the undercarriage protection......that is probably my biggest issue. I am timid about tackling any serious 4wd trail here in Colorado. The gas tank and tranny pan have a big red target painted on them just waiting for the first sharp rock. :-) If I had the undercarriage protection I would likely be putting in a locker and heading for the trails.

BTW........my Blazer has 195K miles. It appears to have been garage kept most of its life. The body is in amazingly great condition.

And you folks on this forum have been wonderful and amazing.

Blazers are a good balance of size, comfort, power, storage/capacity, and looks. Are they the best? No. But they are reasonable in every category. And of course they are fairly cheap to buy, own and repair. Can you afford a 2011 Honda Pilot? I can't. How about a 2012 Tahoe? Nope. But I can afford a 2000 Blazer and spend a few $$$ here and there to keep it rollin. It's cheaper than a car payment!

jeeps are to small, toyotas rust out fast and fords, well they`re fords

Not many people on here know it but I also own a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Even with the bulletproof 4.0L straight 6 it still has just as many common quirks / issues as any of the s-series I've owned. I've definitely spent more money in repairs on it then my current Blazer by a long shot.

I think the point im trying to make is that regardless of which 10 year old SUV you buy there are going to be problems. Focus on what you like about whichever you choose, and don't let a small repair bill cloud your judgment.

plus 195K is a lot of miles for a used vehicle. If the previous owner(s) never kept up / cared to fix any of the common issues then that certainly explains some of your frustrations.

Yesterday I got to replace the wheel bearings. That was fun grinding out the rivets to replace those. I dont have a lift so I had to remove the entire knuckle to get access to removing the rivets. Fun fun fun!

I just have to get the ABS working, a door spring installed and my vehicle will be mostly repaired. Yeah!

What wheel bearings were you replacing? The front are an entire assembly that are held on by 3 bolts. I've never had to touch any rivets to swap wheel bearings?!?!

Sounds more like ball joints to me