Hey guys, I’m brand new to the forum and I’m excited to get to know you guys and glean information concerning my newest vehicle purchase. I like tinkering with older vehicles and prefer the simplicity and reliability of many of them. I have four kids (two are adults) but the other two are in their teens. One is looking for his first ride but he specifically wants a manual tranny (proud papa moment!) and so I started looking for a small SUV with a manual. I was actively searching for an older 4Runner when I stumbled upon this 2002 zr2. Although, being a car guy, I was familiar with the name and the general details of the vehicle, I’ll confess that I didn’t know much about them. I’m looking to learn.

You guys have already been a help, because as I was trying to make the decision to purchase, much of the internet research I did led me to this site.

The truck is an indigo blue, manual tranny, tan interior with 196K miles and mostly original inside and out. It is my desire to start fixing the things that need immediate attention: lack of 4WD engagement (maybe the actuator on the transfer case), horrible door pins on the drivers door, new distributor cap/rotor/plugs/wires (if needed), protecting the frame and undercarriage from salt here in WisCo, etc
then I’ll branch out to stuff like changing all fluids, working through the electrical gremlins, figuring out why the door for the heat system doesn’t move from one position to the next, shocks, fuel gauge, LED lighting, squeak reduction (hopefully), patch panels for rotted areas in front of rear wheels (I wish they made fiberglass replacements for those), etc

in the deep wish bank: fabricated front bumper (with winch) maybe aftermarket rims (saving the originals or course), lsd for the front cast iron differential,

are there any other things that you guys would suggest that I monitor or move to the top of my list from your experience with these trucks. Thanks again for adding me to the community. I look forward to many memories being made with my boys in and on this truck over the next few years…

 

Welcome! Those ZR2s are fun.

As for hints, be sure to only ACDelco parts on the distributor.

The door pins are a common issue as is the front axle engagement.

For the axle engagement, this is often due to bad underhood vacuum lines. Leaking vacuum lines also make the HVAC system unable to direct air to the right outlets.

It sounds like you might have a bad blend door actuator that controls the heat in the HVAC system. These are electric, unlike the vacuum actuators for the rest of the HVAC system. These have gears that break. It is tight, but you should be able to get to it through the opening for the glove box.

These Blazers often have leaky remote oil filter hoses.

Regarding the fuel gauge, its sensor is integral with the pump. You will want to stick with ACDelco again.

Be sure to ask more questions.

 

Thank you for all these great tips! I look forward to learning more as I move forward with this fun little SUV. I’ve got several weeks of travel on my plate and so it will probably be early February before I am able to handle some of these issues but I’m looking forward to the repairs. Thanks for the welcome!