Hi. I'm Kristi. I introduced myself on the newby page. Looking for some direction to look in concerning my 2002 Blazer 4.3 vortex 4x4, Beatrice. Threw her in reverse on a hill. Seemed the rear passenger tire seized and made a horrible sound like it was stuck. People outside the vehicle had originally thought I hit something. It was loud. Drove it forward about 50 Ft and realized I couldn't drive her home 15 miles,, up and down a mountain. Had her towed. It's so much to explain but I'm hoping someone could point me in a direction so I may diagnose and THEN ask you guys what to do. But that's the gist of what happened. Tow truck guy said maybe rear end. Someone said differential. Another , maybe axle and or brake? It is only the one side. My kid said she saw a spark when I tried to put her in reverse at home and it made that noise again. Appreciate any ideas. Thank you 😊

 

I failed to mention that going in reverse isn't a current option. It will move forward with an odd noise every couple feet. But the rear passenger tire seemingly stays locked in reverse and makes a sound like it's stuck or jammed. It's been down about a month or so now. So my details are getting fuzzy.
thank you!

 

Another thing to investigate is the brake calipers. I've seen where after replacing the brake pads, the brake bolts were not torqued correctly and a bolt actually fell out. This caused a nasty grinding noise, and it would bind when moving in one direction as the caliper fell against the rotor. This is a super easy one to investigate and rule out prior to digging deeper into things.

That being said, it sounds like most likely it's an issue inside the differential, and you might need to pull off the cover to inspect the gears.

 

Based on what you posted, I agree with El-Beautor that you likely have a problem with the differential although hopefully it is the brakes which would be easier to repair.

I would suggest jacking up the rear end and doing a thorough check. Without taking anything off, I'd try rotating the rear tires and watching what happens and where any noises originate.

Assuming I have my logic correct, when things are fine, rotating one rear tire will result, by the differential, the other to rotate in the opposite direction if the driveshaft is locked in place by the transmission being in Park. If one of the wheels or axles is locked, either by a bad brake or damage to the differential, then if the transmission were in Park, you would not be able to rotate either tire. But if the transmission were in Neutral, rotating the free wheel would cause the driveshaft to rotate due to the other wheel being locked.

I love that you named your Blazer. Now I'm thinking I should do the same for mine!