What year is the worst (problematic, poor quality, lousy craftsmanship) for the Blazer ?

Well, my 95 was a problem from the get-go, (2 door 2wd), mostly interior parts that were cracking and breaking. That's why for a project truck I choose the 94, gen 1, so they had several years to have fixed all the previous crap. I also prefer the boxy, old school style. (and the stronger cpi motor)

The 1990 with 4.3 z

this model is a pain in the @$$ ...

I'd guess that 1995 was the worst, because they have the leaking CPI to worry about as well as all the problems the newer ones have.

1997

All usual problems plus that damn ignition switch.

"94 big faults in the earlier Linear EGR's. Also bad cause it still used R-12 Freon. I think it was the only production vehicle using R-12 in 1994.

"94 big faults in the earlier Linear EGR's. Also bad cause it still used R-12 Freon. I think it was the only production vehicle using R-12 in 1994.

Linear EGRs were used until I believe 1997 and they all have the same problem.

Wasn't the bad factory dexcool introduced partway through 95 through some of 96? I've seen 95s with green and some with red. Those vehicles had issues from the beginning because of the bad factory coolant.

Wasn't the bad factory dexcool introduced partway through 95 through some of 96? I've seen 95s with green and some with red. Those vehicles had issues from the beginning because of the bad factory coolant.

The problem is not the coolant, it is the bad rad caps.

The problem is not the coolant, it is the bad rad caps.

But the early dexcool blazers had bad mud problems, so the dexcool formula was changed. The rad caps on 95 and 96 are no different than any other year.

I can say this much, That my 1988 4.3 was rock solid. She was one mean B*%&^#! I would pit her with the best. The problems for me started when I payed more attention to my girlfriends corvette. Sorry that this year wasn't in the list, But I just had to commend my Gal for being there when I needed her. 4 wheel drive all the way. She had to have atleast 50 thousand miles trail driving and mountain climbing. The paint was gone, but the entire system was built like a mini-sherman tank. I wish that I could cuss, because she was that tough! If I find her again, I will buy her back.

i have a 95 thats rock soild. all the work was done right. the only things ever changed on the truck besides fluids and tune ups is,exhaust,lower and upper ball joints,shocks,CPI twice. once since i've had it and one time before,brakes,tires and the EGR valve. thats it. 77,000 miles and still runs strong. 4X4 is always there as well. no problems with it yet. the only thing i'd say about the years is any 96 and ups because of the smaller HP and the 1st gen had the 4 cyinder which should have never been put in there. TOO SMALL.

But the early dexcool blazers had bad mud problems, so the dexcool formula was changed. The rad caps on 95 and 96 are no different than any other year.

No, there was nothing wrong with the dexcool then either.

The sludge was caused from air getting into the cooling system from the poor cap which is just as shitty as any other year due to the fibrous rubber gasket which will harden and fail.

i have a 95 thats rock soild. all the work was done right. the only things ever changed on the truck besides fluids and tune ups is,exhaust,lower and upper ball joints,shocks,CPI twice. once since i've had it and one time before,brakes,tires and the EGR valve. thats it. 77,000 miles and still runs strong. 4X4 is always there as well. no problems with it yet. the only thing i'd say about the years is any 96 and ups because of the smaller HP and the 1st gen had the 4 cyinder which should have never been put in there. TOO SMALL.



hey man i just got a ? i notice that when i floor the truck at 25 or 30 miles an hour pickup is really sluggish and it gets up to 40 and sometimes doesnt even shift out, i just had the tranny completely rebuilt and still have the problem, aamco says its working properly? Does yours do this?

hey man i just got a ? i notice that when i floor the truck at 25 or 30 miles an hour pickup is really sluggish and it gets up to 40 and sometimes doesnt even shift out, i just had the tranny completely rebuilt and still have the problem, aamco says its working properly? Does yours do this?

Please stop spamming the forum with the same question.

Asking it once is all you need.

Please refrain from doing it in the future.

the 94 4x4 is a big pain in the @$$ i have one and cant get the damn thing to start it has a new fuel pump and all the other fuel stuff replaced and still dont want to start and its getting spark.can any one help please

Hi, mine does the same and the tranny had work done on it not at AAMCO though hmmmmmm
my thread "98 blazer check engine light on again"

I think the 95's are... my 96 has been rock solid, but my buddy had a 95 that had to have 3 injectors replaced at 80,000 miles. It also had a few other ticks to it that he had a lot of problems with.

I think the 95's are... my 96 has been rock solid, but my buddy had a 95 that had to have 3 injectors replaced at 80,000 miles. It also had a few other ticks to it that he had a lot of problems with.

95's don't have individual injectors you can replace.

Well then he didn't know what he was talking about...

I don't know, i just know he had a problem with 3 cylinders not firing right...

Ah, ok, that means he had to replace the CPI injector. When it fails, it over fuels three of the cylinders and leans out the other three.

Ahhh, well that makes sense then...

He told me it was the injectors... obviously he's an idiot and I'm an idiot for repeating it haha...

the 1995 is the worst. of course, ALL vehicles after 1972 are crap. i'm so tired of some silly ass computer thats located inside everything else, cost $900.00, and replaced something that cost $.10, that all i wanna do is find myself another 1968 c-10. i drove one of those for 4 years, spent maybe $100 on in that entire 4 years, and when something needed fixed, it was easy. i guess i'm rambling, but i'm SO TIRED of fixing this "modern" piece of crap...btw does anyone want to buy a 1995 blazer that i can't fix?

You are all wrong.............the 2.8L years, THOSE are the worst!!

the 1995 is the worst. of course, ALL vehicles after 1972 are crap. i'm so tired of some silly ass computer thats located inside everything else, cost $900.00, and replaced something that cost $.10, that all i wanna do is find myself another 1968 c-10. i drove one of those for 4 years, spent maybe $100 on in that entire 4 years, and when something needed fixed, it was easy. i guess i'm rambling, but i'm SO TIRED of fixing this "modern" piece of crap...btw does anyone want to buy a 1995 blazer that i can't fix?

You can't fix it?

Have you even tried?

how much

i put 94 but the truth is 85. like the domino effect everything goes in order water pump, altinator, tranny, radiator just desinagrates my frame rotted in god damn half. Twice two totally different blazers and actually 3 x's once with a 90 s-10 pick up. I have a 96 blazer now and besides replacing a heater hose it is perfect.

No, there was nothing wrong with the dexcool then either.

The sludge was caused from air getting into the cooling system from the poor cap which is just as shitty as any other year due to the fibrous rubber gasket which will harden and fail.
Dexcool was changed because of the mudding AND the hardening of the cap gaskets. seems its composition contained an oxydizer, great for cleaning, murder on rubber and other things... and btw, in a proper coolant return setup NO AIR touches the internal setup after its initial purge. Thats the nature of the beast.

i put 94 but the truth is 85. like the domino effect everything goes in order water pump, altinator, tranny, radiator just desinagrates my frame rotted in god damn half. Twice two totally different blazers and actually 3 x's once with a 90 s-10 pick up. I have a 96 blazer now and besides replacing a heater hose it is perfect.

Based on your NY license plate in your sig I can understand your rusty frame! I'm from Rochester and my frame is all rusty too.

I heard that the dexcool formula was changed around 1996 from my dealer. I don't have any information beyond that, but I do know that sludging was not the same issue for later year cars, and I doubt the radiator cap was the problem because it's design has not changed.

Dexcool was changed because of the mudding AND the hardening of the cap gaskets. seems its composition contained an oxydizer, great for cleaning, murder on rubber and other things... and btw, in a proper coolant return setup NO AIR touches the internal setup after its initial purge. Thats the nature of the beast.

No, the coolant is not causing the problem, the defective rad caps GM installed caused air to be able to seep into the cooling system which caused the mudding.

Don't believe me? Read this:

http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/dexcool-macs2001.htm

No, the coolant is not causing the problem, the defective rad caps GM installed caused air to be able to seep into the cooling system which caused the mudding.

Don't believe me? Read this:

http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/dexcool-macs2001.htm


That article also says:

7. Mixing a “green” coolant with DEX-COOL reduces the batch’s change interval to 2 years or 30,000 miles, but will otherwise cause no damage to the engine. In order to change back to DEX-COOL however, the cooling system must first be thoroughly drained and flushed.

I wouldn't mix anything with dexcool. And I still believe the first batches of dexcool were different than today's.

I have a 96', with 183k miles, 4 wheel drive. Biggest problems i had/have, the AC condensor blew, i had the rear wheel bearings replaces, and a Cv boot tore, otherwise usual maintence.

"i have a 95 thats rock soild. all the work was done right. the only things ever changed on the truck besides fluids and tune ups is,exhaust,lower and upper ball joints,shocks,CPI twice. once since i've had it and one time before,brakes,tires and the EGR valve. thats it. 77,000 miles"

That's all?;)

'97...I think the only thing that hasnt been a problem is the spare tire...thats because I have not used it yet....oh yeah, the gas cap has been flawless....lol sorry, anyone with a '97 understands my frustration...and my sarcasm.

'97...I think the only thing that hasnt been a problem is the spare tire...thats because I have not used it yet....oh yeah, the gas cap has been flawless....lol sorry, anyone with a '97 understands my frustration...and my sarcasm.


The problem is with your radiator cap. Try this ...

1) Unscrew your radiator cap
2) drive a new truck under it
3) replace cap

haha. Actually, my 97's been pretty good. Done the usual ball joints, sagging door, fuel pump, lower intake gasket, and ign switch. engine and tranny are still rock solid at 125,000.


my vote for worst is for the 92-95 guys that have to do their CPI n' shit ...

hey man i just got a ? i notice that when i floor the truck at 25 or 30 miles an hour pickup is really sluggish and it gets up to 40 and sometimes doesnt even shift out, i just had the tranny completely rebuilt and still have the problem, aamco says its working properly? Does yours do this?


i got a 95 built in august, and i had to rebuild my tranny also, when i got it back it seems to shift hard the first couple gears, and seems sluggish, like its not downshifting right. they said they put a shift kit in it, not sure what that does, but they said its supposed to make the tranny last longer. i have to take it back and have them check it out again, cause it aint right. also it vibrates a little, they said they replaced driveshaft rear u joint, so dont know if the vibration is due to that, or the tranny. will let ya know when i take it in again.

my vote for worst is for the 92-95 guys that have to do their CPI n' shit ...
:iamwithst
Not to mention that 95 was the transition year for everything, so they also have the confusion of having three different OBD systems, two different kinds of coolant, and all the initial bugs of the second generation platform.

not that I'm the expert or anything but ...

it seems those 96er's are rarely havin' problems like the 92-95 or us 97 guys ...

GirlBear, where u at?

ARE 96's THE BEST ?????????????




:iamwithst
Not to mention that 95 was the transition year for everything, so they also have the confusion of having three different OBD systems, two different kinds of coolant, and all the initial bugs of the second generation platform.

A real problematic year would have to be the 95 year with the body style transition, which my 97 still suffers from so its kinda tough to say.
But i wont hesitate to say that every car has their own particular flaws.

well i donno about ya guys i used to have a 85 2.8 automatic and it was very relayable however things had to be changed as things do not last forever like the radiair got so corodaded to the ponit of not working so i replaced it alteter whent out but what car does have a single alt. for over 20 years see my point and ofcorse the normal mantaince shit oh and a waterpump other then that no prob. and i drive alot now i have a 95 cpi w/ auto and things i replaced on that so far well egr thats so famous and starter the starter had the ac label plus a date stateing 2/95 on it well at 110+k miles well thats normal for a starter thats it and reg. man. all i can say is mantain your car like crazy it'll return the favor

95. Bought mine with 103k miles on it.
So far Ive replaced -
Battery
Alternator
Complete stereo system
Serpentine belt
Tensioner pulley
Upper ball joints
Lower ball joints
Inner tie rods
Outer tie rods
Pitman arm
Idler arm
Steering box
Muffler
screwed the rag joint together to make it solid
Left and right motor mounts
Shocks
2" suspension lift
and Removed the cat.
Now I have 140k miles on it.

Still the steering is sloppy, the guage fuse blows every time I go over 3k rpms and I usually cant keep a FM station tuned due to emi.
Thats a ton of work for 37k miles!
I forgot sway end links and bushings. And I cut the cat off.

95. Bought mine with 103k miles on it.
So far Ive replaced -
Battery
Alternator
Complete stereo system
Serpentine belt
Tensioner pulley
Upper ball joints
Lower ball joints
Inner tie rods
Outer tie rods
Pitman arm
Idler arm
Steering box
Muffler
screwed the rag joint together to make it solid
Left and right motor mounts
Shocks
2" suspension lift
and Removed the cat.
Now I have 140k miles on it.

Still the steering is sloppy, the guage fuse blows every time I go over 3k rpms and I usually cant keep a FM station tuned due to emi.
Thats a ton of work for 37k miles!




97 ls 113,000 got it with 90,000 a year ago
tranny rebuild
intake gasket
front sway bar
front sway bar bushings
2 altentators
3 t-stats
brakes all around
FR brake caliper
rad-cap
upper and lower rad hoses
battery
exhaust porciln gaskets- from manifold to y-pipe
rear wiper swtich
dimmer switch

On the way out, rear bearings, ignition switch, sterring pump

most is just maint work, its still money out of my pocket

alot of work for only a year and my self doing 90% of the work and being 19. "If it has tit's or tires, it will give you trouble" sorry if someone takes affense to that, but its true

i'm sorry to hear you have lemons i guess my luck has panned out for me so far cuz i do not have to do much other then normal wear and mantanice

93 LS I just worked on my tranny and here was my post when i was done.... I will let you decide.

01-07-2006, 07:50 PM
Re: Ok guys rookie tranny questions Post #20

tahoe44
AF Newbie


Joined: Feb 2005
I hope that Blazee sees this.
I wanna know who the f'in pr*ck is who f'in designed the bottom of this f'in truck was what kind of f head puts both the f'in exhaust and cross member directly under the f'in tranny pan. They should beat that stupid f**k with the f'in faulty spare tire rack he designed.

I have a 1995 2dr 4x4 LS Blazer. Got it with 120,000 miles for a great price so I really can't complain. It currently has 142,000+ and as far as engine and transmission are concerned it runs very well. 4 wheel drive system works great and I have not had any problems with the 4 wd system. As far as problems it seems that I have had the problems typical with Blazers.
EGR Valve
Ball Joints
Muffler
Battery
Thermostat
I believe the right rear wheel bearing
Fuel Tank
Water temperature sensor
ABS Modulator (luckily i've got a buddy who has a big car lot and gave me one for free)
Starter (What a bitch to change)
Just replaced the 2 driver side freeze plugs in the block
Spark Plugs (Man the middle one on the driver side is a bitch to get to)
So nothing really out of the ordinary and besides the ball joints nothing has been too expensive. I think the main reason for the tank and the freeze plugs are the fact that this was a Pennsylvania truck and all the salt and stuff corroded it up.

96 LT 4 Door 4x4, 146k miles. Truck is used for a work truck, has many miles on dirt and gravel roads as I work in the mining industry.

Intake Gasket
Engine Rebuild - (In Process Now)
U-Joints - 1 Front and 1 Rear
Pinion Seal
Belt Tensioner
AC Compressor Bearing
Idlier Pully and Bearing
Battery
Plug Wires, Distrubitor Cap and Button, Spark Plugs, and Radiator Hoses - Will be done while engine is pulled for rebuild.
ABS Module - Was Under Warrenty
Fuel Tank
Front Brake Calipers
Front Sway Bar Bushings

Plus your routine maintiance, oil changes, lube, gear oil, and filters.

I can't say for sure what the worst year is, but I just bought a 98 4WD about a year ago and seems like I'm always working on it. 107,000 miles. Sounds like there is a range of years that the Blazer needed a good amount of repairs.

The transmission was rebuilt just before I got it.
Upper and lower ball joints.
Inner and outer tie rods.
Pitman and idler arms.
Upper and lower control arm bushings.
Pulse board.
Multifunction/turn signal switch.
Oil filter relocate lines.
Rear main seal.
And the regular maintenance. (Plugs, wires, oil, ...).
I had/have a problem with the 4WD not disengaging, but have narrowed it down to 2 things.
I also had a problem with the ABS light coming on, turned out to be a bad ground wire, but still was some work to figure it out.
I am noticing that the door is starting to sag also.

From what everyone is saying it sounds like 95's were bad news.

Myself, I just traded in my wonderful blue 89 two door 2WD, and it was tough to do. I had it from May of 98 until a month ago, it had 176,000 miles on it when I did so, and in my 7.5 years of ownership, other than basic maintenance, replaced only the starter, two water pumps, and the muffler. Not bad for the mileage and the fact that it was the vehicle I used to travel the country for a year and a half. Mechanically, she was a ROCK. Alas, NONmechanically, she was having some issues...i.e., paint, power windows, liftgate hatch, etc. But as wonderful as she was, it was time to move on. And what did I get? A blue, two door, 2WD 2000 Blazer, of course. And in the first month, she has been great!

Anyway, I am brand new here, and while I am not a mechanic (other than changing the oil or a tire, I am clueless when it comes to such things), I do enjoy talking to people about their vehicles, especially when it happens to be the same one I have! (My stepsister, coincidentally, has a 90 Blazer.)

Remember...friends don't let friends drive Fords.

:-)

Jester

1991 S-10 Blazer 4x4 4.3L 4dr

Besides the fluids being changed, I have a list of things fixed and needing to be done. Things fixed: Alternator, waterpump, shocks, upper/lower ball joints, tires, belt 3 times, rebuilt front differential, heater core, master cylinder, brakes, rear seatbelts 3 times, 4WD cable, body mounts, upper control arms, instrument cluster 3 times, I know I am forgetting a few. Things to be done: Possible rear main seal, rear seatbelts again, rear wiper motor, driver's door, glove box door, tires, rear window shocks, steering box, left front fender rotted out, rear differential rebuild, again, I am forgetting some.

I chose '94 but I would have chosen the '91 if it were listed.

there is no bad year every make and model of vehicle have bad apples there is no exception no matter who tells ya you guys just got unlucky just type in google any make any model or year and they all have same type of comments about thier car or truck no car maker is any different in that department!:rofl:

"94 big faults in the earlier Linear EGR's. Also bad cause it still used R-12 Freon. I think it was the only production vehicle using R-12 in 1994.

damn eco freaks

No, there was nothing wrong with the dexcool then either.

The sludge was caused from air getting into the cooling system from the poor cap which is just as shitty as any other year due to the fibrous rubber gasket which will harden and fail.


no dexcool suxs green holds up much better

yes the 2.8 were very bad engens gms worst it competed with the ford 2.9 wich was a great engen ungel got 800000 on his all origneal and trans also on the 4.3 when they added the ballance shafts

'88 and '89 - hands down. I was a Chevy Master Tech back then. Talking to a field rep one day, he tells us a little bit about the numbers that Corp pays attention to. He explains that when warranty cost per vehicle gets up to $100, head roll. In 88 and 89, warranty cost per vehicle for S-10 p/u and Blazers was nearly $900. YIKES!!

I am really starting to not like my 00. 2x wheel bearings and some nasty creaking in the front suspension (still dont know what it is) and now this tranny problem.:banghead:

'88 and '89 - hands down. I was a Chevy Master Tech back then. Talking to a field rep one day, he tells us a little bit about the numbers that Corp pays attention to. He explains that when warranty cost per vehicle gets up to $100, head roll. In 88 and 89, warranty cost per vehicle for S-10 p/u and Blazers was nearly $900. YIKES!!

You could be right, but all the things that I've changed on my truck were not under warranty and not everyone goes to the dealer for parts and service, like myself. I have a 98 blazer 4x4 107,000miles.