Thought you would find this interesting....

http://forums.gminsidenews.com/showthread.php?t=8730

Hahaha, I think the blazer is very reliable on most levels.

The engine has been running well, it is as quiet as a kitten even at 100k. However, the intake gasket went after only a few years of mild driving.

The thing ran with a hole in its radiator (maybe because of the gasket?) for over a year -at least 10k miles and since it was only used on short drives to and from work it was hardly noticed -but this explained why the heat never worked. I even drove it down to florida and back with no coolant (though the temp guage did go past the half way mark). I can't believe the engine is as great as it is now without running with coolant in it- that may be luck not reliability. It still purrs like a kitten, but the oil lines are leaky and I think there is another oil leak somewhere.

I've been able to systematically locate and eliminate all the interior squeeks. My gf says I'm anal and obsessed, but the thing is sooo quiet inside. That hood washer fix was amazing!

I started off not knowing anything about cars, but through this site and first hand experience I've been getting pretty good at diagnosing its problems. I baby it to the best of my abilities and it is now my favorite hobby to get the best mpg and lowest amount of wierd noises possible.

I was just ranting about its lack of reliability with my dad when he was replacing the transmission valve body this past weekend. He's an ASE master diagnostic tech who became a service department manager back in the 80's. He has maintained his master certification - he strives to be a better mechanic than his employees, and they come to him with all the troubleshooting problems they can't solve. His Toyota dealership shop gets alot of weird cars of all makes. He says my 98 4x4 Blazer is one of the hardest to work on, as everything seems to be behind something, and you have to take more than average parts loose to get to anything. However, he's amazed at how long everything lasts. I have put 60,000 miles on it since I bought it used in 2002 (and it had 60k miles then). Since then, not one major or costly component has broken. It has had the usual oil leaks, the airbag light on, the fuel pump got noisey/whiney but never died, crazy wipers, and the P1870 transmission thing. But nothing important ever died, and it has never stranded me (knock on wood).

I was griping until he showed me the brand new (10,000 or fewer miles) Toyotas they had in the shop that were all sludged up and needed new engines and even some worse cases that were just poor design. He really put the Blazer in perspective. I like to gripe about it, but this transmission repair is the first real money I've had to put in it. I would say it's one of the most reliable. Maybe I got lucky, and the previous owner replaced everything - who knows. It sure has been very nice to me, however, and I've put more miles on it than he did.

I even still have my 85 4x4 Blazer - my first car as a kid. I drove it right up until the day I bought my 98 (same white color and both top trim package - it's like the 98 is a newer clone of my 85). I still drive the 85 on weekends, and it runs as great as it did when I was in high school. I have put almost zero non-maintenance parts on it (just hoses, belts, filters, etc.) other than an alternator. It's been even more reliable than my 98. I may be a weird case because I actually maintain my Blazers and change the oil/filter every 3500 miles, but I think Blazers can't be beaten when it comes to reliability, looks, or usability. I know nothing of the Trailblazer as of yet, however (the whipping boy of that link that's posted). If my 98 keeps running and looking good, I'll never know anything about a Trailblazer. :cwm27:

I've been able to systematically locate and eliminate all the interior squeeks. My gf says I'm anal and obsessed, but the thing is sooo quiet inside. That hood washer fix was amazing!

chcknugget, talk to me about interior noise...those plastic door panels and the center console..oofa! What did you do? The truck is solid but its hard to tell with all that rattling going on!

I don't have a center console hehehehe...

For the door panels I put in new christmas tree clips and lined pieces of old rag on the inside of the door panel to keep it on tight. I bet you can find the clips at the dealer, but I actually found them at the local hardware store for 15 cents a piece.

My dash rattled above the light switch panel on the drivers side (where the vent is) and I put 3m foam tape in there to stop it.

The most annoying was the squeaking rear glass. I had originally thought it was my jack stowage that was doing it, but I had my gf go back there and listen when I was driving. I adjusted the striker bolts for the lower half of the hatch, and that actually keeps the top hatch tighter and stops the squeaking. Some people have used vaseline on the weatherstrips. I hear it makes them last longer too.

Of course the hood rattling can be fixed by the wonder washers.

My passenger side door had a metallic rattle for years and it ended up being a piece of the door sheetmetal where the weather strip connects. A weld had broken off and was hitting the window while it was up, so I zip-tied an old cut up bicycle tube to it and no more problems there.

I've been using old engine oil to lubricate things recently and it has been working great so far. It is even supposed to prevent rust by displacing water. I used it on my rear leaf springs and it's great.

The only thing that rattles now is all the tools in my trunk...

MacGyver would be proud...thanks!

Thought you would find this interesting....

http://forums.gminsidenews.com/showthread.php?t=8730

The whole thread is full of nothing but whiners...... :crying: ; what is there, about 13 pages of people crying about new vehicles that are still under warranty.
Most of them probably don't know a radiator cap from a coke-bottle cap.

WHINERS!

The whole thread is full of nothing but whiners...... :crying: ; what is there, about 13 pages of people crying about new vehicles that are still under warranty.
Most of them probably don't know a radiator cap from a coke-bottle cap.

WHINERS!

Yeah those guys sound goofy. I hope gm doesn't take them seriously.

What exactly is reliability anyways? Engine starts everytime? Engine/tranny failure? Squeaks? Seriously now...

other than the crappy fuel pump..
I think the 1st gen blazers are just fine.
There will always be something about every car!!

Yes, I would agree, what a bunch of whiners! My ashtray is full, the windows are dirty, and my 4WD isn't working on the ice... S trucks and blazers have been my vehicle of choice for many years. Yes, they have issues, but what vehicle doesn't? And as for the interior rattle-crap, (someone here once described it as plastic on plastic love, my wife loved that, and now I say it all the time) well, thats what double-sided tape, expanding foam and sheet metal screws are for! Besides, who couldn't love a truck that can take as much crap as we put them thru. I really am hard on mine, ( several good snows this winter and friends with Fords and Chevy vans kept me busy, hehe..) but I lube her up, keep her full, and she's ready to go again.

:smokin:

its true, the crap i put mine through...most other cars would have fallin apart by now!

i had an 87 blazer 4.3, that had 277k on it and still runs STRONG. other than spark plugs, belts, ect.... the only major things that went wrong was the fuel pump, wipers with a mind of their own, and a ign. mod. the body was starting to rust out, thanks to all the salt the state of ohio put on the ground. but i can't tell you how many people i pulled out of the snow with it, or how many intersections i cloulded over punching the gas. it is by far the most relilable vec. i've own. well, maybe the second most. i was so impressed with it, i bought a 98 blazer to take it's place.

i had an 87 blazer 4.3, that had 277k on it and still runs STRONG. other than spark plugs, belts, ect.... the only major things that went wrong was the fuel pump, wipers with a mind of their own, and a ign. mod. the body was starting to rust out, thanks to all the salt the state of ohio put on the ground. but i can't tell you how many people i pulled out of the snow with it, or how many intersections i cloulded over punching the gas. it is by far the most relilable vec. i've own. well, maybe the second most. i was so impressed with it, i bought a 98 blazer to take it's place.

may i add i bougth a japanise car and drove the hell out of it and blew the motor up at 84k miles then had it rebuilt and something broke every 500 miles even with a rebuilt motor due to abuse then i traded the jap car for my s10 blazer a 85 model year and drove the hell out of it since 2002 trying to get a excuse to put a v8 in it and still do to this day and it still has not given me any major prob just regaulr maniance and on you go.......... before i owned my chevy i liked ford's well i still do but now i like both ..........