Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy

01_hoe · October 2004

How many miles on the TB?

ross1962 · October 2004

...NEVER GO TO AUTOZONE for rotors...<i/>

The untrained people that they allow to work in some of these chain auto parts stores should not be walking around loose. A co-worker of mine went to two stores over the weekend; one Autozone, one Kragen. The clerks at BOTH stores looked at him like he had two heads when he asked where the cotter pins were! They honestly had never heard of them! I told him I bet they'd have no trouble telling you where the sub woofers, or chrome exhaust tips were!

dragonhead08 · October 2004

Have them check the steering shaft intermediary
my 02 trailblazer and my girlfriends moms 02 yukon have both had them replaced.

imadad2 · October 2004

I own a 2004 TB Ext. I am getting a whistling sound from my front windows on both sides while driving above 45 mph. It sounds like I have a window not fully rolled up. I got my first oil change and complained about the sound. The dealer stated that it is happening on both sides because of my outside mirrors. I think the dealer is full of crap. If that was the case, the sound would be different. I am thinking the window seals are not working the way they should.

I moved the roof racks back past the B pillar the first day I had the TB Ext. I have read several posts here on wind noise and have a couple questions. Is it worth fighting with the dealer to get this fixed? The other question is should I buy in channel visors to try and eliminate the sound or work on getting the seals to work better? Any feedback would be appreciated.

watchdog2 · October 2004

Greetings,
I have a 2003 Envoy that as of recently upon cold start the engine tends to clatter for several minutes until warmup. This concerns me because after having the vehicle for almost two years now this is the first year experiencing this matter.
Has anyone else experienced this ?

scottc454 · October 2004

Mine does that too. It's probably piston slap. When cold, the piston is smaller than the cylinder bore to allow room for heat expansion, and the rings slap against the cylinder wall.

Some engines do this more than others, but it's generally nothing to worry about. I'm sure others would disagree, though. The important thing is that the engine sounds good when warm.

I've got 76000 miles and very little oil consumption, but it sounds like a diesel when cold.

previousamigo · October 2004

Yes, that is the ol' whistling mirror problem. Do a seach for "whistling mirrors" here and you will find it well documented. Tblazed sent me some good pictures on how to fix this but I don't have the email to forward to you. I doubt you will get the dealer to do this homemade but good fix.

imadad2 · October 2004

I did the search like you suggested. Tblazed suggested to fold the mirrors in. The sound did not go away. I will try putting tape on the top of the mirrors to see if that eliminates it. If it does not, I still think it is the window seals. From the postings, I think I can establish where the whistle is coming from. I hope I can fix it.

Tblazed, if you are out there, I would appreciate it if you could send me the pics of the fix.

imadad2@yahoo.com

Thanks

01_hoe · October 2004

imadad2, would appreciate a forward of the mirror wind fix if you get it from Tblazed. TIA bill_renner@hotmail.com

watchdog2 · October 2004

Thank you for your response.
However, get this I only have 19,000 miles on the Envoy. It does sound and run like normal once it is warm though.....

2k_impala_ls · October 2004

brought in the 02 TB because my service 4WD light
was on and no light on the switch. The dealer tried to update the software and it did not work. They ended up replacing the ATC module and actuator. I only have 14,500 miles. I am glad it is still under warranty. My service rep told me it would have been about $500. I am definitely getting the majorgard extended warranty in July right before my original 3/36 is up. Now that GM adds the warranty to your existing mileage I might as well wait.

aldan · October 2004

30K, I could have gone until 80k on these brakes from what I observed, but the slight pulse was annoying.

imadad2 · October 2004

I tried stopping the wind noise by taping the seem in my rear view mirrors. No luck. I can still hear the noise. I am going to work on the door seals to see if that gets rid of the sound. If that fails, I will go for in channel visors. I just can't believe Chevy would not address this issue. You pay 30 grand for a vehicle, you should not have these small annoyances.

ficuss · October 2004

My 02 TB brakes were pulsing during braking. My dealer replaced 3 of 4 rotors for free. They did charge me for pads on all 4 corners though. The dealer implied that GM was replacing rotors under warranty. You may want to check to see if you can get a refund from GM for the rotors.

ross1962 · October 2004

I don't think it's the mirrors. I think it's inadequate door and/or window sealing. They all do this. You'd think they would have done some wind tunnel testing with dB meters inside the vehicle.

jbassoc · October 2004

My 2002 TB has never been good in the snow. Last year it spun around in the middle of the road on some slick snow and scared my wife to death. I had a bad time trying to drive through 8in of slush. I was fish-tailing back and forth because of the locking diff. and no front wheel grip while other pickups and suv's just drove on buy. The dealer naturally could not duplicate the problem on the lift. Its been in 6 times. I finally called GM and they sent an engineer to look at the vehicle. He said everything was fine and the dealer was not to work on it any more. I had an 04 loaner for the day. It had an open rear end. I took it out on a gravel road. In 4wd-HI I could not get any of the wheels to spin even with full acceleration. The traction was amazing. Later I took my 02 to the same spot and floored it in 4wd hi. The rears locked up and spun wildly. The fronts stayed still. I stopped and repeated it. The fronts started to work and the third time everything was perfect. I drove around and repeated the test. Same response. tried again. This time everything was ok. SO its intermittent. However the dealer/per the customer service engineer said not to work on this problem any more-everything is working ok. I cannot safely drive this vehicle in the snow. Anyone had a similar problem? Is a buy back my only option?

mgbct · October 2004

Out of the blue my front passenger door on my 2002 Envoy doesn't work, no electric window, no electric mirror, no seat warmers, and the door opens sometimes with the remote (with luck). I have changed the fuses, but still nothing works. Has anyone had this problem, and does anyone have any idea on what needs to be done to correct it...besides having the dealer tell me that it is an electrical problem... Thank you. Mgb

ylab · October 2004

Well, I had a similar problem when the dealer blew out the electronics pod in the door of my Envoy. (Mechanic comes to tell me that they blew the pod while flashing the revised mirror firmware and would need to order one, just forgot to mention the door would be DEAD in the mean time!)

Sounds like either there's a loose connection going to the door or the pod which controls everything (and I mean everything) in that door has a problem. Might be as simple as reflashing the pod's firmware, however could require replacement of the pod. - Its most likely going to take the dealer to re-program the pod or install and program a new one, but hope I'm wrong.

Ray

sostrouble · October 2004

This past weekend we took a trip from St. Louis to KC. Had a bad cross wind, creating a loud wind whistle. Stop in Columbia and went to Home Depot. I picked up some 1/2 foam for windows and doors. I put it above the rubber seal sticking it to the metal. Whistling stopped. We then could hear the radio and each other. Doesn't look the greatest when opening the door. But it did work. Will try to find something that looks better.

Debbie

ross1962 · October 2004

The sound is benign and is common on many GM and Toyota engines. My wife's '96 Lumina does it too. I sure don't like it though!

mike51 · October 2004

Just replaced 4wd control module. Anyone else have this problem?

mike51 · October 2004

Heat controls do not work properly. Dual zone does not work at all. Heat goes to max even ewhen no heat is called for...

gam2 · October 2004

Does anyone know if the Buick uses different weatherstripping? Or does quiet tuning use more sound deadening and a laminated windshied?

I notice a crosswind coming at the passenger door caused the drivers door to whistle. I'm guessing the wind catches the lip of the door and pull it
off the seal.

GAM

inform_me · October 2004

I have a Isuzu Rodeo, though not reliable as a Honda or Toyota. With the current incentives in place and that the company i not going to be in business for not long, is it prudent to buy a Ascender for around 22K? If it runs for 8 years, I am OK with the purchase..

What do you all think of buying a Ascender for 22K vs a Camry for 20 K?
How good is ascender in reliability..

sostrouble · October 2004

The cross wind you were talking about is true. I was the passenger in my Envoy when this was occuring. If I grab the top of the door by the window and pull it in, the whistling decreased.

The door seal is too soft and does not extend out far enough.

Don't know any think about Buick seals.

Debbie

01_hoe · October 2004

The door seal is too soft and does not extend out far enough

I have seen on other threads where an owner put something behind the door seal to make it extend out and seal better.

twinrotts · October 2004

Anyone using Injector / Fuel system cleaner?
I just purchased RedLine SI-1 after reading some good reviews.
Was amazed at how many offerings are out there. Curious to learn from others their experience with these additives

tblazed · October 2004

I have found if I use cheap(er) generic gas from the membership-wholesale stores, I needed to use an injector cleaner occasionally. As long as I use a good quality gas with enough cleaner-detergent already in it from the pump, additives are not necessary. The "Top Tier" gasolines being sold by several companies (with more to come)should keep injectors, valves, combustion chambers, etc. clean without buying extra additives.

imadad2 · October 2004

I use the Chevron Techron fuel injector cleaner. I have not put some in my TB yet, but I use it at every oil change for my Chevy Prizm. It was recommended by not one, but two mechanics. One of those is a Chevrolet mechanic. The other a good friend. It is about $10 a bottle, but they have had rebates on them. I now swear by the stuff.

scottc454 · October 2004

What are the symtoms of a clogged fuel injector? Just recently, I noticed my Trailblazer would start missing at idle, only in the morning when it's cold. It was only for like 10 seconds or so, then went away. I mostly use Conoco 85 octane (thin air here).

I put some fuel injector cleaner in recently then filled it up with premium. Are there more detergents in premium?

It didn't miss this morning, but it was a bit warmer than it has been. I'm not certain it's a fuel injetor issue, but I figured I'd start with the simplest thing first.

kgbkahnk · October 2004

My old Honda was recently doing the same thing (missing a bit at cold idle). Injector cleaner in the next two fill-ups seemed to cure my problem.

I just recently read a couple of articles about gasolines/detergents/"top tier" rating. The "top tier" is a new rating developed by GM, Toyota, Honda, and BMW. (see www.toptiergas.com)

There is no difference in the amount of detergent from one grade (octane rating) of gasoline to another. There is, however, a difference in the amount of detergent from one BRAND to another.

Guess that shoots down my "all gas is created equal, as long as octanes are equal" theory, eh?

tblazed · October 2004

"I noticed my Trailblazer would start missing at idle, only in the morning when it's cold. I mostly use Conoco 85 octane (thin air here)."

Could be injectors getting a little clogged or could be a spark plug reaching the end of its life. How many miles you got now?

Conoco you are using is one of the "Top Tier" gasolines and to be Top Tier certified, all grades of gas sold by that vendor must have sufficient detergency to pass the Top Tier test.

TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers to date:

QuikTrip
Chevron
Conoco
Phillips
76

scottc454 · October 2004

I've got 77,000 miles. Yeah, the spark plugs are probably next on the list. I know they're platinum, but I suppose they can fail prematurely.

ann1 · October 2004

As for as wind noise goes, nothing seems to help so I gave up. I have taped up the whole side of my Envoy, put foam, taped up around the wheel well and it did not help one bit. I can't believe GMC has not tried to solve this problem in their new vehicles. They must be aware of this problem. Has anyone decided to take their rubber gasket off around the license plate area. I've noticed several Envoys without it. The glue is constantly leaking out of mine. I just had it changed not that long ago. Those that took it off, did you have any problems from that.

twinrotts · October 2004

Was talking to a co-worker today about information he heard from friends in the auto wholesale auction business. Seems that word in those circles is to not touch a 4.2L Triplet. There is a reputation being built for engine failure related to number one cylinder failure. It seems that the piston is prone to burn-through requiring a major engine rebuild. Happens in the 50 - 80K mile range. I told him that I frequent this site and have not heard anything about this problem.
Anyone else hear or experience this??

tblazed · October 2004

"Has anyone decided to take their rubber gasket off around the license plate area. I've noticed several Envoys without it."

You are probably seeing older 2002 models that didn't originally come with the gasket. Paint damage was occuring where the edge of the license plate housing touches the painted surface of the liftgate, so they added the gasket in an attempt to fix that problem. After that, the new problem you describe with the oozing glue (also creeping gasket) started happening.

n7don · October 2004

"As for as wind noise goes, nothing seems to help so I gave up. I have taped up the whole side of my Envoy, put foam, taped up around the wheel well and it did not help one bit."

On my Envoy the wind noise appears as a "virtual" spot right outside the pillar about head-high. Many of the fixes suggest leaky seal but that doesn't seem to be the case in my situation. Like you, none of the fixes have worked. I've installed the in-channel vent shades on the front doors..... zero affect on noise.
I took the Envoy in yesterday for some minor warranty work with wind noise on the list. The service writer had a be-puzzled look but didn't blow-off the item. Don't expect much response however. I think the Rainer's front laminated side glass would be a step in the right direction

beach15 · October 2004

I haven't heard much lately but there was a pretty common issue with a defect in the build of the 4.2L in a lot of 2002's that mandated the installation of a new engine, but I'm not exactly sure what the issue was. Remember reading it happening on here to several people a while back.

Wouldn't discount what you heard as being untrue just yet, b/c it could very well be something to note as common.

twinrotts · October 2004

I think what you are thinking about Derek is the early problem with the cylinder sleeves breaking loose causing the engine to self destruct. This newest rumor is specifically the top of the pistons burning through in the number 1 cylinder.
Does not make sense to me that one cylinder would be that much hotter than the balance, unless there was a gross design error in coolant flow.

lotboy · November 2004

Hi everyone,just wondering what some of you are paying monthly for your 2005 TrailBlazer LT?

A friend of mine has a step mom that gets him a GM discount.My friend has been quoted some different lease payments and the best so far is $360/mth with $800.00 down.Now is that a reasonable payment?
I thought the dealers had no room to move with this type of discount?Do cash back incentives apply?

We are going to go out and look at some more of these SUV's in the Ann Arbor Michigan area this week.
Tips and advice would be appreciated!

Thankyou,

DD

stever · November 2004

Check in Chevy Trailblazer/GMC Envoy/Olds Bravada: Prices Paid & Buying Experience too, and for residual (or general leasing) questions, try Lease Questions - Ask Here. We also have lease calculators and tips articles on the Tips & Advice pages.

Steve, Host

thedrake · November 2004

360 per month with $800 down is alot if your talking USD. I got my 04 rainier for 336/month
with 0 down. (list price of the rainier was 41K.

imadad2 · November 2004

I like to ask myself the simple question when I look at leasing anything. How much will it cost me if I buy it outright?

Leases always have a balloon payment at their end. Add that to your monthly payment and you will know how much you would end up spending on the vehicle your going to buy. Also, consider that with a balloon payment, their is further financing so additional interest needs to be added. If you are 100% sure you will trade in at the end of the lease period, than you would want to go for the lowest price.

Leases are nice, because you get more vehicle than you can afford, but they have way to many hidden charges and possible rip offs. Be very careful.

tb4me · November 2004

Hi all,

It's been a while. Have 106,00 and change on the 2002 TB. Just to fill you in on what it's taken to get here--actually not much. I did the plug change at 95,000 and actually did not see any difference in performance. Right now it's tranny maintenance, serpentine belt change, battery change( corroded positive terminal), anti freeze change and a good rug cleaning from a ice hockey travel team which seems to like the TB with the TV. I do have a couple of little blurps that is just recently happening and I'm trying to find out why. When the car is cold--morning- start up it is a rough idle for about 10 seconds or so. I've read in previous posts that it could be the injectors so I'll try an additive. Has anyone had the injectors cleaned by the dealer and seen a change in performance? Second which is wierd--after the truck is sitting at work for 8 hours you start the car and about 5 seconds after the engine is running it appears that it wants to stall but then the idle comes back up. However when this happens which is not every time, I notice that the Cruise control no longer works. But, if you turn off the vehicle and restart it all is fine. Could be gremlins in the computers?

I'm trying to get to 200,000 before I buy again. One other thing that I have not yet done was pay that enormus price for the muffler that went at 45,000. Midas has been good to me with their warrenty--the TB cooks Midas mufflers at about 1 every 6 monthe so I fall within the warrenty. Any word on replacement aftermarket mufflers yet other than Borla or Flow Masters?

Other than the fan going bad twice and some recalls it's been good--knock on wood! The only thing that I would change next time would be the rear end ratio. The 3:42's don't cut it especially towing. Perhaps a 3:55 might be betterif they ever offer it but I would go for the 3:71's it has to be better than the constsnt downshifts.

scottc454 · November 2004

I recently had a problem with the rough idle you describe. It only did this in the cold.

I put a couple things of injector cleaner in and it appears to be gone. The past couple days have been cold too, so all is good.

Now the problem is that this forces me to believe that fuel injectors do get clogged and fuel injector cleaner is not a gimmick.

dgmgc · November 2004

Speaking of traction control, I was wondering if you have 2WD or 4WD. Thanks.

tb4me · November 2004

Well I loaded it up today in the gas tank with everthing under the sun--injector cleaner dry gas and octane booster--and it is warm here in NJ so the cold shouldn't be an issue. After a few blasts down the road it appears to be coming around--perhaps it was bad gas? or H2O in the gas. But, when you initially start it it runs rough as hell for the first couple of seconds. I also cleaned the throttle plates, changed the air filter--again-- and cleaned everything that could be cleaned right to the throttle plates.

I'm all used up after this.

tblazed · November 2004

Read NHTSA is stepping it up to a full recall for most all of the '02 to '04 Trailblazers, Envoys, Bravadas, and Rainiers. Just a matter of time for parts and service to get all the parts they will need to do 871,000 X 2 tail lights.

shooterdave7 · November 2004

I didn't catch every detail, but our local evening news made a comment about a recall on these and some other GM vehicles. They mentioned the tailights, but they also mentioned something about sticking accelerators as well. Bummer...only have 6500 miles on my '04 TB and gotta take it in already. :-(

tblazed · November 2004

The story I read mentioned other vehicles and recalls in addition to the tail light recall for the 2002-2004 Chev TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Olds Bravada, & Buick Rainier. 2003 Chevy Malibu, Olds Alero and Pontiac Grand Am have the sticking accelerator problem.

Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy

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