Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy

tlauro

yeah.....yeah....I heard someone back into you at the mall last week

Actually the cost is $1,030 for my truck. I wasn't aware that they originally added the hitch step and stongard into the estimate with labor. Here's the final breakdown.

Well, it all adds up in parts and labor....here's a quick break down of what I'm having done. Less the muflap removal and re-install, the hitch step, my clear bra (stongard) and the one tail light assembly the total would be $803.

$370 for part# 88937016, rear bumper cover
$10 for part# 15720781, plastic center piece of bumper....step....not necessary though being replaced anyway
$74 for Paint Materials
$113 for the Tail light assembly
$12 Misc Material
$249 for Installation Labor
$95 for the hitch step incl. delivery.
$50 for the stonegard to be redone
add in sales tax and the total climbs to $1,030

not cheap that's for sure.

paisan/Mike is correct that both flex agent and extra prep is required on plastic bumpers to get the paint to be perfect.

I will also have to wait six weeks for the paint to cure 110% before I can have the stongard redone.

tblazer503

Hey Tim, when you get those Japanese spec tail lights do me a favor and see if they fit better than the american spec ones. As far as I am concerned the O.E. ones leave huge gaps all around, and the only way to fix it is to try to even out the gap =o( not much in the way of adjustment either... If they come with the bus you may also need 1156 and 1157's too instead of the 3157's not sure about this, but at least its only a few bucks for bulbs. =o)

tblazer503

Looking at the pic on Tim's website, got curious. Looks like the ~3/4" hose is just a breather line for the valve cover, so a breather filter should fit just fine =o) Also, I checked out my fuel pressure regulator, and it looks like a Adjustable fuel pressure regulator that B&M makes should fit just fine, just gotta look into some stuff for spring etc on it and talk to the dealer some. =o) Let you know how it works.

tblazer503

For all of you who, like me are tired of the rear end leaning in turns and sagging on acceleration, hope maybe on the way! =o) Talked to Bilstein the other day, and they are coming out with a "HD" version of the Trailblazer shocks for front and rear. ETA is about December-January 2003. They told me that it would be stiffer and help the truck hold the road better. =o) (Tokico, Rancho, Monroe all don't have any R&D in place yet)

beach15

Great news! We don't have a triplet, but one of the reasons is that it's not always nice to float and bound down the road all the time, whether some think that's just "really smooth". It think it's loose, floppy, and boat-like, but that's just my opinion.

segel10

Just took delivery last Monday and have been looking at this site for information. I am looking at adding running boards and ventshades in the near future. Can someone provide recommendation based on their experience? P/N if possible? And, how difficult is it as a do it yourself project? I like the factory installed but the GM sited just says comming soon.

lockcityssr

Has anyone posted on how to remove the front door panels on an Envoy? I want to change the speakers soon, they have no sound quality at all!!

tblazer503

lockcityssr, dont know if this will help, but the TB door panels come off by popping off the power door lock/windows panel, it just pulls straight up and snaps in/out. Under, you will find I believe 2 screws holding the center of the panel against the door. All around the edges, there are little plastic clippy things that hold the door on so it all snaps off, just takes some patience and caution(esp when putting back on to not break the snaps) There is supposed to be a tool to help in removing the snaps w/o damaging, but I dont know if it will work for this application because the door panel is molded to the door, so the tool may not work. hope this helps.

2k_impala_ls

I have the part #'s for the GM running boards #12497681 - list price is $429 but you should be able to get them for 25% off. moulded splash guards for the front are #12497726 (with flares),

#12497608 (without flares) and rear are #12497609.

They list for $29. Your dealer should give you a break on them.

the cheapest on the net for GM parts is http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/index.cfm you can get a quote online.

tlauro

segel10


I should be getting my WAAG items in next week. Have to confirm the date on Monday, but I'm getting a set of their running boards and will probably keep them vs returning them. Not 100% sure but if you aren't in a huge hurry, I'd be happy to sell mine for a more than fair price if you're interested. I can ship them from our office too as I work in distribution.


Let me know your thoughts. Not sure of a price, but if you're interested let me know.


tim

Pictures here: http://www.timlauro.com/cars/trailblazer/ltz-pics-index.htm

ronnie45

Been reading the board for a long time first post. Had my TB for about a year no real problems to speak of. The fan died at 500 miles everything else OK. Love the truck for pulling my boat 5500lb. I pull a 3 to 6% grade for 17 miles in 100 deg temp @ 55 MPH no problem. I did get under and checked out the cooler on the bottom of the air dam and I also followed it to the power steering pump, hard to do. So at less than 500 mile I installed a external cooler from B&M trans.

tjcishere1

Envoy XL SLT with 1sk pkt everything in this all is working fine ,2,800 miles on it,, now going in for the first oil change. anyone out there using synthetic oil in their truck the dealer said they can put it in if i like i just pay the difference since first oil change is free. thanks to all for all the great readings

tblazer503

I have actually been told that its better not to go to synthetic until the engine "breaks in" not sure why, but I plan to run synthetic blend (mainly because at $5.00+ a quart it will cost at least $40 per oil change if I do myself) but for now, I am running conventional on the advice of a few friends. BTW, you know that the Triplets have (and I quote) up to 12,000 mi between oil changes (unless you drive in exterme conditions, or dusty) right? just making sure. I plan to change out every 5k just to be safe, dont push the truck that hard anyway.

lockcityssr

Thanks for the help, I'm sure all the triplets come apart the same way. That's pretty much how I figured they would come off but I wanted some confirmation.

kevs8n1

I need to install a trailer brake controller on my new 02 Trailblazer Ext. I bought the controller and the wiring plug for the GM Towing Package to the Brake controller.

I was under the dash this weekend (black bottom off) and could not find the plug for it. I saw two Blue plugs up inside, about even with the deadpedal.

Also, there was a wire with a wide plug on it taped up to the black kickplate. However, it was not the same plug style as the GM .

Does anyone know where I would plug this GM Tow Package plug into? Would it plug into the back of the blue plugs?

Thanks for any advice.

Kevin

quickdtoo

Here's a link to a another post. http://forums.vmag.com/suvenvoy0199/messages/327.html

popupcamper

I went round and round about this, drawtite said it had wires, dealer said a plug, and so on. Finally found it has wires. I installed the Tekonsha Prodigy Brake Control and it was a breeze, installed in about 15 minutes, wiring colors in the Tekonsha Prodigy guide matched pefectly. Not sure what brake controller you are going to use, after using cheaper timer based ones I can't begin to sing the praises of the Tekonsha Prodigy Brake Control and our TrailBlazer its a great tow vehicle.

maj01

I installed a brake controller on my envoy. I also use a Tekonsha, don't recall the model. Anyway, the wires are on the left side, direclty below the light switches. There is I believe 4 or 5 wires. Your controller should have a diagram that will tell you which wires match from the controller to the vehicle. When you are done, you will still not have power to the controller. YOu have to go the the fuse box under the hood (directly behind the battery), remove the cover by losening 4 or 5 screws. On the front right of the box is a red wire with a bracket on the end. This needs to be attached to the post on the right front of the fuse box. I was unsure and contacted my dealer. He actually did the connection for me under the hood for no charge!! This should get your controller to work.

Has anyone experienced this: The other day, I was closing the drivers door, and at the same time opening the rear drivers side door. Somehow the two doors hit and left a pretty good 3-4 inch scratch on the rear door. Wierd! I am guessing that the front door flexed just enough to cause it to hit the rear door just as it was beginning to swing open. I probably couldn't get it to do this again if I wanted to...Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

All in all I am extremely happy with the envoy. It now has 12k's and very minimal problems. Most of what you read in here is negative, so I think a few positive postings would be great. I live in the great north (Minnesota), and the A4WD is great. My wife loves the extra traction in gives her in the snow and Ice. It rides SMOOTH, has plenty of power, and a great sound system! As far as the power, I pull a 21' travel trailer with the truck. It grunts when going up inclines, but plenty of power to get me where I want to go!! I wouldn't give it up for anything, except maybe a Suburban, but they are to much $$$$$$$!!!

envoyowner

A strange thing happened while driving. Very minor, but since this is such a great forum, I thought I would offer it up to see if this has happened to anyone else.
While driving, I heard a "click" (the same "click" you hear when pushing the button to open the rear window (tailgate)) and a message displayed on the info panel: rear access (something or other)... Sure enough, the window was open; not sitting out but it needed to be shut.
Maybe it's the HEAT!? :-)

tlauro

I received a follow up email from Superchips on the status of the 4.2l launch....

"We do not have an ETA yet, but we do know that engine has all kinds of torque management on it.....so when we do have product, expect some stiff gains!"

I wish it was out already, but the above is the most promising I've seen so far as power gains.

Thought I'd share it.

tim

sildog

Here is what I was told about lubrication and break in: New engines need to be broken in primarily to properly seat the rings in the cylinder bores. The bores are honed to create a slightly abrasive surface when new. This is desired in order to wear the rings to fit and therefore optimize seal. I am sure all have heard that you should baby a new engine. You have also heard to "break it in as you will drive it". Some people run them hard from the start. The correct answer is somewhere in the middle. They need to be run through the entire rev range at moderate load and not at constant speed for extended times. The ideal breakin will have the hone wear smooth at exactly the same time as the rings are properly seated. Too easy breakin and the hone will not get smoothed out soon enough, so the rings will wear past ideal seating. If you breakin too rough, the hone will wear smooth too early and the rings won't complete seating process. Now for the lubricant: some synthetics are so lubricious that when put in a new engine, they can hinder the ring seating process by not allowing enough friction between the bore hone and the ring. Same goes for additives such as Slick 50. Slick 50 is a teflon impregnation, which significantly reduces friction and will halt breakin before it is properly completed. Slick 50 doesn't recommend addition until after full breakin has occurred-usually 10K miles.

Now for the lights question!
I was driving down a deserted highway at night and noticed that my headlights and dashlights seem to vary in brightness, almost like a flicker. I wondered if the stereo was drawing, so I turned it off and still noticed the same thing. Anybody see this? Later I pulled in the garage and saw same thing sitting at idle. It seems intermittant. Doe this sound like a voltage regulator? The gage does not move around, but I figure the gage is not quick enough to catch this.

jwinky

I have had this happen just once. Exactly the same as you describe. It probably happened about a week after I took delvery, but has not happened since. This is probably of no help other than to let you know that you are not alone with this.

On the other hand, I have been getting the situation where the A/C is blowing hot air when I start the vehicle (intermittent), but blows cold if shut off and restart the car. IIRC, others have had this problem. Can any of you that have had this provide insight on how to resolve it?

Thanks,
JAW

agenteleven

I had the back glass trick happen once, also, but not in a long, long time. I think I tend to slam the glass harder now-a-days and it latches more securely.

My A/C blows hot humid air when I first start the truck on a hot day, but once I get rolling it blows cold. I have never been able to sit still long enough with it blowing the hot air to see if it eventually gets cooler. Re-circ helps a LOT.

I'll try re-starting to see if it makes a difference. Temps here are usually 90+ and very high humidity.

drlawrence

jwinky,

On the way back from lunch today I had the same issue as you for the first time. Only warm (outside?) air coming from the vents. Nothing at the climate controls would turn it cold -- including off>on.

Finally pulled over and restarted the car. Cool air came back working fine.

Not sure if this was a vent door issue or something else. Next time it happens, I'll check under the hood to see if the compressor is cycling or not.

tbltext

Does anyone know what would cause a vacuum type sound coming from under the hood when AC is on?
2000 miles and so far so good, changed the oil at 1100 miles, for some reason it was low and I felt rather than me adding I would just change it. Went with the synthetic by Quaker??. Also recently checked the Tire pressure (not something I would have thought of when I picked it up) but it was way off. A heads up, some of you may already know this but for those who don't---Check the Tire Pressure when you pick up your TB it may be higher than recommended. When I adjusted my to the proper level ride was nicer and comfortable for wife and 6mos old in the back.
NOW FOR THE REAL QUESTION:
For those of you who have rear-facing infant car seats (new borns), do you put the seat in the middle, right or left side back?
I have read all three, right back, left back and middle back?? What would be right position? I put the seat in the middle to avoid side collision impact.(in the TB manual) it say's right or left (not quoted exactly). Some manuals and safety articles state right or left only, while others say middle??
Does anyone know?

jepping

I had the exact same issue yesterday again in about 85-degree weather. It would not blow cold air until I started rolling. My car was at the dealer last week for the tailgate paint issue and I had them check the A/C as well, they found the “Temp door binding” and fixed it, however that did not correct the problem, called the GMC customer service and they are claiming that this is normal “warm-up period”!?

agenteleven

"warm-up period..."

I love it!

maj01

I have two kids. One is in a booster and the other in a rear facing. The rear facing is on the right side, simply because the oldest was on the left side first. If you only have the one, I would suggest the middle for many reasons. One, it's easy to get to him/her from the front to offer toys, pacifier, etc. Also, in my opinion, it offers a little more cushion from impacts. When my oldest was a newborn, we put him in the middle. The only problem is both boys grew out of the infant seats before they were one, so we put them in a toddler seat, rear facing. In the Envoy, and I'm sure the same is trure with the TB, the shoulder belt keeps the seat from sitting the in the truck right. I have put some soft styrofoam underneath and in front of the seat to get it to fit better. Just minor, he will be one soon and able to face forward. So in conclusion, if you have only the one child, I would put him/her in the middle.

jwinky

Thanks to everyone on the A/C input. The warm, humid air until moving has been normal for me, also. Drlawrence just experienced what I am talking about. Warm/hot air even after being mobile for a while. Jepping, I may have the dealer take a look at the temp door binding.

tbltext--
I have a 9.5 month old in a rear facing child seat in my envoy, and I originally had it in the inboard position until I read the manual and moved it to the left outboard (behind the driver's seat). I didn't seem to be able to get the seat good and tight in the middle position, anyway. My wife was none to pleased when I informed her that the middle was a no-no (she was insisting middle for the same reason you stated -- protection from side-impact -- and I agree).

I tried calling GM customer service to see if I could get a decent answer as to why the outboard positions were preferred, but was told that NHTSA/DOT recommended that. Was never able to confirm, though. You may already know this, but because of the buckle type (slides freely on the belt), you need to use the locking clip that comes with the child seat.

If you find out the reasoning against the middle, let me know.

HTH,
JAW

momstruck1

Thanks for letting us know to use the locking clip I have my 11 month old son in a booster already ( he is 22lbs) I am not using the clip but I will put it on today thanks . By the way I have my son on the rear driver side. His two sisters sit in the middle and the rear passenger side.I was thinking of a change to the passenger side but not sure yet.

xntrick

First, did the obligatory 500 miles of "break-in" with a few jumps above 55mph. Then drove 1500 miles in 2 days. Then switched to Mobil 1 synthetic at 2000 miles (5w-30). Then asked them to re-do the oil change to 10w-30 another 1500 miles later which they did. I now have 4500 miles on this (build date 5-02) thing and am wondering about switching to dyno just in case my switching to synthetic was hasty. Thanks in advance.

missouri2

just got back from a 6300 mile road trip. went tru temps of 65 to 115. drove 6217 miles at speeds of 65 to 85 the mpg was all around of 21.5. the bravada did a very good job and was a pleasure to drive. had no problems other then getting the windshield cracked twice by rocks. i saw 6 bravadas on this trip but lost count of all of the trail blazers and envoys.

cdlt

I've had the dimming headlights too, not with the radio (maybe I don't play it loud enough), but whenever I open/shut the windows and/or sunroof. This happens ALL the time, both with the daytime running lights, and at night when they are on full. Seems strange the triplets can't handle the electrical load. On the other hand, every GM vehicle I've owned has had electrical troubles (usually just prematurely burned out headlights).

I've also heard the auto manufacturers are looking at boosting voltages to 48, or even 110 volts soon. All the electronics in today's cars are significantly boosting power requirements.

I had the A/C problem once, shutting down and restarting the car solved it. GM must be using a Microsoft operating system . . .

macman246

If I remember correctly, you do not need a locking clip. However, you will need to pull the seat belt out all the way, feed it through the car seat, buckle it, then let it retract (it will start clicking). Use your knee on the car seat to get it to retract some more for a tight fit. If you pull on the shoulder belt it should not come out.

It would be a good idea to put a heavy towel underneath the car seat to help protect the seat. You may also need one to help position the rear of the seat correctly.

bleffler

My Bravada is about 15 months old. I'm starting to have problems with the finish on the remote buttons on the steering wheel start to come off. The bizarre thing is that the finish isn't coming off the buttons that I use regularly.

Anyone else having similar issues?

thanks,

bob

bruser1

Well we put our LTZ in the shop today for the tranny delay, intermittent door locking, the very annoying squeak and the a/c blowing warm air. Now for the a/c, I don't know about you guy's but this isn't something that will just slide by. In Houston's stop and go traffic in July or even in our little town in East Texas, the comfort range really drops when these vehicles are bunched up together, furthermore, the idea of stopping and restarting the engine would make me nervous on I45 during rush hour. What rush hour its always a rush down there. But seriously, I did talk to the a/c tech at the dealer, and he said he wanted to pull a vacuum and refill the system. He claimed the factory had shipped some models with low refrigerant, we'll see.

momstruck1

I have a 2002 TB EXT when I put my EB highback booster in a pushed up the head rest it seems to fit better in the seat when I do this . Also if you have the EXT TB and want to use the third row seats put the seat on the drivers side rear it is much easier to just fold the rear passenger side down on the 40 side of the 60/40 split bench in the second row.

envoy2002

This has happened about 4 times so far with me as well. The AC can be working fine, I turn off the engine to go in a store, or to see a client, start the vehicle and have no cold air (and no, recirc is NOT on, and it doesnt matter if I mess around with the controls on auto, manual or even turn it off and on with the buttons). Happened again today; I drove with the windows down (91 degrees outside)and waited 10 to 15 minutes to see if it would cool down...nope! Called a nearby GMC dealer to ask if I could bring my reproducing "unreproducable" symptom in (it was "normally operating" when one dealer checked it)and was told techs were overbooked and too busy to have me stop by, but I could make an appointment for Thursday or Friday. PO'd, needless to say. After telling him it wouldn't most likely be reproducible then, he told me "well wait till it gets to be more of a problem, and then bring it in." eah, right! Anyways, by turning the vehicle off then starting it back up I get Voila! Cold air once again. Oh well.

tblazer503

I also notice some flickering of my interior lights, although usually w/ windows going up, or with the a/c clutch kicking in(once in a while) not sure why GM has this problem, though, the triplets come with a 150A alternator(from GM specs) and I believe a 800CA battery.

iexplore2000

I posted a message here several months ago about the intermittent light flicker (highly noticeable while driving on the freeway late at night) and although I received great feedback from this board, we never quite got an answer. I was told that maybe it could be caused by the HVAC cycling, etc. but after shutting down as much stuff as possible, the problem still ocurred.. but maybe once every two or three weeks?

For me, it seemed that my light problem happened quite a bit during the colder months, but now that we are into the summer season, I haven't noticed the flicker problem anymore? Additionally, I returned from my weekend trip to Chicago from Michigan tonite and didn't notice any flickering at all? Any input/ideas/feedback that you all receive concerning this would be greatly appreciated.

Uh OH.. NO A/C????
Second, while visiting Chicago this past weekend, I was quickly greeted with a "NO to VERY LOW" A/C situation whereas my A/C was not functioning at all on several occasions and blowing a very "stale/damp smelling" odor and very little A/C? Oddly enough, the duration for these occurance did last for over 20 to 30 minutes (on Friday and Saturday) until we reached our destinations. The problem continued even with the engine restarts. At this point, I was a little embarrassed and didn't want my passengers to suffer any longer, so down the windows went. Ha, ha.. On the bright side, the A/C returned to its normal functioning state on Sunday and the return trip today (Monday).

I plan on taking my Envoy to the local dealer on Wednesday to address the "rear reverse lamp filled 1/4 of the way with water" issue and hopefully to discuss this intermittent A/C problem. Has anyone had any type of success/wheel turning experiences with the dealerships when addressing this concern? I know that if I don't have a concrete explanation of the problem and a normally functioning A/C unit onsite, I will receive the standard "Could Not Duplicate" verbiage from the servicing dealership.

MY TRIP INFO:
Well.. after driving approximately 800 miles this past weekend, I must say that I am thoroughly impressed with the Envoy's expressway mannerisms in terms of ride comfort! I've quickly come to notice that as lonng as you are driving on a good piece of freeway, it does a very good job of absorbing the bumps. BUT.. be careful on the twisty roads.. It will lose its lunch very quickly!

Very typical for any SUV, gas mileage was nothing to brag about. I never reset the trip odometer or DIC for the duration of the trip and I averaged ~14.3 mpg (with stop and go Chicago traffic).

I don't know if any of you have noticed this with the triplets. With my Envoy, I noticed that after a complete refill and reset of the DIC, if I drive no faster than 55 - 60 mph and "babying" the accelerator, I can quickly get 20+ mpg, but here in Michigan, when the standard speed is 70 mph and everyone is driving anywhere between 70 - 75 mph, I can only achieve 16 or 17 mpg? The only time that I have a chance to drive 55 mph is during my "back-road" commute to work which consists of 55 mph speed limits and 80 miles.

For me, having owned many V-8 SUV's in the past, I think that my total 13,000 mile experience has been quite comparable to that of V-8 powered SUV's? My Translation = "Don't buy an SUV if you are not prepared to spend a considerable amount of time at the gas pump." Uh.. unless it's one of those Mini-SUV's!

Last but not least.. "Where's the 270 HP??" With the A/C on, you can simply forget it! My trip consisted of one occupant (me) and luggage. Even with a very light load I think that the A/C really drains the overall performance of the engine.

With a couple of passengers onboard (and trying to weave in and out of Chicago traffic), there were a couple of instances in which I thought that I was DOOMMED! I guess this is where I have become accustomed to the neck-snapping performance of those V-8 powered SUV's? One of my passengers said "Hey.. floor it when the light turns green so we can see what's she's got," I just smiled and braced myself for the comments.. "Are u serious?? 270 hp?? NOOO WAYYY.. maybe that's why there are not a lot of them on the road in Chicago.. people want SUV's where the 270 means real horsepower!" I kind of agree with them on this. For me, I would prefer to have my HP when I need it most.. working your way around traffic and when merging on to freeways.

IN CONCLUSION:
All in all, I think that the Envoy is still an excellent SUV! The tilt down mirrors worked wonders during tight curb parking maneuvers and the suspension did a great job of soaking up all of the road imperfections along Sheridan Street and Clark Avenue. The seats were very supportive and the BOSE was TONS-O-FUN! If I could make a wish list for this vehicle, it would include the following:

1) More REAL-TIME horsepower.. (i.e. less engine screaming and more get up and go). I'm sorry but the 270 hp just doesn't feel like it to me.

2) Maybe the GMC Yukon Denali's 4 corner real-time dampening air suspension to help improve cornering capabilities, etc.

3) How's about a next/previous track selection button on the steering wheel? In addition to a full-cycle control that lets you select from FM1, FM2 AND CD?

4) Maybe JUST TWO complete turns of the steering wheel to reach full lock from left to right (as opposed to the 3.5+ needed to do this currently)? I don't know about you all, but after this trip, my arms are tired! I couldn't decide on whether or not I was driving a BUS or an SUV? Curb-side parking with this steering system is verrry demanding..

Thanks for Reading!

IExplore2000@aol.com

rj123456

I had the same problem with the A/C today. It wasnt' even very hot (ext 78 degrees, but far more humid than normal) so I turned the a/c on and all i got was warm (or what I suspect, regular uncooled air).

I guessed this must be some "sophisticated" engineering glitch, so since I was on a quiet side street so I pulled over, shut and restarted the engine.

Voila, the problem disappeared.

This is quite irritating. My service manager called to verify the status of my formerly wandering mirrors (working fine now), and he claimed no knowledge of this - he's going to check back on Friday to see if it has recurred.

Any TSBs on the a/c? This board usually has more info than the GMC service managers!

johntr

I have the same issue on my TB LT, but it's only on one button (so far). I was cleaning the wheel one day & there appeared to be some residue of some kind. I used my fingernail to lift it off, DOH! It was a paint blister - was not there when I purchased. There's another, but I'm not going to lift that one off. I've had my TB 14 months.

Does anyone have any input to how to remove & replace any of these buttons? They appear to be pressed into the wheel. I saw another post on this some time ago, of which someone took it to the dealer to replace. This is the only thing that is an issue & I don't want to give up my ride for the day.

John

m2iceman

I had the same thing happen with the steering wheel buttons. Cleaning the steering wheel I thought there was a water bubble and tried to flick it off and ,,DAMN!!!!. If anyone does have info on the replacement of the buttons its would be greatly appreciated. What I don't understand is why they are made so,"Cheaply"..Would figure after spending as much as you do for the TB, it would be molded plastic instead of a cover.

c2h6o

Just wanted to offer my thoughts on the child seat position and the use of the locking clip on the seat belt.

Seat Position: I THINK the outside positions are preferred over the middle because of the split seat. Most passenger cars recommend the center position, but both my 98 Blazer and my 02 TB recommend the outside. Both have the 2/3 1/3 split seat. Just a thought.

Locking Belt Clip: From everything I've seen on the subject, the locking belt clip MUST be used with seat belts that have a free sliding catch. In other words, pretty much every shoulder-style belt out there. The locking clip keeps the catch from sliding up and down the belt which can create side-to-side motion in the child seat. A previous post mentioned pulling the belt all the way out - this is also correct. The belt must be pulled all the way out so that it's in "auto-retract" mode. In other words, the belt cannot be pulled out any more and, in fact, can only retract. This ensures that there is always tension on the belt holding the child seat in place.
The only time I think that a locking clip is not needed is when a booster seat is being used. In that case, the seat belt is worn exactly as it would be by an adult - no locking clip, no need to pull it all the way out.

If you're confused as to whether or not your child seat is installed properly, most communities hold fairly regular, free safety inspections for child seats. Around where I live, they are normally done at hospitals, fire stations and the occasional police station or school.
Even if you think you've got your seat installed properly, a double-check doesn't hurt.

-Jason

dan165

Anyone know if XM is available on the 2003 TB/Envoy/Bravada?

tblazed

270 HP @ 6100 RPM they claim. But no low-end torque. Who drives at 6000+ RPM red-lining it all the time?? With the variable cam timing, it almost feels like a turbocharger kicking in above 4000 RPM. Plus with that electronic throttle, only the computer knows if you are really "flooring" it off a stop. I wonder if those equipped with the 4.10:1 rear gears suffer the same problem? When deciding on mine, I figured that since the 3.42 gears were rated to pull 5500 lbs and that I wouldn't be towing anything, there would be more than enough low-end torque available. Somewhat disappointing to say the least when I have 3 passengers, the AC is on and I need to goose it to go. It doesn't. Don't get me wrong - it runs "OK" but not up to expectations. Hopefully some of the chip makers will come up with something to improve the low-end torque. ( My old '88 S-10 with the 4.3 V6 and 3.08 gears has much more punch from a stop. In fact it is so torquey off a stop I had an Auburn limited-slip diff installed in it after about 9 months of owning it. Gets a mean 2nd gear scratch from the rear tires when it shifts 1st to 2nd at wide open throttle too.)

If/when GM decides to make available a V8 in all the TrailBlazers I will likely trade for one. And forget getting a lower rear gear ratio for better gas mileage. From all the reports I read, the 3.73 and 4.10 ratios seem to do the same or even better than the 3.42 probably because the 3.42 has to be driven harder to get any stop and go city driving performance.

My 2¢ worth.

2k_impala_ls

I have been doing my own repairs for over 20 years and was curious to see if we really have a transmission cooler. I crawled under and noticed 2 lines coming out out of the lower part of the radiator that looked like transmission lines and I followed them directly to the transmission. So the answer is yes we have a cooler built into the radiator but not a separate cooler. I think the external cooler is better and if you tow it would be a good idea to get one.
THE POSSIBLE PROBLEM could be that the transmission lines are so close to the catylatic converter and one of mine actually touches it. Heat is bad news for transmissions even though GM put some silver insulation around the lines, the converter can get up to 1200 degrees. I plan on bringing mine in to have them moved away from the converter.
IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO CHECK THE LINES TO SEE IF THEY TOUCH, JUST CRAWL UNDER THE PASSENGER FRONT DOOR SIDE. PLEASE MAKE SURE THE TRUCK HAS BEEN SITTING FOR AWHILE AND COOL SO YOU DONT GET BURNED BY THE CONVERTER. PLEASE LET ME KNOW. WE MIGHT HAVE A TSB IN THE MAKING HERE.

tblazed

Hmmm... just went out and looked at mine I also see the trans lines very close to the catalytic converter, and they are depending on some questionable heat shield insulation stuff to keep excessive heat from the lines. Then I remember reading in the July '02 Tech Link article that one of the conditions for the fan to get turned on is "transmission oil temperature exceeds approximately 304°F (151°C)." Could be an explanation for the fan coming on unexpectedly when ambient operating conditions are otherwise normal.

mfullmer

I also had that problem with the paint flaking. I just put it on "the list" with my dealer and they replaced them. As long as you are under the standard 3/36 warranty it includes EVERYTHING that is not a wear item (belts, tires, etc.) including costmetic.

macman246

Just wanted to add my $.02 with a positive review. Granted, others have had way more problems than myself, and this forum is a great place to share this info.

After 10K miles, no major problems to report. Awesome power, smooth ride, good handling (at reasonable speeds!), awesome Bose system, cold A/C, good traction control. I had the license plate holder gasket installed to fix the paint chipping problem, and also had the rear window gasket replaced to fix a small leak. I also got the software update to fix a transmission downshift delay.

I added running boards and splash guards to protect against rock chips, and so far I haven't seen any new ones. That's the extent of my problems. No wandering mirrors, dead dashboard, hot A/C, excess wind noise, vibrations, rattles, etc. Nothing! And my build date was 6/01. I still occasionally get the roaring fan noise at start-up, but it goes away within a minute and never comes back during operation.

Overall fuel economy has been 16.5 - 17 mpg in city driving with the 4.10 axle and 2WD. On a recent 500 mile trip I got 20.5 mpg going 75-85 mph most of the way. In fact the DIC was reading 25 mpg before I got stuck in 2 half hour traffic jams. Oh well.

My gripes include only the stupid placement of the cupholders (haven't seen that complaint for a while), and a bigger gas tank would be nice.

Overall, if I had to do it again I would.