Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy

lurker01

Priced a K&N filter at Schucks for $82. That seems a bit high. They did not have one from FRAM that would fit either. Is there a cheaper source for these things?

thanks.

penny14

In my previous vehicle I used synthetic oil from 3k on and had virtually no problems with the vehicle. Still going strong at 150k. Two vehicle ago used nothing by synthetic from first oil change on and sold the vehicle at $185k. It was also a trouble free ride.

I switched out to synthetic on my 02 Bravada at 3k and have had no problems. My vehicle is almost one year old with close to 21k. It is the best vehicle I have ever had in terms of ride and comfort. I have had a few problems - but nothing since about 10k miles.

My mechanic says that only he and I use synthetic oil. He doesn't advertise the benefits since he loses business because of fewer auto repairs.

bryancos

tblazed,

Take a look at tlauro's page. Scott Bindley has the Borla installed: http://www.timlauro.com/cars/trailblazer/other-trailblazers/other-triplet- mods/scottbindley/scott-bindley-mods-main.htm

There's a link to his email address on Tim's site. Be advised that the Borla setup isn't cheap: $970.99

bryancos

Lurker01,

Check w/ MARTEL BROS PERFORMANCE They have the

E-1009 K&N filter for $53.30 plus $6.95 S/H 1.800.882.7223 http://www.martelbros.com

Monday - Friday 10 AM - 7PM ( EST ) Saturday 11 AM - 3 PM ( EST )

tblazed

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1847563708

If you are an eBay'er these guys always have the K&N's listed here too.

You can call them direct on their "800" number if you aren't set up with eBay. $53 + s/h seems to be the going discounted price.

Thanks for the info yes I have seen the picture of the Borla system. That price is "list" so there ought to be some discounts available eventually. But for likely $900-1,000+ installed I want to know how much noise level increase there is before I shell out the bucks. I'd love to get rid of that big ugly black "coffee can" resonator thing back there! Maybe even free up some power.

tblazer503

The K&N filter is running about $55. off the floor @ the local Baxters auto parts store I frequent. As for the Borla system, I don't know if they are actually shipping yet, I chatted with the guy (email) briefly about it, and apparently, he has been sponsored, so he got it for free. The price, though I have been able to locate one in the $750-800 price range incl. shipping. Not too bad, but I just don't know if that is the best one yet. More likely than not, as more companies produce them, there will be a drop in price. I had a quick look at another companies exhaust system, but dropped them as an option. It was basically an aluminum system, with a 3" in/2-2.25" out glasspack muffler with a xover pipe and a siamese exhaust exiting out behind the pass. tire. ran about $600. Dropped it because I havent heard very many good things about I6's with glasspacks.

bruser1

And now for some good news. After three days at the dealership we got the TB back. Recall we put it in for A/C, Tranny, Locks, and the Squeak. First, the A/C is now producing cooler air after the tech evacuated and re charged the system. He states it was about .3lbs low and arrived at this by recovering 1.5lbs and charging 1.875lbs. Second, the tranny got the TSB update and so far it is shifting w/o the delay. Third, the locks were not reproducible, this is the condition where the driver side rear door locks and has to be manually unlocked, and where all the doors locked with the engine running and me outside the vehicle. Fourth, the squeak was not found initially by the service techs so when we arrived to pick up the TB I asked if the service writer had a few minutes, he did and we went for a ride. Well we heard the squeak and he thought it may be coming from the rear seat area perhaps around the seat belt harness or the floor bolts. Its scheduled for another look next week. Oh BTW, the synthetic oil is a no brainer, have it in my truck and the wife has it in her TB. Put in Mobil 1 at 1700 miles, working on 5100 now. Happy motoring.

paisan

The 4L30 GM tranny found in the Isuzus, has a "Power" switch which basically moves the shift points all the way to redline. It's nice to put that on when you want to do some spirited driving. Its too bad GM didn't put it on the 4L60 in the Triplets, it really is a great feature.

-mike

paisan

I work 3 blocks from ground zero and had to walk 12 miles to get home 12hrs later on 9/11. Still wouldn't buy "American" just for the sake of buying American, but that's the great thing about this country, Freedom

-mike

mjdart

the 2002 Trailblazer LS's that is. I bought one on the 22nd of July and the dealer had 18. My boss really liked mine and went to get one tonight and the lot was bare. Only a demo was left they called around the other dealers and they were bare as well. Now this is Broward County the largest vehicle area per capita area in the country. The dealers are huge here and the salesman he has never seen this volume in sales before. He thinks the 0% for five years is the key. He told my boss the 03's will have 4.9% and 60 months.

stefanoj

Need Advice!

I have just moved to the Chicagoland area and need to locate a dealer to service my Envoy, recall, minor service etc. However I have NO CLUE what is around and who has a good service department. Also can my Envoy be serviced by a Chevy or OLDs dealership? This can at least give me more options close to my home.

Any help would be much appreciated.

booneybra

Hello,
I am getting ready to purchase an Envoy and have been told that they are offering 2.9% for 60 months, but have read some posts saying that GM is now offering 0% for 60 months. Can anyone out there confirm the 0%/60 months?

Thanks.
Booneybra

maj01

Has anyone else experienced yellowing center caps on the aluminum wheels? I have the standard wheels that came with the Envoy SLE. I plan to talk to my dealer today or Monday. All four have begun to yellow slightly.

xntrick

check out thepartsbin.com for the e-1009. I got mine for $53 (shipping included) and it was at my door in 3 days. Regards.

mgrcm

Went through the same thing on the center caps with SLT aluminum rims.The outside edges began to turn green the color of the plastic under the paint.Apparently the paint was applied a little on the thin side and begins to wear off on the outside edges.Dealer replaced all 4 center caps.

Rick

bakednut

Hey, next time that airbag light comes on ... try hitting the onstar button and have them diagnose it. They should be able to tell you if anything in the system is actin up.

jepping

stefanoj: Call the GMC Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-462-8782. They should be able to tell you where to take your car. They were very helpful when I was looking for a decent dealer around my work.

dse1

the performance shifting is actually a feature on the 4L60 (or at least in the PCM). If you hold the gas down more than 1/2 way, it doesn't shift until redline (or ~6k rpm), it's all in the pedal as opposed to a switch. Also, I was told there's an rpm delimiter for 1st gear... doesn't seem to be working on mine... pulling into 65mph traffic from a sidestreet I regularly hit 6k rpm in 1st gear, anyone else with this feature?

bobmn

Been reading the posts about power problems. Its really touching a nerve with me. I've had my TB with the 3:42 gears for about a year now. I only have 4500 miles on it so I don't drive it much and I'm recalling it always had a little trouble pulling up the slightest grades on the highway driving 55-60-65. Seems lately, it has even less power. There are flat spots all over in the accelerator where you push down and nothing happens, push again nothing happens, again engine starts to growl but no increase in speed. Push down more and it downshifts and goes. I can't accelerate on level highway from say 60 to 65 without it downshifting and thats nursing the accelerator. Took it in last week, they had it a day and test drove it twice. I spoke with the servicewriter and the mechanic and they say its normal. Its the characteristics of this vehicle.
I'm frustrated, I don't think so because it seems worse than what I remember but they won't pursue it. Another example would be at 45 mph it won't accelerate until the pedal is half way down, then it downshifts and screams. They did apply the latest update to the computer and it didn't help. Guess I'll have to go drive a different one on the lot and see how it compares and maybe take mechanic out for a ride.

jepping

Bobmn: My concerns about the power and the transmission shift quality are identical to yours. I too, took it in last week and was told that it’s normal! I hope GM is reading these posts and can come up with a computer update.

dragonhead08

Theres been some talk about how a lift kit may not be possible on the TB. I came across some pics of a TB with a good lift on it. I dont have any info on it other then that it was used to display BF goodrich tires. If anyones interested I can email them to you.

axsysman

I installed the AIR MAX Spiral Intake System in my Envoy SLT last night, easy install but you need to be careful when pushing the Inlet Air Temperature sensor. I pushed too hard and the rubber grommet fell out and rolled doen the tube and under the engine, lost forever. I am seeking a replacement grommet but for now I used a piece of pipe insulation and some duct tape to hold the sensor in place.

I have found that with the A/C off and the new intake I can squeel the rear wheels at launch, which I couldn't do before. I have the 3.42 rear end. I was also able to maintain an average fuel mpg of 24.7 on the highway for my 41 mile commute, it dropped to 22.2 when I got off the highway for about 5 miles. Better than I ever achieved in the past. The sound is a little louder than stock but not unpleasant.

It is kind of expensive at $268 (shipping added in) but if the fuel economy stays up in the 20's it will pay off fairly quick in fuel savings since I do about 30k miles per year. I also found the rubber grommet to be kind of flimsy and the alignment of one of the metal fastener on the tube wont work. You can check out the system at:

http://www.onestoptruckshop.com

tlauro

I would warn people to be very leary of such mods and not belive the hype until a dyno run has been done to prove anything.

By adding a spiral effect to the incoming air, you are making it more turbulent, thus making efficiency drop. The whole reason people polish their intakes is to reduce turbulence and resistance. I have to thououghly disagree with this product and the claims they make.

Doing the opposite on a Grand Prix GTP...adding a polished intake...a dyno run proved a +15hp gain. I've yet to see one of these with a dyno run. That thing is just the same as that tornado thing, both arent worth a dime.

Sorry for the harsh opinion, but again, I've been modding cars for a long while and if it were as true as they say....polished intakes wouldn't been so proven and popular amoung race enthusiasts. I've also yet to see any 1/4mi runners that are into high performance use these type systems.

IMO, you're feeling the gains from the K&N in an open intake system.

tim

dragonhead08

I just ordered the Volant intake today. I chose it over the airmax for appearance reasons. i didnt care for the bright red intake tube. Plus I couldnt imagine there being too much of a difference in terms of performance. After all they're both basically open elememt setups. I'm thinking maybe I'll line the inside of the filter housing with that heat resistent lining silver stuff.

axsysman

I agree with you about the spiral effect, the air max system is basically a smooth metal tube with a large K&N air filter. It also provides a metal heat shield to keep the air temp down. Any improvemeent I am seeing is probably from the large K&N filter and smooth intake tube as you stated, I doubt the spiral effect is anything more than marketing hype.

lefty62

Trying to lease or Smart buy a 02 TB LT in DFW area. Dealer is saying you can't get the $2500 rebate on a 36 month 12k or 15 k plan and must go 48 mo. Also being quoted 7.5% interest rate. Anyone with current residuals, money factor( interest), negotiated price, on Smart Buy or Smart Lease.

babyshoes

Whipple Supercharger
20" Foose wheels
Chrome S.Scene Grille
lowered
ground effects by stillen

nice 2 page deal. should have been on the cover.

axsysman

Does anyone know where you can get a dyno test run? I would love to run my envoy first stock, then with the K&N filter, then add the Air Max Tube, eventually add a Cat back free flow exhaust and run it again. I would guess the stock Envoy is well under 200 HP at the rear wheels.

Anyone already run a dyno test yet?

iexplore2000

I visited my GMC servicing dealership today to explain the A/C issue that I have been dealing with. My service advisor immediately knew what caused the problem. He said that there has been numerous sevice related issues with the A/C on the triplets and that the problem is due to a faulty pressure switch that's causing the A/C not to function properly?

Maybe since we have been cut off from the direct GM TSB's website for quite some time now, they published a TSB concerning A/C issues? Well, I guess I will know for sure next week after they replace the pressure switch and test the system. I will keep you all posted.

Thanks!

IExplore2000@aol.com

PS: This dealership had several 2003 Bravada's and Envoy's in stock! I peeked in the inside and noticed the new headlight switch with the DRL overide feature & noticed that the mirror had new On-Star symbol buttons. That's all that I could notice off hand, the exterior appearance (moldings, etc.) looked identical to the 2002's.

lockcityssr

How much was the Volant intake? It looks pretty close to the stock box and tube. Did you consider opening up the stock box with a K&N # E-1009 filter like tlauro has featured on his excellent web page? Just wondering what the difference would be?

dshepherd3

I have seen the discoloration on these type center caps occur from the brushes in the car wash wearing the clear and tte paint off on the raised edges, may be the problem here.

2k_impala_ls

I tried the ventshades but I did not like that they stick to the paint not the moulding so I brought them back. I found a company called EGR that makes the vents but they use the window channel and snap in place and can be removed. They cost alittle more but I think it is worth it.

I have been searching the net for the best price. I will let everyone know when I do. the part # is 571251. Jc whitney has them for $69 plus $15 shipping if you want to see them (they are made in germany, high quality) http://www.jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATID=356799&BQ=jcw2 I have a lead on them for $60 no tax & exact ups. I should know next week. If anyone else finds them, please post it.

babyshoes

I traded my Durango in for a Envoy XL and have already had a couple of emails going back and forth to John Watson regarding him building us an Air Intake. The Durango camp loves his air intake both open filter and Cold. Check out his website. This guy races for a living and loves cars. He would be willing to design a unit if we give him some more details regarding the 4.2 and if we showed interest. Personally, I would rather spend my $ with an outfit trying to build the ultimate unit than one that my $ supports a marketing blitz and dealership markups. This unit is Solid! see for yourself. Just a handful of us and we might be able to buy them for almost half of the spiral thing made in mass production. Test: go out on Durango-club.com's forum and ask what people think. They wont stop bragging
about them.

dragonhead08

I picked it up for $237.00 from sporttruckdirect.com. I thought about opening up the stock box but then I wouldnt be able to go back to stock if I ever got rid of the truck. Besides the stock "corrugated" tube looks to be a little restrictive and might cause a little turbulence . I'll let you know how it goes.

littest

Has anyone else here shared my frustration in trying to deal with Chevrolet Customer Service? I have a 2002 Trailblazer that has the fan noise/lose of power problem, and having been trying to deal with Chevrolet Customer Service to get some satisfaction. During the past two months I have spoken with 8 different Customer Service Reps at their 800 number. My reason for talking to eight different people is that each of them promise to call you back on a specified date at a specified time. The problem is that they never call you back! They do not have a number that you can reach a specific individual at, so you call the main number and start all over again with another person! Only one person actually called me back during the specified date/time, but she didn't have any new information and promised to call me back again. But, she didn't call on the specified date, so that fell by the wayside. The most recent person I spoke with apologized all over the place about how this is not how they run their business and promised to call me on Friday (8/3).....but, she never called. It is absolutely frustrating to sit by the phone during a two-hour block of time waiting for a call that never comes. I can't believe that after spending over $37,000 on one of their products, they can't offer better customer service!

tblazer503

I have not Dyno'd my TB yet, but hopefully in the next week I will be able to. In Portland, OR there is a shop that will do a base Dyno run on a Mustang III Dyno including all the hookups, Base HP/TQ chart, 0-60, and 1/4mi ET for about $95. Tuning will run $120/hr. Pretty decent rates considering they are the only ones for about 90mi that I have found. Will post my results, although they (hopefully) will be better since I have the modified intake, AIRAID TBS, 3" Magnaflow Exhaust and 31's instead of the stock 30" tires.

mgrcm

dshepherd3,that may be the case with some people but not in my case.I would never take my Envoy through a car wash with brushes.Dealership says the paint is applied to thin on the center caps.On mine all 4 caps began to turn green around the edges over time.

Rick

mlauricella

I have about 3,500 miles on my LTZ, and it has quite a loud squeak when I start it up every morning. It sounds alot like a belt squeak, but I cant tell where its coming from.

I dropped it off at the dealer the night before my appointment, so the tech could cold start it, but guess what...They say they could not hear the noise.

Has anyone else expirenced this problem? It only happens for about two minutes, and only when its been sitting for at least eight hours?

Thanks

jmw4

Seems the intermittent loss of AC issue is one of the most common issues on this board next to maybe the now famous fan/loss of power issue. The fan issue still is an issue for me, that after numerous reprograms but I fortunately have always had working AC. Is the AC problem unique to the auto temp control option or has anyone had an AC issue with the manual controls? The fan issue would seem to be a more acceptable/livable problem than the AC problem especially given the oppressive heat of this current summer. I have the manual system.

envoy_xl

I've only owned my Envoy XL for a couple months - and haven't had the need to put it in A4WD yet, but I was wondering what people thought of the option, and how they felt it worked.

A few questions...
Does it take 1-2 seconds for the 4WD to kick in when needed, or is it more instantaneous?

Do you notice when the 4WD kicks in, or is it more invisible (aka is there any indication that it's doing something)?

Do you feel it makes any difference in the handling of your triplet?

Thanks for the info in advance.

tblazer503

I have personally used the A4WD system because over the winter we had some ice on the roads. The thing is that it does take about a second from when the rear wheels lose traction for the front wheels to kick in. The truck generally has a pretty strong jolt, and the only thing that really bothers me is that in turns, it kind of takes you by surprise when the front wheels kick in and my steering wheel will jerk a little.

mgrcm

I found the AWD mode to be pretty useless in the Envoy last winter.The delay is so much from the rear wheels spinning to when the front wheels finally kick in that I actually spun out side ways several times before the front wheels engaged.The service manager told me that it's probally a good idea to put it in 4HI than to rely on the AWD mode.Typical answer to the problem.I never had this kind of delay in my Grand Cherokee or Durango with similar transfer cases equiped with the AWD,4HI and 4LO.

Rick

paisan

GM should have used a beefed up version of TOD, it puts 15% power to the front wheels in AWD mode and can split up to 50/50 if needed, in 4lo it locks at 50/50.

-mike

paisan

That's cool no "power" button. Similar concept on the subarus, if you mash the gas on the ATs it throws it into "power" mode and moves the shift points.

-mike

polarbear6

jmw4: Our Trailblazer has auto temp control. I listed our problems in post 6902. Have not had the problem since last trip in. I copied post 6956 about the faulty pressure switch and will have it in the car for the next time it goes out. We had the fan clutch replaced, but found out that they did not tighten the radiator hose after they put the radiator back in. Got one of their car washes free due to that. Luckily we had not traveled much before noticing it. I check things out now. We also had the hatch strap replaced; poor design, the strap needs a grommet to reinforce it.

yatesd

Hi Everyone,

I have been reading this forum for some time and I guess I don't post very often. I was initially concerned about the fan noise when my vehicle was cold and the lack of power that it caused. I even had the dealer check it out, with little explanation except to state that it was normal.

However, it's not that big of a deal. It only happens for a minute when it is cold.

I have seen people give this link before, but for some reason people continue to complain about the fan noise even though detailed explanations were given.

GM Techlink posts a monthly newsletter, and the main topic was explaining to the service technicians how our latest generation fan works. It's the first topic for the July newsletter.

http://service.gm.com/techlink/html_en/index.html

In an earlier issue GM techlink explains why it's recommended that you don't try to upgrade to the Bose if it wasn't factory installed.

I definitely enjoy the exchange of ideas. We have had a few issues with our Bravada, for me nothing major, mainly just questions (for example, I did have the muffler installed to make the airbladder suspension quieter).

We have one of the most advanced engines available. I think some of the questions may be just from not being familar with the new technology. For instance, we have no redline (it's automatically handled for us). I also saw people complain that you can't obtain maximum RPM's when it's cold (This is to protect the engine, just like BMW). If some of you haven't read all the details I'd encourage you to check out all the cool features of our engine.

http://media.gm.com/division/powertrain/index.html (Just look for the 4.2L Press Kit)

yatesd

Hi Everyone,

I have been reading this forum for some time and I guess I don't post very often. I was initially concerned about the fan noise when my vehicle was cold and the lack of power that it caused. I even had the dealer check it out, with little explanation except to state that it was normal.

However, it's not that big of a deal. It only happens for a minute when it is cold.

I have seen people give this link before, but for some reason people continue to complain about the fan noise even though detailed explanations were given.

GM Techlink posts a monthly newsletter, and the main topic was explaining to the service technicians how our latest generation fan works. It's the first topic for the July newsletter.

http://service.gm.com/techlink/html_en/index.html

In an earlier issue GM techlink explains why it's recommended that you don't try to upgrade to the Bose if it wasn't factory installed.

I definitely enjoy the exchange of ideas. We have had a few issues with our Bravada, for me nothing major, mainly just questions (for example, I did have the muffler installed to make the airbladder suspension quieter).

We have one of the most advanced engines available. I think some of the questions may be just from not being familar with the new technology. For instance, we have no redline (it's automatically handled for us). I also saw people complain that you can't obtain maximum RPM's when it's cold (This is to protect the engine, just like BMW). If some of you haven't read all the details I'd encourage you to check out all the cool features of our engine.

http://media.gm.com/division/powertrain/index.html (Just look for the 4.2L Press Kit)

drobin59

I've had my TB LTZ for about 6 months - 10,000 miles. I noticed that the button on the streering wheel that controls the AM/FM and the stations began flaking off. Anybody else have this problem? I was wondering how well they were going to hold up, guess I know now!

pepper50

On a recent trip, my Envoy's front passenger window stuck in mid-position. It jumped around like it was off its track. We finally got it shut, but it doesn't work. We hear the motor running, but it doesn't lower. I plan to take it to the dealer later this week, but was curious if any others had had a similar problem with any of the electric windows. I don't relish the thought of them taking apart the door to get to the window mechanism. Thanks.

tblazer503

I just noticed a problem with my front driver window today. It seems there is a long vertical scratch, and I can hear the window being scratched as its rolled up. Maybe caused by the tint? hmm.... Oh, well, one more thing to look at later.