Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy

raleigh

Now here's an interesting curiosity: when I click on "reply" to your message, I get 3 different sized fonts -- the first at the top, which looks about like size 10, the next, explaining how to reply to a message, in what looks like size 12, and finally, the message I am responding to which appears to be something like size 14. But on the original page, that font was a couple of sizes bigger still. I am looking at something like size 18 font in a message with IE and Windows XP and my text size set on smallest.

envoyenvy2

Got one and would highly recommend if you dislike drying. Only thing I do different from the instructions is to use a bucket with the soap that comes with it. Like to be able to rinse the mitt in the bucket so grit is minimized before washing the next section, but that's just me. Might save soap that way too, rather that spraying on each section as it instructs.

Mine is black, and have not noticed spots when dry.

01_hoe

If you dislike grit, there is a product out now that is sold online thru detail stores. It is called grit guard. It fits in the bottom of a 5 gal. bucket, and is like a platform on 1" stilts with several holes in it. Lets the grit fall thru and keeps the wash mitt above the grit. Costs about $10.00. Another way to avoid grit is to have a separate bucket that the mitt is rinsed in after each use before putting the mitt back in with the soap.

scudman

Hi all,

Need some help here. Live in NJ. Had to use 4WheelHI on my 2005 T/B on the way to work. When the roads cleared up, I went back to 2WheelHI but the truck never felt like it did. The lights indicate I am out of 4Wheel but the response and handling of the truck seems off. Very sluggish almost like it was in low gear. I pulled over reset the switches, backed up a couple of hundred feet. Turned the truck off and on. I dont know whether its me just me or something is really wrong. Called the dealer, made a Thursday Appointment. God, I hope I am not coming down with that Hypochondriac condition. LOL If any has ever heard of this or experienced it, I would appreciate any comments or tips. Thanks all and be safe.

aldan

Well do you have several feet/inches/ ice on your truck? This is like 200-400 lbs extra!!! I also drove thru 8 inches today, I had some squirrly affect when going thru it @60MPH, Seems a lot of other people did also as I passed them in a ditch!

bobfish

I to bought the Mr Clean Autodry and think it sucks I have tried it on my silver 04 Envoy and my Black 03 Dakota and no matter what I do I get Lots of water spots on my cars.I have also tried using a bucket with their soap I have washed them early in the morning and at dusk while they were cold ,warm, in the shade ,even on cloudy days with the same results. The tradional way is still the only way to get a spot free job I'm sorry to say.

johnnydaa

WPK, how do the license plate bulbs come out? Both of mine are currently burnt out (last one burnt out just this morning). Do they pull out or twist out?

wpkelleysr

Just unscrew the little cover, and pull them out.

- WPK

b36

ficuss I saw your reply. My envoy goes 2 or 3 weeks without the gas smell. It then only does it one time and on cold start. sounds like your service dept. done something. good luck.b36

dom123

I have the same problem with my 2003 Envoy with the in-line 6 cylinder motor. Have been in 2 different dealers 4 separate times and they changed the axle seal. This helped the leak slow to a drip but it still leaks. Has anyone else had this happen or how it was fixed?

johnnydaa

WPK-

Just went out and took a look. Do I pull on the bulb (glass) or is the greyish-whitish plastic part also part of the bulb?

texasrock

My right rear brake light keeps burning out... I replace it and it is out within an hour... any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks!

tidester

Have your dealer do a detailed check of the wiring - it sounds like you have a short in the circuit.

tidester, host

dmathews3

We had some below 0 temps resently and I had trouble getting out of 4 WD. It said I was in auto but when making sharp turns in parking lot I still had the bind. Put it in 2 HI to get completely out. A drive thorough the carwash cured it.

tblazed

A "short" would not cause a bulb to burn out. An over-voltage condition would. Doubt that's the case though, or there would be other much more serious problems going on.

Most likely you have burned contacts in the lamp socket PC boards themselves and they need to be replaced under the GM tail light recall.

dwayne2004

Hope this helps, but I had the same issue with my 2002 Envoy. The dealer I purchased the vehicle from has always been excellent at solving problems! One of the engine mounts went bad on my vehicle, made it sound just like a diesel. It was especially bad at start-up, or if I got the throttle in just the right position under a slight load (like going up a hill). The Envoy has different engine mounts than most vehicles, and are meant to reduce vibration and noise.

Dwayne

wpkelleysr

Just the glass - it pulls out of the plastic part....

- WPK

twinrotts

Been thinking about buying an Airaid Intake system with the Throttle Body Spacer.
I am a bit nervous about the TBS installation where it speaks of possibly adjusting linkages or Kick down.
Anybody add this equipment and need to make these adjustments?
How do you know what needs to be done if anything?
If these vehicle are drive by wire, what linkages are they talking about?

tmarkb2

twinrotts,

I put both the Airaid intake and TBS on my '03 Envoy. Falling off a log easy and no need to make any changes or adjustments to the linkage or anything. I was very pleased with quality, fit and finish, etc.

While I can definitely tell a huge difference under full throttle, neither helped the pathetic throttle response problem I was trying to cure. I'm assuming this is something we're all living with. Please tell me if I'm wrong and what the fix is!

I've been told that a PCM upgrade will remedy the throttle response and also the useless shift points and annoying half-shifts but I'm not sold on any of the available options and can't justify the $$$.

01_hoe

The TB or Envoy PCM needs to be reworked by a tuner. Wester is working on one, but not released yet. Soon I hope.

tmarkb2

Thanks 01_hoe.

What do you mean by re-worked? Do they exchange the stock PCM, put an upgrade "in-line" after the stock PCM or sell you a new one? Also, am I correct in assuming that the owner will them be able to tweak shift points and firmness, throttle response, etc?

The 4.2 has such huge potential and I'm really disappointed with the way GM has saddled it with lackluster PCM settings.

tmarkb2

All,

I had the license plate surround gasket replaced a couple of months back. While the Envoy was in, I asked them to either reset, replace with new or secure the foam baffles inside the front fenders. These are visible with the front doors open and I was getting tired of closing the one in the driver's door. Guess what the nitwit service manager told me. He said that since I had installed the Airaid intake and TBS, I had changed the "underhood aerodynamics" and was "blowing the baffles out". Thus, there was nothing he could do for me since I installed aftermarket performance parts. Rather than engage an unarmed man in a battle of wits, I chose to simply remove both baffles. No adverse effects noticed to date.

Here's where I'm going with all this.

I now need to have the notorious fan clutch assembly replaced. I'm obviously reluctant to take it back to the dealership mentioned above but they're too convenient. Can anyone give me any info re: a TSB on the fan clutch assembly and/or aftermarket parts voiding a warranty repair? I got some info off of the JET website about the FTC and SEMA but have been able to nail down any details.

tblazed

These are notorious for having loose baffles ("body to fender seal" as per the manual). I glued mine in place about two weeks after I bought it in '02, with 3M contact cement, still firmly in place today. They probably help with wind noise, and keep water, dirt, salt etc. on the road from blowing back into the door hinge area. You could do a "loose baffle" search, print out several of those, go back and try again, or call GMC customer service and tell them the dealer has defaulted on the warranty contract for completely bogus reasons. My guess is because it requires some disassembly and effort to do that repair "by the book", the warranty rate doesn't pay them much to do it, and they are using your aftermarket air intake as an excuse to get out of doing it.

Chevy dealer service writer told me the #1 failure they see the most on Trailblazers is the fan clutch.

scottc454

I'd call GMC customer service. The guy needs to be fired. GM needs to realize that it's more profitable in the long run if they stand behind their products.

ross1962

That guy has underhood aerodynamics between his ears! If there was that much air blowing around under the hood, it would screw up the aerodynamics of the vehicle and affect gas milage. The loose baffle thing is very common. If the idiot won't do it, go to another dealership. Chances are they're give you the runaround on everything.

b36

My 2004 Envoy gives off a gas smell through the vents on the first start of the morning.It does it every once in awhile. I had replyed to ficuss when I had a different user name. Does anyone else have this problem? What was the cause?

ficuss

The dealer looked at (smelled) my TB for gas and could not find the source. It hasn't smelled since.

raleigh

Tmarkb2 - I agree completely! I've been checking web sites to see when Hypertech or someone else is going to come out with something to reprogram this lousy computer. My Envoy has 80 more horses than my old 98 Jimmy, but you'd never know it. The Jimmy was really a lot more responsive and the shift points were far more intuitive. It's strange that with several millions of these things on the road, no one has bothered to come up with either a programmer, or, for that matter, an after market exhaust (other than Borla which is way too expensive). If anyone hears of one, I would love to know.

aldan

I have the source, I was involved in an accident they ripped the bumper off, I found Baffles located near the the left rear corner of the vehicle, these baffles act as pressure valve for the cabin, when you close a door these open etc... So if you overfill your tank, or at cold start-up these open when you close your door pressurize the caib ibn the morning with air blowing in, they suck a little exhaust up. Its acts as a valve. Might want to try the recirculation button see if this helps?

ficuss

That sounds possible. I have to wonder why they would put an opening so near the exhaust. If this is the source of the gas smell, it confirms my impression of faulty GM engineering in this vehicle.

tblazed

Since they are not supposed to emit gasoline fumes and have emission controls for that, seems that would indicate a leak somewhere. Never in 3 years have I smelled gasoline fumes around my 2002 TB.

The HVAC, when in outside air mode, draws air in from the cowl area, and exits out through the one-way outlet pressure relief vent in the left rear corner. The exhaust is on the right rear. I see no connection with the location of any of these having anything to do with a gas smell.

It could be that when you first start up cold, it normally runs rich and at fast idle within the first minute or so (the colder the longer), and during that time before the catalytic converter gets hot, a fairly "aromatic" rich exhaust comes out. If the heater, ventilation or AC is on and in Outside air mode, exhaust fumes could be getting drawn back into the air intake in the front cowl depending which the way the breeze is blowing that day. It will do that to me sometimes in the garage if there is a southerly breeze, so I just turn off the HVAC blower until I get moving. But this is a rich exhaust smell, not a raw gasoline smell.

01_hoe

Check out these links. Westers garage is working on a PCM tune. It would be done at their location with your specs to individually tune to your needs.

http://westers_garage.eidnet.org/Index2.htm
and
http://www.westerscustomtuning.com

01_hoe

Check my post on

http://westers_garage.eidnet.org/Index2.htm

There is also the Jet chip, but research forums very carefully before sending $$$$

ficuss

Ed, you make it sound like an option I would be willing to pay for. You may not get it as much in Texas as we do here in the north where it is sometimes cold. None the less, either you have never smelled it in three years or you have sometimes smelled it in your garage, it still smells like gas and it stays in the car for quite a while. Once again, The general has given us something else no other car has. Perhaps the fix is to delay the start of the heater/vent blower for a few minutes after startup. But of course, this would deny us the "fairly "aromatic" rich exhaust" treat we now get.

jaybird50

Look for my previous 4x4 posts.

Had similar problems--you may need new actuator motor and fluid may need to be changed.

GMC should cover all costs.

twinrotts

Thanks for your feedback TMARK.
So considering your response, do you think the Airaid and TBS were worth buying?
I virtually never step down hard on the throttle other than typical expressway merge type stuff. Or put another way, it is rare for my tach to read above 3500 rpm. Under those driving conditions, is trhere anything to be gained?
I would never reconize a full pedal improvement.

I have also been considering the Hotchkis upgade which I think I'd get immediate benefit from.
Can anyone comment on the do it yourself ness of installing the Hotchkis sway bar and new front bushings.
For those of you that have this upgrade, how much do you give away in ride quality??

n7don

Comments on Hotchkis upgrade:
No detectable change in ride. Benefit derived was on road surfaces that have side-to-side variations. The stiffer swaybar distributes vertical input to both sides which makes the vehicle track better. Not that it was bad. Just my preference. I also felt the rear was under-damped and recently added Bilstein's aftermarket units. The Hotchkis install was fairly straight forward using a floor jack. I found some tips on this forum to remove one of the links to make the install easier.

tblazed

RE ride handling "preference" I agree, like the difference one would expect from the "Premium Ride Suspension Package" that it came with, vs. a tighter "Sport Tuned" suspension other drivers prefer.

tmarkb2

twinrotts,

Check posting 16062 and my suggestion to do a search. The Hotchkis is a great kit and is very easy to install. The Eibach springs are worth their weight in gold and then some.

Re: the Airaid and the TBS, even though you may not step on the loud pedal enough to get over 3500, I think you'll find these bits make the engine a little more responsive and driveable. I went with them to complement the Borla exhaust I put on to make it breath well on both ends.

tmarkb2

I got some great help from the SEMA folks this morning.

Go to SEMASAN.com and scroll down to "Your Car's Warranty" on the right. This points you to all kinds of ammo to use against the dealer and, if necessary, the manufacturer. You can also search "The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(c))" for the specific language regarding aftermarket parts and warranties.

I'm taking my crayons and construction paper to the dealership so I can draw "underhood aerodynamics" boy a picture. Film at eleven.

ross1962

For those of you that have this upgrade, how much do you give away in ride quality??

Not that I would consider a firmer ride "giving up" anything, but the Hotchkis kit, aside from reducing sway, doesn't really give you a firmer ride. It does, however, add urethane bushings to the front as well as the new rear swaybars. The only time you'll really notice anything negative about those is when you hit a pothole.

The upgrade is well worth persuing IMHO.

60hzpush

Well it's been 7 months and they finally fixed the vibration. After 2 new rearends, new transfer case, a new driveshaft, the tech from Isuzu balanced the driveshaft while on the vehicle with a strobelight and hose clamps. Believe or not thats a legitimate fix by GM standards. Does this sound right, I still want a new vehicle or my money back. I filled a complaint with the BBB. Do I have a case here?

scottc454

Well, do you still have the vibration or not?
If the fix works, it works.

It's probably better to balance the shaft while on the vehicle. That's the preferred method for turning brake rotors these days - on the car.

ficuss

It only sounds right if the service manual shows hose clamps around the drive shaft as a fix and the clamps have a G.M. part number, But don't worry, Mr. Rube Goldberg would be proud.

blink3

I have just moved to Texas from Georgia. The roads out here are riddled with potholes and speedbumps. Here is what I am now feeling: If I hit a hole or speedbump dead on straight it feels fine, but if I am in a turn or going around a corner, even just a little and hit a bump in the road, or small pot hole, I feel a looseness in the steering wheel. It is like there is "slop" in the steering wheel, not necessarily in the suspension if that makes sense. Anyone felt this same sensation?

gmfan

Very good explanation Tblazed and I think you are dead on. What's the deal on this forum? I check in from time to time and everyone is paranoid or "looking" for problems with their TB. Early on, I admit I had a few minor items on my 02 TB, but mine has been solid since. Has anyone got underneath their vehicle and taken a good look around. The quality is there, first rate in my book. I have 65K on mine and it drives like brand new...besides the oil changes every 5,000 miles, I have installed two air filters and am on my second tires. My only beef is the spongy suspension, but hey no vehicle is perfect. My wife's Lexus RX300 may handle better in the corners, but mine drives smooth around town and on the highway.

gmfan

It sounds like the steering shaft. Mine was loose, and it was replaced a year and half ago under extended warranty. Probably a $200-$400 item if you are out of warranty. I noticed mine everyday when I was entering my driveway from an angle.

scottc454

Surely the hose clamps were temporary - to hold the weights in place until the tech got everything right and welded them in place.
What's wrong with that?

ficuss

"Surely the hose clamps were temporary - to hold the weights in place until the tech got everything right and welded them in place."

As Paul Harvey would say, And now for the rest of the story!!! If that's the purpose of the hose clamps then I agree, it's ok. Otherwise as I said, Rube Goldberg all the way.

gmfan, Does the steering shaft fall under normal wear and tear for a car with about 40k miles now?

mookie14

Im curious to find out would you all say who have trailblazers's. The front end is a little low and really what can i do to bring it up a little any clues. Also i asked this question before lets see if i can get some help. When i turn my steering wheel to the left i hear whinning sound. It has been lubed to death, a gasket has been put on, and now im just trying to wait until i can get some info as far as what to do Gm customer service is jerks after this this i will ALWAYS BUY TOYOTA OR HONDA FOREVER!! anyone help thanks.