2004 Blazer has a busted up cat conv. Having lots of problems and wondering if it's to blame?

redjan3

Losing power especially when going up an incline. Cruise control bogs down bad on an incline. Also have very hot air blowing out of AC vents sporadically when control is positioned for floor heat. Also wondering if all of these repairs are going to be worth fixing versus the value of the car? Thank you!

xwesx

Well, the first question to ask is about the "bogging down." Does this happen at other times, such as when trying to accelerate quickly (as when passing)? Does it shift well, both up and down, when needed?

The hot air coming out of the vents - is this while you have the climate control set to A/C? If it is, how cold is the air when it is not blowing hot?

redjan3

At times it does shift well but it's gotten worse and I'm afraid to take chances passing, etc. The auto shop it's in just notified me that it's the cat conv and I'm looking at about $625 to replace that. They said the vent issue was a vacuum leak and repaired it. It was blowing hot air, I had the heat on.
Lastly, I need an upper control arm and ball joints replaced. They quoted me $1000. Does this sound reasonable? After paying them $100 for today's diagnosis and vac repair it will cost me over $1700. The vehicle is in average shape for a 12 year old car. But then there is probably a lot more that is ready to go out on it. Thank you for your advice!

xwesx

Ah, sorry for delayed reply; I'm surprised that nobody else has chimed in here! Control arm and ball joints. Those can definitely be a pain. I would say that the quote doesn't sound unreasonable if these are anything like what I've replaced before. Ball joints are generally press fit, so there is a fair bit of labor that goes into their replacement (maybe five hours total?), and control arms can be a somewhat spendy part. My guess is about $350 for the parts on that repair, so another $650 on the labor...