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Chevy Blazer GMC Jimmy Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • rreidzansrreidzans Member Posts: 1
    I have a 95 jimmy, Bought it used 37000 mi. @41000 mi Tranny went. Shortly after Ignition switch broke, then Wiper motor died, Then EGR valve went. I have replaced 2 O2 sensors. Started acting like the EGR valve agian, Pulled it apart and cleaned about a year ago. A few weeks ago Engine running rough(EGR valve agian)Brakes very hard to press. Almost got into an accident(close call. I am cuurently looking for a Non GM vehicle to buy. Anybody want a 95 Jimmy Ha Ha! Only good thing is it is awesome in the snow.
  • spoomspoom Member Posts: 85
    continuation from posts #97 and #109 (aka "the '97 SLT Jimmy from hell") Driving home from work on Friday at about 25 mph and I hear a slight scraping noise so I pull over into a parking space. Right front corner is down a little. As I get out of the car I'm thinking "Damn, must've cut a tire, and they're only 2 months old." I walk around the front of the truck and look at the tire that is tilting at a 45° angle. The upper ball joint broke and the $400+ wheel is cut (gouged) from the upper arm and has to be replaced too. Man I love this truck. It's such a hard choice on how to drive it. I need to hit potholes to turn the wipers on, yet the "we are professional grade" front end can't handle 58K miles.
  • inkwizardinkwizard Member Posts: 4
    Well I guess I did take the advise of Clark Howard. He suggest that you drive your auto until the wheels "fall off". My 1999 Jimmy SLT lost the front passenger wheel at 51,000 miles. The ABS light came on and I "assumed" the noise I heard was a scrap against the rotor. On the way to have it serviced, the wheel came off on I-285 in Atlanta. I was lucky and was not injured. After I cleaned out my shorts, I found the repair was in excess of $3,000. According to the service department, the permanently sealed "no maintance" wheel bearing froze up. It has taken over five weeks to repair. They were waiting on a wheel. HMMMM. Why would a GMC dealer be unable to locate a GMC wheel? Perhaps none were in stock due to demand of a common problem. Any other similiar problems?
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    Those are serious defects that should be reported,


    http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/ivoq/default.htm


    Save all repair bills incase there is a recall, you may get your money back.


    Reporting these defects can save someones life if there is a real problem.

  • inkwizardinkwizard Member Posts: 4
    The incident has been reported. Thanks for your help.
  • rabbitzrabbitz Member Posts: 4
    I have to admit I am a bit nervous after reading through these posts. Thought I had done my homework before I bought the vehicle.

    I bought my Blazer July 2001, and I absolutely love it, really have just one small complaint & will hope this is the only problem I have. I have a pinging noise from underneath when I am slowing down & sometimes when I am starting out. It is not real loud & not consistent. I have tried to narrow down where it is coming from to no avail. I did take it back to the dealer & he did hear what I was talking about & we all pretty much ruled out calipers or breaks by the noise, but when I got it back it was because of a loose caliper pin? That's nice, it still has a ping.

    This does not hurt the performance of the vehicle in anyway & as I said I love the way it drives I just would prefer to not have a ping, so I thought I would throw it out here & see if anyone has heard of anything similiar &/or a possible solution so I will not have to keep taking it back to the dealer. Thanks!
  • robirwin1robirwin1 Member Posts: 1
    I Have a 97 Jimmy and when you are driving down the road the headlights and the dash lights fluctuate in intensity all the time. At times the Battery light will flash the same way. Does anyone have any idea what it could be?
  • mrchwmrchw Member Posts: 2
    I've got a 99 Blazer with about 35K miles on it... at about 27K miles my bose CD player decided it didn't like CDs anymore... it would spit out any cd I put in with a msg that said ERR on the display. So I took it in, they took out the CD Player, I drove around with out a radio for a week, and they got a new radio in, and they put it back in. Everything was fine except for it was the wrong radio -- my mute button suddenly became an "Auto Tone" button, but it functioned as a mute button, so I didn't really care.

    But now, at about 34K miles, the CD player starts skipping randomly.... So bad I can't bare to listen to more than about 2 seconds. But the strange thing is that it's not all the time... Some times I can go an entire trip without any troubles. Other times it'll start after 5 seconds. Sometimes it even loses it's place and spits the cd out... often it just spins and spins and spins making a horrible whining noise like the motor needs a ton of grease (but this is not heard when it's playing fine). I first thought it was a heat issue as it seemed to only happen after the car was on for a while or sitting out in the sun, but now it's happens pretty much within 3 minutes of a trip. And once it starts, there is no stopping it...

    Anyone else experience this? I'm obviously going to get it replaced, but I want the dealer to order the radio first, they tell me they won't do that. Grr.

    Cameron
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    Anyone have an exhaust leak on a newer Blazer? I have a 99 4dr 4x4 that has a slight leak. I can hear it only during acceleration at half or more throttle from a stop. This exhaust noise has a slight ticking sound like an old car. The noise is getting louder. By the way, I don't abuse this truck, but I accelerate at near full throttle all the time entering expressways. Any ideas?
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    WHen your on a hill in 2wd and it rolls back a little it has nothing to do with trans slippage.

    WHen in 4wd turning into your driveway:

    Anytime your in 4wd and turn there is a little resistance especially if the pavement is dry. Its not good to have 4wd on when the pavement is dry especially when turning. Dry pavement and turning is the worst thing for 4wd

    Ryan
  • my98blazermy98blazer Member Posts: 1
    Hello all, I've checked the board and can find no reference to this problem. Maybe someone can help. I purchased a used 1998 Chevy Blazer 4X4 4 dr.w/46k miles. Truck works great except for one thing. After a 250 mile trip with the cruise on I notice that the truck suspension seemed to be squeaking when I went over bumps or pot holes, or even turned the steering wheel. I immediately took it for a major lube job at which time they said that there was no power steering fluid in it. I had all fluids filled and chassis lubed. Only it is still happening. I took it to the dealership (where it is still under bumper to bumper) and they had it for a day and a half and could not find a problem and could not make it squeak. Now it is doing it intermittently. It is really a pain to be out of the truck while they tell me nothing is wrong. Has anyone else had this problem or can anyone give me any advise.

    Thanks.
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    what kinda gas are you running (87 octane?)
  • cheech004cheech004 Member Posts: 12
    i have a problem, my 1998 gmc jimmy wont go into 4wd,whether im parked, driving or even in neutral.the 4hi wont work no matter what i do. But 4lo works only when im stopped and i shift the car in neutral. is something wrong.anybody have or had this problem, also can this problem be costly. please reply??
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    do you have the manual 4wd shifter or electronic?
  • cheech004cheech004 Member Posts: 12
    its electronic push button.theres 2hi,4hi, and 4lo. when i push 4hi it doesnt engage,but 4lo will engage if im stopped and the car is in neutral.i dont know whats up with it, i know theres a problem but is that normal for that to happen.?????
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    nope doesnt sound normal

    Might need a whole new unit. Bad connection?

    Did you get any service 4wd light on your dash?
  • rabbitzrabbitz Member Posts: 4
    Yes, Actually I was using 87 Octane. I filled it yesterday w/I think 89? Middle of the road fuel.I will give that a chance to work through, but I did catch that little ping as I came to a stop a couple of times last night. Do you think maybe I should add some cleaner to the fuel as well & use the highest grade gas? Thanks for your help w/this!!!!!
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    Stick with 87 (manual recommends).

    How many miles do you have? If its low miles i wouldnt be dumping any cleaner in there.

    Do you go to the same gas station every fillup?

    Might have just got some bad gas.
  • jjocjjocjjocjjoc Member Posts: 24
    For the the 4Wd problem, my 1996 would shift into 4 high but not 4 low (it would 'try' but then go back).
    Long story short, I took it in and they had to replace the computer encoder, I think that is what is was called. I was not too thrilled since the vehicle only had 45k miles and the repair was around $700.
  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but my brother's 96 sounds like an old bed going down the street, seriously. I took it to Midas (it has 80k, out of warranty, terrible dealer) and they said one of the rear leaf springs was cracked, that I needed to take it to a 'spring shop' and have them rig it. Whatever, never had it fixed, though it is a little better since I had a oil change/lube, but not completely gone.

    Honestly, I just hope nothing catastrophic happens to this thing until he's not upside down. He bought this thing used in 98 w/almost 40k miles on it, probably not the brightest thing to do, it won't be paid off til like 2003.
  • cheech004cheech004 Member Posts: 12
    while driving or in park, i would push the 4hi button and nothing happens, when it is in neutral and im stopped the lights go off but it wont engage to 4hi it just stays in 2hi. but if i try 4lo in neutral it does engage, weird i know.
  • rabbitzrabbitz Member Posts: 4
    Thanks, I did go back to the 87. Generally I fill up at the same station each week. The Blazer is brand new w/5000 miles on it. Must be the little quirk for this vehicle, I cannot seem to find a link to the problem no matter what I do. If you hear of anything or have any other suggestions let me know & thanks again.
  • spoomspoom Member Posts: 85
    continuation of #97 & #109 re: 97 jimmy
    I got word from a friend that GM had issued "Campaign Bulletin" #01048 regarding '96-'97 upper ball joints separating with no warning. It was for Jimmy/Blazer/Bravada registered in 21 states, all of them northern US so I'm guessing salt related? Anyway, I go to my dealer to tell him that it already happened to me 2 mo. ago and he looks up my VIN and says I'm not included. A '97 Jimmy bought new in the fall of '96 and it's not included???!!! I called the 800 GM customer service number from my manual and we'll see what happens. In the meantime folks, please have your trucks checked out. At 25 mph the inside of my wheel was cut through enough in one block for the tire to start losing air through the wheel itself. At highway speeds do you think you could get off the road in one block?
    ¿spoom
  • spoomspoom Member Posts: 85
    oh yea, forgot to mention that my ABS light came on 3 days ago. Trouble code scan says " front left wheel speed sensor". If I do get any reimbursement from the ball joint falling apart I can spend it on the braking system. In the meantime I had to unplug the wheel sensor so it kils the ABS during the start up system check instead of having limited braking after each ign off/on sequence. I have never had a vehicle experience like this, even with my old beater cars as a kid.
    ¿spoom
  • spoomspoom Member Posts: 85
    GM says "too bad" my truck isn't covered under the recall 'cause it was made in a different plant with ball joints from different supplier. Guess nobody told the ball joints. ABS was "just" the wheel speed sensor. I couldn't get one from an aftermarket place so I had to give the dealer $55 for one. At least it was simple to put in. Looks like I'll ignore the wiper problem and gas guage 'til I hit the lottery :)
    ¿spoom
  • qdiscqdisc Member Posts: 29
    Latest problem with my 96 Blazer: the AC. It won't stay on! When I turn it on, it will engage for 1-2 seconds, I can hear it and feel the engine rev higher, then it disengages for 4-5 seconds and repeats, over and over and over. Anyone with any advice on what this might be, how much it might cost me? My wife is truly ready to kill me as she wanted me to get rid of it 6 months ago when it had other problems, but I naively held on to it.

    Thx in advance

    Q
  • dcymbordcymbor Member Posts: 3
    Q

    Sounds like the system is low on freon. Had the same problem with my 97 S10. Took it to an independent garage. He checked for leaks (none) and recharged the system. Cost was about $70. Been working great for 10 months now....

    Dave
  • qdiscqdisc Member Posts: 29
    Cool. Makes me feel better that that may be all it is.

    thx Dave

    Q
  • topdog047topdog047 Member Posts: 12
    I had the same problem w/99 Jimmy - annoying squeak going over speed bumps etc. Service write immediately knew it was the rubber cushions on the springs - problem totally resolved - 28000 on warranty - it was $20 parts and 150+ labor inc. alignment. seems to be a regular/known problem.
  • laungst1laungst1 Member Posts: 2
    i have a 94 jimmy with electronic transfer case.when i start my vehicle both indicator lights come on;as it's supposed to.when u push switch to 4hi,nothing happens.if you put the transmission into neutral ,push switch into 4wheel, the hi/low indicators just blink.
  • sugarcookiesugarcookie Member Posts: 10
    We have a 1991 Blazer S10. We bought it off-lease with 24000 miles on it. We now have 138000 on it and it is still going strong. Never had to make any major repairs expcept for a couple of heater cores. I love it and will not part with it until it finally goes to Blazer heaven. On the flip side, I have been looking for a Blazer for my son to go away to college with. I was looking at 95's.
    When talking to my GMC dealership( who does my repairs ) I was told to stay clear of that year Blazer and Jimmy because there were way too many problems with them since they were the first year of the new style.
  • g159g159 Member Posts: 23
    Hey, I am thinking of buying a AWD Blazer, Jimmy or Bravada from 95-97. It was probably a rare option, except as standard on the Bravada. Any problems with it. I hate relying on electronic sensors to shift into 4wd as they always break. I don't need low range. I might consider the 98 and newer 4wd, but worry about the reliabilty of the sensors. Any thoughts on these years? Any other problems to worry about? Thanks.
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    I would bet AWD is more reliable than the hi/lo setup. I have been reading these post and many people have had the encoder on the transfer case or the front axle actuator go bad. Neither are used on the AWD, it has many less parts because the front diff is always turning.
  • starks2starks2 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2001 Jimmy, I had a 98 Jimmy that I miss it was perfect compared to this new one
    I have the blinking headlights and 4WD-Hi-Low problem as well they don’t bother me as much as the pulling problem that may kill my family or me or maybe someone else.
    This vehicle has been in the shop 7 times in less than 6 months for just this pulling problem.
    It has been aligned 3 times by two different shops. The tires have been rotated 4 times.
    The brakes have been replaced. It appears that something else is wrong. Any ideas?
    The independent shop did make it drive straighter than the dealer. But still pulls right when braking.
    The dealer alignment seems to try to hide the problem by shifting the alignment to the left. The problem with this fix is it abnormally wears the tires. And when slippery the ABS kicks in and the front of he truck slides left as the back starts to slide to the right. I fear that when it gets icier that the truck will spin. I am surprised the ABS allows this. The pull to the right is freakish and they can not find the problem. The way the dealer has it set now is unsafe for winter. When driving you cannot take your eyes off the road for a second as you have to constantly correct the wheel. You have to rock the steering wheel back and forth. I feel like I am driving a 10yr old Ford. I have seen this problem here in GMC Jimmy Front End Repair. I have also done extensive research and found others. If GMC knows what the problem is they are keeping it a secret. As much as I like the ride and my last Jimmy, this problem has turned me off to GMC. They have not fixed it, and under the law they will now buy it back. I am upset that they will not do what is right. They are forcing me to Lemon Law. Hopping that I may go away or maybe have a fatal accident.
    This vehicle may someday be a part of a recall as I have found others with the same problem. I have spent a great deal of time and money on this problem. I have narrowed it down to 3 possible causes, One-- defective rear rotors or calipers, as they have not replaced them yet only the pads. Two-- the brake booster valve assembly as it controls the brake pressure to each wheel. Third-- a bent frame, miss-aligned suspension parts as the right rear leaf spring appears to have a older replacement part and it does not match the one on the left side. GMC would rather hide this problem, or put me through hell instead of fix it.
    I have a message for GMC Bone-appetite. Sorry that you could not stand behind your vehicle.
    Anyone that may know what this problem is, I would be appreciate the fix. I still have to drive it till the lemon law will feed it back to GMC. This could take the rest of the winter. I am going to take it back to the independent shop as they can make it drive straighter than the dealer hide the problem job. I do have extensive documentation and research on this vehicle and problem if you need it for your lawsuit.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    Could it be that the vehicle is not sitting on its springs evenly? Some past post talked to the front torsion bars needing adjustment to get the the front tires evenly loaded. This could manifest itself in some of the symptoms you describe.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    2000 Jimmy, 15000 miles: wouldn't go into 4hi the other day. Could get 4lo. Got it into the dealer, one hour later it was fixed. Bad encoder.

    Someone say this is a $700 item?

    Yes I see the same problem in posts 270, 272 and 281
  • starks2starks2 Member Posts: 3
    Thank you heng , this fix is along the line of my Third solution a bent frame, miss-aligned suspension parts
    And it may be the cause of this abnormality and it may also be a combination of suspension and brakes.
    The reason being the problem gets worse the longer you drive it. It seems to pull more as the brakes get hotter but the pull is always there. I will try to fix it even though it is in the Lemon law process. I do love everything else about the truck. The condition the truck is in now is unsafe to drive in bad weather. The Lemon Law process can take 40 to 60 days and with Christmas almost here it may take a bit longer. Don’t feel bad about the Bad encoder my encoder when bad the first week that I bought the truck. And the lights have blinked and dimmed from day one. These problems are not safety risks and you will have new car problems with any vehicle. Just a few more with a Jimmy. I don’t mind a few problems if they can be fixed don’t ask me to compromise on safety so GMC can do the cheapest possible thing and ask me to live with the problem. I am considering buying foreign for two reasons One- unfortunately they have a more dependable product. Two- The foreign car companies stand behind their product. After reading many Technical Service Bulletins from GMC it appears to have a corporate mentality of do as little as possible and make the customer live with it. That type of corporate mentality may have short term profits but in the long run it will drive away customers. This why corporate America is losing profits to the foreign car companies. I don’t want to buy foreign but this has cost me so much time and money that it is a matter of economics.
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    Has anyone had problems with the driver's side front door that made creaking noises going over bumps? It is driving me crazy. I have removed the door panel 2 times and found no problems. I think it maybe the doorframe, but not sure. It looks like the frame is glued, not welded, when I peeled back the rubber window seal. Very cheap construction. I have used 3 cans of expanding foam to quite the cargo area.
  • starks2starks2 Member Posts: 3
    I have had that problem with the creaking noises going over bumps
    I found it to be the hood. The noise sounded like the door, but I found it by pounding on the bumper and listening around the door. After adjusting the hood the creaking noises were gone.
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    my 2000 Jimmy makes a tapping sound in the drivers door. Of course when I had it at the dealer for the encoder, I went for a drive with the service tech and *@%&# it wouldn't make a sound. Of course the next day it was back.
  • astrolann1astrolann1 Member Posts: 8
    Does anybody know how to program the door locks on a 1999 lt Blazer?
  • hengheng Member Posts: 411
    I thought it was in the front transfer case but that wasn't touched after the encoder was replaced.
  • dcjonesdcjones Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2000 4WD LS Blazer w/20K mi. When the vehicle idles there is a terrible rumble sould. The sound is a low frequency sound. It seems to get worse (louder) when the AC is on. It is only present when the vehicle idles. It does not matter if the vehicle is idling in park, drive, or neutral. Likewise, 2wd or 4wd does not affect the sound. The vehicle idles at 600 to 650 rpm depending if the AC compressor is on or off. At these engine speeds the sound is real bad. With the vehicle at a complete stop, in park or drive, if I slowly press the gas pedal and increase the engine speed to 700 rpm the sound goes away. When the vehicle is in motion the engine is completely smooth. Has any one else experienced this?
  • dcjonesdcjones Member Posts: 3
    I have delay wipers on my 2000 4WD LS Blazer (20K mi). There are five delay settings. Shortly after I got the vehicle on the first two settings (the longest of the delay settings) would work. Settings 3 through 5 would make a couple of passes then delay then make three passes then delay then make a pass then delay then pass continuously... you get the idea. There was no true delay action. The dealer has replaced the "pulse modulator", twice! Now only settings 1 through 3 work. Setting 5 (The shortest delay) makes continuous passes with no delay. The dealer said that's the way setting 5 is supposed to be. He said he had another Blazer on the lot that he checked and it did the same thing. Yea right, that one was probably defective too! Currently setting 4 works 80% of the time and of course always works at the dealership. Anyone have any idea what's going on? I am sure most of the hardware (control yoke, electronics, "pulse modulator", etc) is the same as other Chevy vehicles. Why am I having so much trouble with the wipers in a Blazer?
  • abc246abc246 Member Posts: 305
    so where is the encoder located?
    It is located on the transfer case. There is only one transfer case and is on the back of the transmission, about the middle of the truck.

    Rumble Sound At Idle
    Have no idea here. Please tell us when you find out what was making the noise.

    Delay Wiper Problem
    Setting 5 does have a very short delay, it is almost undetectable. Sounds like the switch in stalk or a connection problem for setting 4 not to work all the time.

    By the way, I found out why my driver's door would make a creaking noise over bumps. It was the door weather stripping. I cleaned the weather strip on the top of the door frame with a cleaner and now it is quite.
  • tommctommc Member Posts: 66
    Got a new Blazer with the 4.3. Idle speed is right at 550 rpm, lights flicker somewhat at night, engine doesn't run real smooth at that speed. Is this the correct speed? Could be a trick to get better mileage, lower emissions maybe, but I'm not impressed with this low rpm. Any comments appreciated.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Can you adjust the idle to something just a little higher?

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    my silverado with the 5.3 will idle at 500 rpm after the engine warms up.

    When do the lights flicker? For no reason at all?

    I know when you roll down the windows or unlock the doors the lights should dim slightly

    Ryan
  • rhinoevansrhinoevans Member Posts: 1
    Makes an awful grinding noise when engaging the fly wheel. Also it is "eating" the first 1/8 of inch of the teeth on the flywheel. Rest of teeth all the way around ok, just missing the first 1/8. Took started off and had benched tested, ie, just applies power and it functioned OK. AM I missing something here? COuld the started still be bad even if it spins on the starter tested bence? ANy other ideas?
  • rick134rick134 Member Posts: 2
    I own a 97 Jimmy, this is by far the most unreliable, worst built vehicle I have ever owned. I have had the electronic t-case problems, wiper problems, u-joint gave out at 60,000miles, rusty trans. dip-stick. My family and I have been stranded in the mountains twice. The thing that makes me the maddest is that I traded a Pathfinder in on this pile of junk! Never again GM-- as far as im concerned GM shouldnt even be in the car making business!
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