4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity
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4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/7/2007 12:03:55 PM
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artsound
Posts: 18
Joined: 5/7/2007
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Thinking of buying 2000-2004 4dr blazer with the 4.3 --I am new to chevy and blazers both and am wondering how reliable you guys find them and how many miles you can expect from a well maintained 4.3--are there any common things to watch out for in purchasing a used Blazer?
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/7/2007 12:09:54 PM
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hillbillyinOhio
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Well, I have owned 3 blazers. A 92 2dr 4x4 with 238000 miles on it before the body went.
A 1996 2dr 4x4 that had 175000 before my dad changed the oil and didnt put the plug back in and killed the motor, and my 1997 that I still have with 178xxx miles on it. Only thing that i have really replaced was the fuel pump and AC compressor.
Ball joints seems to be a failure point, not sure if they have fixed that on newer models.
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/7/2007 12:28:46 PM
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nj4x4blaze
Posts: 1779
Joined: 8/5/2005
From: North Jersey
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Balljoints are still problems on the new models. I have a 2001 and at 70,000 miles i had to replace both driver and passenger side balljoints.
< Message edited by nj4x4blaze -- 5/7/2007 12:30:00 PM >
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/7/2007 10:25:31 PM
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blazinloud
Posts: 2425
Joined: 2/8/2006
From: Saskatoon, Canada
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oil cooler lines seems like a common problem also. and pretty much the entire front end should be looked at.
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/8/2007 12:53:15 AM
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Mr Blazer LT
Posts: 282
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My first blazer, a 91 2 door, had bad leaks in the oil cooler lines (caused it's death) but was a great truck otherwise. My 98 4 door had most of the front end suspension replaced a few weeks ago, but is a great truck also. My old roomate currently has 236k on his 2 door Blazer (believe its a 93) w/ original engine and tranny still runnin' strong.
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/8/2007 7:55:55 AM
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EuroGoldLS
Posts: 3121
Joined: 2/9/2007
From: Princeton, NC, USA
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My uncle had 450,000 on his old S10 Blazer LT before it blew up, It was a great one too.
THe only thing I have had to go wrong with mine was the starter and the head gasket. Head gaskets seem to be a common problem on all the Vortec engines. My oil cooler lines leaked too before I replaced the oil cooler and lines with an aftermarket one.
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/8/2007 11:19:50 AM
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nj4x4blaze
Posts: 1779
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From: North Jersey
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My oil cooler lines leak now.. But its very slow leak tho.. Hmm I wonder if I should just take it to the dealer since its under warranty.
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Dave- 01 blazer 4x4, 6" Superlift Kit,15x8 on 32''s and 20"x9" on 33''s,New Jersey Chapter
www.subsonickustomz.com
NJ,MI,IN,WI,IL,CO,MN,AZ,NC,
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/8/2007 9:54:42 PM
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TheBrettster
Posts: 1080
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I second that head gasket problem, i have a small leak as well and my cooler lines went out as well.
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/9/2007 4:51:22 AM
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swartlkk
Posts: 14499
Joined: 5/1/2005
From: Waterloo, NY
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The head gasket thing is a new one... Intake manifold gaskets yes, but headgaskets???
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/9/2007 6:54:49 AM
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zr2offroad
Posts: 5
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I'm on my 3rd blazer. My first was a 1988 with the 2.8 v6, the biggest POS I ever had, dumped that thing off less then 2yrs after I got it. My next was a 1994 2dr sport and was the best one ever. I kept if for 5yrs and it had 100k on the clock when I traded it in, never had any problems with it. Then got my current 2000 ZR2 blazer that I've had for 4yrs now and have had things go wrong. Never had any gasket problems, just brake issues so far. I am having problems that are coming from the front end and so far no one can tell me what the problem is. I did have the ball bearings replaced last summer but i keep hearing this rumbeling noise that comes fromt he front end, it gets louder the faster you go, and you can hear poping noises at very slow speeds when hitting bumps or turning. Could this be the balljoints? if not, what can you listen/lookout for if it is and what can the repair bill run?
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/9/2007 7:18:19 AM
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EuroGoldLS
Posts: 3121
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From: Princeton, NC, USA
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quote:
ORIGINAL: swartlkk
The head gasket thing is a new one... Intake manifold gaskets yes, but headgaskets???
Yes headgaskets, my head gasket cracked, I got it replaced, and it couldn't have been two weeks later before the one on my dad's K1500 cracked.
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My theory is that every disrict in the USA tries to send their lying scumbags to either prison or Washington D.C. -rivereye
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/9/2007 7:36:22 AM
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swartlkk
Posts: 14499
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From: Waterloo, NY
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Bad experience by you doesn't make it a wide spread problem...
FWIW, cast iron head and cast iron block make for a very long life head gasket. Over heat a motor once and the integrity of the head gasket is vastly decreased.
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/9/2007 10:38:01 AM
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Hanr3
Wheels & Tire Moderator
Posts: 3482
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I dont have any complaints.
Teh only thing unexpected on my '00 was the reaction sun shell in the tranny.
The 4.3L V6 is a very strong and reliable engine, same as a 350/5.7L V8 with 2 pistons removed. GM put it in the S-series truck, 1/2 ton full size pick up trucks, Astro vans, and maybe some other vehicles. Average engine life seems to be in the 190,000-200,000 mile area, although they can life to 300,000 if the rest of the vehicle survives that long.
The 700R4/4L60/4L60E tranny is very reliable for the most part. GM again uses this tranny in numberous vehicles. The S-series, the 1/2 fullsize pick-ups, 1/2 ton fullsize SUV's, Astro vans, Fullsize 1/2 ton vans, Corevette, and numberous other vehicles. One of the best if not the best auto transmission offered by any manufacture.
Like any other vehicle, longevity depends on maintenance and amount of trashing from the owner.
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/9/2007 1:45:55 PM
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vagnozzi
Posts: 114
Joined: 2/12/2007
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I bought my 01 Jimmy in January and have replaced the oil cooler lines, thermostat, waterpump, and radiator hoses. My current problem is bad fuel spider, which is another 'common' issues on these 4.3 engines. Converting it from SCFI to MPI fixes these issues, but it isn't cheap. I'm in process of doing it right now
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/9/2007 2:05:49 PM
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EuroGoldLS
Posts: 3121
Joined: 2/9/2007
From: Princeton, NC, USA
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quote:
ORIGINAL:swartlkk
The head gasket thing is a new one... Intake manifold gaskets yes, but headgaskets???
quote:
ORIGINAL: EurogoldLS:
Yes headgaskets, my head gasket cracked, I got it replaced, and it couldn't have been two weeks later before the one on my dad's K1500 cracked.
quote:
ORIGINAL:swartlkk
Bad experience by you doesn't make it a wide spread problem...
FWIW, cast iron head and cast iron block make for a very long life head gasket. Over heat a motor once and the integrity of the head gasket is vastly decreased.
Sorry, checked back on it and it was the intake manifold gasket. It was on the repair statement. Mechanic told me it was the head gasket, but I think he meant Intake Manifold gasket. MY BAD!!!!!
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My theory is that every disrict in the USA tries to send their lying scumbags to either prison or Washington D.C. -rivereye
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RE: 4.3 longevity and blazer reliablity - 5/10/2007 3:02:35 AM
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artsound
Posts: 18
Joined: 5/7/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: vagnozzi
I bought my 01 Jimmy in January and have replaced the oil cooler lines, thermostat, waterpump, and radiator hoses. My current problem is bad fuel spider, which is another 'common' issues on these 4.3 engines. Converting it from SCFI to MPI fixes these issues, but it isn't cheap. I'm in process of doing it right now
Thanx all for responding-- which years are mpi and which are single point injection?
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