Another Reason I Love My Blazer

[truckster]

I have a 2001 Chevy 1 ton van with 115,000 miles. So far I've replaced the distributor, ECU (and had to take it to the dealer for programming), two O2 sensors, front wheel bearings and seals, rear wheel bearings and seals (and brakes, since they were soaked with 90W), a brake cylinder, a high-pressure regulator for the CNG, and now a radiator that's leaking.

On the other hand, my 40 year old Blazer just starts and goes. Of course it takes some maintenance to keep it running, but I've spent less on it since I bought it than I have on my van, and that includes putting an engine in the Blazer.

[Firebirdjones]

You have a 2001 chevy van that uses a distributor??? What engine is that?
Most everything that GM uses now is of the LS platform (coil per cylinder) and no distributor.

For the record, the rest of that stuff is just maintanance on a 115,000 mile vehicle so it's not unusual.

02 sensors should be changed during regular tune up intervals, roughly 70,000 miles is their life expectancy, and most tuners like to see them changed every 50k.

Wheel bearings and seals are a crap shoot, sometimes they go 150,000 miles, sometimes 50,000.

Radiators aren't made like they used to be, with their cheap plastic tanks they are prone to cracking unfortunately.

As far as reprogramming, I keep a lap top with HPtuners on it, and use it to tune and diagnose any issues I have with our LS based vehicles. Especially since I also swapped an LS engine into our 72 blazer. Makes diagnosing and repairs a snap.


Not to be nit picky, I understand your frustration. To be quite honest, I still prefer our muscle cars to drive, with their points distributors and all. You just can't argue with simplicity and very cheap to maintain. They have never let me down.

[blue_69]

these sealed wheel bearings suck. Some only last 20,000 miles and buzzzzzzzzzzzz very few last over a 100,000

I read cng that must be the reason it has a distributor??

[truckster]

It's a Vortec 5.7 bi-fuel gasoline/CNG. I've been wrenching on cars and trucks for over 30 years and I've never had one fall apart like this one. And the bearings and seals didn't go out at 115,000, that's just what it has now. The first set went around 60,000. For comparison, I just replaced the OEM set on the Blazer about a month ago.

The CNG is nice as far as the cost of fuel (1.25 per gasoline gallon equivalent here), but the maintenance has been a pain. I guess it's a trade off; I put $50 worth of gas in the Blazer today after driving to work for the past four days.

[Firebirdjones]

Ah okay, a natural gas or propane vehicle. I didn't catch that the first time I read it.

Ya I'm not a fan of the sealed wheel bearings either. My wifes 2000 SS camaro is the same way, you have to change the entire spindle/hub assembly. After 88,000 miles though the originals are still going (fingers crossed)

I also don't like all the NON greasable ball joints in new vehicles. I had to replace the outer tie rod ends in her camaro at 70K. I replaced them with greasable units from Moog.