Car question

[barretcreek]

Looking at 2000 2dr Blazer 5 speed. 120k miles.
Anyone had experience with one? Things to watch for.

[Allen]

Did a brief read up on this. They aren't rated very high on MPG. I don't know if that is an issue or not.

My main concern if it were me is I've driven standard shift vehicles in the city and while stopped at stop lights on a hill the AH behind you will always pull right up to your bumper. When taking off it is difficult to not roll backwards first (if on a hill). Cars with hand brakes or hand parking brakes make it much easier but you still have to manipulate this with the clutch and accelerator at the same time when taking off. These Blazers are a carryover from the S-10's and I don't see a hand brake.

If you have no hills then I guess this wouldn't be a problem. I've driven them with the auto's and liked them but the ones I drove were from the late 80's.

Another thing to consider when buying anything with a standard shift is who else is going to be driving it? Can your wife drive one? If you loaned it out to one of your kids could they drive it?

[Doc Sharptail]

Same base platform as Astro/Safari series, so likely 4.3 L v-6.
They had a tendency to leak oil from both the rear and front main bearing seals. At over 100 K, you'll likely be in the market for a fuel pump rather soonish than laterer. It's a drop tank job, and a bit on the spendy side to have shop done.
If it's 2 wheel drive, should be o.k. otherwise. G.M. all wheel drive units from this time period are a bit on the iffy side, and should be mechanic checked.

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

[dogtag]

My stick shift truck had no handbrake for quite a while
and my big fear when taking off when on a hill was stalling.
Panic used to build although I'd done this scores of times,
as this could be the one when I'd roll back into the guy behind.
Never happened thank heaven. Fixed the brake, but there are
several places where I pray my light stays green.

[Major Tom]

I once owned a Blazer. It was a V6 with auto trans and 4 wheel drive, THE biggest problem was it could never hold oil pressure at low driving speeds. I sold it and found out later that buyer had blown the engine and abanded it.

[Allen]

The early blazers (S-10's) had the 2.8 v6. The later ones had the 4.3 v6 which is a 350/5.7 Chevy small block with 2 cylinders hacked off---same bore and stroke.

[Doc Sharptail]

The early blazers (S-10's) had the 2.8 v6. The later ones had the 4.3 v6 which is a 350/5.7 Chevy small block with 2 cylinders hacked off---same bore and stroke.

I had read somewhere that the 4.3 was a derivative of an Olds designed V-6- the 262, which was in an awful lot of mid-sized G.M. vehicles with a manual 3 on the floor, and a Rochester 2bbl. Kind of hard to pin things down given G.M.'s convoluted cross-branding history...

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

[Allen]

Oldsmobile did make a 4.3 (262) that was derived from an Oldsmobile 350 V8. I don't know about a gas version but my '82 Buick Century had the diesel version. Olds 350's were big blocks and look the same as the 455, 425, 403, 400, 260.

https://www.drivingline.com/articles/the-history-of-gms-43-vortec-v6-the-king-of-compact-truck-motors/

Look up 4.3 V6 Oldsmobile engines and I believe all you'll find is the diesel.

The V6's you're thinking of may be the Buick 3.8's that GM used in so many makes? These were also known as the Buick 231 and 155 OMC for marine use.