- Apr 6, 2014
- 37
A couple of years ago... I fulfilled a desire to own a trailblazer. Having been a GMC Jimmy owner in the past.... it seemed logical. That's were the nightmare began. I found an 02' with just over 200k miles on it. It was running a little rough, but for just under 2k, and after throwing a code reader on it which was telling me a cam positioning sensor was bad... I figured what the heck. I bought the trailblazer. Changed the cam positioning sensor, then came the P300 code. It was still running rough, so I changed the plugs... and took it to have the oil changed. I took it for a test drive... and that is when it happened. BOOM! then nothing... it was dead in the water... which is what led me to this forum. A lot of you gave me some great advice... May03 was awesome. I ended up taking the head off, and found that the #4 piston was half gone... the engine was toast....so then came my search for an engine... I wanted to buy one local because I wanted to be able to hear it run. I finally found one, just over 130k miles for an '03 engine. Ran a little rough, but sounded overall solid.... and for 600.00 bucks how can you go wrong. I bought the engine.... well then my local code enforcement came down on me and told me I can't do engine swaps or engine work in my own driveway. so there it sat under a tarp for 8 months... I piddled with getting the old engine ready to swap out I figured I'd do it over night when the neighbor who called and complained wouldn't be awake to see me do it. in the mean time... the neighbor found something to call on me for.... the trailblazer had no current tag... won't run, won't pass emissions, no tag.... so I decided to say to hell with it and pulled the trigger on the project over the 4th of July weekend. had to work on Saturday.... so that was a no go.... so Sunday morning I jump out there early, pull the old motor out( which is a bear when the engine is locked up)... went and bought new heater hoses, rear main seal and transmission pump seal. Get the new engine ready to go... and got it in the hole...now all I needed to do is get it aligned with the tranny, and get the torque converter bolts in. 4th comes along.... get out there early again.... aligns in minutes.... torque converter bolts right up... and then I start putting everything back on the engine ( alternator, power steering, etc...) then I start wiring it up... and WTF.... none of the plugs match with the '03 sensors... so I have to strip them all off the old engine... then I get to the last one.... the upstream 02 sensor.... it won't budge... I mess with it and mess with it... end up rounding the damn thing off (yes even with the proper tools and PB blaster soaks). So now came back to the forum and read where some guy had the same problem... and someone advised him to use a pipe wrench.... this didn't work so well either at first.... I finally get the thing out, and figure out whom ever put it in had cross threaded it, and forced it in... I put the new O2 sensor in and it is throwing a cam positioning sensor code ( here we go again now.) I have a new one that I took off the old engine... change it out... clear the codes and crank it.... check engine light comes back on... not surprising by how bad it is running... check the code... P303... I change all the plugs with AC Delco's ( the engine had autolites in it), and change the #3 coil pack....clear the codes... crank it up, and it's running smoother, but just didn't seem right... so I check the codes again.... nothing.... take it for a test drive and it runs decent, but the idle is still surging and a little off... then comes the magical flashing check engine light.... I get it the block and a half back to the house. shut it down... then crank it back up... check engine light... check the code... p303.... at this point I am saying WTF... and ready to stuff a gas soaked rag in the fuel filler and strike a match to it.... I've now invested about 4K into this thing.... and I am now at a loss... anyone care to chime in with some advice?