Using *Ideas* that should translate well from the Medical World over to the Mechanical World... You will need to use a "Triage" Methodology with your "New Found Friend" and become much better organized while you are trying to figure out what to do First, Next and :Last...with your Patient. Here are a few ideas to help you with getting better organized from the outset:
(1) Communicate with the Membership using Paragraphs that qualify in meaningful terms as being no longer than about an Inch and a Half Deep. Re-Read everything you write by starting with what you want to say in your FREE Word Processor from Libre-Office. Check it for logic and clarity and spell-check it to a fair-thee-well. Then... Copy Paste the end products as they develop in here as Fresh, Discreet Postings.
(2) Get a a Decent Spiral Bound Notebook to jot down EVERYTHING you encounter and use that Booklet as your Process Bible to refer to as things develop. Write down everything...Every Part Number, Every Issue, Every Idea being considered and thereby ...keep a running record of this Project.
(3) Be specific about issues in such a way that your thoughts are less like moments of
"Stream of Consciousness" and not mixed and mismatched for content and lumping every problem together as a running dialogue. This will reduce confusion and help others trying to help you to dial in directly on those problems... Sort of Like
"How Do You EAT An Elephant?"... (One Bite at a Time).
(4) Take Digital Pictures of every area being worked on and every component being removed or repaired. For example... showing us what all of the major areas "Under The Hood" look like in Images might allow one of us to spot the fact that if your SUV sat for too long... Mice and Rats might have set up
"Gnesting and Gnawing" parties under there and Chewed Up the Wire Harnesses and Connectors". Post those images specific to each area of focus whenever possible...right back here.
(5) Obtain the GM-GMC OEM FREE Service Manual specific to your SUV available here, courtesy
@Mooseman 's Epic Thread via THIS Link and download and save it to use as a Regular Reference:
*********************************************************** The password below is no longer required. I am unable to edit that post to remove that info. Please note that the FireFox browser has issues with the password handling and because these downloads are not under HTTPS, flagging them as...
gmtnation.com
(6) Use your Google Search Engine to find the majority of On Topic Threads HERE at GMT Nation that have already been well-documented and thrashed out ..so that things that match your particular issues that have been solved already...do not require the re-invention of each "Wheel".
Example:
Using DuckDuckGo and typing in this expression:
gmtnation trailblazer cpas
Will yield THESE Links:
DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.
duckduckgo.com
(7) Listen and Act upon specific advice and instructions in their suggested Orders of Operation ...especially where Engine and Transmission Diagnostics are concerned because the idea that
"You Can't Get THERE from HERE..." means that certain things should be done in a certain order...especially where Trouble Codes or DTCs are concerned by using a Decent OBD2 Scan Tool for such Diagnostics. You will find plenty of assistance with what works best under certain conditions.
(8) The GMT360 Platform almost demands GM or ACDelco Parts for most Repairs. Using After-Market Parts in most repairs on these SUVs is just asking for more trouble.
(9) We know that having a project like this on-going is often frustrating and confusing...especially if you are receiving different approaches to the same problem. You can help yourself by slowing down and reading what has already been posted in prior successful events involving other Members and use those events to inform you about the most reliable sources of advice...coming from MANY different Members with plenty of ideas and experiences to lean upon.
(10) Give your "Readership" regular "One Over The World" updates on how things are progressing..
.or not. These kinds of jobs often come with "Fits and Starts" with interruptions that involve either waiting for New Parts to arrive...or the Money needed to afford them. We all know what this feels like...so...Stay In Touch...