What did you do to your GMT today?

[Eric04]

Third times the charm! Right???

Ordered another fuel pump for it. I could not locate a reasonably priced Bosch for it so I went with the acdelco. Hopefully this time I won't have any issues. Current issues are flacky gas gauge and code p0463.View attachment 94515
Also it won't start after warmed up and takes another try with the key to get it started sometimes even needing a third try.
View attachment 94516

I've been thinking of replacing mine as a preemptive strike given it's age and likelihood of rusting through so I appreciate your suffering as I should know soon whether to pony up the dough for the Bosch when I do. Also, you're probably really good at dropping that tank now with all the recent practice.

 

[mrrsm]

@xavierny25 ... The same thing that happened regarding the Radiator Hose Collapse can occur if the Coolant System is opened up while still quite WARM ...and then quickly closed off at the Cap again before the Coolant has gone completely Cold.

You can demonstrate this idea by using an Empty Water Bottle and just after filling it up with Very HOT Tap Water... suddenly drain the Bottle. Then immediately after capping it tightly, place it directly into the Freezer for a few minutes. Afterward, you'll see the same phenomena dramatically happening to the Plastic Bottle that occurred within the Radiator Hose.

This is because the Heated Air Molecules going into the emptied bottle will separate from each other and 'thin' down just enough to Reduce its Mass and consequently drop the Internal Cooling System Air Pressure. Once the Motor finally Cools down... the volume of Air inside of the Coolant System 'shrinks' back down and causes a partial Vacuum in a Closed System. If the pressure drop inside of the system is large enough of a differential, it will allow the ambient outside 14.7 PSI to exert an ENORMOUS force on the OD areas along of the length of that Rubber Hose... and collapse it inwards like an empty Beer Can.

EDIT:

You can DEMO this same idea as a Science Experiment for your Kids showing the Dramatic Effects of Differential Air Pressure using the Same Plastic Water Bottle (filled with VERY Hot Water, then emptied and capped right away) and then sprayed down all over with "Canned Air" Computer R-134A Keyboard Spray. When the collapse suddenly occurs... It WILL paint smiles on their faces and just listen to all of the "Oooohs" & "Ahhhhs" that happen afterwards. :>)

 

[cornchip]

Reminds me of a episode of the Myth Busters.

 

[BrianF]

Took the trailblazer to town today as it had to visit the tire shop. Another flat. Aside from the abs and brake light I still need to diagnose, the fuel gauge is acting up a bit. So that's another thing. Poor old girl.

 

[Boricua SS]

Finally warm enough outside to get the beaSSt out of the garage and finish some projects on her. I was waiting for almost a month for things i ordered on Amazon to show and they finally did... She got a complete LED overhaul. New headlights, new switchbacks (old ones had lights burnt out), and new fog lights. She was full HID, but slowly started having problems over the years. Fog out this month. Headlight wouldn't fire the next month. Ballast out the month after that, etc... The HID's were well over 8-9 years old, so they served their purpose. Plug everything in, and my passenger low beam still isn't firing. I had a relay harness for my HID's, so i never used the passenger side 9006 pigtail to light up the HID. Out came the multimeter and away i probed to troubleshoot. Long story short, the ground wire on the 9006 pigtail has a break in it from the main plug at the bottom of the headlight to the 9006 plug that you plug into the bulb. So i ran a jumper wire from the ground on the headlight harness, to the ground on the 9006 pigtail and voila.... let there be light... haven't gotten her out at night yet to test the light output and adjust accordingly, but i'm pretty excited to have everything in unison finally

 

[mrrsm]

Sweet 'Vanity' Tag...

 

[aaserv]

Got Insurance and tag ...decided to take a trip to Wally world for a few things. About 5-7 miles round trip. Disappointing results. Front end issue aside I didnt remember it floating as much as it does... Shocks are gone. Stopped to put a lil more gas in it....would barely take it....venting probs of some sort I guess. Transmission which I knew was not perfect is slipping way worse than I remembered. Sitting at a light about halfway there and notice alt gauge is reading about 11....A/cs wide open, radios on, running lights, etc it should be helping the battery out more than that. Get to walmart and Im afraid to turn it off. Pull up in the back and pop the hood and I could have cooked a ribeye on the alternator, so hot I couldn't touch it.
I dont know where to begin now. Just dont have the money to fix everything and cant drive it like it is. Front end, tires and shocks....easy $ 750-1500 transmission w rear seal...probably 3 times that. Alternator, maybe 1 at u-pull-it but who knows if its good. both the v-8s there were not wrecked so any part on it could be bad. Gas vent probs????
Really screwed....counting what I paid for it a lil over a yr ago. Ive driven it like 350 miles and have $6000 in a truck I cant drive to the store and needs another $3k minimum to make it there...

 

[Mounce]

Dumped a quart of atf in the Silverado oil to hopefully get rid of the random lifter collapse I have. Noticed it was a little tappy after work so turned it back off and checked and it was almost a quart low, it's overdue on my 3-4k schedule but I've been waiting for it to get low so I could toss the atf at it. We'll see after I change the oil in a few days, it always does it soon after an oil change.

 

[aaserv]

Doing a lil research with the internet experts...lol Looks like a hot alternator is not always a bad alternator.... I also saw a thread 1 day here on the gas filling problem...could anybody find it for me? Didnt find it with a search. Thanxxxxxx

 

[Mooseman]

Did you check the FAQ's? (Hint: link in my signature)

 

[jak03TB]

finally had time to mold the trans temp pod. *hint* if using a "universal" pod you might want to get the pod just shy of too hot and actually press it onto the pillar this worked much better then heating, bending, checking , reheat etc.

also swapped out a side mirror when i clapped a leaning mailbox. it didnt hurt the side mirror shell but the shock broke the glass.
>=[ this mailbox has since been kicked back upright to save others mirrors...

 

[aaserv]

Did you check the FAQ's? (Hint: link in my signature)

Thanks ....no kinks in the hose so I guess Im looking at canisters.. By the way for anybody who might be having this gas vent problem regularly. Mechanic told me these things will practically never go bad if you DON'T TOP OFF your fuel at the gas station. Every time you do that some goes down the vent tube eventually destroying the charcoals ability to filter and crumble which is why it ends up in the hoses.... Don't know this to be Gospel but passing it along.

Ckd the alternator today and as I thought it might it was producing exactly ZERO volts. Remanufactured with a date code of 2015...oddly enough the same date code as the clutch fan I recently replaced...Found 1 ultra cheap...installed but didnt fix the problem so the guy was stuck with it. $75 is all he wants so probably have that going soon I hope.
Also remembered that when I 1st bought this car I had gotten a complete set of struts and shocks off EBay for it for $90. One of those make offer deals. Not long afterwards I told my front end guy about it and he told me to sell em on GL cus their worthless junk. I put em in the shed and forgot all about them. Well the rear shocks are installed as of today....lol They do feel pretty soft but Ill try em until I can find/afford Bilsteins. One of these days Im going to find a car at u-pull-it that has had new shocks put on....Hasn't happened yet but 1 of these days. 1 thing about those Bilsteins....they were the best and longest lasting shocks ever put on a factory vehicle IMO..
Picked up a bottle of Lucas Trans Fix...cant make it any worse.....I hope!!

 

[Mike534x]

Topped off oil, like usually. Gone about 800 miles and she was a quart low, which has been typical since owning her (the trailblazer did the same roughly). I noticed a very "slight" hesitation, so I poured a bottle of Redline fuel system treatment in it. I'm positive its just bad gas from the prior week, and the temps have been dipping between 43-60* F on and off. I recently started working again after being furloughed throughout mid-March up until a week and a half ago.

I made a trip to the city/locally within the last 4-5 weeks and due to how much rain we had I neglected to see that someone had "bumped"/backed into the passenger side front of the Envoy. It was enough that it popped the fender liner out, and put a very small crease into the fender 3" above the corner marker following the contour of the fender. I'm not very happy with that. I also noticed that it may have broken, or knocked the bumper support lose. Just grabbing the bumper on that side with the slightest tug is enough to pull it an inch and half to two inches out. Gonna try going under this weekend to take a look. Oh......not to mention it caused the plastic/paint to crack and its been spider webbing out and the deep scratch/scrape thats grooved into the plastic (and the fact theres a gap between the bumper and fender ugh). With it getting warmer out, its gotten worse. Its going in Tuesday to a buddy to have him look at it, with all the scrapes it has from the previous owner I may just cough up and buy a nicer one from the junkyard. Aside from that, I've been purchasing new DA pads and trying out Griots polish and compound to remove most of the swirls/scratches to try and get her looking good again

Sucks is, I probably could have gotten what happened on video. But my dash cam crapped out, so I have no idea when/how it happened.

 

[aaserv]

Struck Gold today at you-pull.......They've disposed of both the v-8 envoys I went to see....including the 1 with the black leather interior...grrrrrr But on the way out I stumble on 1 that had just hit the yard. Bingo!! wheels, cats and a/c control were gone but everything else was intact. Was pulling the alternator when I looked over at the front wheels and see bright shiny hubs....Brand new! Looked a lil closer and saw a brand new tie-rod end on 1 side. Ckd the back and 2 brand new rotors on the rear! Got it all for $109.
Interior has seats in perfect condition but its that ugly plaid looking pattern. Thats was disappointing. Then I found the paperwork where the lady had bought the car in 2017....and she lives maybe 6 miles away from me. Im going by the house in the next couple of days and see if I can find out about the transmission....It looks like its recently been out of the car...its clean as a whistle...Could this be a recently rebuilt transmission??? Pray for me boys !!!!

 

[xavierny25]

Fuel Pumps is in and so far so good. Going to clean up and go fill the tank.

Using 2 Jack's makes this so much easier. I busted a few of the locking clips I didn't last time. Good thing I learned my lesson and had all I needed and more stored in my parts bin.



Still about 1/4 tank.

 

[aaserv]

Fuel Pumps is in and so far so good. Going to clean up and go fill the tank.
View attachment 94614

Beautiful car man.........So jealous

 

[Blckshdw]

Buddy of mine brought his XUV over for part 1 of gate repairs. Both the midgate and endgate regulators have snapped, today we did the end gate. That part failure caused a whole bunch of other issues, the gate would not swing or drop open, and you couldn't open the roof either. That was partnered with a DIC error message to check the manual. All that suggested to do was use the key in the end gate to try and attempt a module relearn.

We got the window down manually so he could climb in, and got the cargo area panel off. Took us some time to find the manual end gate release tab on the upper driver's side latch. Smoother sailing once the gate was open. Swapped out the regulator, reinstalled the glass and did a functional test. After success, buttoned everything up. Took a few tries, but then the gate swung and dropped properly, and the roof started cooperating as well.

In another couple of weeks, we'll tackle the midgate window regulator

 

[Sparky]

Replaced the passenger side front crash sensor. The longest part of the job was backing the old bolt out, it is really long for some reason.

The sensors do not look identical in labeling, and the bolt hole sleeve is different, but it works, and I'm convinced Dorman doesn't actually make it as the part number on the part is mot the same as on the box, and no Dorman labeling on it. Made in the Philippines just like the original was.



No surprise the old one died. It looks like the plastic shrunk, caused it to crack, and then water could get inside.



TL;DR - replaced sensor, no more airbag light.

Noticed my PS lines are still wet but no drips on the driveway and the reservoir is still full. Been that way for... 2 years? Meh. I'll keep an eye on it.

 

[Mounce]

No surprise the old one died. It looks like the plastic shrunk, caused it to crack, and then water could get inside.

It's actually the corrosion inside between the bolt and metal sleeve, swells it all up and pops out the back, can see a crack in the plastic that looks to be full of corrosion. Good old road salt!

 

[jak03TB]

I think we ALL know what i replaced today.

 

[TollKeeper]

In another couple of weeks, we'll tackle the midgate window regulator

Just going to warn you... Be careful of the window down sensor. Its just a simple on/off sensor, but its mounted to very cheap plastic and breaks easily. Mine had been broken by the dealer previously, and they zipped tied it on. And since its mounted to the assembly, you have to cut it off to remount. Huge pain in the ass when its mounting system is missing.

 

[Blckshdw]

Just going to warn you... Be careful of the window down sensor. Its just a simple on/off sensor, but its mounted to very cheap plastic and breaks easily. Mine had been broken by the dealer previously, and they zipped tied it on. And since its mounted to the assembly, you have to cut it off to remount. Huge pain in the ass when its mounting system is missing.

Funny you mention that, we had to fix that very switch some years ago when his midgate stopped releasing even though the window was down. We ended up epoxying the base in addition to a zip tie. Guess we'll see how that repair has held up.

 

[aaserv]

Put alternator in same problem. Every time I cut it off when I turn the ignition back on battery light immediately comes on and it reads about 10 volts on the battery. Turn the key dead silence. Get out a starter pack , has a built in voltage gauge. Hook it up, it reads 12.4 volts, start the car and it reads 14.1...So Im thinking the alternator is working. Let it run, drive it around, no problem. Pull in the driveway, turn the key off......10 volts on restart. Battery is all but brand new. Maybe 6 months old and was used in my 4.8 truck for about 2 weeks. Then sat until I put it in the Jinx...I mean Envoy.. Pulled battery today brought it to Advanced, they ck it and say its as good as the day it came off the shelf. He says maybe starter is pulling to many amps....well that theory would hold some water except the minute I turn the key on without even trying to start it she reads 10 volts.....

Also took out the aftermarket alarm system today. Had been scared to fool with the wiring but tracked it all down and think I did it without killing anything else.

While down there under the steering wheel I see a lil daylight....WTF? Look to the left of the steering shaft and theres a hole in the firewall where apparently wire passes thru. I guess they ran the alarm wires thru that hole to get to the underhood speaker. Its just hanging, not reinstalled correctly ...which after fighting it for 20 mins to get it in right I can see why. Not the easiest thing in the world to get to from inside and all put impossible to get at from the outside. But shes in now..

I dont know how I havent shoved this thing into a lake and walked off....I divorced a woman for causing me less pain than this thing has. She may have cost me a lil more money than the Jinx...I mean Envoy has but its gotta be getting close...

 

[Mooseman]

@aaserv , it might be worth starting a thread on this. It is an unusual issue.

I know how you feel. I had the same feelings with my '02 when I first bought it in '11. All it was supposed to need was an engine and front bumper. Wound up replacing everything except the tranny. After it was all fixed up, it lasted 7 years and 150k km when the tranny finally died. It wasn't worth it a this point with the body rust to fix.

 

[aaserv]

@aaserv , it might be worth starting a thread on this. It is an unusual issue.

I know how you feel. I had the same feelings with my '02 when I first bought it in '11. All it was supposed to need was an engine and front bumper. Wound up replacing everything except the tranny. After it was all fixed up, it lasted 7 years and 150k km when the tranny finally died. It wasn't worth it a this point with the body rust to fix.

Thanks for the encouragement buddy. I get aggravated and its depressing but Im not giving up. I have virtually no rust so theres nothing that cant be fixed with time and money. I wish I had bought 1 in better condition but at the time it was the only thing I could find. 6 months before there were 3 or 4 on the market but I didnt have the cash. So it was just bad timing but It'll work out...

About the alternator , since Ive ckd it 3 times with 2 different alternators and got 3 different readings my thinking now is the computer may not be telling the alternator it needs to put out...Only way to know this is with a scan tool. I have 1 ordered but if its it not here this week I may find a shop to run the scan for me. Therein is the next problem...finding 1 that can/will do the test. As hard as it may be to believe it seems most mechanics use a scan tool for little more than a code reader...they really dont know much more about them than your avg Joe. 1's that do usually want/get big bucks for the knowledge. And the worst part is getting one who will admit he doesnt know how to read the thing... Once I get it fixed Ill probably make a thread to document for anyone else who runs into it at a later date...

 

[Mounce]

Couple days ago but... Fixed the ac. New compressor, liquid line+orifice tube, accumulator/drier. AC is a must, I missed it dearly over the last week or so.

 

[Sparky]

Drove it like I stole it around some back roads to and from the office/shop (had to run in for some shop work time). Let the V8 roar and swung the rear a bit leaving an intersection with some rock blasting on the radio. Woohoo.

 

[xavierny25]

Brother-in-law came over to replace the 5 farad cap with a 10.

The 5 will go back into my truck hopefully tomorrow. The b-I-l also picked up some parts at my brothers shop that I had him powder coat.
SS wheel center caps.

Rear sway bar endlinks.

 

[Beacon]

loaded it down with 3 square of roofing materials. betcha can't guess what i'll be doing this week.

 

[Eric04]

Used it like a truck. This will cover the area I have and holiday cheap at 2 bucks per bag.

 

[Mektek]

Installed new upper control arm bushings. Tire shop wanted $220 for a new UCA - I paid $7 at rockauto and changed the bushings myself. Next plan is to replace the LCA bushings, but that is much more time, work and $$$$.

 

[aaserv]

Well I think Ive figured out whats happening. I think my ex-wife has hired somebody to come over here at night and fix 1 problem and cause another.
Ok maybe thats a stretch but believe it or not the Jinx mobile has once again fixed itself and started a whole new problem. Last episode I was having battery problems. Drive the car, shut it off, attempt to restart and NADA.. no clicks no run no errors.. Ordered a scan tool and got it today.
But 1st while waiting the other day I decided to drive it around a bit. Got in it turned the key and it fired right up....and has fired right up everyday since... However while driving it the ck eng light came on...Big shocker there...
Put the scan tool on it and ...........P0300. O yea Im SHOCKED and APPALLED. I dont think this rinky dink scan tool is going be a lot of help diagnosing this problem. So I think what Ill do is spend the rest of the weekend reading articles and watching videos on how to fix it and then say Monday or Tuesday Ill get in it and that will be fixed and Ill move on to the next disaster.......

 

[Mooseman]

It might take a few driving cycles for the PCM to narrow down the misfire to a single cylinder unless it truly is random misfires. If you have a an OBD adapter with Torque, it can help with that looking at the misfire counts.

 

[aaserv]

Been reading a few things. I got new plugs and wires just havent put em in yet so I guess ill start there and do a compression test while I got em out. Then I noticed on the scan tool that my manifold vacuum was like 11 and seems most are saying it should be 15 or more so maybe something isnt sealed good.
Then the weirdest thing that may or not mean anything....was watching an old MAY03LT video where he diagnosed the same problem. He was halfway through ckin and he stops and says like "O Wow look at that a brand new starter" and then says something about that could be a clue to the problem ...then he whips off the distributor cap and never mentioned the starter again. Well the Jinx has been trying to make me pull that starter since Day1. 1st the cover missing, then it hung up on starting, then the advanced guy says the starter may be causing my battery problem and now this....lol Just weird.....Maybe this starter came from a junkyard and the car was hit by a train and an Envoy full of Nuns were killed !!!...........I might have figured this Jinx out.....Now when I get the starter out do I throw it in the river or bury it in a cemetery somewhere????????

 

[Mooseman]

then he whips off the distributor cap and never mentioned the starter again.

These engines don't have a distributor cap!?!

I think you should start a thread on your problems so we can actually work through them. This is not the place to really talk a lot of tech.

 

[aaserv]

These engines don't have a distributor cap!?

2000 4.3l Vortec

 

[Mooseman]

Ah well, you didn't say that!

 

[jak03TB]

added some angle under the carryall to help the expanded metal distribute weight and prevent bending.

sealed and painted the carryall and box so i wont have to build another for a long time. i'm not a fan of the color and i will repaint when i decide on the color. but this was leftover exterior paint from my house that is very good stuff. (elastimeric)

the box is wide enough to allow full lift gate operation.

 

[BrianF]

Aired up the trailblazers front tires. Might have another slow leak. Also checked the codes and my large evap leak has yet to return so that's a plus.

Still have to find time to trouble shoot that abs code.

 

[djthumper]

Redid my front brakes on the TB again. I am still getting a chirping ound after replacing everything.