Top 5 Problems Chevy Trailblazer SUV 1st Generation 2002-09

In this video, we're going over the top five problems on this first-generation Chevy Trailblazer.

There's nothing wrong with this vehicle, nothing wrong with buying one or owning one, all vehicles have their problems. These are the top five that we have found.

Number one, the fuel level sensor. Now you may notice that your fuel gauge is being erratic, whether it's bouncing around or whether it just goes straight to zero straight to empty, and you notice the light come on, but you just filled up recently and you may also have a check engine light that refers to the fuel level sensor. What normally happens is on the fuel level sensor, there's a little spot that wears out, and it's gonna give you an open circuit, which is gonna cause this situation. What you can do is have the key on, and you can actually grab the vehicle and just try to shake the vehicle. And it's gonna slosh the fuel around in the tank a little bit. And if you notice that the fuel gauge bounces back up to where it's supposed to be, it's definitely the sensor. To replace the sensor you need to remove the fuel tank. It's best to have not too much fuel in the tank while you're doing this job, it's gonna make it a lot easier.

Number two, the blower motor resistor. You may notice that while you have your heat and the AC on, that when you go to select different speeds for the blower motor, that some of the speeds don't always work. Like normally it's some of the lower speeds that aren't working. If you keep having problems with the blower motor resistor, it could be because of the blower motor itself sucking too much amperage causing the resistor to burn internally. And that's why you need to replace it. So it's a good idea when doing a resistor to check out the blower motor itself too.

Number three, the fan clutch. Now the fan clutch for the motor is located right down here. It's attached to the fan and it's an electric actuated fan clutch. The connector happens to be right here. And what you may find is a check engine light. And you may also hear some noise coming from it, whether it sounds like it's a jet plane trying to take off, or even getting some clicking noise coming from the fan itself. It can be a little bit tricky to replace this. You're gonna need to remove the radiator fan shroud and take these bolts out. And you kind of need to do a juggling act while you're trying to pull it all out and then disconnecting the connector because that wire goes across, but it's not impossible.

Number four, engine misfires due to worn valve seats. Now you may notice the engines running really rough and you have a check engine light that most likely is flashing, that's because you have a misfire. A common problem with this is the valve seats being worn. And that's gonna give you a lack of compression, which is gonna cause a misfire. Some of these vehicles have an EGR valve located right here. And for some reason that may cause that part of the head to be a little bit hotter than others and causing the valve seat to warn somewhere in the vicinity of those two cylinders. In the event that you have the bad valve seats, you're gonna need the head to be refinished or replaced. Now don't automatically think if you have a misfire that this is your problem. You definitely wanna go through the steps checking whether you have a bad spark plug or a coil. Sometimes there is moisture in the number four coil. You need to clean out that moisture and replace the coil and then you'd be good to go.

Number five, front wheel bearings. Now you may notice while you're going down the road, it sounds like it's howling. The front of the vehicle sounds like it's gonna lift off the ground. It might sound like an airplane. And when you turn the wheel side to side, it may get louder or quieter depending on how it is worn. If you raise the vehicle, give the tire a shake up and down. If you see any play in there, it could be the front wheel bearings. Now there's no adjustments for these on this vehicle. You just need to replace the wheel hub assembly.

So those are our top five problems on this first-generation Chevy Trailblazer. If you enjoyed this video, make sure you subscribe to our channel, ring that bell, turn on all notifications so you don't miss any of our videos.