This is a perfect example they should use in engineer school. Everytime I hear someone talking positively about the profession of engineering, I think about all the dip chip engineers that have created more problems than they ever solved. It should be a requirement for them to be a mechanic for at least 10 years 1st to see the crap their kind has created.
I beat the center of each head bolt with a punch and sludge hammer before and after every little motion of the head bolts and didn't break one. Its a trick to get these out without breaking them but patience is the key.
Thank you for the quick vid, Really happy I seen this! Working out side in -25 , small coolant leak on the top of the timing cover. Was already changing the water pump thought to just do it all but now I'll wait till it's warm out lol
Thanks for the video. I have an '03 and I have resigned myself to having to do this someday. As far as kicking designers in the nuts, every time I work on something.
You're a patient Man! Im glad i watched your video, cos it has definitely been informative on my next decision for a timing chain replacement.. 😁 #Right to the shop.. 😄
Interesting design, just because something is difficult to work on or requires a bit of disassembly to reach what you think should be a simple part does not mean its poorly engineered. Thanks for the video!
madmax3078 nope I agree with the poster engineers never seem to think about the fact that mechanical things are going to fail and ease of replacement. 🖕🏻 so there is one for the engineer because I’m about to do this very job!
You remind me a lot of myself. i swear every customer car i get is one that no other mechanic wants to fuck with. i bet we could share stories for days of just shit we have worked on.
spartan1071 I bet we could lol. I work on vehicles on the side. I work on waukesha natural gas engines. 7042 CI v12's. I like working on the big stuff.
Feel the pain! Your actually supposed to smack the head bolt on the top to shock the bolt then when your hear that turn crack, smack it again then loosen and keep going like that. Painfully slow but worth it. Head and block are heat treated aluminum so they shrink and expand and that's why those head bolts break. Oil pan is also a pain but to be honest with how big and long that motor is, it's one of those things where they had to make a sacrifice somewhere to make a 4wd for people. I'd rather deal with the 4.2 straight six than the gm 3400 v6. Those engines are just crap
"They can start making noise if it gets stretched and can turn on the check engine light." - so you're saying that it can stretch 3 inches W/O the "check engine light"? thanks
"Yeah if you read the manual running 93 octane once a month and driving it aggressively on the hwy for 20 min the chain will tension up to 4 inches" - wait so that is what you're supposed to do to maintain the timing chain? thanks
I finally wrecked my TB at 300k miles, only ever did regular maintenance. She died with a mechanically sound engine and trans was hoping for another 100k.
If taken to a shop, it would cost more to fix than what it's worth. I think they are a throw away car. My check engine light has been on because of the cam phasor, but I'm considering just leaving it that way until the car stops running, unless there is an easier way than dropping the oil pan.
Hi Todd, great video. I am currently in the middle of disassembly to change the timing components - I had a stuck valve in #6, the valve spring broke on the intake side and the keeper got lodged in the stem. After examining everything I came to the conclusion that the tensioner is bad due to roughly 1/4" of play in the plunger. My question is about removal of the axels, did you have any trouble removing the axel from the diff? I have tried prying between the diff and the axel housing but I'm getting nowhere. Any suggestions?
Thanks for the post. I have a 2004 TB and love her but she is making me pay dearly for not pre-winterizing her. My fan clutch is shot and most likely the water pump because I hear slight sqeaking. Someone suggested changing the timing belt/chain when replacing water pump. Does the '04 come with chain or belt? Do you think the chain should be changed with water pump? Thanks and btw, I don't agree with your opinion, because TBs are truly awesome trucks, but I do respect your opinion because TB's are difficult to dismantle. Chevy is known for going back of beyond with some of their designs.
+Nelsido Mejia Stop talking to the person who told u to change the chain with the water pump. They have never worked a TB. Replace the fan belt 1st. You can spray WD-40 on the belt while the engine is running. If the squeak stop. Change the belt.
I took all 17 head bolts out without breaking one.There is a guy on yt that show how. Here'is the link. Check him out. Patience said the man. It'll save you hours of grief. Btw, great video Todd. It was very helpful. I'm putting it bach together now. What a fucked up design.
If the engine has been serviced on a regular basis and taken care of it should last the life of the engine. This one the chain tensioner had failed so it destroyed the ⛓.
@@toddvrooman3872 Okay my 2002 Chevrolet trailblazer now has 143000 and I never replaced the timing before, I have just 3 years with trailblazer 4.2L 6 Cylinder, I've try to find this information on the internet but I didn't find it and that's why I've asked you.
Just had my 2005 Trailblazer in for rough idle and setting a P0301 code, Chevrolet service center said that I needed a new head because compression was at 35 PSI on cylinder one and should be around 180 PSI. 115,000 miles and a burnt valve, read that this was a common problem with this engine. I bought the Trailblazer with only four miles on the odometer and I swear even with the bad compression the engine still seems to have as much power as it did from day one. I don't want to pay for the head replacement which was quoted to be $5000.00 by the service rep. I think I'm going to trade it in on a new Equinox.
I never used any gas treatment,just plain old 87 octane gas for eleven years.I have already traded the Trailblazer in on a 2016 Equinox and got $1500 for trade in. I already miss that I6 performance. I was looking at getting the Equinox with a V-6 but it was a little out of my price range.Just a note I always took that Trailblazer in to the Chevrolet dealership that I bought it from for all of it's routine service checks. I'm one of those people that still get their oil changed every 3000 miles and pay for those 20 point inspections and use synthetic oil blends.
***** The 2016 dual exhaust are squared off and look sharp and the previous year models have the normal rounded dual exhaust. The V-6 is rated at 300 HP with a 0 to 60 MPH of around 6 seconds. I just couldn't push myself to pay $7000 more for it.
arrow251 I saw rounded pipes yesterday and 300hp is some real shit. I've driven a 2012 Impala with that engine and it is no joke. I have a video of me doing a 0 to 80 run. I think that's the name of the video.
Hi Todd, I need change front timing seal of my TrailBlazer 2002 4WD engine; How sholud I do to block the crankshaft to loose and tight the Balancer Armonic Bolt ?? Thanks
easiest way I found to do it is to take the small inspection plug out on the transmition bellhousing. But this way takes two people. take a pry bar and hold it on a tooth of the flex plate, then have someone loosen the bolt. The trail blazer I did was extremely tight and had to use a 3 ft half inch breaker bar. good luck
@@rockytop4 What section is it in? I just find an octave rating that says if you hear pinging with 87 octane or higher then there's an engine problem - unless you're briefly going up a hill or something. haha. Is the word "pinging" code for timing chain tensioning up?
@@toddvrooman3872 Fair enough. Just heard all over the place that people are doing a timing job on trailblazers for no reason. I was told they last the life of the engine and if they go out it's likely a sign of a way bigger problem. Just doing some research before I put myself through that or just get a new motor. Thanks
The waterpump on mine that is less than 2 years old took a shit and then dumped all the coolant and overheated to death while the wife was driving it which in turn broke the timing chain. What a bunch of jerkoffs designing this the way it is. I have worked on cars most of my life and i'm thinking i may just cut my losses and sell the pos for parts.. Fuck that.. Doing the front axle disconnect was a nightmare on it's own..I would like to see the idiots that design it to try repairing it.. LOL
+Todd Vrooman Hey Todd, I agree with you totally. I have been an auto mechanic owning my own shop for over 25 years. I am in the middle of doing a timing chain on a 2002 Chevy trailblazer 4.2 You are right about kicking the designers of this motor in the "NUTS" It is just insane that you have to tear the whole bottom of this vehicle apart, just to remove one small 10mm bolt that connects the oil pickup tube to the timing chain cover. There could have been a much better design on that issue. These motors are a great motor when everything is good on them. But, in my case this motor with just 99K miles on it. Somehow it broke the two 10 mm bolts holding the drivers side timing chain guide shoe to the motor. Causing the timing chain to have excessive slack on it. And, drawing a P1345 code. mis-correlation between the cam sensor and the crack sensor. Go figure. The motor ran perfectly. So, ended up replacing just about every sensor, VVT solenoid, ECM, exhaust Cam phaser sprocket, intake can sprocket, and scanner case relearns on this vehicle. Even GM Chevy dealer couldn't figure this one out. They suggested the ECM. "WRONG" Made no sense that a timing chain was the problem, with engine being so well taken care of. Like brand new everywhere in the motor. After every possible other possible cause it could be. Was forced to take this engine apart to see for myself what was going on with the timing chain. This is where we found the problem with the two broken bolts that hold the drivers side timing chain guide shoe to the engine and head. Couldn't believe it, that this thing even ran at all with this issue. I believe most mechanics would avoid doing this job at "ANY" cost. I sure know, I wouldn't want to do a job like this again. Would have been much easier to just replace the whole motor. It is totally insane how this great engine was designed. The engineers must have thought nothing would ever need to be done in the timing chain area. 10 hours of extra hard work, just to remove one 10 mm bolt. I now call that one bolt the $3,000 bolt. As that is how much most mechanics would have to charge, to do a job like this one. Even if, you were lucky to find a mechanic willing to devote that much time to just one vehicle. Anyone how would attempt this job. I say "GOOD LUCK TO YOU"
I did it for free. For family lol. I told them I am never touching it again. At least you agree with me on this. Some people think I'm a MORON for saying it was a badly designed engine. But yes they are great running engines. But damn that 10mm bolt to HELL!!!!!
@@jrsowinski I just got the suspension redone with 267K miles on an 04 TB. I should order another FailBlazer Tshirt - considering that $3000 Bolt has not had to be removed yet. haha. I'm gonna add just a bit of MMO to the oil before each 3K oil change - conventional. It's all a big crap shoot but the engine is fun to drive with the torque.
They also have a problem with the heads the seats were out and you start to lose compression at 90,000 ish,Chevy knows this and they have heads with the better seats a lot of people are complaining on this and its ,I did a compression test way below the norm ,I couldn't pass my emission test ,I brought it to a shop it would cost more in labor only than what the cars worth, look it up on car ratings people complaining about the heads going 75,80,90,000 the engine is a piece of junk, and if any body got that truck and its still good "good luck"
I was thinking the same exact thing, all that work just to remove 1 bolt and pull down the oil pick up tube I'd probably buy a throw away oil pan from a junk yard, put it on my bench and figure out either an inspection plate or a way to split the pan up front before that section where the front diff is attached and axle goes thru it.
Fantastic video. Genuinely a decider when on the wall of repair/bury on the moon and call it good. This design is absolutely atrocious and makes me feel extremely lucky my first vehicle to work on was a little Japanese commuter car
I'm at 183,000 on my 20003 Envoy. I hope I make it well over 200K before I need a timing belt. After this video I think i'd rather have a new car note.
I have had no problem with my 4.2 i6... besides it getting old and parts wear out on it. besides that, i have taken the motor out a few times with in the last two years. i have no problems doing the work cause i cant afford to pay someone to rip me off.. its not all that hard to do really but i do agree with the poor design of the motor...
Why did you remove the entire pan when you can just drop it, leaving it supported enough to get at that bolt without all that extra surgery? Design sucks, yes, but you made more work for yourself going that route.
The head bolts on the engine are supposed to be replaced each time they are removed. They are TTY - torque to yield and require a special process of tightening that will cause head seal problems if you don't tighten properly. You shouldn't work on 4x4's if they are so hard to work on.
well I know they are TTY bolts and I always replace head bolts. they are just a pain in the ass from breaking. and it is still running good with no problems. just because I don't like it doesn't mean I shouldn't work on it.
My girlfriend has this nightmarish truck and I am not looking forward to changing the oil pump and pick tube. GM's poor try at make a modern inline 6 like the 2jz or rb25 .
Probably easier to pull the motor and rebuild it...LoL...Been there and done that with the sister n laws TB...If they are taken care of, they will last forever...
It is less time consuming to pull the engine and rebuild on the non 4 wheel drive model. 4 wheel drive is the biggest piece of crap I've ever touched , and I've been a mechanic for 22 years.
They do last you got idiot so called mechanics that dont no shit about how to maintenance them i called several shops and asked them a few things about the TB and i new more than them if you take care of them they will last you a life time and some.
Every design a college grad had a hand in is pretty much a cluster f..k no common Sense on the interstate hwy I can name 4 on & off ramps where they were banked wrong and trucks turn over so what do they do to a engine.
This motor is by far the worst designed engine, far more than the dreaded Ford 5.4 triton, Only a Desperate Soul would willingly suffer through this kind of nonsense, the gm designers are truly stupid people and this is sooooooo far poorly designed, but I bet they did it on purpose, this is why the junkyards are full of them by the rows. A good designed engine would have been able to change parts individually but this one the designers made it to fix any one thing you pretty much need to replace it all and in doing so they knew people would just trade it in and sign their life away on another car, GM did this on purpose!
Man, I bet some people used a whole pack of shop towels to wipe up the tears.
Just to light the gas tank
This is a perfect example they should use in engineer school. Everytime I hear someone talking positively about the profession of engineering, I think about all the dip chip engineers that have created more problems than they ever solved. It should be a requirement for them to be a mechanic for at least 10 years 1st to see the crap their kind has created.
I beat the center of each head bolt with a punch and sludge hammer before and after every little motion of the head bolts and didn't break one. Its a trick to get these out without breaking them but patience is the key.
Thank you for the quick vid, Really happy I seen this! Working out side in -25 , small coolant leak on the top of the timing cover. Was already changing the water pump thought to just do it all but now I'll wait till it's warm out lol
Thanks for the video. I have an '03 and I have resigned myself to having to do this someday. As far as kicking designers in the nuts, every time I work on something.
I know this is about 6 years old... But... I am going to be installing a head on a 4.2 tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!
Good luck to you lol. You got this 👍
You're a patient Man! Im glad i watched your video, cos it has definitely been informative on my next decision for a timing chain replacement.. 😁
#Right to the shop.. 😄
I have to do this soon. I’m tempted to just drill a hole and weld a plug
Thanks for the warning a junk yard engine replacement be easier & or Cheaper ??
Interesting design, just because something is difficult to work on or requires a bit of disassembly to reach what you think should be a simple part does not mean its poorly engineered.
Thanks for the video!
+madmax3078 It does make you want to kick them n the nuts.
Its over engineered while impressive means things get crazy expensive to have fixed or nearly impossible to by ones self
madmax3078 nope I agree with the poster engineers never seem to think about the fact that mechanical things are going to fail and ease of replacement. 🖕🏻 so there is one for the engineer because I’m about to do this very job!
Liberal made oil pan
@@michaelszczekot8920 Ditto
Very comfy to drive though......
I was looking to buy one of this trucks, but now that I seen this, it tells me that GM is really doing CRAB, Thanks Todd.
You remind me a lot of myself. i swear every customer car i get is one that no other mechanic wants to fuck with. i bet we could share stories for days of just shit we have worked on.
spartan1071 I bet we could lol. I work on vehicles on the side. I work on waukesha natural gas engines. 7042 CI v12's. I like working on the big stuff.
Hi Todd,
Thank you for making the video!
Are you about to suggest where we can get those rocker arms used in the video please? Thanks
There's a special process for taking the head bolts out.
Feel the pain! Your actually supposed to smack the head bolt on the top to shock the bolt then when your hear that turn crack, smack it again then loosen and keep going like that. Painfully slow but worth it. Head and block are heat treated aluminum so they shrink and expand and that's why those head bolts break. Oil pan is also a pain but to be honest with how big and long that motor is, it's one of those things where they had to make a sacrifice somewhere to make a 4wd for people. I'd rather deal with the 4.2 straight six than the gm 3400 v6. Those engines are just crap
Anything made by the big three is shit
That timing chain will stretch 3 inches mine has 470,000 sill on the factory chain
Dam makes me feel good
is that a good thing - when you say it stretches? Does that mean you have not had to work on it? sorry for not knowing. I'm at 250K thanks
"They can start making noise if it gets stretched and can turn on the check engine light." - so you're saying that it can stretch 3 inches W/O the "check engine light"? thanks
"Yeah if you read the manual running 93 octane once a month and driving it aggressively on the hwy for 20 min the chain will tension up to 4 inches" - wait so that is what you're supposed to do to maintain the timing chain? thanks
I finally wrecked my TB at 300k miles, only ever did regular maintenance. She died with a mechanically sound engine and trans was hoping for another 100k.
Glad I came across your video. I have an 04 and I thought only I wanted to kick GM designers in the nuts.
Welcome to the trailblazer envoy community.
If taken to a shop, it would cost more to fix than what it's worth. I think they are a throw away car. My check engine light has been on because of the cam phasor, but I'm considering just leaving it that way until the car stops running, unless there is an easier way than dropping the oil pan.
so what happened to your TB?
How do u break the oil pan seal. I have all the bolts out and the oil pan won't move. Any suggestions thank
Hi Todd, great video. I am currently in the middle of disassembly to change the timing components - I had a stuck valve in #6, the valve spring broke on the intake side and the keeper got lodged in the stem. After examining everything I came to the conclusion that the tensioner is bad due to roughly 1/4" of play in the plunger. My question is about removal of the axels, did you have any trouble removing the axel from the diff? I have tried prying between the diff and the axel housing but I'm getting nowhere. Any suggestions?
I used a brass punch and a hammer on the back side of the cv. their is collapsible c clips on the cv shaft on the inside. it requires a bit of force.
wow that engine is clean, what year is this 1? and if you cleaned it what did you use?
I took the cylinder head to a machine shop and had it worked over. I think he used some kind of acid bath for it.
Thanks for the post. I have a 2004 TB and love her but she is making me pay dearly for not pre-winterizing her. My fan clutch is shot and most likely the water pump because I hear slight sqeaking. Someone suggested changing the timing belt/chain when replacing water pump. Does the '04 come with chain or belt? Do you think the chain should be changed with water pump? Thanks and btw, I don't agree with your opinion, because TBs are truly awesome trucks, but I do respect your opinion because TB's are difficult to dismantle. Chevy is known for going back of beyond with some of their designs.
+Nelsido Mejia Stop talking to the person who told u to change the chain with the water pump. They have never worked a TB. Replace the fan belt 1st. You can spray WD-40 on the belt while the engine is running. If the squeak stop. Change the belt.
+blackericdenice Thanks, papa.
Did u have to remove motor mounts to remove the 4x4
I took all 17 head bolts out without breaking one.There is a guy on yt that show how. Here'is the link. Check him out. Patience said the man. It'll save you hours of grief. Btw, great video Todd. It was very helpful. I'm putting it bach together now. What a fucked up design.
Todd Vrooman, what is the proper kilometers or miles to replace the timing change and others parts related with the timing belt system?
If the engine has been serviced on a regular basis and taken care of it should last the life of the engine. This one the chain tensioner had failed so it destroyed the ⛓.
@@toddvrooman3872 Okay my 2002 Chevrolet trailblazer now has 143000 and I never replaced the timing before, I have just 3 years with trailblazer 4.2L 6 Cylinder, I've try to find this information on the internet but I didn't find it and that's why I've asked you.
@@fairenough4979 If it was a timing belt it would be a different scenario. A belt would need changed about every 90- 100K
@@toddvrooman3872 So do you mean that My 2002 Chevrolet trailblazer with 143000 kilometers don't need to replace timing chain and related parts?
@@fairenough4979 If its running good no. They can start making noise if it gets stretched and can turn on the check engine light.
Just had my 2005 Trailblazer in for rough idle and setting a P0301 code, Chevrolet service center said that I needed a new head because compression was at 35 PSI on cylinder one and should be around 180 PSI. 115,000 miles and a burnt valve, read that this was a common problem with this engine. I bought the Trailblazer with only four miles on the odometer and I swear even with the bad compression the engine still seems to have as much power as it did from day one. I don't want to pay for the head replacement which was quoted to be $5000.00 by the service rep. I think I'm going to trade it in on a new Equinox.
+arrow251 Have you been putting gas treatment in your tank? I think that stuff cause valves to burn if you put to much.
I never used any gas treatment,just plain old 87 octane gas for eleven years.I have already traded the Trailblazer in on a 2016 Equinox and got $1500 for trade in. I already miss that I6 performance. I was looking at getting the Equinox with a V-6 but it was a little out of my price range.Just a note I always took that Trailblazer in to the Chevrolet dealership that I bought it from for all of it's routine service checks. I'm one of those people that still get their oil changed every 3000 miles and pay for those 20 point inspections and use synthetic oil blends.
arrow251 I saw an Equinox yesterday with dual exhaust. I was wondering why it had duals.
***** The 2016 dual exhaust are squared off and look sharp and the previous year models have the normal rounded dual exhaust. The V-6 is rated at 300 HP with a 0 to 60 MPH of around 6 seconds. I just couldn't push myself to pay $7000 more for it.
arrow251 I saw rounded pipes yesterday and 300hp is some real shit. I've driven a 2012 Impala with that engine and it is no joke. I have a video of me doing a 0 to 80 run. I think that's the name of the video.
Thanks for you video
how do you take off the right side in slow motion
Did you have to do anything special with that variable cam sprocket when you installed the chain?
Hi Todd, I need change front timing seal of my TrailBlazer 2002 4WD engine; How sholud I do to block the crankshaft to loose and tight the Balancer Armonic Bolt ?? Thanks
easiest way I found to do it is to take the small inspection plug out on the transmition bellhousing. But this way takes two people. take a pry bar and hold it on a tooth of the flex plate, then have someone loosen the bolt. The trail blazer I did was extremely tight and had to use a 3 ft half inch breaker bar. good luck
+Todd Vrooman Yes sirrr been there done that. And make sure u tighten the bolt back up of the pulley slip at high rpm.
Straight in the nuz I've been there
thanks for the warning
doing a 2 wheel drive 2.9 and yes it has turned into a PITA
Straight on the nuts is right sir
Isn't the "timing-chain" on the vehicle suppose the last the life of the vehicle? Anywho, thanks for tips...still good to know.
Yeah if you read the manual running 93 octane once a month and driving it aggressively on the hwy for 20 min the chain will tension up to 4 inches
@@rockytop4 That's in the manual? NO way.
@@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885 it's in mine
@@rockytop4 wow - thanks - I'm gonna look in the manual.
@@rockytop4 What section is it in? I just find an octave rating that says if you hear pinging with 87 octane or higher then there's an engine problem - unless you're briefly going up a hill or something. haha. Is the word "pinging" code for timing chain tensioning up?
How did you know you needed a timing chain? Seems if it went out it's just time to replace the motor. Just curious.
it was loose and the tensioner was maxed out.
@@toddvrooman3872 Fair enough. Just heard all over the place that people are doing a timing job on trailblazers for no reason. I was told they last the life of the engine and if they go out it's likely a sign of a way bigger problem. Just doing some research before I put myself through that or just get a new motor. Thanks
@@toddvrooman3872 And what the
Car does?
The waterpump on mine that is less than 2 years old took a shit and then dumped all the coolant and overheated to death while the wife was driving it which in turn broke the timing chain. What a bunch of jerkoffs designing this the way it is. I have worked on cars most of my life and i'm thinking i may just cut my losses and sell the pos for parts.. Fuck that.. Doing the front axle disconnect was a nightmare on it's own..I would like to see the idiots that design it to try repairing it.. LOL
Is the timing chain tensioner spring or oil pressure loaded?
i have a chevy i5 that's making a lot of chain noise.
Both on this one. But it has a lock that let's only go one way. And to reset it their is a little tab on the front to reset it.
+Todd Vrooman Hey Todd, I agree with you totally. I have been an auto mechanic owning my own shop for over 25 years. I am in the middle of doing a timing chain on a 2002 Chevy trailblazer 4.2 You are right about kicking the designers of this motor in the "NUTS" It is just insane that you have to tear the whole bottom of this vehicle apart, just to remove one small 10mm bolt that connects the oil pickup tube to the timing chain cover. There could have been a much better design on that issue. These motors are a great motor when everything is good on them. But, in my case this motor with just 99K miles on it. Somehow it broke the two 10 mm bolts holding the drivers side timing chain guide shoe to the motor. Causing the timing chain to have excessive slack on it. And, drawing a P1345 code. mis-correlation between the cam sensor and the crack sensor. Go figure. The motor ran perfectly. So, ended up replacing just about every sensor, VVT solenoid, ECM, exhaust Cam phaser sprocket, intake can sprocket, and scanner case relearns on this vehicle. Even GM Chevy dealer couldn't figure this one out. They suggested the ECM. "WRONG" Made no sense that a timing chain was the problem, with engine being so well taken care of. Like brand new everywhere in the motor. After every possible other possible cause it could be. Was forced to take this engine apart to see for myself what was going on with the timing chain. This is where we found the problem with the two broken bolts that hold the drivers side timing chain guide shoe to the engine and head. Couldn't believe it, that this thing even ran at all with this issue. I believe most mechanics would avoid doing this job at "ANY" cost. I sure know, I wouldn't want to do a job like this again. Would have been much easier to just replace the whole motor. It is totally insane how this great engine was designed. The engineers must have thought nothing would ever need to be done in the timing chain area. 10 hours of extra hard work, just to remove one 10 mm bolt. I now call that one bolt the $3,000 bolt. As that is how much most mechanics would have to charge, to do a job like this one. Even if, you were lucky to find a mechanic willing to devote that much time to just one vehicle. Anyone how would attempt this job. I say "GOOD LUCK TO YOU"
I did it for free. For family lol. I told them I am never touching it again. At least you agree with me on this. Some people think I'm a MORON for saying it was a badly designed engine. But yes they are great running engines. But damn that 10mm bolt to HELL!!!!!
I was shaking my head at all those disrespectful comments. Anybody who can tear this deep into an engine knows of what he speaks.
@@jrsowinski I just got the suspension redone with 267K miles on an 04 TB. I should order another FailBlazer Tshirt - considering that $3000 Bolt has not had to be removed yet. haha. I'm gonna add just a bit of MMO to the oil before each 3K oil change - conventional. It's all a big crap shoot but the engine is fun to drive with the torque.
They also have a problem with the heads the seats were out and you start to lose compression at 90,000 ish,Chevy knows this and they have heads with the better seats a lot of people are complaining on this and its ,I did a compression test way below the norm ,I couldn't pass my emission test ,I brought it to a shop it would cost more in labor only than what the cars worth, look it up on car ratings people complaining about the heads going 75,80,90,000 the engine is a piece of junk, and if any body got that truck and its still good "good luck"
Boron Nitride will be my attempt for the Vortec 4200 compression - thanks
did the diff slide off easily cause I took the 4 bolts out but I can't get it to seperate
I think they were holding their sticks when they thought about the engine
Is the 2003 the same process or has GMC upgraded? Timing chain is needed badly
mine snapped while I was driving smh
I'm doing this job right now and that's what brought me here .... it's not that bad but it is a stupid design though...
If I'm doing all that job I might as well take the engine out all together.
how did you get the oil pan bolts blocked by the diff
I took the diff loose pulled it to the side and tied it up
Was your engine, by any chance knocking?
I plan on putting an "inspection plug" in the oil pan right beneath that single oil pickup bolt. No way i am taking all that out for one bolt lol.
I was thinking the same exact thing, all that work just to remove 1 bolt and pull down the oil pick up tube I'd probably buy a throw away oil pan from a junk yard, put it on my bench and figure out either an inspection plate or a way to split the pan up front before that section where the front diff is attached and axle goes thru it.
Has to come off to move the pick-up tube down to get the timing cover off...only way.
Did GM give up on pushrod engines?
they are starting to lol
Todd, Chevy LS engine are pushrod. I think they are stll use in the trucks and Vette
3000 at a dealer. 2700 at a local mechanic. Close to 24 hours labor
yup that's why I did myself lol
OnlyTheGodlySurvive
My mechanic charges me $1200
Thanks muuuuch. Now I know to get rid of my 2005 with 90000 before the timing chain goes.
That's why I just pull the engine 😆2.4 Pontiac lol try that one in a sunfire 😆
Fantastic video. Genuinely a decider when on the wall of repair/bury on the moon and call it good. This design is absolutely atrocious and makes me feel extremely lucky my first vehicle to work on was a little Japanese commuter car
How many miles on the engine?
It had about 140k
I'm at 183,000 on my 20003 Envoy. I hope I make it well over 200K before I need a timing belt. After this video I think i'd rather have a new car note.
terence scott no timing belt on the 4.2
Damn 🤯🤯🤯
I have and its a freaken nightmare. damn engineers phoqed up
They Could have made a *DRY SUMP Engine* there is enough room in there guessin that would have costed more money...
I have had no problem with my 4.2 i6... besides it getting old and parts wear out on it. besides that, i have taken the motor out a few times with in the last two years. i have no problems doing the work cause i cant afford to pay someone to rip me off.. its not all that hard to do really but i do agree with the poor design of the motor...
How do you get the axle back through the oil pan? Does go in hard? I can't seem to get mone to pop back in
It takes some force to get it back in
I found a nice one cheap.but needs timing chain.. You just talked me out of it .
Why did you remove the entire pan when you can just drop it, leaving it supported enough to get at that bolt without all that extra surgery? Design sucks, yes, but you made more work for yourself going that route.
You wanna kick the designers in the nuts? They don't have any! Instead, load up all of them in a C17 Galaxy and dump then in the Arctic Ocean.
Thanks.... Cool video. After watching this Video, I'm NOT purchasing that Trailblazer....
In other words an '04 with over 300,000 miles you're talking totaled by just the labor cost alone!
The head bolts on the engine are supposed to be replaced each time they are removed. They are TTY - torque to yield and require a special process of tightening that will cause head seal problems if you don't tighten properly. You shouldn't work on 4x4's if they are so hard to work on.
well I know they are TTY bolts and I always replace head bolts. they are just a pain in the ass from breaking. and it is still running good with no problems. just because I don't like it doesn't mean I shouldn't work on it.
That oil pan design lol...
My girlfriend has this nightmarish truck and I am not looking forward to changing the oil pump and pick tube. GM's poor try at make a modern inline 6 like the 2jz or rb25 .
my 2004 trailblazer needs a timing chain so I bought a jeep wrangler.
Would have been easier to just swap out the engine
Nope the axle still has to be removed straight thru the oil pan .
wow unbelievable screwed up engineering GM
Probably easier to pull the motor and rebuild it...LoL...Been there and done that with the sister n laws TB...If they are taken care of, they will last forever...
It is less time consuming to pull the engine and rebuild on the non 4 wheel drive model. 4 wheel drive is the biggest piece of crap I've ever touched , and I've been a mechanic for 22 years.
They do last you got idiot so called mechanics that dont no shit about how to maintenance them i called several shops and asked them a few things about the TB and i new more than them if you take care of them they will last you a life time and some.
They don't want you to do your own repairs.
Too late😭
Every design a college grad had a hand in is pretty much a cluster f..k no common Sense on the interstate hwy I can name 4 on & off ramps where they were banked wrong and trucks turn over so what do they do to a engine.
make me laught so hard
makes you wonder how these people who made these ever got the job,ha ha !
Engine swap
oh believe me there are worse designs
Nissan ARMADA is pretty much the same bs.
what a nightmare
Punda la
This motor is by far the worst designed engine, far more than the dreaded Ford 5.4 triton, Only a Desperate Soul would willingly suffer through this kind of nonsense, the gm designers are truly stupid people and this is sooooooo far poorly designed, but I bet they did it on purpose, this is why the junkyards are full of them by the rows. A good designed engine would have been able to change parts individually but this one the designers made it to fix any one thing you pretty much need to replace it all and in doing so they knew people would just trade it in and sign their life away on another car, GM did this on purpose!
I like the conspiracy argument on this. thanks