2004 Trailblazer 4.2 - Newest Member of the Family

Did you go through the drain plug access or remove the weird shield on front of the xmember?

I'm 99.9% I did a couple oil changes on an '02 2wd and don't remember anything significant.

Oh, I went through the drain plug panel. I didn’t realize there was another way. I’ll investigate next time…
 
I had an '04 EXT... I liked the rig overall but it left me stranded several times. P/S pump pulley randomly came off out of the pump (that was a mess), transmission became all neutrals with no warning signs, and a bunch of other minor things. That 4.2 ran really smooth though.
 
I figured out why my headlight was out even though the bulb was new… just a blown fuse.

But the big mystery now is an intermittent strong fuel smell. Like there is a fuel leak.

My coworker noticed it too, so I’m not crazy.

But I’ve had 4 people look at it and nobody can find anything.
 
Had a tenant with the same 04 but his was green. I was surprised how smooth yet powerful the 4.2L was while riding with him one day on back roads and having to pass multiple horse and buggies. Hopefully he still has it, he inherited it from his Mom and it was garage kept in great shape.
 
My gf had a 08’ with over 200k. The fan clutch blew apart 2 times. The 2nd time was a one and done for her. The picture below is the aftermath from the 2nd explosion. She picked up a 20’ Mazda CX5. She loves it. The Trailblazer was sold to a family friend, supposedly it was fixed and is still on the road.
IMG_3971.jpeg
 
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My gf had a 08’ with over 200k. The fan clutch blew apart 2 times. The 2nd time was a one and done for her. The picture below is the aftermath from the 2nd explosion. She picked up a 20’ Mazda CX5. She loves it. The Trailblazer was sold to a family friend, supposedly it was fixed and is still on the road.
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Can't blame the vehicle on cheap aftermarket junk, OE Delco isn't cheap but it's cheaper than that happening twice.
 
Can't blame the vehicle on cheap aftermarket junk, OE Delco isn't cheap but it's cheaper than that happening twice.
Pay once, cry once right I believe most parts were Napa parts, who knows of what quality. Her dad a manager at Napa supplied the parts, the shop next to him a Napa shop repaired it the first time. Other than the fan clutch debacle, she didn’t have any other major issues. She misses it occasionally, it was her first car. I’ve worked at a Euro shop for the past 8 months now, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that OEM is the way to go.
 
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Love these trucks. My Trailblazer is pushing 290,000 km and runs great. Sadly last week when doing the rear diff fluid i noticed a fair sized hole in the frame. I thought about getting my friend to weld it , but noticed many other spots in the frame where it was soft as a babys head. Not sure what to get now.
 
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