Please school me on GM's Atlas? I 6

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Originally Posted By: andyd
What model mall crawlers were they in ? TIA
Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender, Oldsmobile Bravada, Saab 9-7x. All basically the same car with different skin.

My grandparent's have a 2002 Trailblazer and it has plenty of power, no engine issues at 114k miles. I've towed 5,500 pounds behind the Trailblazer and it pulled it great.

My aunt has a 2005 Isuzu Ascender and it's pretty gutless compared to the Trailblazer. I think it has a different gear ratio, Trailblazer has 3.73's.
 
Too bad they stopped making the Atlas I6/. It was nice to have an American aluminum DOHC I6. GM should've offered it in the Colo/Canyon, Silverado, Camaro, and Express (yes, they still make that!). The new LS-based V6 (base engine on the Silverado) is less powerful than the Atlas which is 10 years older design.
 
Ok motor...tons of power. Vehicles...Very poor design on the radiator fan. It's an electrically controlled hydraulic fan clutch. Very problematic and expensive to repair for a domestic. These things also chew through hub bearings like it's their jobs. The rotors are also not easily serviceable...you have to pull a ball joint to remove them.

I wouldn't buy one fwiw...vehicles like that are why I no longer buy gm products after years of loyal support
 
Originally Posted By: Doublehaul
The rotors are also not easily serviceable...you have to pull a ball joint to remove them.
Maybe that's just on the 4x4 models. My grandparent's Trailblazer LTZ 4x2 was about the easiest thing I've ever done brakes on. Rotors slid on and off like normal.
 
Thanks for near instant responses. I am intrigued by the aluminum DOHC inline 6. Would these be available in junkyards due to worn out vehicle?
 
The Atlas series of engines had a reputation for poor fuel economy. The 4.2L I6 was the bread-and-butter engine in the TrailBlazer until GM started putting the 5.3L V8 in it. Then you could get an engine that had the same power, better low end torque, and got better fuel economy. I think that's pretty much what killed the Atlas. Later I4 and I5 engines had a 2.5mm larger bore to make 2.9 and 3.7L versions, but the I6 never got the larger bore. In 2006, there was a cylinder head redesign that increased the exhaust port size, and made significantly higher power. I have seen that quite a few people like to swap the 4.2L into Jeep Cherokee's to replace the 4.0L AMC I6. Lighter engine, and a lot more power and torque.
 
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Yep - I had the I5's in Colorado and H3 ... were it not for 4.56 gears it was not enough for the weight ...
 
Yep. A great engine in a not so great application. We had a 2005 Trailblazer LS 4x4 for a few years. As said, the electro/mechanical cooling fan was a pile. Interior bits and body panels very flimsy. They were comfortable and very roomy though. The inline 6 could have been a real power pack, but as I understand it, was de-tuned to not tear up the drivetrain and probably for emissions compliance.
 
I think the death of that engine had a lot to do with it not going into the full-size models.

It would have been a better engine than the 4.3 V6 that continued to live on.
 
Originally Posted By: Doublehaul
Ok motor...tons of power. Vehicles...Very poor design on the radiator fan. It's an electrically controlled hydraulic fan clutch. Very problematic and expensive to repair for a domestic. These things also chew through hub bearings like it's their jobs. The rotors are also not easily serviceable...you have to pull a ball joint to remove them.

I wouldn't buy one fwiw...vehicles like that are why I no longer buy gm products after years of loyal support


I agree with you on the fan clutch design. However, it is not expensive and hard to do. I just did a fan clutch and water pump on a 2003 Trailblazer. $110 for the fan clutch, $49 for the water pump and I was done in an hour and a half.
 
My parents had a 2000 something trailblazer with that engine. It only got about 15mpg and the head let go about 80 miles before the extended warranty was up. We pretty much stick to 5.3 v8s now. In my family, mine has the least miles at 167k and none have ever had a mechanical break down.
 
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
My parents had a 2000 something trailblazer with that engine. It only got about 15mpg and the head let go about 80 miles before the extended warranty was up. We pretty much stick to 5.3 v8s now. In my family, mine has the least miles at 167k and none have ever had a mechanical break down.
Trailblazer was first made in 2002.

I think you're thinking of a Blazer, which is a totally different vehicle with a totally different engine.
 
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
The Atlas series of engines had a reputation for poor fuel economy. The 4.2L I6 was the bread-and-butter engine in the TrailBlazer until GM started putting the 5.3L V8 in it. Then you could get an engine that had the same power, better low end torque, and got better fuel economy. I think that's pretty much what killed the Atlas. Later I4 and I5 engines had a 2.5mm larger bore to make 2.9 and 3.7L versions, but the I6 never got the larger bore. In 2006, there was a cylinder head redesign that increased the exhaust port size, and made significantly higher power. I have seen that quite a few people like to swap the 4.2L into Jeep Cherokee's to replace the 4.0L AMC I6. Lighter engine, and a lot more power and torque.


Would an Atlas I6 even fit in a Cherokee? I imagine a DOHC inline engine would be pretty close to the hood.

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
My parents had a 2000 something trailblazer with that engine. It only got about 15mpg and the head let go about 80 miles before the extended warranty was up. We pretty much stick to 5.3 v8s now. In my family, mine has the least miles at 167k and none have ever had a mechanical break down.
Trailblazer was first made in 2002.

I think you're thinking of a Blazer, which is a totally different vehicle with a totally different engine.


Trail Blazer may have been a higher trim package of S10 blazer
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
My parents had a 2000 something trailblazer with that engine. It only got about 15mpg and the head let go about 80 miles before the extended warranty was up. We pretty much stick to 5.3 v8s now. In my family, mine has the least miles at 167k and none have ever had a mechanical break down.
Trailblazer was first made in 2002.

I think you're thinking of a Blazer, which is a totally different vehicle with a totally different engine.


He said 2000 something, I assume he means he is not sure as to what exact year, just that it was in the 2000's
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