My 1996 Blazer runs fine most of the time until inclement weather hits. When the roads get a little snowy or icy the back wheels begin to spin out of control and the RPM’s go crazy, even when I am trying to go slow down a side street or trying to come to a stop. It doesn’t matter if I have it in 4-wheel drive or not. It even tries to do it in neutral and park! Why is my car acting like an out of control teenager?
4WD does not keep wheels from spinning. You are applying too much power for the traction available. If you are using cruse control, TURN IT OFF under slippery conditions. It is not safe.
You may do better by buying four winter tyres and rims so you can have more traction in the snow and ice.
NOTE: 4WD will not keep you from slipping off the road, but it may help you get out of the ditch. Good driving and winter tyres may keep you out of the ditch.
The rear tires spin in neutral and park?
You wheels spin in Park!?!? Really? If so there is something seriously wrong with your transmission.
If you are just having trouble with wheelspin while driving, then I’d say you need better tires and maybe some weight in the rear end.
Just one more random thought. Is your engine idling too high in cold weather? In other words, is the engine just running too fast?
Oops…well, the tires are not spinning while it is in park, but the RPM’s are still running way high. Somebody told me that it could be the chooke. Does that make sense? What would need to be done with that? My husband and I just divorced and I am trying to make it on my low wage job. I can’t really afford expensive repair bills, but I can’t trust it like this either.
Ah, now we are getting somewhere. It sounds like the cold engine high idle is set too high, and possibly not resetting back down to a lower idle once warmed up. I’d recommend going to a mechanic and see if this can be adjusted, and possibly repaired. On carburetors there is a choke and high idle cam, and if you have a carburetor it may be sticking, but I think a 1996 would be a fuel injected model. Not sure how they accomplish the same effect there, but this could be a simple fix.