As I said, I’m not a mechanic, but I like to tinker and if it’s possible to do things myself I try to do it that way because if you don’t try you don’t learn.
That being said I have a 01 chevy blazer with a few issues. I just got it recently and it’s had these problems before I got it.
Brakes: the abs light is on. I have replaced the master cylinder with a used one but it works. The front was redone before I got it (rotors, pads, calipers, lines). The rear were sticky so I worked the caliper on the driver side and got it working as it should, passenger side I replaced because the piston was so bad it really wasn’t worth risking. Before replacing the caliper the light was on but the brakes were working decent. I changed the caliper and bled it several times to make sure I wasn’t getting any air. The brakes still work but are very soft and almost hit the floor with little force. I thought since the line sat open overnight it might have drained a little fluid from the other side so I bled it too. And for good measure, since I bought an extra bottle of fluid anyway, I bled the front again as well. Still soft and the light is still on. Saw a post recommending bleeding while running, but I’ve never had to do that or heard of anyone else doing it.
Transmission (4x4 4l60e): The transmission was replaced with a used one by the previous owner. I know the person well and trust him at his word. He said the trans worked good but I don’t know if it actually saw pavement after install. He was fixing it to drive and then got something better and it sat for a year or two just being moved around occasionally. First and second shift fine but no third or fourth. I was told it could be an issue where the brake system is telling the computer you are stopping and the computer is not letting the trans shift. I also remember growing up hearing stories about how bad 4l60s were.
Any idea what else I should look for with the brakes (vacuum, electrical, what else could cause it, does bleeding it while running actually make a difference)??
Does the abs system actually affect the transmission shifting or should I just go ahead and look for a new trans to put in it?
I feel bad asking for advice as I have nothing to really offer in return to the community, but I have read thru several posts here and the people here seem like good people so I figured it was worth a shot. Thank you for any help and advice you can give.