It claims it does live but I’ll need to read up on how that works. I’ve only ever hooked up to look for codes and check the readiness. Will look into doing this.
The reader was advertised as having live data but when I went to use it, I couldn’t find any such option and couldn’t find it in the manual. All I could find in the manual was the mention that a screen shot is taken of live data during the moment a code is thrown. But it doesn’t appear I have any access to actual live data.
An update but no conclusion. I’ve been driving it to work and back and to the store here and there. So really no more than 1/2 hour drives at a time and none of them have any major uphill moments. But everything has seemed fine. The only thing I notice is after taking off from a stop, I can feel a bump when it shifts. Has always done that. More noticeable sometimes than others. No noise and I feel something similar on my wife’s Forester but it’s more noticeable on the TB.
My wife works and lives out of town for the week. There’s a leak I need to fix on her car so I had her take my TB back. I asked how it drove and she said fine except after being stopped at a light on a steep hill, the car revved high before moving and jerking forward. She has some pretty steep hills where she is and I never drive it where I’d be stopped on a steep hill (nor do I know of a place nearby) so I can’t try to replicate it. She said it revved into the 4ks and then jerked/shudder at first and then moved forward and was fine after that. This is similar to the issue I was having described above but I was having it happen while already moving and going uphill and it hadn’t happened in months.
A few months ago, I dropped the pan to change the filter and fluid. Magnet had no visible metal on it. Just a nice heeping mound of black sludge. Fluid looked nearly new. No burnt smell. Still translucent red. Level was correct and I was told no service was ever done to the trans so there’s no reason to believe it was ever run low. I filled with Max Life. Nothing different about driving was noticed before vs after the fill. It had already not exhibited the issue for some time before I did the drain/fill. I replaced the pan with one that has a drain so that I can do another drain/fill after winter and then once a year. I plan on switching to the GM Dexron VI next time, though, as I can get it for not much more.
So while I realize the issue described points to the tranny, what issues could be causing this but produced no metal in the pan and no visible or odorous wear to the fluid after 80k? Nor has the issue gotten worse. If anything, it has gotten better as I never notice it in my normal driving anymore. One reason, though, might be that I’ve gotten used to driving it and maybe subconsciously take it easy at certain times that smooth over the issue. I’m guessing my wife mashed down on the gas as soon as the light turned green, which would cause no issues in the Forester. I probably would’ve slowly pulled from the light and so whatever issue the TB is having with the delay in getting going probably wouldn’t have shown up.
The fuel pump still makes that noise sometimes. Sometimes it doesn’t. I notice no difference in driving either way. I haven’t done any of the tests because it was driving fine for so long and none of the tests are without risk. I really don’t want to crack the manifold trying to get the sensor out to do a back pressure. I also decided not to do the fuel pump replacement because it’s not without risk and cost $250 and the car had been driving fine.
Gas milage is always around 17mpg. Nearly all my driving is to work which is a 20 mile drive that is 3/4 highway.
I have no idea of your financial position and it is none of my business. But I do know that if my wife needed to have a dependable vehicle as yours does I would look at new low priced vehicles with road side service.
Her Forester has been dependable and we have roadside with our insurance. Hers just started a drip from the trans cooler rubber hose to radiator connection (I look the vehicle over every weekend). I’m going to get a new clamp and hose today. This is only the 2nd time she’s had to take my vehicle back. I wasn’t concerned since it hadn’t been having any issues.
Our plan is to look at a new vehicle for her next fall or if mine goes in the meantime, she’ll get a new one and I’ll take hers.
I have a Buick Lesabre with similar issues. I start slowly from stops because sometimes it slips, and then bangs into gear. It’ll also slip a bit when shifting between gears, then start to shift hard. I’ve changed the fluid like you, and didn’t notice a ton of material in the pan. If anything, my latest fluid change seems to have made the issue worse. I suspect in my case the trans won’t last that much longer. If I wanted to keep the vehicle, I’d probably take it to a transmission shop, but I feel certain they’d want to rebuild it and I don’t want to invest the money on my 14 year old car with 170k miles. If you plan to keep the Trailblazer, you might take it to a good transmission shop, describe the problem, let them check for any stored (hidden) transmission fault codes, and make a recommendation. It’s possible they might recommend replacing a shift solenoid or something and you might get out of this fairly cheap. But you have to find a good transmission shop. In my case, I’ve had bad experiences with the 2 closest transmission shops in the past so I’m just going to baby the car until it’s no longer practical to drive. I did drive it 15 miles to work this AM (it does fine on the highway)!
I’m trying to find the best words to describe what mine does when pulling away from a stop. I guess just a quick pause as it’s accelerating. It’s just a split second. I would consider it minor and not something I’d be too worried about as it has done it for quite some time and hasn’t gotten worse but coupled with this other issue of revving when going uphill does concern me. I can feel this very noticeable pause soon after pulling away from a stop and then sooner after that once I’m to speed I feel it shift again but this time it’s barely noticeable. Otherwise, I don’t notice it shifting unless I’m looking at the rpms.
I like the vehicle and otherwise it’s been great. I’ve put a couple hundred into changing all the fluids but I think I’m going to make the decision to not put any serious money in it and just drive it as long as it can go. It’s only at 80k but is nearly 15 years old. I’ll just keep driving it and maintaining it and checking it over but if something big goes, it’s done.
I do wish I had replaced the solenoids when I had the tranny pan dropped. Just to see if that made any difference.
Good luck with the Buick. Hope you get some more time out of it.
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With only 80k miles, I might be tempted to let a trans shop look at the Trailblazer, assuming it’s in good shape otherwise. The solenoids should be easier to replace (if needed) in rear wheel drive cars (like the Trailblazer is, I think?). The Buick is front wheel drive and quite a bit more challenging to access some of the solenoids, I think. I’m still researching a bit. That old Buick is a great car for basic transportation (decent mileage, decent power, rides like a cloud), so I’ll hate to let it go when the time comes. I’m hoping it hangs around long enough for my son to use it when learning to drive in a couple of years. That will probably finish it off if it lasts that long! I wish you luck with your TB.
Thanks. It’s mostly in good shape but there are things I know will be a problem in not the too distant future. Like rusting lines. Mainly the trans cooler lines. After looking up what it would take to replace them, I see it’s above my skill level. In my wife’s Forester, it would be pretty easy as they are quite accessible. Not on the TB. I’ll definitely consider all options when the time comes, but I’m doubting I could bring myself to put that kind of money into it. Especially if my wife gets a new car and I have her Forester as well. Which is looking like something I might look into soon. I hate buying new vehicles but her having a new vehicle and me having 2 older ones to work on and run into the ground is sounding like a real good plan right now.
Yeah, the solenoids look quite easy to replace in the TB when the pan is off.
I have to ask are you in 2wd, auto, 4 lo or 4 hi?
Always 2wd.
Pull the vacuum hose off the fuel pressure regulator, if it smells like gas you need a new one.
From what I’m finding, starting with the '05, it doesn’t have one.
Quick google search shows them for sale, not saying I could not be wrong. https://www.carparts.com/details/Chevrolet/Trailblazer/Replacement/Fuel_Pressure_Regulator/2005/LS/REPC318103.html?TID=gglpla&origin=pla&utm_source=google&utm_medium=pla&utm_campaign=221983653&gclid=Cj0KCQiAn8nuBRCzARIsAJcdIfMmhfQ_Fb5pY4Ab3ctshkyLM4YlwNRRfU9iJv2oP_AjsifpLEovV9QaAuyUEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
There are also places that list an external fuel filter for the '05 but it’s really in the pump in the tank. I’ll look for the regulator when my wife has it back this weekend but here’s what a post I found said “2005+ Trailblazers used a pulse-width modulated fuel pump to regulate fuel pressure. It doesn’t have a fuel rail mounted press reg with a return to the tank.”
Final update. RIP 2005 Trailblazer. We had bad weather hit hard out of nowhere right when I had to leave work a couple weeks ago. Hit a patch of black ice on the way home and slid into the concrete median. Because of the low value of the vehicle, the various body damages were just enough to total it. So we bought my wife a new vehicle and I’m driving her Forester. I’m hoping that lasts me at least a couple years.
So no resolution is to be had on this issue. Whatever it was. All that work I did replacing fluids and brakes, etc… down the drain. I even still have 2 unopened gallons of ACDelco Dexron VI sitting here with zero use for it. Was about to do another drain and fill. It was a good vehicle but I didn’t get to drive it very long. A real shame. But no one was hurt which is the important thing.
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Glad no one was hurt, we all have leftovers, I started piling them up to get rid of at hazardous waste, 3 gallons of antifreeze, a few quarts of 90w gear oil, brake and trans fluids, heet, is in the pile so far.
I haven’t been at this very long so my leftovers are mostly just partial bottles which I’ll toss. Might put the ATF up on Craigslist or ask around locally to see if anyone can use it. I have various other stuff related to the vehicle I can toss from the garage now but that’s waiting until the Spring. Like the original trans pan hanging on the wall.
I’ll miss some aspects of the vehicle, others I won’t. Changing the oil is definitely one I won’t miss. Only got to do it twice. Made a big mess the 1st time and much less of a mess the 2nd time so I was getting better at it. The Subaru couldn’t be easier/cleaner and interval is twice as long. But it does consume 1 quart every 2k while the TB oil barely budged on the stick between changes.
Eco green guy here, please take the partial leftovers for proper disposal, I bought some plugs for my TB, was going to change them, when I could not even see them I took it in, supplying 8$ plugs I think it was still $150, Never tried an oil change but did do thermostat and starter moter, thermostat was worse I think. What is your new set of wheels?
Yeah, I’ll be disposing of them properly. Have a good bit of used oil saved up that I’ll take in the Spring and will take the partials as well.
The plugs were done on my TB before I bought it, maybe 15k ago but there was a great deal on the ACDelcos for $2 each after rebate so I had to get some. Those are of no use now, but at least they hardly cost anything. I changed a coil pack on the TB a couple years ago but can’t recall how deep in the plugs were. I was not looking forward to the plug change but that was a ways off. The Forester was no picnic either, though - buried on the sides (and 4 cost $50 even after 25% off at AAP - dealer wanted $385 to replace them!). Yeah, I watched a video on the TB thermostat replacement and was praying mine didn’t go. The Forester would be easy if the pretzel exhaust wasn’t in the way and needed to be removed. And that wouldn’t be bad except you can imagine what those bolt heads look like unprotected on the bottom of the vehicle after 144k/7 years.
My wife bought a '19 Impreza and I took her '12 Forester. 140k on the Forester so it’s up there but drives great. I’ll be doing the work on the Forester but will take her Impreza to the dealer for anything other than oil changes and maybe brake pads during the warranty period. Then I’ll have the fun of doing a CVT fluid change which has no dipstick and a front diff that takes oil I can’t even buy.
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