1993 Chevrolet Blazer S-10 Tahoe LT Vortec 6 cylinder 4.3L

Summary:

Best of all the Blazer models, a must have!

Faults:

Engine blew at 230000 miles, had to replace.

Transmission went at 150000 miles, had to replace.

Rear Gate makes a squeaky noise.

Front Right and Front Left Speed Sensors went at 250000 miles.

Suspension blew around 200000 miles, but still works to an extent.

Digital Speedometer cluster will not work.

Driver's side seat is permanently wrinkled.

General Comments:

This is an awesome truck.

Despite all that has gone wrong, I have had no trouble at all doing the repairs myself.

Fast for a small vehicle, the engine is powerful and made from a respectable company (Vortec).

With wide racing performance tires on the back, or a dually, the Blazer handles like a dream.

Uses gas fast, but launches faster!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd May, 2003

1993 Chevrolet Blazer S10 Tahoe LT 4.3 Vortec

Summary:

Affordable, reliable transportation.

Faults:

It has a hot-stalling problem that only affects it when the ambient temperature is above 70 degrees. I replaced the injector unit, but that didn't solve it. I think I can sort out the problem this summer with some ignition parts. Great gas mileage for an SUV. My daughter gets 20 mpg. And it has 200 horsepower. Unbelievable.

General Comments:

I bought this for my daughter. It's nice to have fuel injection. It saves a lot of gas. Very plush, electric everything and reliable four-wheel-drive. My daughter loves it. I had to add a subwoofer and a CD changer in the back though. Stock sound system was lacking.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th January, 2003

1993 Chevrolet Blazer S10 Tahoe 4.3 262 CPI

Summary:

A powerful truck with good creature comforts, but costly repairs along the way

Faults:

Fuel Injection Unit and fuel pump needed to be replaced at 120,000 miles. When the unit goes bad, the truck will be hard to start and will idle very poorly.

Egr Valve has clogged numerous times and is currently causing the truck to surge when accelerating.

4 Wheel Drive wasn't engaging due to a faulty air line.

Brake booster need replacement at 120,000 miles.

Replaced rear shocks at 100,000 miles along with the front shocks which were not bad, but wanted to replace all four with Bilstein shock absorbers.

Driver side power window started to not work at 120,000 miles. I'm currently attempting to replace it.

Rear window that is attached to the lift gate squeaks.

Front windshield wiper pump blew at 110,000 miles.

Many shakes and rattles from the plastic trim and inside the front doors while going over rough roads.

General Comments:

The truck has excellent power and performs very well off road and in deep snow.

The push button 4 Wheel Drive engages and disengages beautifully.

Relatively easy to work on and find parts for.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th December, 2002

1993 Chevrolet Blazer S-10 4.3L Vortec

Summary:

A versatile machine good for various activities

Faults:

The stabilizer bar bushings were replaced. $10 bucks each.

General Comments:

It's a comfortable ride and drives smoothly. The 4x4 works great on those bumpy roads. I've had the truck for months and nothing at all has gone wrong.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th August, 2002

1993 Chevrolet Blazer S-10 4-door 4X4 4.3L High-output

Summary:

Great truck: reliable, great engine, good off road performance

Faults:

Belt tensioner at 95,000 miles ($35)

Fuel injectors (Central Port Injection) at 97,000 ($550!)

Shocks--still had factory originals--at 100,000 ($165 for HD Bilsteins)

Front and rear brakes at 103,000.

Electronic 4WD shift computer at 110,000 (salvage yard part--$30)

Muffler and tailpipe at 115,000 ($160)

Battery at 115,000 ($30)

Passenger side power window motor at 118,000 (not repaired yet--I just use the A/C)

Rust is starting to form at the bottoms of the driver and passenger doors (though nowhere else).

General Comments:

So far this has been the most reliable vehicle I have owned. The most expensive repair by far was the fuel injector unit. Other than that and the 4WD shift computer repairs have been mostly on parts you'd expect to wear out at 100,000+ miles. The brake and exhaust work was inexpensive.

This vehicle is quite easy to service and maintain yourself, and parts are inexpensive and plentiful. The high-output 4.3L engine has plenty of power. Handling is rather good for an SUV.

This is a tough vehicle and yes, I have taken it off road. It performs beautifully both off road and through deep snow. I love the pushbutton 4WD.

Negatives: It rides a bit rough due to the heavy duty shocks I installed. Lots of road/tire noise above 45 MPH. Gas mileage isn't the best: about 17 city and 22-23 highway.

I have no regrets about buying this vehicle and would buy it again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd July, 2002

23rd Sep 2002, 13:23

My truck has 121,000 km on it. I purchased it 3 years ago with 80,000 + KM. It also has the 4.3 HO Vortech engine. I have not needed any of the work done mentioned by the reviewer. I'll keep my fingers crossed hoping I won't need to replace those expensive injectors!

I have also spotted some rust starting on the inside of both the driver and passenger doors. I sanded the area and put on some rust preventative paint. There is also a bit of rust on the inside of the tail gate in the hinge area. Looks like someone attempted to close the tail gate with a hard object in there taking the paint off in the process. I have had less success slowing this rust down. May have to take it to a body shop to have it professionally fixed. I don't think there would be any rust on this vehicle if it had spent it's whole life in my neck of the woods (Victoria, B.C.), but it spent the first year or 2 in Alberta where there is more of a problem with rust. I was in a bit of a rush when I bought the vehicle. I think I could have bought a vehicle in even better condition (no rust) if I had taken the time to do so. I also think I paid a bit much buying off of a car lot.

I agree with the reviewer, it is a tough and reliable vehicle. I've also done some off-roading with it and it's never got stuck.

23rd Mar 2003, 20:39

In connection to your problem with your rather 'expensive' fuel injectors dilemma, what was the symptom like? I have a '92 Chevy Blazer S10 Tahoe that have 3 spark plugs on one side (driver side) all running rich. I know for a fact that my catalytic converter and muffler need to be replaced. I've just given the vehicle a complete tune-up (spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor changed). Low speed it misses, but high speed seems to run OK. By the way, when I rev it up, it slightly blows black smoke. Thanks.

16th Feb 2004, 19:33

I read about your rust woes. The bottoms of the doors on the first generation S-series trucks are the most rust prone areas on the whole body. I can speak from experience, I had a 1990 S-10 pickup that had that problem. I now have a 1993 S-10 Blazer (Tahoe trim) like you do (only it's a two door) and I noticed some light rusting taking place on the door panels. I love the first generation S-10 models, they're solid machines and will last a long time if properly maintained. I just hate the fact that those lower door panels rust so easily, but it's nothing that some 80 grit sandpaper and glossy paint can't fix.