29th Dec 2008, 09:13

Just had the fan clutch replaced on my 2004 Trailblazer. Cost by a local mechanic was $500.00 He said the labor was only $90.00, but the part cost over $400.00 I now see that the part can be had, on average, for about $169.00. Has anyone else paid over $200 for their OE replacement part?

4th Jan 2009, 20:47

Just yesterday I noticed the same thing happening on my 2002 trailblazer with 55k on it. I am not sure what I am going to do, I don't have $500 to replace this part so I might just attempt it myself but the problem is that it is 20 degrees outside. The Check Engine light is not on, does this mean that it could be something different? Is there a relay under the hood that could possibly be bad?

23rd Jan 2009, 15:26

Wow I have the same problem 2003 TB LT. I replaced the fan clutch and service engine light went off but came back on today. Still sounds like a jet engine! I can't wait to get this vehicle out of my life!

24th Jan 2009, 14:02

I too had to have my fan clutch replaced after my dealer re-programed my computer. The dealer service manager said if that didn't work there was nothing that could be done except replace the fan clutch. I have heard of many other Envoy owners with same problem without GM doing a recall to fix this problem.

30th Jan 2009, 21:28

I also have the jet engine sound. I have a 2003 Trailblazer, and it has 9100k. Always had GM made vehicles & have been proud of them until I bought my 2003 Trailblazer. I also have the rattles in the front end, service 4wd, defective power window regulator etc...

I'm disgusted with GM & this 2003 Trailblazer. I will never buy another GM product again. I'll probably buy a Japanese product. In the meantime, I guess I'll just change it out in 20 degree weather.

7th Feb 2009, 01:54

We have a 2003 Trailblazer that we bought at 125,000 km from relatives. It now has 160,000 km. In the time we've owned it, it went from seeming "normal" (though we think the fan clutch problem pre-existed, we just didn't know any different), to having the following problems at present, most of which have occurred in a period of a few months:

- Bank 1 lean

- Rich fuel

- Evaporative malfunction

- CD player jamming

- Intermittent wiper craziness

- Thermostat malfunction

- Fan clutch failure

- 4wd front actuator

- Xfer case actuator (suspicious)

- Torsion bar links front/back rattle terribly

In researching all of these problems, I've learned a few things.

- Any trip to the dealer for an actual repair is at minimum $500.

- People have mixed reviews of the autosense wiper function. For us, it works terrible - it's constantly running too fast, even if you slow it down a few notches, within a couple minutes it speeds back up.

- The bank 1 lean doesn't seem to have a good solution I've found, though it may be a programming issue. My opinion is that GM should supply programming to current levels on ALL modules in their vehicles for life. If you screwed up your original firmware design, it should NEVER be my problem, especially since it's extremely easy to fix. I flash all kinds of devices, and if you're experienced at it the time it takes is less than 5 minutes.

- GM audio systems are pure garbage. I've had stereo failures in 2 Grand Prixs, 2 Bonnevilles, a Grand Am, and now this Trailblazer. The 2 Bonnevilles and 2 Grand Prixs had the same "malfunctioning display" problem from 1992-1998. In 6 years these idiots can't fix a problem prevalent across multiple models.

- The front actuator for the 4wd shaft locking is a pretty flaky design - it is driven by a tiny little "model" motor, and audibly labors under its assigned task.

- Fuel filler neck fracture at the tank is ridiculously prevalent, covers multiple model years, and should absolutely be marked a "recall" under fire safety. It's a thousand dollar repair, happens over and over, and is inexcusable. Of the tens of thousands of car designs, they can be in service for decades, sit in salvage yards, be re-animated with no fuel tank problems, yet these new vehicles break time after time, and the problem isn't fixed in subsequent years.

- The fan clutch is another ridiculous issue. Almost every one of the 300 plus posts here, on just this one site, are failed fan clutches, at low mileages.

For the front actuator, the local GM dealer wanted $235 for the part (a few plastic gears, a model motor, circuit board, and sprung cylinder). They wanted 1.5 hours at $170/hr to replace it. I bought it at Rockauto.com for $85, and replaced it in literally 3.5 minutes.

My father and I just fixed the fan clutch on ours today. GM wanted $400+ for the part, and I don't recall how much labor, but I see posts indicating $700-800 to repair, and it fails on pretty much EVERY truck from what I can see, at mileages of only 50k. I bought the part at rockauto.com for $135. Replacing it was pretty miserable. The fan shroud is very difficult to remove - we ended up leaving it in place. We pulled headlights, grill, hood latch support, positioning panels for radiator. Then we unbolted the fan from the clutch, used a universal clutch wrench to remove the clutch. We removed the separated clutch by pulling hard on the rad to the front of the car, while pressing hard on the shroud and managed to squeeze the clutch in between shroud and radiator on the drivers side. We found that all but 1 of the wires on the clutch were broken, some of them in 2 places - one seemed by vibration, the other by abrasion.

In my opinion, General Motors abuses their customers by generating bad designs, refusing to correct the errors of their bad designs year after year, and harboring a feeling of complete disregard for the concerns of their loyal customers. People whose families have bought GM for generations get no respect whatsoever in fair resolution of these blatant design errors. They are treated as yet another opportunity to fleece more money from the people who are the lifeblood of the company.

The chickens have come home to roost. GM has faced an eroding market due in part to these behaviors, and is not finding finding many sympathetic ears now that the economic downturn has placed the blade firmly at its neck and pressed to draw blood.

The truth is that General Motors deserves to be eliminated from the market. I've owned 5 GM cars in my 20 years of driving, but I'm done. Screw you, GM. I hope you finish burning away the money the government has given you then die a slow, twisting death on the vine. Good riddance to you, and to the employees of GM who year after year refuse to unite and band together to force change within the company - to improve standards and take pride in your work.

I used to believe in supporting domestic manufacturers - I switched from my first 2 Datsun/Nissan products to prove it. But I'm going back to Japanese, and I won't be back. Goodbye to you, sirs, and good day.