General maintenence Hi. I bought a 2003 trailblazer 4.3 last year at 45,000 miles. I love this car. It now has 90,000 highway miles, and all I've done is replaced the a/c condenser and switched to Royal Purple oil. I want to keep this car till over 200,000 miles. What fluids should I change now and what other general maintenence should I invest in. Thanks!

Tire-Go by the label on the door jam on the driver's door
Oil-Follow the manufacturer's recommendation in the owner's manual
Maintenance-Today's cars usually come with a maintenance schedule. Follow the proper maintenance for the mileage your car currently has on it.
If that puppy has only 45,000 miles on it, the timing chain shouldn't have to be replaced until it's between 120,000 and 150,000 miles.

the maintenance schedule is in the owners manual on the last 2 pages I believe, But here are some of the things to check the maintenance schedule on that car calls for oil changes every 3,750 miles if you primarily use the car around town or 7,500 if you do mostly highway driving without stop and go traffic. Most cars should go by the 3,750 schedule.

tire rotations should be every 7,500 miles. Brakes should be checked when the tires are rotated.

the major service on the 4 cylinder is every 30,000 miles. that includes the tune-up items of replacing spark plugs, adjusting the valves, replacing the air filter, transmission fluid, interior cabin filter and the inspections and adjustments.

the 6 cylinder does not need the valve adjustment or spark plug replacement until 105,000 miles. otherwise, the fluids and filter replacements are every 30k.

the timing belt on both the 4 cyl and the 6 cyl is 105,000. at that time the water pump and coolant are also replaced as well as the other accessory drive belts.

Brake fluid should be replaced every 3 years or 45,000 miles.

That really depends on the quality and quantity of maintenance done on the vehicle. With 140+K miles your looking at 20 - 23K miles per year. Does the owner have service records, were all the manufacturer's recommended maintenance done at the proper intervals. Has the transfer case fluid been changed every 50K miles? Front and rear differential fluids at 100K? Any transmission service work done? Plugs should have been changed at around 100K.

The 2002 model year had a problem with the TCCM (Transfer Case Control Module) sometimes not "waking up" and flaky software. Another reason for the warning light coming on is a weak or slow transfer case actuator module. A technician with a highend scan tool should be able to diagnose the problem.

where did fan clutch come from??

• Not to bad. Outback is a good vehicle. With so many miles and it only being a 2008 I am inclined to think this was a highway traveled vehicle more than in town. This is good because highway miles is far better on a vehicle than in town miles. Some maintenance you need to either confirm has been done or inspected to see if it needs to be done. May also have some warranty with it to but warranties often do not cover preventative maintenance.

1. Transmission flush - 20,000 miles
2. Transmission Filter - 50,000 miles
3. Radiator flush. - 30,000 miles
4. Air filter. - As needed.
5. Oil change. - 3 months or 3,000 miles - usually right away with new vehicle.
6. Emissions clean. - 25,000 miles
7. Brake inspection. Right away with new vehicle.
8. Serpentine belt - 50,000 miles inspect often.
9. Alignment check - Check is often free.
10. Tires.

Regards, Tony

Transmission flush should be done every 30,000 mi. according to my local garage that does it.

Also, the coolant can be flushed every year or two even though the guarantee lasts for up to 5 years against corrosion for most brands of antifreeze.

The light comes on at fairly short intervals ... even to let you know that you need an oil change. The mileage at which it comes on will depend on when it was reset last time. Here's a link to Yahoo Answers to turn the light off yourself.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080305080020AA1XbGo

yes, spot on......did you have the 30 slightly later than 30....??

This is a oil change reminder. Nothing fancy about, when you get your oil change go into the menu and click reset counter and it will go off. If there was something wrong with your car the check engine light would come on.