1995 GMC Jimmy

FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS THE ENGINE STOPS RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING AND WILL NOT START FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE GAS SYSTEM HAS BEEN REPLACED, NEW COIL AND DISTRIBUTOR, OIL, AND STILL IT STOPS. I HAVE TALKED TO OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAD TO PARK THEIR JIMMY DUE TO THE UNSAFE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM, THE JIMMY HAS BEEN TO 3 DEALERS WHO CHARGED A LOT OF MONEY BUT NEVER FIXED THE PROBLEM.

I COMPLAINED TO TWO GM DEALERS IN MY AREA THAT THE PLASTIC HOUSING SHROUD ON THE FIREWALL THAT ENCAPUSULATES THE AC/HEATER CORE AND SEALS AGAINST THE FIREWALL WAS CRUMBLING AND FALLING APART. WHAT WAS ONCE A HARD PLASTIC COMPOUND IS NOW A PILE OF DISINTEGRATED PIECES SCATTERED ABOUT. WITHOUT THIS SHIELD, TOXIC GASES ARE ALLOWED TO FLOW INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. I'VE GOTTEN HEADACHES AND BECOME DROWSY AND SICK ON HOT DAYS I HAVE TO KEEP THE WINDOWS UP WITH THE AC ON. DEALER TECHNICIANS SAID THEY HAD NEVER SEEN FAILURE LIKE THIS BEFORE AND IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE. THIS WAS FIRST NOTICED EARLY IN 2000. TODAY IT IS ALMOST ENTIRELY GONE. I USE SIMPLE CALK TO TRY AND PREVENT FUMES FROM COMING INTO THE INTERIOR. UNFORTUNATELY, CALK HARDENS WITH THE HEAT OF THE ENGINE SO CLOSE, AND FAILS TO EFFECTIVELY SEAL VERY WELL.

BOTH OUTSIDE MIRRORS HAVE FALLEN OFF BEFORE 90K MILES. THIS WAS DUE TO THE PLASTIC DETERIORATING AT THE JUNCTION WHERE THE MIRROR "FOLDS AWAY." REPLACED EGR VALVE SEVERAL TIMES. THE FIRST THREE WERE UNDER WARRANTY, THE REST HAVE BEEN ON ME. IN ADDITION, MOST MAJOR FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, OR REPAIRED. THE IDLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN ROUGH, AND IT WILL ON OCCASION, SMOKE AND OMIT STRONG ODORS OF UNBURNED FUEL. WIPERS FAILED AT 20K MILES. I RESOLDERED THE CIRCUIT BOARD TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. DRIVERS SEAT WILL NOT STAY IN A LOCKED POSITION, WHICH CAUSES ME SOME CONCERN. BY THE WAY, THE FIRST WEEK I HAD THE CAR (BOUGHT IT NEW), THE SEAT WOULD NOT STAY LOCKED. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, AND WAS PROMPTLY TOLD THAT "IT IS A NORMAL CONDITION." HMMM, AS A DESIGN ENGINEER I HAVE TO WONDER ABOUT THE LOGIC BEHIND THIS; AS ANY FORWARD OR REARWARD IMPACT WOULD ALLOW THE SEAT TO FLEX WHICH COULD MAKE A MINOR NON-INJURY ACCIDENT SOMETHING FAR WORSE. THE WATER PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES, ALTERNATOR TWICE, BATTERY FIVE. ALL PARTS WERE REPLACED WITH ORIGINAL PARTS THROUGH GM. I HAVE HAD ALL BRAKE COMPONENTS REPLACED THREE TIMES, AND STILL THERE IS A PAINFUL CHATTER OF THE PEDAL UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, WHICH IS OUTSIDE THE ABS PARAMETERS. WIND NOISE IS QUITE LOUD, AS THE FIT OF THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR IS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, TERRIBLE. THE PLASTIC WHICH COVERS THE A/C WITHIN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT WHERE IT HAS BROKEN AND FALLEN AWAY, PIECE BY PIECE, SOMETIMES LODGING ITSELF ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, CAUSING SOME RATHER UNPLEASANT ODORS. OH, AND SINCE THERE IS NO LONGER ANY COVERING OVER THE A/C, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT THE COLDNESS, WHICH WAS THE SAVING GRACE OF THIS VEHICLE, HAS BEEN REDUCED TO THAT OF A GLORIFIED FAN. *NM

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WAS COMING ON AT 30,000 MILES. AT 77,000 MILES EGR VALVE WAS REPLACED. THEN, LESS THAN 25,000 MILES LATER EGR VALVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. VEHICLE WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH/ STALLING AT LIGHTS, EVENTUALLY NO BRAKES AND A HORRIBLE SMELL WHEN DOOR WAS OPENED. DEALER KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT RECTIFIED IT. *AK *JB