The Chevrolet Trailblazer was introduced as a slightly larger version of, and shares lineage with, the smaller Chevy S10 Blazer. Base 2006 Chevy Trailblazers were powered by a 4.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine. However, the engineers at Chevy also made two V-8 engines available in 2006. A 5.3-liter V-8 was available in LT and LS trim levels, while the SS edition came equipped with a 6.0-liter powerplant. The six-cylinder, 5.3-liter, and 6.0-liter engines had 291, 300, and 395-horsepower respectively.
Replacing the starter on either V-8 is a bit more involved than many, but with a little time, you can do it.
Jack the front of the Trailblazer up and support it on jack stands.
Connect an OBD II memory saver in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Remove the negative battery cable with a 5/16-inch socket and secure it aside so it cannot make contact with the negative battery terminal.
Locate the rear steering crossmember. It is a C-shaped support under all the steering equipment and behind the front steering crossmember, which is the flat plate. Remove the four rear 15 mm bolts from the front crossmember and then remove the 10, 15 mm bolts from the rear crossmember -- there are five on each side. Note where each bolt came from.
Remove the heat shield or work the crossmember away from it and slide it out. Avoid dropping the crossmember on yourself.
Find the transmission cooler lines. They are running rearward, have a support bracket and have a wire harness connected to that bracket. Remove that wire harness from the retaining band.
Remove the 13 mm bolt holding the transmission cooler line bracket in place. There is very little room, so use a ratchet-wrench or a normal box-end wrench and very small rotations. Remove the 13 mm bolt from the right side of the transmission cover.
Remove the two 15 mm starter mounting bolts and slide the starter towards the front of the truck. Remove the transmission cover and starter heat shield.
Work the starter between the transmission cooler lines and the engine oil pan until you can get to the starter and battery leads. Do not pull on it too hard as the leads are still connected, but this may take some prying on the transmission lines and significant starter manipulation to achieve. Be careful not to kink the transmission lines.
Remove the 13 mm and 8 mm leads from the starter. Remove the starter from the vehicle.
Work the new starter between the transmission cooler lines and the engine oil pan. Install the leads. Tighten the 13 mm battery lead nut to 80 inch-pounds and the 8 mm starter lead to 30 inch-pounds.
Place the plastic heat shield on the starter, work the starter into its cavity and then slide it forward. Reinstall the transmission cover. Slide the starter back into its proper location on the block.
Install the two starter mounting bolts and torque to 37 foot-pounds.
Install the transmission cover bolt and transmission cooling line bracket bolt and torque both to 80 inch-pounds. Reattach the wire harness to the transmission cooling line retaining clips.
Reinstall the rear steering crossmember and torque all 14 bolts to 37 foot-pounds. Be sure to install each bolt in the same hole it came out of. Reinstall the heat shield, if applicable.
Lower the Trailblazer from the jack stands, reconnect the negative battery cable and remove the OBD II memory saver. Start the truck to ensure the new starter was properly installed and corrected the issue.
