Ok, So I'm the owner of a '92 Blazer, that's in outstanding condition as far as I can tell. Not even 50k miles on it. But it's been garaged its entire life, and some of the undercarriage has a good layer of rust. I mean tell me this doesn't look good?

http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo94/Mtbracer/D.jpg

So my question is, what should I look at doing with this far as maintenance to keep it running good. And what parts will soon be going bad just for old age? I'll say what has been replaced already: New set of tires, the brakes have been....I think new pads, but probably not replaced, the headlights were replaced years and years ago (no longer halogen). i think that's it.
I'd really like to get new headlights, since these ones aren't very powerful and I've been thinking of putting AUX lights in the middle of the bumper to help with that. Along with fog lights underneath the bumper. And i'm not sure if i should consider getting a new alternator since I'm not sure the old one has enough output to handle these additions. But other than that, what should I be looking to replace soon? Or be checking for wear? thanks all!

 

You must pray to the the devil gods who designed the Kelsey-Hayes EBC4, 4-wheel anti-lock brake Electro-Hydraulic Control Unit (EHCU) that the unit orthe brake master cylinder does not fail. If you must replace a master cylinder or bleed the foundation brake system, DO NOT get air in the EHCU and do not attempt to flush the entire EBC4 brake system! The Kelsey-Hayes EBC4 EHCU was used by GM from 1990 through 1994 and they cannot be serviced.A rebuilt EHCUcost from $1437 MSRP to $785 from Raybestos, if you can find one.The EHCUis relatively easy to replace butno independent auto repair shop knows how to bleed them although they may tell you they do.LOL If a auto shop starts bleeding a EBC4 EHCU, they will not bleed one on a unit price basis. Inone hour after they start bleeding theEHCU, they will switch to their hourlyrate. This is the main reason the 1st Generation S10 Blazers with 4WAL brakes are so rare. Those vehiclesget junked before most people will spend the time and money that is required to replacethe EHCU . Two main faults in the EBC4 system is thefailure of the EHCU pump relay and contaminated brake fluid preventing the RWAL circuit dump valve from closing. The EHCU pump relay is contained inside the EHCU and will cause the pump to run constantly when the ignition is on, will exceed theduty cycle and willburn out . Thedump valve failure due to arust particle or dirty brake fluid will appear exactly like a by-passingmaster cylinder and you will not be able toconvince any "ASE Certified" auto repairshop mechanic otherwise until he attempts to replace the master cylinder and bleed the system.Most auto repair shopsdon't know anything about the Kelsey-Hayes EBC4 brake systembecausethey never have work on any. After150,000 miles,mostEHCU on 1990 - 1994 S10 Blazers with 4WAL brakes will fail.

The only practicalsolution to a failed EHCUon the 1st Generation EBC4 brake system is to buy a rebuilt ACDelco EHCU(GM-12544804) from a Chevrolet dealership at a cost of $1,437 MSRPand insist that the dealershipinstall and bleed the EBC4 system using theGM unit price for labor with the usual GM 90 day gauarantee.The total cost to replace and bleed a EHCU may be as high a $2,000, using labor at $90 an hour shop rate. Most GM dealerships will refuse to take a car older than 10 years because they are out of warranty anddealershipshave all the work thay can handlewith new car warranty work. That is oneof the hundred reasons why GM isbroke and will be bankruptwithin two years.

 

umm. ok. thanks[&:] now that you've sufficiently scared me, lol. haha. but this thing has a long way to go before i hit 150k miles. And that does explain why I don't see many of my type vehicle around. I swear I've only ever seen one like it. But I just fixed a problem with my brakes earlier by resetting the error code on it and the ABS brakes work good now. Before, the brake light came on and the ABS system didn't do anything. now it works good. \anything else to look out for soon? Replace hoses? lines? anything like that that would wear from just sitting pretty much?

 

Looks awesome!

Check fluids, check anything rubber (radiator hoses, heater hoses, vacuum lines, serpentine belt), check the thermostat, check the plugs/wires/cap/rotor (and only go Delco on those)...just basic maintenance stuff.

 

How hard is it to replace the hoses? And how much cost wise? I've considered doing that because my step-dad swears that it gives a high pitched whine and apparently only he can hear it. He thinks one of the lines is leaking a little? And the oil temp gauge isnt working. not sure why. And since my step-dad is useless as far as getting things done(he keeps saying he'll help me fix it...6 months later...), is there anything I can go ahead and root around for that may cause that problem? And why only Delco?

 

The ABS brake failures I mentioned can happen anytime, regardles of the milage on the vehicle but they are nearly certain tooccur within150,000 miles, especially the ABS pump relay failure. Rust orpartcles from worn seals in the EHCU will cause the PWM valve (dump valve) to stick open and that is a unpredictable failure. When the dump valve does not seal, and fluid by-passes into theaccumulator when the brakes are applied,your brake pedal will be soft and sometimes go to the floor.Rapid foot pumping action cantemporarily restore braking.

However, your vehicle will still have partial brakes if the ABS pump relay fails and theABS pump runs continously when the ignition is turned on andfails. After aABSpump failure,the drivers of pre-1995 S-10Blazers and full-size pickups with 4WDhavehad no rear drumbrakes for years and theydo notrealize it. Obvious symptoms can be seen if therear brake shoes never wear out and never needed replacingbecause they are not being applied. However, thefront disc brake pads and rotors will wearout much more often than normal, especially in city stop and go driving because they are doing 99%of the braking.

Those failureswill not set a error code on 1990 - 1994 OBD1ALDLbecause of the limited diagonstics of thatdata link.The ABS light will not illuminate either when the ABS pump motor has failed and willnot illuminate when the pedal goes to the floor because of a by-passing dump valve in the EHCU. That is becausethe combination valve controls the ABS light and will only illuminate the light when the foundation brakes has a fluid by-pass failure.

Your1992 S-series Blazer has OBD1 ALDL system. Apartial OBD2 ALDL system did not appear until 1995 and it was not fully OBD2 compliant until 1996 when it was mandated by the government.

There were thousands of recalls due to brake failures on the 1990 - 1995S-10 Blazers with 4WD but they were not related to the failures I mentioned because by the time those failures occured, the vehicle was out of warranty.

Another problem with the S-series vehicles isthe delicate Gov-Loc differential. It is a weak unit and will not tolerate any abuse. It will grenade if a sudden differentialin tire spin is encountered below 20 MPH. Over 20 MPH, it works as a regular opendifferential. If you are aware of the Gov-Loc differentialslimitations and don't abuse it by spinning one wheel in gravel and suddenly hit dry pavement, the Gov-Locwill last a long time. Change the lube in the differentialevery 20,000 miles when you change the transmission fluid and filter. Use regular GL5 differential lubewith no limited slip additives. Those additives are notnecessary because the Gov-Locis not a limited slip differential and does not require friction modifiers. Before I blow my Gov-Loc to pieces and possibly ruin the housing, I plan on replacinmg it with a Richmond Power Trax No-slip gear-style locking differential. Those are especially made to replacethe Gov-Loc.

That is all the major problems that I have had so far.Except that No. 3 spark plug is nearly impossible to change. I installedACDelco #1 Rapid-Firespark plugs so Iwill not have to change plugs again unless they oil foul due to the 30,000 mile valve seals.

 

damn, you know your stuff. I see you're into restoration. Could you tell me how much it might cost to fix a little bit of rust on my front driverside fender? It's over the wheel directly and is about an inch wide for about 7 to 8 inches long and there's a small patch of rust right behind the wheel also on the same panel. i've been trying to get quotes on how much that would cost to repair or if its easier to just replace the panel and have that painted to match. Thanks a lot!

 

I am getting too old to do much work myself anymore. I can't even lift a cylinder head. . However, Ican give myopinions that I have developed after restoring and racing cars since 1962, starting with a 1955 StudebakerCommander V8 coupe. I never could beat my brother's '55 Chevy 265 CI, 2-door business, manual transmission,and a 4-barrel carb from a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. In 1961, I bought astock '57 Ford 2-door sedan with a 312 CI Police Interceptor engine anda 3-speed overdrive transmission.That car surprised everyone andwas never beat as long as I owned it. I kept going up in engine size from there and finally ended up with a pair 455 CI 1962 and 1963 Pontiacs. I have a 1963 Pontiac Master Parts Catalog and that really helped finding the right stuff dating back to some 1935 parts.

By all means replace the fender entirely and repaint it to match. The material cost would be more but it would be faster, better and would offset the labor cost of cutting out and patching the rust areas. I believe new aftermarket fenders for S-series Chevroletscan still be purchased. I have seen them on E-bay. If you are lucky, you may find a good fenderin a salvage yard but always use OEMparts when you can.

It took two parts carsand hundreds oftrips to varioussalvage yards to do frame-off restorations of my '62 and '63 Pontiac Catalinas.I had a close friend who operated a1940-1970 Pontiac-Buick-OldsmobileOEM discontinuedparts businessand he helped a lot, but not with pricing! He had no friends when it came to money. I have been a member of Pontiac-Oakland Club International since1978 and that has been invaluable in finding new Pontiac parts and getting good advice.I don't know if a club for S-series Blazers exists becausethey are not as old as my cars. These S-series Chevroletsare probably as new to me as they are to you. S and T-series Chevroletsare delicate vehicles and require a lot of TLC.

I have collected about $600worth of new engine parts for a complete rebuild of my 4.3L V6 and it appears like I am just getting started. Get the OEM partswhile you can because some of them arebeing discontinued daily. Afterparts have been discontinuedis when the fun of restoration really starts!

 

damn, that whole entire first paragraph, whoosh!, right over my head. lol. Sounds like your a good source at any rate for info. Why is it called s-series btw? I see that all over and I dont get it. And about the fender, i asked that because my school has an autobody shop that may be able to do it on the cheap for me. They may even be able to get me the part, i dont know. I still have to talk to them. Do you have any information about the non-functional oil-temp gauge? I have the Hayne's repair manual too, which helped me get the brakes sorted out, so i'll consult that as well, but i still like to get people's opinions. thanks for all the help!

 

Starting in 1982, the LUV (LightUtility Vehicle) truck was replaced by the S-series trucks . The were called S-series because they were first made in the Shreveport Louisiana assembly plant.

If you can get a old buddy or a brother-in-law deal on repairs, that will always help defer the cost of replacing the fender.You shouldstill replace the rusty fender ratherthanhave someone cut and patch a rusty panel, no matter who it is that does the work.

An inaccurateoil pressure guage can be traced to a bad sending unit located somewhere on the engine.I have never seen an oil temperatureguage in a GM passenger vehicle.

I have never seen a Haynes manual so I cannot comment on how accuarte or how complete they are. A 1992 Chevrolet Trucks S-10 Model Service Manual would bevery helpful to you. Even a 1991 Service manual would be helpful and there is one on e-bay right now for $50. A 1991 Chevrolet Truck S-10 Service Manual was the first thing I bought after my daughter gave me herS-10 Blazer SUV.I have found a few errors in the Chevrolet and Pontiac Sevice Manuals that I have, so be aware of that.