I can't press down on my gas pedal much past half way or else she'll start to bog out. I have a few theories on whats going so lets get to 'em. Brace yourselves lads.

1. I know there are holes in the gas tank somewhere. I can't fill her up much past 17 or 18 gallons without getting gas everywhere. So what I'm thinking is with it being winter snow and other crap is getting kicked up there between the tank and cab and its slowly leaking in there. Although I never had this issue in summer even when it rained like crazy. I have put HEET in with the gas in a fairly concentrated amount and that seems to help but only making the truck barely drivable.

2. Bad fuel filter. I tried replacing it when I first got the truck but due to the lines and filter being rusted so badly I ended up bending the lines a bit. I was able straighten them up a bit with a smaller sized vice grip but they are still bent up somewhat. I think the gas maybe freezing in the band. Again HEET has been added and that helped a great bit (over what it is without it).

3. Oil is leaking somewhere and I have pump the gas pedal like crazy to get it to start. I'm thinking oil is leaking into the cylinders and pooling up when the engine when it isn't running and then I have to overcome the oil to get it started. I only smell oil a bit when I start it but not so much while its running.

4 I've been having occasional issues getting the engine to warm up. There is rad fluid and I've bled the lines so to speak (left the cap off the rad and let the bubbles out). I also put cardboard in by the rad diesel style. Both of these seem to have helped it but in the morning when its still very cold I just can't seem to get her to warm up even if I leave it run for 15 or 20 minutes before going anywhere. And I'd hate to leave it idle any longer due to it chugging gas (or so it seems...my gas gauge might just really be on the fritz now)

Seeing as I am getting a Suburban (well my dad is...then we're gonna start looking for a new truck for me) in about a month I'm not to anxious to pour even more money into the Blazer but for that month it still has to run and get me and my dad to work.

Thanks for any help guys. As much as I am sick of working on this truck I need her to pull through for about the next month and keep me and my dad employed.

 

Find and fix your fuel leak, leaking fuel all over the road ways is not cool. yea, it's only a few drops but what if everybody did it for the last 50 years... Disaster.


Doh... Repair the damaged lines and replace the filter...



Do you see smoke when you start it up? Is there oil leaking on the outside of the engine? Does it just magically disappear?


Have you checked your thermostat?

With the repairs you need to do you could buy a cheap Asian 4banger for the same money just to get to and from work.

 

As for the lines...I don't really have the time or money to replace them altogether...not to mention nowhere seems to sell them. And for buying a new vehicle...I'm already doing that so...

Was really just hoping for some band aid fixes just to last for the next month.

 

Does your truck have throttle body injection (TBI)? The symptoms you describe sound like a TBI running rich due to a bad coolant temperature sensor. I would check the CTS. Once you get the truck up to operating temperature you can check the resistance of the sensor with a digital voltmeter. You can look up the values for resistance at various temperatures and compare.

 

Yeah its TBI. Is a coolant temperature sensor the same as the thermostat? If so I'll just go get a new one on thursday when I'm paid seeing as their pretty cheap if I remember right

 

No, the coolant temp sensor is not the same as a thermostat. Completely different part.

As for replacing the fuel lines, you wont be able to find all of the lines pre-bent. You can buy the rear line (tank --> filter) at LMC, but it is easier to just buy 3/8" line (for the fuel feed) and bend it yourself. You can rent a bender from autozone, and 3/8" line is cheap. You will also need the Dorman fuel line repair kit that is sold for our trucks for each fitting you need to replace (I.E. if your filter is rusted to the line, you will need two fuel line repair kits to get the O-ring and flared ends. Otherwise, a few compression fittings and some 3/8" line will get that fuel line fixed.

 

Also, you'll want to replace the fuel lines either way. It's not worth the risk of blowing a line on the highway, and leaking fuel all over your hot car. If the lines are rusted, and you bent them, they are just a failure waiting to happen.

 

One other thing I forgot to mention was that I have to pump the gas pedal for a good 15 to 30 seconds while cranking the engine to get it to start

 

That could point to a fuel pump problem. Check the fuel pressure and see what it is. I don't know the TBI specs off the top of my head but I do know they've been posted somewhere on the Forum at least a couple times. Look them up and see how your rig compares.

 

How do I go about doing this?