ok, so i have a 98 zr2 4.3L recently i have developed a few issues. I've taken the blazer to several shops but have not been able to get them fixed.

1st: misfire cylinder 2, i don't really notice it when i am moving but at a stand-still the truck shakes pretty hard. mechanics checked all the usual suspects wire/plug/ cylinder pressure,,,,,, cant find anything wrong



2nd: the truck thinks the E-brake is engaged,,, or perhaps it really is. when i start it, the headlights don't come on until i cycle high/low 1 time, it didn't use to do this unless i had the e-brake on now its permanent. the e-brake pedal is as far up as it can go. i have inspected the ebrake line and it appears to be free of entanglement, and the truck rolls normally when i put it in neutral.



3rd: i have aftermarket HID lights on the low beams, made by xenoworx, the lights were great, and i could not imagine life without them. they were professionally installed, and worked fine accept for 1 small quirk. only the driver side light would come on unless you cycled the high/low beam switch 1 time then both would work normally until the truck was turned off. Then the passenger light failed to work. so i ordered a replacement and installed it and then they both came on at the same time when i turned the lights on,,,, however this only lasted for about 2 days. then the passenger light stopped working again,,, about a week later before i could get anything more done on it it started working again as it should. then stopped. since then every now and then the passenger light comes on,, so everything "can" work. but 95% of the time it doesnt. i have ordered a new ballast hoping that solves the issue. but i have a feeling it will do the same. all connections are clean and snug.


any ideas would be greatly appreciated

Drew

 

In regard to problem #1 you need to figure out if it is a spark or fuel problem, it could be a fuel injector or distributor cap issue

 

For the HID's I had the same issue IE only 1 would turn on unless I flashed the high beams.
Simple solution for sure & doesn't cost anything but that's not the point - They're new & should work properly!
I got new digital ballasts & they've been fine ever since.

E brake 'may' still be hanging low. Pull the release (just to make sure) & lift the e brake peddle to see if the light goes off.

The misfire may be because of an O2 sensor... have you or the mechanics checked for codes? You can still have codes present but they won't show up until they happen for "so many running cycles".
Could also be a bent distributor shaft... mine had one & I've heard it isn't uncommon for a 4.3.

I know you have a bunch of issues & wrapping them pu in 1 post is easier, but I bet if you SEARCH for the individual issues you'll probably come across more in depth answers.

Welcome to the forum & enjoy!

 

#1 yes the codes were pulled and the only code was misfire cylinder 2 (x number of times ) ( x being a really big number ) as for identifying if its a fuel or electric issue,,, im at a loss. im not an idiot but i dont work on engines enough to be proficient. i normally take my vehicles to a shop for all issues. the only reason im attempting this is i took the blazer to 3 diff shops for the misfire issue with no resolution. and i thought perhaps it was a quirk specific to this model and i might find someone who could say,, aha its "this"

#2 the ebrake light is not on, the only indication that it might be is that the headlights dont come on automatically, until i cycle the high/low. the only time i had to that before was when the ebrake was engaged. but its in the full release position and the truck will roll freely.

#3 i just installed 2 new ballast and so far working fine

 

#1 you need a spark tester, pull the wire off number 2 plug install spark tester hook up to ground start the car and check for spark. if you have good spark than its a fuel issue. if you dont have spark do a tune up, plugs wires cap and rotor. than you need to do a fuel pressure leak down check.

 

For the misfire, if you do the spark test and you do in fact have spark then you could have a dead injector, youll need to pull the big plug on top rear of intake and test the terminals(pins down inside the intake end) for resistance(Ohms) you will have to look up the pinout somehow to know what injector is what, i cant right now but maybe later, crawl up in there and look down and see if all of the pins are straight up, they can get bent when being plugged in sometimes, if the injector resistance test good you may have a stuck or clogged poppet valve (its part of the injector) google it or search around if you arent sure what that is, basically the injectors are in a central location and they have hoses connected to them that run to the intake ports, the poppet valve is at the end of the hose clipped into the intake port, it just has a check ball in it that the fuel pressure has to overcome to spray fuel, the check ball gets stuck sometimes. I would dump a can of seafoam in the gas tank when youre at about 1/4 tank. Also another crazy thing to try if you do suspect a stuck poppet valve is mash the gas a lot while youre driving, it will force the injector to send the max amount of fuel and this may un stick that checkball. let us know what you find. also if that cylinder is dead because of lack of fuel the spark plug will usually be oily, hope this helps!

 

No such thing as "unsolvable issues". First need to determine if the problem is fuel, spark or mechanical. As mentioned, a spark tester will tell in a heartbeat if it's getting spark. An injector balance test will tell if the injector is spraying the correct amount of fuel. The test is done with a scan tool that can initiate the test. Even a quick look at the plug will tell if it's getting fuel or not. Watching oxygen sensor voltage and fuel trims will tell if it's a lean or rich condition. A compression test, at least on #2 cylinder should also be done.