Hello all,

I have a '99 4.3L 4WD that wouldn't start yesterday. Battery was good and the starter was working fine. Could hear the fuel pump working and starter fluid didn't get it to kick at all. After unhooking the battery for 10 minutes or so, I was able to start it with some hesitation (probably flooded after trying several times before to start it) and now it starts perfectly every time. While the problem may have gone away for the time being, I doubt the underlying problem itself is gone. I think it may be worth noting that it was raining all day yesterday (I didn't attempt to go somewhere until yesterday night), so I am wondering if perhaps moisture getting inside the distributor could be an issue, or perhaps the coil. Murphy's law kicked in on this one, as this occurred literally the day after I went back to college (whereas I have a shop back home, plenty of tools, diagnostic equipment, and friends who own GMs and are mechanically inclined) and just cleaned out my bank account to purchase textbooks. Anyway, I figured while I'm waiting for my next paycheck to show up, I'd see if anyone here has any ideas or similar experiences (this thread sounds eerily similar: https://blazerforum.com/forum/showth...=won%27t+start). Thanks in advance!

 

Check the distibutor cap for cracks and make sure it is down tight, Also if your's has the vent on the bottom plate of the distributor, make sure it is clear of any debris. Double check all plug wire connections and, after dark, lightly mist them with water to see if there is any arcing from bad wires.

 

Just picked up a set of torx bits tonight and took the cap off - no cracks, however, the seal around the bottom of the cap had a good size hole in it. Hopefully a new cap will solve the issue. Thanks for the response, rriddle3.

 

Well, the issue has come back...it's been raining the past few days up here, and the Blazer will not start; disconnecting the battery for a while had no effect this time. I am going to go punch out the screens at the bottom of the distributor tomorrow as well as install a new crankshaft position sensor (my father spoke with some of his GM friends and they've cited numerous instances of the same sort of no-start conditions in which a new sensor solved the problem). I'll post my results after I get the new sensor in it.

 

I went out this morning and tried starting it; ground beneath the truck was still very damp. It wouldn't start even after unhooking the battery (a method which had worked previously). So after several tries, I went ahead and changed the crank sensor, and on the first try, it started right up. I started it several times after that just to be sure. It's supposed to rain pretty good later on today, so I'll report back as to what I find.

 

So far, so good...in spite of additional precipitation and the truck being parked over large puddles of water and whatnot, it's not having any issues starting up anymore.