Update: So at this point I have:

Replaced: Cap, Rotor, Wires, Oil, Oil Filter, Fuel Filter, Fuel Pressure Regulator, seals, (Rebuilt) Injectors.

I started it up with the fuel pressure gauge hooked up (is that a bad thing to do?) and I was getting high Pressure on key engine off, about 80 psi, then draining down to nothing. Tried it again with same result. Cranked engine and psi went up to 100 then hovered about 85 psi.

Took everything off to expose the spider, assuming I still had a leaky injector and or the FPR I got from autozone was bad. Rehooked up fuel lines, pressurized the system key on engine off, no leaks. nothing. plugged in pressure tester and the pressure was hovering at about 50 psi, but not holding for 10 minutes. Not quite what we want. one thing we realized is fuel lines went into meter body really easy this time. Because of that, we are going to replace those seals again incase that is where we are having a pressure problem. We also pulled all the popits out of holes while system was pressurized and none were leaking from the ends. I am not sure how to tell if they are clogged. If they were clogged would that make pressure go up or down?




The full story is below. I appreciate all the comments so far, and not giving up, but certainly thinking about it. I've got 3 other cars I should be working on, but this one is SOOOOOO close!@!!@! I can feel it!





Hi, I just got hosed on a car trade. Well maybe not. I got a beater honda and a 98 Blazer in exchange for a beat-up old uhaul. The blazer seemed to run good, little chokey on the idle, smelled a little rich, but drives great. I took it for IM and they said computer wasn't ready, drive it a bit. I did, check engine light came on, and I took it to autozone. They said they got the codes p1133 and p1153 insufficient switching blahblahblah. Like a dumbass I spent $100 on o2 sensors. Guess what, didn't change a thing. Oh I forgot to mention I did an engine flush and a radiator flush. Put seafoam through it, ran a tank through and then changed the fuel filter. None of this worked.

I then took it to a dealer and paid them to diagnose it. they told me that the o2 sensors were going off because of a rich problem....duh I have a nose. They then were able to tell me that cylinders 5 and 6 were showing a misfire. They told me I needed a new injector spider, fuel pressure regulator, as my fuel pressure was 80 psi and should only be 50, oh and my fuel pump sending unit (my gas empty light comes on after a fill up after about 40 miles). I said forget that, and drove it home. I got a different spider from a junk yard that looked pretty good, and I rebuilt it. installed it. Put all new gaskets on spider, throttle body, air intake plenum. All the fun stuff. Damn thing goes off with o2 sensors again. p1133 and p1153. Damn. So the rotor looked pretty bad and a spark plug tester I had was showing issues with a few plugs so I did a full tune up. I used AD rapid fires, cheap wires (I know, I know, but I'm on a budget and really need a registered car for my family) and a new cap and rotor. Damn was that rotor toast. Same problem. Now I'm screwed. My temporary tags are expired. I've sunk a few hundred dollars into this thing, and am still about the same place. does anyone know what else I could be screwing up. I am thinking about taking the whole damn thing off again and putting in a new fuel pressure regulator. I was told the one from the junk yard was good, but I am now second guessing them, and wishing I had gone to a pull your own parts (HEHE) place. I'm about at my whits end. I have been told well maybe it is the IAC. Well maybe it is the ERG. Well maybe you left a vacuum leak. It's about time to go get a frickin horse.

My plan today: Get a new ERG gasket and clean / reinstall ERG Valve. Seems easy and cheap enough based on everything I have tried. I was also told by the manager at Autozone ( the ******* who was trying to sell me an ERG Valve and IAC for a couple hundred bucks) that a common cause for this is a ground problem with the o2 sensors. If this were the case, how would I check this? I am also going to check for vacuum leaks. Are there any ways that are better than others for this? I have heard spray carb cleaner on it while it’s idling and if it revs it has a leak. I have heard the same thing with an unlit propane blow torch, and I have also heard about a soapy water trick. I don’t know that one, and all of them make me nervous.

If none of these tests show anything or help, I think the fuel pressure regulator must have been a bad one. It looked great compared to the one I took out of the engine, but that’s what I get for being cheap.

I bought a multimeter but am embarrassed that I don't know how to use it and the instructions might as well be in french. Any advice or help would be appreciated.

 

Oh, another comment, I think I should do another oil change, as the oil is black as night. I did the engine flush, I forget which one, then put a new oil filter and oil in, this was 2 weeks ago and maybe 600 miles ago. I am also getting close to 10 mpg which is killing me. Like I said, anybody got a match?

 

Take a breath, have a beer, clean up egr & iac and come back with what happens. Oh yes, need year, if 95 what kind of injection.

 

Good Advice. Been there. Done that. Thought I was done last night. it is a 1998. I guess it is a faulty assumption that the EGR or IAC would throw their own code?

 

Whats your temp gage running at? Also, pretty sure after 95 they put a mass air flow sensor on, when it warms up see how it runs with it unplugged. The next thing is to get a fuel pressure tester. You will need it to own this truck.

 

Temp has been running normal, well i think normal for this truck. It reads about 1/4 to 1/2 up the register. The painting of the driveway with black exhaust crap has returned, but is more on cold start. am going to buy pressure gauge on way home from work. I was also wondering if it is dangerous to take off intake plenum connect fuel lines back up, fire the sucker up and see if it leaks. Not sure if that will blow my sorry excuse for a backyard mechanic's butt up, but it might be cool to see. I am sure it has a MAS but don't know if it would throw its own code. My wife is cleaning it and the ERG valve right now. Or the house! Either way she is the frickin BOMB! She knows more about this stuff than me. My dad took us to mechanics, her mom took her to junk yards. who would have thought.

 

Sounds like you got a great Family. Let's not worry about codes now, it's all about running right. See how it run's after all that stuff is clean.

 

PSI Going CRAZY flickering between 85 and 95. Also found that the charcoal canister has a bad kink in large hose going to it, very brittle going to change it, fuel line into cartridge is leaking. Think I will look into a gasket set for this ands clean it out, (I don't watch Metalocalypse), but I can't afford a new one unless I head out to the junk yard. I am also wondering about the gasket for the evap purge solenoid, and whoever had it before me cracked the ring for the bolt on the solenoid (which is into the intake plenum) so I am wondering if this is messing shtuff up.

Would a bad charcoal cartridge cause pressure rise? I am going to get new pressure regulator and just assume the one that I got from the junk yard that they said tested good is not and bite that redo bullet. Damn.

Any suggestions, comments, jokes about my stupidity, etc, can be directed my way. Please. I'm gonna go have that beer.

 

You have a rich condition and it is caused by the fuel pressure being too high.
It's too high because of the regulator. UNLESS the fuel return line to the pump is kinked or crimped.
The vent system is totally separate from fuel supply and return.

NEVER listen to a diaginosis by anyone at autozone. "caused by a bad O2 ground" !!!!! Freaking ridiculous. SOME of them know how to install parts.

Neither the IAC or EGR can cause "too rich"
- IAC ONLY controls idle speed. Sticky IAC cause stalling or high idle. That's it.

Dirty egr causes stumble and uneven power.

 

Thank you for confirming what I had assumed. This was the frickin manager trying to sell me $200 worth of parts that had no chance of fixing the problem. I am a little worried about the purge solenoid, but will leave that for tomorrow and am heading out for a new pressure regulator this moment.