Hey everyone,

This is my first post if you don't count the one in new member section. Check it out if you want to know more about my truck and what I am going to do fix on her in the coming months.
https://blazerforum.com/m_192176/mpa.../tm.htm#192176

My next project is a tune up. I have a 1995 Blazer LT 4.3 Liter. Does anyone have any recommendations for brands of wires, rotor, and cap? The AC Delco wires were twice as much as the Bosch wires, are they worth it? By the way, my distributor is the horizontal orientation.

I have read that it is best to stick with the regular AC Delco copper plugs with the 95, and go with the platinums for 96 and newer. I bought the regular AC Delco plugs yesterday. Considering that I have heard the #3 plug is so much fun, I want to put iridium or platinums in there so I don't have to ever do it again, but I will take everyone's word on it. I am curious though, does it make it run erracticly with the plats or iridium or is it just overkill?

Thanks in advance

 

I say go with AC/Delco double platinum plugs, distributor cap, and rotor. You won't go wrong with AC/Delco wires, but any high grade wires should be fine. Change your fuel and air filter if you have not already done so. Give it an oil change and coolant flush if due. Might as well clean the EGR valve while you're at it. Is that enough?

 

I would agree on the platinum plugs. The ignition system in the later CPI motors is plenty hot enough to work well with platinum plugs. If you do go iridium, make sure to get iridium plugs with the platinum tipped ground electrode like the NGK Laser Iridium plug. If you get ones with the regular nickle plated steel ground, they will wear out just as fast as any other common plug. The main benefit of an Iridium plug is that it has a more consistent spark due to the fine center electrode. Platinum plugs work well also.

 

I looked and looked to find some double platinum plugs or the laser iridium NGK like you said and they are tough to find. The problem is that for the 96 and newer the gap is .060 and the gap for mine is .045. It seemed like they all stated DO NOT GAP.

Long story short, I picked some NGK iridium IX and I am going to return the standard AC Delco plugs that I got the other day. They don't have the platinum grounds, but neither did the AC Delco.

I am going to put a can of seafoam in the throttle body, clean the EGR valve and the MAF sensor if it is on my 95. Then the new plugs, wires, cap/rotor, and fuel filter will go on. Nice prices at Rockauto.com for the AC Delco parts if anyone wants to check it out.

Off to celebrate the New Year!

 

I put a can of seafoam into the throttle body per directions of swartlkk in a previous post on seafoam. No surprise here I am sure, but swartlkk showed up in pretty much every post that I read about seafoam and any other helpful hints. Keep up the good work, and thanks.

Well, I did get a huge cloud of smoke, and I can only imagine it is better out than in. It did throw a "Service Engine Soon" light, but there was an error in reading it so I don't know what it was. I was also smoking out of every gasket on the exhaust all the way from the header to the tailpipe. Any ideas on that? Maybe I drove it like I stole it a little too much.

I also cleaned out the EGR valve, that was gunked up pretty good. She was running pretty well before all of this, and I only had her for a couple weeks, so I don't know how much of a difference I will feel.

Could not find the MAF sensor to clean it, and I read that there is not one on the 1995 Blazer.

Plugs will go in when the wires, cap, and rotor come in the mail.

 

Tune up is nearly complete. I replaced the plugs with ngk iridium plugs, I put on AC Delco wires, cap and rotor, oil change, and air filter. It took a while for the wires to come in the mail. I actually had to redo 1, 3, and 5 because I forgot to put anti-seize on the plugs.

The #3 plug was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I took swartlkk's advice and used a wobble extension with the flat part of the steering facing up and the boot slid towards the firewall. When I first pulled #3, the flat part was not facing perfectly straight up and I think that gave it a tiny bit better clearance. Instead have the flat part slightly and I mean ever so slightly towards the driver's side. The second time I took it out to put the anti-seize crap on it, I had it facing perfectly straight up. It definitely fit better the first time.

The distributor cap was a bit of a pain because I didn't have a stubby screwdriver to fit in the space. I wound up taking an old one and cutting off about two inches of the handle with a hacksaw.

The fuel filter wasn't too bad thanks to lennyblazer's how to article in the diy section. I thought about using the gas from it in my snowblower, but it came out looking like tea. Now I need to go dispose of it properly.

The only thing I need to do now is the PCV. The plastic piece that attaches directly to it did not want to come off. I am going to check at the parts store to see if I can get some to replace them.

All in all the truck is running smooth and hopefully more efficient. I don't know what type of mpg is was getting before all of this because I just got it from my Dad. I do know that I got between 13 and 14 mpg in traffic and 4wd on the first tank. (I live in MN and it snowed a few times)

I do have a problem with the 4 wheel drive not engaging. I have been reading for hours to try and fix it. If I don't figure it out soon, I will do a separate post. When I changed the fuel filter this past weekend, it was easier to undo the positive terminal on the battery. I think this messed up the 4wd somehow. It snowed today and when I pushed the 4hi button it didn't turn on or click or anything. When I got home I unplugged the positive terminal again for 15 minutes and now 4hi will click and blink but go back to 2hi. The 20 amp fuse was not blown.

I will do some more reading and see if I can figure this out.

edit 15 minutes later: I turned the ignition from on to off 5 times and it reset the code in TCCM. 4WD works fine now.

 

Yah distributor cap and rotor are a pain since they are way back there, I used a socket with the bit I needed in it and a ratchet. When you say plastic piece on the pcv do you mean the hose or the grommet thing that stick into the valve cover.

 

I should have used a 3 inch extension and a socket wrench, but I had an old screwdriver anyway.

As far as the PCV, I am talking about the two plastic pieces that are between the PCV and the vacumn hose. One attaches to the top of the PCV, and the other is a rubber elbow joint. I am pretty sure I can get those anywhere.