Lets start with the car. It has about 120K on it and has been running great. It is my wife's car, so I cannot say I drive all that often, but other than general stuff she has been very happy with it. Now the problem:

She got in it yesterday morning to go to work and the Service Engine soon light came on and it was running really rough. Not bad enough to die, but it was definately struggling. She took my truck to work and I did some checks. I work graveyards, so I was tired and did not do much. I did notice it was a quart or so low on oil, so I topped it off. I looked at the manual and it mentioned that if the light stays on and does not blink it may be bad gas or something got wet. She had just got gas the day before at Costco. We go there all the time and have not had a problem, so I am not convinced that it is. I took it around the block and as I sped up the light began to blink, with according to the manual indicates a more serious problem. So, I am going to take it to a mechanic to see what he says, but are there any small things I can try or look for that may save me a bill to fix it.

The car has been a champ and other than a bad tranny when we first bought it, it has been no trouble at all.

Any help would be appreciated.

thanks.

 

No amount of speculation is of value until you get the SES engine codes read.

 

OK, thanks. Funny thing is, I started it this morning when I got home and took it around the block a few times and it seems to be running fine now. The light is still on, but did not blink when I got some speed going like it did before.

I am going to take it in and have the code read and reset the light if all is good. Maybe some bad gas or a bit of water in the tank. Or the cap was not on tight enough, although I checked it and made sure it clicked 3 or 4 times.

I will update as I find out more, but I was pretty happy that it seems to have fixed itself. At least for now.

Thanks again

 

Well, just got the word from the mechanic. Cross fire or something like that. He said I need new plugs, wires, rotor, cap, fuel filter and air filter. In other words, a tuneup. Don't remember the last time I did it, and I know I don't have the know how to do it, so I am 600.00 poorer, but at least I know it is done and my wife and kids will be safe when she drives the car. Man, I hate not being able to work on this car. According to him, it is a 3+ hour job and I am sure I don't have all the tools needed.

Oh well, at 120K, I guess I cannot expect not to have to put some money into it once in a while.

 

Well even tho thats a bit steep if it fixs the problems great! If it does not think I might pitch a small fit and nicely demand a print out of the codes and get back to us before you have him do anything eles. You can get them pulled for free at parts stores. East Coast guy, don't know which you have out there. Is it true that "Sonoma makes wine and Napa makes auto parts". Oh yea, before you get to many days out from when you wrote the check google OBDII GM drive cycle and preform it. Its easy and takes like fifteen min. particularly if you have a freind or one of your kids read it to you from the passenger seat when you do it. That way if she codes again you can get right back to the guy that fixed it.

 

yeah it is a timely job but really not all that hard.....the hardest art of the tuneup would definately be the spark plugs considering they are halfway down the engine with no room to work, also the cap and rotor may be difficult but all in all it is straightforward stuff.....grab a shop repair manual for ur blazer and check it out...it will save you money!

 

dude the tuneup is a peice of cake ... plugs are easy as well. i used a long stem on the puller and went through the wheel well with an angle adapter before the plug socket... easyyyyy... trust urself to save the chedda and DIY...

 

Thanks to all who replied. I have used this mechanic in the past and have been pleased with his work and his honesty. He is a local Hot Rod guy and it is a mom and pop shop that has been in the same place for like 50 years. I am sure it is an easy job if you know how to do it and have the tools at your disposal. I have mostly just the basic stuff and would probably need to go out and find other tools that I would need. It would take me a whole weekend worth of time to get it done, and we just cannot afford to have the car down that long. I did the fuel filter in my wife's 89 Camaro, and it was a pain in the ***. Also, to buy the parts I am sure is going to cost about 3/4 of the bill, so I am at a point in my life where I don't mind paying somebody if it is something out of my comfort zone. I will try and get the codes and post them just for the heck of it, but the job should be done by now and we will be back to having two working cars.

Thanks again guys, and have a great day.

 

If you went thru the wheel well, you had to pull the inner fender then, correct? Also, I think there is a cover over the plugs so I would need to figure that out as well. See where I am going with this one? Out of my confort level. I am not sure what you mean by a puller, but if it is a tool other than a socket I don't have one, so more expense to go buy it. And I am not sure what you mean by an angle adaptor either, but if it is a piece for the socket wrench that allows the socket to move at different angles (I call it a Universal), I have that.

I have worked on older cars all my life, and built a 65 Ford when I was in high school, so cars don't scare me that much. But, with the safety of my wife and kids in the car, I want to make sure it is done right.

Anyway, the car should be done, and it only took a day. My wife will have her car back, and I will just need to get a bit of overtime at work to pay for it. So, as much as I would have liked to try it, I think it was better left to the pro's.

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.

 

Thanks for the reply. I was also a bit leary of the fuel filter. I did it on my wife's 89 Camaro and it was a pain in the ***.

I have worked on cars all my life, but older and easier cars. A 1965 Ford, a 1965 Mustang, and a 1956 Chevy Belaire. All are easy to deal with and you could damn near live in the engine compartment you have so much room. I was not even sure where the cap and rotor were, I cannot see them in the engine compartment around all the other crap in there. LOL.

Just not a job that I was ready to tangle with, but thanks for the reply. I appreciate all of the info.

Take care.