Well i just bought a blazer. A 1997 Blazer LS 4wd with 190k on the clock. No history on the car, but the only wrong with it on the test drive was it needed an alignment, no big deal, he knocked $100 off the price and $1400 and a little pen to paper and we were driving home.
Then we hit the interstate, at about 65 the passenger front tire started shaking horribly, so it needs to be balanced i assume. and Just as i assure myself that the tire is an easy fix, that dreaded amber light comes on "service engine soon".
Thankfully we get off the highway and the shaking stops. There are about twelve auto parts shops in the town i live in so we stopped at one and had them check the code... which was (is) P0303, cylinder 3 misfire. Family mechanic says it probably needs a tune up. I think that it probably needs a tune up but personally i think that the ignition cable is loose and the shaking broke the connection long enough to cause it to misfire. (i know this is a common problem)
Now i have got a problem that's making me truly nervous. The oil, fuel, and temperature gauge are stuck at where i assume they were when i shut the car off last. Now the fuel i know on some cars stays in place when its shut off s im assuming that its no big deal, but oil and temp? im not too sure, if youve got experience with that, please do share, and thanks for reading this ridiculously long thread. Ill add picture to show what im talking about. (update i turned the key one position passed accessory and the temp gauge went down, the oil climbed back up to 20 when i removed the key and fuel went back to wear it should be, where it is in the picture, but now the "check gages" light is on as well)

 

I don't know if the 1997 is that same as my 2000, but the guages should all drop down to 0 when the key is off. However, sometimes my oil pressure hangs out where it was when I turn the key off.

 

I assume returning to the dealer to fix the problems is not an option?

The tire shaking could be a bad ball joint, steering joints, bent wheel, shifted tire belts, or hopefully just really out of balance. At 190k if the ball joints and steering joints have not been replaced....they will need to be.

The misfire will likely be cured by a tune-up: plugs, wires, rotor, cap. Here again if original, or worse cheap parts....need to be replaced. Also the distributor itself will likely need replaced. These are cheap, get the one for White on ebay. Better than the OEM one; all aluminun housing.

All of these items can be done by the home mechanic as parts are going to be around $500 for everything. If you have a shop do all of this....going to be probably twice that.

Also the '97 year has a known problem with the ignition switch, not the ignition lock, the switch. Not a real expensive part, but a bit of a back breaker to replace.

Good luck and be sure to ask questions here....that is what this forum is all about.

 

i would also check the BIG 3 and just replace them anyway sound like your getting feedback to your gauges

 

Oh yes I definetly will that's why I came here, yeah I have no paperwork or anything except title of course so I doubt they could do a thing at the dealer. I'm gonna pull the cylinder 3 plug once I get someone around with a universal extension so i can get to it. But I really don't have $500 after just having just bought her. I plan on doing a full restoration on her soon so well replace what needs to be then. Thanks a lot.

 

Today I just notice mine starting to do this too. Put a brand new battery in it last night & noticed this happening today. Could have been doing it previously, but not for long or I would have noticed it sooner.
When I turn the key off they drop like they normally do but after 15 seconds, the fuel & temp gauge come on again go back to the middle. I even turned the key on & off several times & removed the key as well & they still do it after the 15 second mark.
I would appreciate any help as well concerning this issue.

 

Do they return to normal when you start it up?, If so, I wouldnt worry about it.

 

Yes, they do function normally when the vehicle is running. I guess I'll just keep an eye on them to see if they start acting weird. I guess if there's a short & it burns up, at least I have it insured. LOL
Hope not though since I hate shopping for vehicles nearly as much as house hunting.