alright so i just bought a 1998 blazer 4x4 w/ 158k miles on it. and being a mn vehicle it has some rust, and also having that many miles it has some special needs so things i know for sure:

-oil cooler/remote filter lines leak
-small fuel leak just on the engine side of the filter
-needs rear pads
-needs top and bottom ball joints
-pitman arm
-idler arm
-needs trans fluid/ filter replacement
-possible oil leak from oil pan gasket
-possible leak from rear diff pinion seal or rear diff cover? not sure
-has cam/crank pos. sensor correlation code p1345
-and lastly a bunch of ABS codes
C0223: right front speed sensor erratic
C0225: rear antilock brake system channel motor free spin
C0227: right front traction control system will not move
C0229: right rear antilock brake system channel in release too long

parts ive bought but have not installed yet:

-moog pitman arm
-moog idler arm
-mevotech upper and lower ball joints ( i know not the best but i did do some research on them and got like a 50/50 but i couldnt afford the moog ones right now so maybe next time around)
-NGK spark plugs ( it needed new ones)
-taylor spark plug wires ( also needed) though it has a new distributor cap
-oil pan gasket
-trans filer and gasket
-oil cooler/remote filer lines
-rear pads (just some decent orielley's brand)
-and of course some oil and filter after i fix the cooler lines and oil pan gasket

so now some questions:
1. the oil cooler lines, ive seen the cheap replacement mod on this forum wish i would have known before but not that i have them, could i put the screw clamps over the factory crimps to help extend the life?
2. anything to be worried about with the trans i dont plan on doing a flush just a fluid and filter change
3. any suggestions on the cam/crank pos sensor issue? advice/insight?
4. cant seem to find anything on the rear diff pinion seal/diff cover gasket. i need to know what gear size or something to get the correct gasket? does anyone know off hand or know how i can figure out which one i need?
5. for the ABS issue i will most likely start with the right front speed sensor but have no idea what the rest of the stuff is really so any help there would be great!!!

on a side note, i bought a gallon of bed liner to do the skirts, rear bumper, hood, and the front part of the roof, thats where i have minor rust starting, honestly amazed it doesnt have more rust, the rust i do have obviously is into the metal but i would still consider it surface rust. and somebody jumped on the hood messing it up a bit, still works but has paint cracks and rust starting. i also took the body cladding off the sides so i can cover up the doors a bit, i know its not a perfect solution but should slow it down some.

other mini mods ive done so far: ground out yellow headlight wire (quad light mod) and i had 2 HID kits laying around but only one set of bulbs 9005's so i bought a set of 9006's so i will have quad HID's in a week!!

my overall plan (assuming i get all the problems fixed)
-shorty headers, catless, xpipe with antifouler O2 sensor bung, then true 2 1/4" piping with some cherrybomb's not sure if i will dump out the side in front of rear wheels or go all the way back.
-K&N cold air intake ( i know it wont do much if anything but will look nicer)
- rough country 2.5" lift kit w/ steering stabilizer
-2" body lift kit
-some cheap 15" black wheels w/ 31" tires unknown brand at this time
-1-2" wheel spacers
-fender flares
-black 3" nerf bars
-bull bar up front w/ maybe some KC lights or cheap brand
-roof rack with 50" dual LED curved bar.

i also plan on doing the scfi to mpi converstion, and doing the throttle body mod, and possibly deleting my AC, and getting electric fans so those few things should bring my mpg's up a bit!

i know this post got long but any suggestions or help is appreciated!!!

bought this blazer with the intention of it being my winter beater of sorts, but i like it, and it is in pretty decent shape. and i cant help modding everything i buy its like an addiction lol! but first and fore most i want it to be reliable so thats what im concentrating on first getting all the crap fixed, along with the rust protection then ill move on to the fun stuff!!

 

Your like me.You seem to take care of things.Just take your time and do it right the first time.Look up (Summit racing.com)they havejust about anything you need for your blazer.Try and stay away from ac delco crappy parts.Their parts are made to fail.So farI`ve changed my spark plugs and wires.Cap and rotor,new tires and front end alignment,both O2 sensors

 

When buying parts , do some research. There are some parts that will just not work as good or will fail faster if they are not genuine GM......only some aftermarket parts are worth it.

 

Welcome to the forum!

1. the oil cooler lines, ive seen the cheap replacement mod on this forum wish i would have known before but not that i have them, could i put the screw clamps over the factory crimps to help extend the life?

No

2. anything to be worried about with the trans i dont plan on doing a flush just a fluid and filter change

Get the right filter. 4L60E trans pan can have two depths

3. any suggestions on the cam/crank pos sensor issue? advice/insight?

P1345 is caused by installing the distributor 1 tooth off. With engine on TDC#1, rotor should point to (approximately) the #6 stamped in the top of the cap mounting area. And no, turning the distributor doesn't adjust ignition timing - just cam sensor and rotor position. Factor hold down is non-adjustable. Check CMP retard with scanner to ensure is 0° ± 2°

4. cant seem to find anything on the rear diff pinion seal/diff cover gasket. i need to know what gear size or something to get the correct gasket? does anyone know off hand or know how i can figure out which one i need?

Use the Option codes in the glove box and this to determine what you have (probably an 8.5).

OEM 1998 Chevrolet BLAZER Driveline Parts Online | Wholesale GM Parts Online

5. for the ABS issue i will most likely start with the right front speed sensor.

You will need a capable scanner and the factory diagnostic charts to diagnose and repair the ABS. Otherwise you and anyone else attempting to help will be just guessing (changing parts is very expensive way to diagnose).

You just don't remove the cat, throw headers on, and wire up an O2 sensor. There are no less than 3 O2 sensors in the system that have to work in order for the OBD2 system to be happy and not have the SES light on. SES light on will trigger a fail safe mode and performance will be degraded. K&N intake will not do anything more than take the system out of the factory calibration. Leave this stuff alone and don't try to modify unless you are prepared to to PCM tuning.

You will probably find the rear caliper pistons stuck in the aluminum housng. Usually have to be replaced when pads are replaced.

At least make sure whatever ball joints you use are greasable. Some are not.

Make sure you use 5W30 in your Blazer - your choice of brand but 5W30 only.

Dorman oil cooler lnes are known to be pretty bad. GM lines seem to be OK for longer, but more expensive (you can get from Amazon). Or alternatively have them made up if yours are leaking too much.

In the rust belt, inspect the frames for rust before spending a lot. http://southbend.craigslist.org/cto/5264349772.html

 

thanks for the advice, im glad im not the only one out there that just likes to do things once! i thought i was the only one lol!!! i always use the recommended oil weight so in this case 5w30. as far as rust goes it is honestly pretty solid, thats why i am so surprised. i spied a mpi fuel spider someone was selling on craigslist, well actually the entire intake manifold with the mpi spider for 100 bucks i might ****** that up! as far as all the maintenance goes i am doing some of it myself but tbh alot of it will be done by a shop. IE the abs, trans, oil cooler lines/oil leak, and the rear diff leak. so the p1345 is because the distributor cap is one tooth off? thats interesting i know that the guy before me put a new cap on so that could be the issue!! thanks for the advise! it does still drive surprisingly well despite that issue. so thats a good sign.

again thanks for the advice guys! much appreciated!!!

 

and i guess as far as the exhaust goes i wasnt adding or removing any O2 sensors i know there are 3 one on each mid pipe then one after the cat, i was just going to add in the antifouler to the one after the cat and re position it at the xpipe

 

As for the oil pan gasket leak you suspect. It is most likely the oil line adapter gasket on the engine block.

 

yeah leaking down the block, it looks like that but there is also oil on the backside of the oil pan that looks like it is coming out of there, not sure yet i havnet had time to wipe it clean and check it

 

It sounds like I may have the same leak.As far as I can see the leak is coming from up top of the block running down oil pan.This leak is coming from the driver side closer to the back end of engine.Has anyone had this type of leak?

 

yeah thats what i am thinking is the oil cooler/remote filter lines