I moved this form cause now it ran and it is mope of a tech question


got it back from the repair shop.

They replaced the cap, rotor, and plugs (again)
they stabbed the dist rite (again)
they plugged the coil (new by me) in so it made good contact.
They did a compression check and it turned out super all around 170#
then they said they found the main wiring harnesses not plugged in rite. The tech was trying to start it and they told me he leaned on it and it ran. So he plugged it in rite. they said it didn't match up rite but they fixed it.
they said they took it out for 2 test runs.
then changed the oil and flushed the radiator.

$834.54 later the job was done and I got to drive it for the first time. It drove nice. Did a quick check of the lights and off I want.


I got in for the 15 mile trip home...climbed the first hill home and it preformed flawlessly. In and out of OD I didn't shift to D but it worked great. 1800 rpms at 55.
Drove it another mile or so and the rpms jumped up to 2500. I just thought it was the trans and some sort of connection or sensor or low on fluid I didn't check it. I didn't think to much of it.
Then came the second hill. RPMs still at 2500 I started up. RPM jumped up and it was slowing down. I thought they didn't check the tranny fluid when they did the oil change and it was to low so I hunted for a gear that would work. The rpm's were all over the place like a short in the wiring. Well it went about 100 yards and died. I pulled over but there wasn't much room. It wouldn't start. It acted like the battery is dead. Then it cranked slow and started but it was barley running so it died and wouldn't start again. A real labored crank when it would. Called AAA yet again. Of course there wasn't any cell reception so I had to drive up the road. At the same time the tow truck was passing me the other way what a cawisadence (boy is that spelled wrong but I am an operating engineer not an English major). So back to the shop it goes.

Now on to my question. Has this happened to any one else? Is there a year or two the the wiring harness isn't quite rite? Or is the shop blowing smoke? Rite now I am into this thing $1450 so now my good deal has turned into a fair deal. They can be bought all day around here for $2000. The dealers still want $29 TO $3900 for them but I don't know the mileage. Mine has 140k which I don't feel is to bad. I figure it has at least 100k more before it need any work.

So if you take the time to read this please comment. Sticky I value your input so PLEASE give me your 2 cents worth.

 

Gregl316; Don't dispare. Your car has one simple problem. Once that one problem get's fixed, you'll be a happy camper.

Identifying a problem sometimes can be tough. Sometimes they show themselves and othertimes they require careful diagnosis.

For instance, if you had a recording of certain parameters of your engine and tranny during the last mile or two of the drive, we could see what the fuel pressure was, what the O2 sensors were, what the MAPS showed. We could figure WHY your tranny downshifted, IF the TCC was slipping to make the RPM higher.

Sometimes shops listen to what the customer says and take the best action they can based on not enough info.

On a 10 yr old car, replacing plugs, wires, cap, rotor and coil are not bad ideas. I do it when I buy one. I write it off against TCO "Total cost of ownership".

There are some other "good ideas" for 10 yr old cars. Replace the fuel pump and filter. Oh, I know it's a big ticket item when it requires dropping the tank, but sometime between 6-12 years, this pump will die. To me, if I can chose the "WHEN" and "Where" it's worth doing! Drive it till it's out of gas. I mean really out. Carry a 1 gal can to get you home after it's empty. I know your car is dead now and you can't do that. I hope your tank is not full, but it sounds like it is. Another thing you can do is get a 12V utility fuel pump for $25 and a couple lengths of 3/8" hose. Pull the fuel filter, hook up to the line and pump the fuel out and into containers or another car.

I'd also like to point out the symptoms you described just before it died really sound like "Low Fuel Pressure" which could be "Clogged Filter" or "Dieing Pump".

Wish I was closer to where you are and I'd come look it over.

 

I am curious about your fuel pump diagnosis.

The rpm's climbed I think it shifted out of drive and then driving up a hill it jumped up to 4grand but I really don't think it was reving that high I didn't notice hearing the engine rev.

Then when the engine died it wouldn't turn over worth a crap. It did turn over enough to start it was like it was hitting on 2 or 3 cylinders.

I will call the shop on Monday and inform them everything. While its there I will ask them about the fuel pump and how much it is. So your saying in 6 to 12 years it IS going to go out so I might as well replace it before it lets me down again. I used to do all that kind of stuff myself but I am kind of sick of it. We will see what the shop wants. Where should I buy the pump and what brand should I get? Is NAPA good?

 

"loss of power" when fuel delivery gets low will cause the car to slow down in a higher gear and the tranny will automatically down-shift. I guess I did not catch that it would not "turn over" after it died. That's a whole different ball game.

 

Hey gregl,
I too am an OE local 15, My 97 had the same problems, check the Cam and crank sensors if you smell fuel check the dreaded FI spider.

 

Well... called the shop this morning to see if they looked at my Blazer.

They said it blew the tranny line at the raditor. They told me it wasn't held in rite. Like it was a different raditor or lines. I sure hope the trans is ok. I drove it at 2500 rpms for a mile and then it overreved and stopped moving as I went up a hill aprox another mile or so.

Now they told me it started up and is running just fine? What would cause it not to crank worth a **** and when it did start it was only running on 2 or 3 cylinders then died and acted like a dead battery?

If the tranny is still OK I want to keep it, that is if it runs good. But if the tranny is bad (which is my luck) I am not sure what to do with it. I have to much money it this allready but... f@#k I am comitted to this damn thing. I went from a 500 dollar deal to now I got 1400 into it befor these repairs.

Can any one out there tell me what I need to do... if this tranny still works? I meen what fluid? change the filter? add Lucas? Do a flush?You know to try to get a decent life out of this. In my youth I would have allready had it pulled and a new one ready to go in. But as I get older and I hope smarter I value my time and I just throw money at it and get the pro's working on it. But... All the cars I have I have twice as much in them as their worth so I can't sell them unless I want to loose a bundle.


Just got off the phone with the shop and now they tell me that the engine is junk. I sounds to me like it ran out of oil. They changed it so of corce they arn't saying its out of oil. I will start and then screech to a stop. The shop said since the guy I bought it from put new head gascuts on it because there was water in the oil that might have wiped out the barings and the strain of climbing up hills and spinning 2500 rpms might have been the straw that broke the camels back. But I say they are covering up their own mistake. But anyway you look at it I am 2000 dollars depending on what the junk yard will give me for it.

What a great experance. But I am still a Chevy Man.

If you all have any advice let me know.

 

Let me get this right; You had a Blazer not running right, but not leaking Tranny fluid. You took it to a shop who did $834 work on it including they took it on two test runs (assuming no tranny leak then or they'd have found it) and THEN they chainged the oil. (Is your oil filter remote up close to the radiator?). Next, you left that shop and on the way home, it popped a tranny line out of the radiator and pumped it's fluid out? Is that right?

I'd be wondering if they did something to loosen the line at the tranny.

 

I thought the same thing about the shop. But I can't prove anything.

I am going to add insult to injury and put a new engin in it. I found one for $450 and they said they can put it in for me for $400 which I think is fair. It is a tranny shop and he told me that the tranny is still fine. It takes more then running out of oil once to trash it. The motor is out of a 95 and only 112k for miles. The only differance being mine has TBI and this one is TPI so he will change the intake.


I offically paid full price for the blazer so much for a good deal. All I can say is it was a used car buyer bewhere.

It will be done by Friday so I will keep the form up to date.

Here are my questions

So will an engine out of a 95 work in a 96?
Did they have TPI in 95 or is he screwed up on the year?
Is it as easy as changing the intake to swap from TPI to TBI?
Any input on the tranny?
How many miles can I expect to get on the 4.3 vortec, auto trans?

I sure hope this truck is worth it. I'll have $2200 into it after it is all done and you can buy them all day arround here for $2000. But now at least I know what I have and it is all tuned up and oils changed which I do when I buy a car and that cost arround 3 bills if I do it myself.

 

I guess I never understood that your motor was bad. What do you think is wrong with your motor?

 

I don't know what is wrong with it. Is was to tight to start for me. They said when it started it started to bogg and they floored it and is came to a screeching stop and I think they said it was rattling too. Probably just a twisted bearing.