I have a 1997 s10 blazer with the 4.3, last week my truck died after a big steep hill on the hwy. Pulled over to side, tried to restart it, everything was fine it wwas cranking but no start. What should I look for? I don’t have a scanner.

thabks in advance

 

Sounds like you are missing spark , fuel or air. You can buy a fuel pressure gauge for pretty cheap. So maybe start there? Even before the gauge , push in the valve on the fuel rail and see if fuel squirts out when the engine is being cranked.

 

I encourage You to get a scanner. They cost almost to nothing, and there are freeware applications like Torque Lite that are handy in diagnosis.
Is Your MIL indicator on?
Ignition problems are easy for troubleshooting. You may check for the spark with an old plug:
- connect to the distributor by a plug wire
- connect the outer thread to the ground
- crank the engine & check for the spark.
Careful not to touch the plug, as while spark discharge there are kV. Won't kill You (unless You have a pacemaker) as the charge is low, but getting hit is nothing pleasant.
You may also remove the top cover from distributor (two TX20 screws) and take a look on a distributor rotor.
Bear in mind, that a missing spark may not always mean a damaged ignition coil, but could expand to the FOB system that cuts off the ignition too or to a blown fuse.

Fuel pressure test could tell You whether the fuel pump is in a working condition or not. It won't tell You anything on the injection system (aka spider) that has a fuel regulator and the injection timing valves.

Air mass flow - Disconnect MAF sensor and try cranking again. Google on for TPS sensor testing. You could do that using multimeter or a dongle.

My advices are going into details described in the above post in thread. You may find Your crank shaft or cam shaft sensor damaged. W/o the dongle You probably cannot figure out whether they are good or not.

There are many factors that could be the reason. A given subject of "my ride does not run" is way too general to expect an accurate troubleshooting. I'd advise You to either get a dongle (ask a friends maybe?) or come back with a more specific questions.

Wish You luck,
Mike

 

I got a killer deal on my Blazer ($450) because it died and wouldn't restart. The guy I bought it from replaced a whole bunch of parts (fuel pump, MAF, and some other stuff) but couldn't fix it and finally gave up and sold it. The problem turned out to be a tiny hole burned through the rotor. For ten bucks, I had it back on the road.

So, definitely pay attention to the little stuff.

 

Lovely Congratulations on a killer deal!

I have been always wondering why people choose spending all their money and wasting time for replacing parts one by one instead of doing an accurate troubleshooting. Or even asking someone who is more capable. I am that lazy that much, that I'll spend 90% of time for thinking and doing accurate troubleshooting and then 10% of a dirty work. Personally I prefer to use brain than muscles

 

Yeah, I don't get it either. I see people all the time just throwing parts at a problem without doing any diagnosis whatsoever. Makes for some great deals for those of us who can actually figure stuff out.

 

You have just summoned the engineering curse. For engineers all these broken things are in unspecified state. You never know whether that's just a simple case or something serious, so You start stockpiling things that possibly could be fixed to check them out. Yet their amount grows fast enough, so You never have enough time to keep up.

For a regular people things are simple - if something is damaged, then it's damaged. Sometimes, for a sake of a peaceful mind, I wish to be one of them.
Cheers,
Mike

 

thanks for the feedback guys!

 

The link in my signature block explains in detail how to do a fuel leak down test on these trucks. Fuel pump problems are very common on Blazers. You can get a loaner fuel test kit from an auto parts store.

 

turns out my engine is blown. my engine does start now but knocks loudly. I had a major oil leak from my oil pan and I didnt notice.