Thanks Hess, it turned out to be the IAC valve again. I have had so many problems with that thing! Originally (2 years ago, wow time flies!) I had the original still in and it was giving me a problem where it would run when I was on the throttle at all but stall right when I let off. So I replaced the IAC with aftermarket from the parts store (I would have gone Delco but they didn't have one, so home brand parts store I went with), then I was having problems with that one ever since putting it in and over this winter I changed it back out for the original which I had swapped out. It had been running fine for the last few months with the exception of a few long cranks, but when I was doing other testing I noticed the IAC motor sounded very bad! So I put the aftermarket IAC back in and haven't been having stalling problems anymore.

So in the few days I was working on the truck I noticed a small coolant leak from the pump gasket (I put a new pump on over winter), will need to get that changed before the trip so I decided to just get a new thermostat too as that's the only part in the cooling system I haven't replaced that yet. I will also need to fix the passenger cv boot rubbing on my shock (boot has exploded and no point in replacing without fixing root issue), I have decided to move the lower shock mount a hair down on the control arm so it will not rub anymore. I have been welding a lot lately and feel confident in my ability to weld the mount on, my main worry is burning through the control arm or mount. Hess, I have seen you have been doing lots of welding on your rig lately, do you have any tips before going in on this? I'm flux core welding.

 

My best advice for welding with flux core is make sure to clean the best you can before you weld. I wouldn't worry about burning through. Ive welded a lot with my Lincoln 110 wire feed. But anymore I prefer to use my 480 Lincoln at work.

 

Thanks Hess, I always try to clean where I am welding the best I can before for the best results. The only reason I said I'm worried about burning through is because I just welded up my muffler delete for the blazer the other day and burned through a fair number of times even with the voltage set to almost lowest. I know the exhaust pipe is very thin metal and control arms are a bit thicker, I guess it will just be a matter of dialing in the welder settings.

 

Exhaust is tricky, especially old Exhaust pipe. Find some metal thats a similar thickness as the control arm and practice and dial in your welder. Im not a certified welder but I have worked in a fab shop and I'm head of maintenance and fabrication where I work. I'm fortunate that I get the use of the shop at work after hours and on weekends. Im hoping to have my jimmy moving under its own power this weekend finally.

 

Thanks Hess, also wishing you luck with the jimmy! I have been ***** deep on my blazer since Saturday getting it ready for the trip replaced the IAC valve, ICM, water pump gaskets, thermostat, and tapped in a new ground to the ignition switch (it was locking my key in). I was looking at my service records and it seems I got just over 10000km on that passenger cv boot with it rubbing, come to think of it, that's not that bad. I'm at a split decision now if I want to just fix it for good or keep tossing boots at it for a few years until I SAS. I would rather just fix it for good I think though, I will probably get into that this weekend.

 

Hey all, I have done a lot of work on the blazer since the last post! Pictures are worth a thousand words they say so here you go...


Now I'm getting ready for the next big trip! Have to fix up my bypass hose as both clamps seem to be leaking now, and this mod is by far one of my favorites, the Bluetooth steering mod. The 1 ton idler arm with a redhead box may be in my near future! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m4JWHbgOUuU

 

Dang! Was that the idler arm or tie rod that let go? When I was still ifs on 35s I was changing idler, tie rods and ball joints every 2-3 months.

 

That damn idler arm! I jacked up that tire today and the amount of play in the idler arm makes me want to throw up LOL. It's seriously f**ked as seen from the video. I will order the 1-ton bracket and idler arm tonight, along with a new tire, I picked up a screw and a nail in one of the rears! I'm debating between keeping the OEM hose clamps or picking new screw-type ones, I can't seem to get the bypass hose to seal on either side for some reason. I'm thinking with new clamps and some permatex aviation sealant I may be able to get a good seal. I'm also now searching for this mysterious clicking that came about recently, It sounds like it's something on the body that's loose right near my feet but I've checked all the fender and inner fender and can't find anything that would be making this noise. Hmm, I'll have to keep searching for those loose bolts.

 

Hi Zack, where you going this time?

 

Hey Les! Hope you have been doing well. I was going to send you a message just because I've been having some trouble figuring out the blazer here and was looking for some advice, but here you are. I am planning to drive up the coast on Vancouver Island to the Tofino area in about a month exactly, I'm excited it should be another beautiful drive, plus the ferry ride to Nanaimo will be cool as well. I was going to ask you about your thoughts on the bypass hose issue described above and your experience with screw clamps? I'm also having an issue with my rear brakes, with new pads just before the last trip they started squealing when I was close to stopping about a week after. I've taken the brakes back off and checked everything and it looks like nothing should be squealing. The thing is I noticed my brakes overheating when I was coming down a steep long hill off-road, but I wasn't braking enough to where you would think they would overheat, so I'm thinking I may just start fresh and get new calipers, rotors, and pads. I have also had issues with the rear brakes wearing the inside pad like butter on both sides, let me know if you have any thoughts on this brake issue I'm curious!

I also picked up the Holley steering shaft, but I got in there to change it and found my steering box is completely shot and the rag joint is pretty much fine. I have already tightened the box 3/4 a turn I believe so not sure how much more I'd want to try. I'm leaning toward the redhead box, just so expensive! That SAS will have to wait for 10+ years now with this 1-ton idler and redhead box LOL.