Well, I went on vacation this last week, took the blazer and it was doing great the whole time. We built a nice new front bumper for it (will start a build thread today with pics) and everything was going pretty well. Yesterday (Saturday) we decided to come home, and were pulling a small enclosed trailer. We were coming from Snoqualmie Washington headed down into Oregon, so we came over Snoqualmie pass than to highway 97. Well on the the pass I heard a knock from the motor that came and went, I have never heard this truck make any noise or give me any thoughts that I needed to worry about anything. The knocking went away on flat ground, than came back on the hills. So I limped us to the nearest gas station to check things out and make sure I wasn't low on any fluids. Everything looked good, so we decided to see if it could be limped home. I made it a mile down the road than it started knocking and clattering really bad than died on me. It sounds like I spun a bearing then through a rod.
My family and I had to sit in the car on an off ramp for about 2.5 hours for my dad to get there with a rig that could tow the trailer, and get AAA to get a truck out to us. He sent us ahead with the trailer while he waited for the tow truck. For some reason they decided to send a tow truck out of tri-cities to pick the blazer up, which was sitting on an off ramp just north of Yakima, and the driver coming turned the wrong way and ended up in Goldendale about an hour south of where the truck was sitting. My dad ended up sitting with our truck for 3 hours or so waiting for the tow truck to get there. They finally arrived at my house at about 12:30AM this morning.
So I now have my blazer back at home, a really nice new bumper on it, and a blown motor. I was pretty shocked when it happened, we had driven it around in Seattle on black Friday with no issues, it ran great the whole time for us, I would have thought that I would get some more warning before something like that would happen.
I am now on the search for a new engine to drop in, I think it did to much damage to be able to rebuild, but I am going to try and get it yanked out asap and tear it apart to see.
Just thought I would share my story with everybody.

P.S. if any body knows of good places to get an engine please let me know.

 

Man, I'm sorry. That is something I fear everytime I invest anything over $100 on my old 03. When you say your looking for a engine, are you looking for already rebuilt? If not the local U Pull It here has dozens of 4.3 vortecs, if your wanting to rebuild it on your own I would go this route. Either way, good luck!

 

Sounds like what happened to me with 5.7 vortec in my van in April. 4L60e trans slipped, high RPM's spun bearings, locked motor. Got home 12 hours later on a 4 hour ride.
After pricing used motor and a rebuild kit, bought a long block for $1400, started it up and found out I needed to spend another $1400 on rebuilding the trans.
Check the bone yards for a wreck and change both as one assembly.

 

This seems like it could be an ongoing post, so I will add to it....


since last Friday. I have been chasing down an engine gremlin...... the enforcer comes home (Chelsea) and says "come out and listen to the truck, its running weird" I am instantly not happy... go outside, start it.. its running extremely rough on idle.
Drive it around the block, great throttle response, great acceleration. So I think a fuel delivery issue. since its a 93 4.2 CPI, I pull off the black thing in the middle of the plenum (no idea what that thing is, but it gives you a view to the inside of the plenum)

Look inside and instantly smell raw fuel and see raw fuel.
So I take the plenum apart, replace the spider assembly, and think all is good.
Do a fuel pressure and leak down test, fuel pressure is good, leak down failed miserably... (dropped to 0psi in about a minute) assume its the check valve in the fuel pump... since i did the injector and regulator... so I replace the pump.... still running rough at idle...
look in the plenum again, raw fuel............. open it up, this time, do the injector again (under warranty) and the nut kit, while I was at it, i checked the codes thrown from the computer, was TPS and MAP sensor, did the TPS as well since it was only 20 bucks.
then also did the #3 and #4 plugs... put it back together, start it... same thing.... mind you.. this is 5-6 days of working on this thing in 15-20 degree weather.. in the street.

once that happened. I was like "i cant deal with this anymore, i dont want to, but it needs to go to a shop" because i was coming down with a cold from working on it in the freezing cold.

Now, waiting for the shop to get to it on Monday to figure out what is wrong.

I am guessing 1 of 3 things, 1 being ignition (plugs, wires, distributor, timing, cap, rotor) 2 would be a vac leak... and 3 would be the fuel filter... far off in 4 would be bad fuel from the last time Chelsea put fuel in it (which is when it happened)


leaving me with "WTF" long winded.

 

rich, when you replaced the spider assembly did you look at the pressure and return fuel lines inside the plenum? sometimes a hole will rub into one of the lines and there will be fuel in the plenum.

 

Yup, replaced them (Nut kit)

 

ya, it was really strange to me because this truck ran great, has since the day I bought it. And it only had 130,000 miles on it. Hopefully I can get this thing up and going in the next couple of weeks, it is getting cold here and I dont want to drive my pos honda when the snow and ice hits.