Hi All,
I've searched, read, and tried every trick I know of, but I have 3 minor problems with my 94 Blazer that are driving me nuts. First, I should state that I picked up this Blazer 2 weeks ago at a dealership. It was a trade in and actually had service receipts in the glove box from 99 to 2006 when it was turned in, so I know it's been regularly serviced

I replaced the heater core that had been leaking for some time (green scale and gummy crud all in the fins) and replaced the thermostat for good measure. I also bled the system to remove any trapped air. Oops.. should mention it's a 4.3L (vin W)

Now to the 3 issues....

1. After about 7-10 minutes of driving, the temp guage will rise well above 210. I'd say around 240-250 then drop back down to just above 210 and stay there. It will not do this at idle, just under load. The hose from radiator to engine gets rock hard occasionally as well.
I've checked the fan and that seems normal, I've replaced the thermostat, and I've re-bled the system to see if maybe some air was still trapped. I've also checked the radiator itself as best I can and it seems fine.

2. The radio reception sucks ****. (yeah, i know it's trivial, but I like tunes)
I've checked the antenna connection to the back of the radio and all was well there. Do the factory units just slowly fade away, or should I pull the antenna at the fender and check for a problem there?

3. The engine seems to miss on occasion (1 or 2 hiccups at a long light). Plugs look good and wires are newish (records show 7 months ago) I don't sense any issues with acceleration or power, but I'm new to the truck so it's hard to say if there is a problem. Does the vortec lope on occasion like the iron duke does, or should the idle be solid smooth like the 3.4?

Thanks for any/all ideas and suggestions.

Greg S

 

1. have you tried to replace the radiator cap? It sounds silly but something as small as that could be your problem.
2. You could pull the radio out and make sure the connection to the antenna is ok and attached. (not sure on this issue...but throwing a random thought out)
3. NOT a darn clue.

sorry, best I could do.

 

Defective thermostat? Should drop to 180, and you should be running a 180 stat, ECM expects a 180 degree stat. Could be related to your number 3 issue.
Improper anti-freeze mix, check it. Also make sure the overflow tank is full, that could be your problem as well.

The antenna cable runs through the firewall on hte passengers side under the carpet on the firewall. Maybe the heater core leak (which is located above the cable) played havic with the cable, and thus your reception.

Engine lope could be as simple as a vacuum leak, dirty fuel iflter, incorrectly gapped plugs, faulty plug wire, or dirty distriburator cap/rotor. Might even be related to a dirty pcv valve.

Welcome to the S10-Blazer world.

 

I recently wrote in with an idle problem on my '94 Tahoe and received some great advice from all of the "experts" on this forum. Check out my posting from this month to see what they suggested to check and do. My idle still isn't perfect (it also gets the hiccups) but I am slowly checking out all of the suggestions from everyone. Welcome to the group, from one newbie to another![sm=burnout.gif]

 

That post is HERE

 

Well, just got back from work and it looks like I'll be busy tomorrow going over a few more things.

I'll let you guys know what I find. Thanks for the suggestions.

Greg S

 

I would connect a spare antenna to the back of the radio, or even just a wire, to test and see if that makes any difference first. It will save you the work of removing the antenna from the fender and then discovering that isn’t the problem. Plus then you’ll know which way to jump.

 

Sorry Guys...I've been pulling tons of overtime. I did discover the overheating problem. I had a faulty thermostat. (go figure)

I've had no chance to look ath anything else yet, but I'll certainly try hooking a spare antenna to the radio, Whittaker

Greg S

 

One down, two to go.

 

Final update. I finally had a chance to truly dig into both issues yesterday. The fan clutch is on its way out so I'm replacing the fan clutch and water pump this week (since I'm right there anyway) That should take care of my temperature problem. As for the stock head unit, it appears that the radio is just shot so I'll be replacing that too.

The idle problem was the nastiest distributor cap and rotor you've ever seen. I'm surprised I was getting any spark at all.

While I was really going over things, I noticed that the previous owner apparently never heard of a grease gun. I'm checking things out and may be replacing upper/lower ball joints and pitman arm if there's any damage.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

Greg S
<edit> Guess I could let you know who I am </edit>