problems with my 93 blazer s-10

[andrewski]

well i bought a high milage 93 s-10 tahoe from a lady my dad works with. 308k on the odometer. 4.3l engine code W. it runs well and the tranny was overhauled 2 years ago and is still under warranty. heres the thing. i was driving along one day minding my own business, and as i rolled up to a stoplight, i realized my engine was not running. ok, that happens sometimes. so i cranked it over and fired it up, but for the life of me, it will not idle. if i let off the gas around 1000rpm, the motor just dies. there was no warning coming up to the stoplight. none at all. it won't idle. period. now i havn't taken a real close look on account of my relative inexperience with vehicles, this blazer being my first. i did some work on it, new tail pipe. cap, rotor, plugs and wires. could it be a vacuum hose or something electronic. like i said, there was no warning, no mechanical grinding before it conked. anyone else had this problem in the past? if so, what did you do to remedy it? any help would be great as the ice fishing season is slowly slipping away...

[j894]

Sounds like the EGR valve may be stuck open

[andrewski]

and i've heard that this is a common problem with the s-10 line, where can i find this valve, and would it be easier to just buy a new one or try and salvage the old one?

i should also point out that before and while this is happening, there are no warning lights on the dash to alert me to anything major.

[blazingsaddle]

It may throw a code that "goes away", not really cleared. Clear all the codes. Time to buy a haynes manual or something and remove one of the battery leads to clear the code. Different years are either battery or ground. Forget right now which is which. Once codes are clear, start it back up and the same codes that were hidden before will come back.

I agree the Egr is the first place I would look in these trucks. If you can remove it, follow cleaning instructions and replace it, you may save some real bucks. Didnt look it up but one of mine is a 95 and that darn thing couldnt be cleaned and cost me about 80-90 bucks. That was supposed to a real deal.

Many of these trucks need the intake manifold cleaned out and I have found "seafoam" to do a good job. I happen to own a boat and had it handy several years ago. Tried it and was sold right away.

O2 sensor(s) dont last forever and will throw code that disappears while the computer relies on other sensors or goes into a basic mode that uses more gas and such. This may well be the beginning of the rest of the problems that cause all the dirt because when the puter goes to skipping O2 info, it asks for a richer basic mixture, causing all kinds of dirt buildup. Check you book info for service interval. On the older trucks they were real short and replacement was as often as 15,000 miles. This is no longer true and many last for 100 thousand these days, but yours may well be somewhere in-between at the 35,000 or 50,000 mile figure.

[1993blazerlt]

if its the EGR stuck open pull it off and clean teh carbon out of it, then after you put it back on run a can of seafoam through it. I had the same isssuer on my s-10 but after the seafoam i never had the problem again

[Jongo88]

OK now you guys got me...... What is seafoam ????????

[87wildside]

It removes carbon build up in your engine.
http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUp.htm

[Mikz86TA]

Dammit Wildside.....you missed a golden opportunity to f**k with someone. Are you slippin? No offense JONGO, we like to have fun sometimes =). On a serious note, The issue could be EGR or a vaccum leak. The older rubber vaccum lines and such could have dried out and break.

[87wildside]

Dammit Wildside.....you missed a golden opportunity to f**k with someone. Are you slippin? No offense JONGO, we like to have fun sometimes =). On a serious note, The issue could be EGR or a vaccum leak. The older rubber vaccum lines and such could have dried out and break.
you lost me 86TA

[Mikz86TA]

SEAFOAM!!!!! You are supposed to come up with a good response about how to extract foam from the sea or something.
you lost me 86TA

[hop]

I have a similar problem with the stalling but my idle is okay. So, if I stick this seafoam in, and I take the egr valve off and put it to my ear and hear the ocean, then everything is okay with the egr valve right???

Heh, heh, heh :-) Seriously, where do you put the seafoam in at? Just dump some into the fuel and then the web site says that you can put some into a vacuum line. Well, when it comes to vacuum lines I'm mechanically inept so, anybody got a pic of just where to pour this stuff in so that it will clean the egr and iac valves?

Seems like it would be a good idea for this stuff to come in a spray so that you could just spray it in right behind the air cleaner.

My POS has been doing this stalling crap for 5 long years now. I can't believe that I still own the f&*^&ing thing! I just got the pita back from a mechanic who kept it for 2 weeks. His verdict: "I can't find anything wrong with it. It never stalled once." It stalled 3 times on the way home. Other than the stalling, I've got no complaints.

[87wildside]

Most people use the vucumm line that goes to the brake boster. It's the large hose that goes behind the master cylinder. It also comes in a spray called deep creep.
http://www.seafoamsales.com/deepCreep.htm

[T Man]

I came up with a newer seafoam process at work the other day that I think works really well. It can be duplicated at home with a few simple materials. 20 oz bottle, 3 feet 1/4-5/16 id line valve, vacuum t

Basically make an IV drip with the bottle and the line, put the t in the line after the valve (use the valve to controll the drip fast drip, use some sort of clear chamber about the size of a roll of quarters to see how your drip is) run it through the brake booster hose at a fast drip untill very little is left, then turn it up to a steady stream then shut it off when its empty let er sit, then fire it up after 10 or so minutes. I had better results this way on my 03 than I ever did on the 87. We have a top end cleaner at work similar to sea foam that we have our own drip bottle made for, but I think it could be easily duplicated

[87wildside]

Sounds like the Run Rite kit. Good idea T Man

[T Man]

Sounds like the Run Rite kit. Good idea T Man

Thats exactally what it is, only not with a pressurized bottle

[87wildside]

I always liked those kits, thought they worked well. Take some pics when you get a chance.

[T Man]

i didnt make one....just thinking of how it could be improvised though

[hop]

I think that I can do this. I went to the run rite site and watched an instructional video that helped. I've got a Subaru clogging up the garage now. I'm doing a T-belt/water pump/seals replacement on it. After that, the wife's Honda needs brakes and then it's S10 time again. Crap, gotta tune up the lawnmower too.

Do you know if you can purchase the run rite stuff anywhere other than the web site? They've got some tranny stuff there that I'd like to try but it looks like they only sell in bulk.

So, the plan is to get some seafoam if run rite is unavailable or too costly. Put a pint in the gas tank and do the IV drip with another pint at the brake booster. Should I do this with a full gas tank? And it looks like the deep creep would be good for cleaning up the intake areas.

Hey Guys, I appreciate the help because deep down I really like this pos.

[87wildside]

Maybe look on ebay for the run rite. You will need to buy the toola as well. The seafoam should work fine and will be easier to get and use.

[Jongo88]

Where do I get seafoam?? does the local auto store have it??

[hop]

SEA FOAM can be found in many of the following auto parts stores:

ABC Auto Parts (http://www.abcauto.com/)
Advance Auto Parts (http://www.advanceautoparts.com/)
Auto Value (http://www.autovalue.com/)
Bumper to Bumper (http://www.autovalue.com/)
CARQUEST Auto Parts (http://www.carquest.com/)
Midway Auto Supply (http://www.midwayautosupply.com/)
NAPA Auto Parts (http://www.napaautoparts.com/)
O'Reilly Auto Parts (http://www.oreillyautoparts.com/B2C/vehicle.ecatalog)
Parts Plus (http://www.partsplus.com/)
PEPBOYS Auto (http://www.pepboys.com/)
Pronto Auto Parts (http://www.pronto-net.com/)

[Jongo88]

Thanks man, it sounds like good stuff. I'm going to get some.

[hop]

I haven't tried it yet but I'm going to get 2 cans and split 1/2 for the vacuum intake, 1/2 for the oil, and the other can for the gas tank. Let me know how it goes when you do it.

[87wildside]

ABC is no longer in business, man I miss that place. Was my local parts house

[plant.one]

For those of you in the detroit area like myself...
The Murry's Auto at Plymoth and Inkster roads has seafoam and royal purple in stock.

oh yes... they're also now in the process of finializing their remod to be a performance parts speciality store ... headers and intakes and n0s oh my...

:D