shaking again

Gentlepeople,

(Car type: '94 S-10 Blazer, V6, 92000 miles)

About six months ago, the engine on my Blazer began shaking very noticably. The whole car would rock when I was at idle or at low acceleration. I took it in and got a lot of additional work done on it (got a new fuel injector, but that was to solve a hard-start issue), but the guy at the mechanic said that I had a cracked "upper plenum gasket" and that was causing the problems (cost me about $15). Well, he did his magic and the car worked fine.

Now it's today, and my car is exhibiting the same shaky behavior. The mechanic previously said that I had 6 of these gaskets, so do you all think it's possible that I have another cracked gasket? If so, would you know if that's a simple thing for me to check for and to fix? I'm so tired of pouring money into this car every single month, so if I can fix this myself, that would be AWESOME).

You guys rock. Thanks for your help.
Tucker

well lets start with, when was the last time a full tuneup was done? cap wires plugs roter pcv valve etc etc, and which v 6 the 2.8 or 4.3?

well lets start with, when was the last time a full tuneup was done? cap wires plugs roter pcv valve etc etc, and which v 6 the 2.8 or 4.3?

Can't say for sure as to when the last tune up was...I believe it was the summer of '03, so a little under 2 years ago. And it's a 4.3 L. Sorry for the omission.

Can't say for sure as to when the last tune up was...I believe it was the summer of '03, so a little under 2 years ago. And it's a 4.3 L. Sorry for the omission.

What was done during the tuneup?

What was replaced?

What was done during the tuneup?

What was replaced?

To be honest, it was so long ago that I can't remember. I don't think any belts or spark plugs were changed; I think it was more of flushing/changing fluids, filters, etc...nothing too hardware intensive. I know that doesn't help much.

However, I have noticed that the engine begins feeling "unbalanced" after it's gotten hot (i.e. not when it's cold). Hopefully that helps.

Welp, you need to do the usual tuneup stuff.

Cap & Rotor
Plugs (AC Delco only)
Air Filter
Fuel filter
PCV valve

Also, you should remove the vortec name plate on the top of the engine and remove the round IMTV valve underneath it and check for your CPI injector leaking.

Welp, you need to do the usual tuneup stuff.

Cap & Rotor
Plugs (AC Delco only)
Air Filter
Fuel filter
PCV valve


I took my car to a mechanic and had him check it out and give it a tune up. He checked it out and said that everything (plugs, wires, cables, etc.) looked good...a little old, but in good condition.

But I've noticed, at least when I'm idling, that the car tends to have moments of shivers (i.e. sudden vibrations that also cause my display to dim momentarily). So I thought this might be an electrical problem. Sure enough, my battery died yesterday (this after driving it for about 10 minutes, turning off the engine to run inside for a minute, and then coming back to find that nothing would start). I got a jump, but after a minute while I let my car idle to charge the battery, the engine shut off. I don't think it's my idle level, because I just got a new IAC about 6 months ago.

I took my battery in to have it tested, and it passed with flying colors. So I'm thinking I may have an alternator problem. What do you guys think? Do you think that a bad alternator would play a part in causing my "vibrational problems"?

Thanks!

Charge the battery outside of the vehicle.

Test the charging system with a voltmeter.

Before I go out to buy a voltmeter and a battery charger, please tell me if this adresses what you are thinking: since I had the battery tested this morning and then placed it back in my car, it has started fine. I sat in the car, revved the engine, and she didn't die on me (though I'm afraid to take it on the road).

The guage on the dash reads that the battery is at 14 volts, which would indicate to me that maybe there's not a charging problem (it reads this way even when the car shivers and the dash lights dim). So do you still think the charging system may have a problem?

Just get a voltmeter and test the coltage with the engine off and with the engine running.

I did the voltmeter test: the battery read 12.7 volts with the engine off, 14.4 with the engine on (I also got the same reading after I turned on the headlights, A/C, radio, etc.). The alternator also read 14.4 V. I think that sounds normal. I did notice that, when the car "shivered" the battery readout would drop about 0.5 V and then return to 14.4, but I don't know if that's significant.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

You didn't notice having the defrost on when this happened did ya?

Silly question, but have you looked at the motor mounts?

I had a friend of mine who's a mechanic take a quick look at it and he says my engine is definitely mis-firing, but doesn't think there's anything wrong with the battery, alternator, or cables. He did take one of my spark plugs out and showed me that it was a bit gunked up and corroded, so he thinks this may be part of the problem. He also thinks that I need to take a look at my distributor cap.

So, do you all think this sounds reasonable? Thanks.

Yip, I would invest your money into a full tuneup including:

Cap & Rotor
AC Delco Plugs
PCV Valve
Plug Wires
Air Filter
Fuel Filter

Also, check your fuel pressure, you might have a leaky injector if your truck is a Vin W CPI Vortec.

I decided to replace the plugs myself (my first actual attempt at major work under the hood...well, major for me anyway). It has taken a couple hours, but I've finally got 5 of the 6 spark plugs replaced. I think I found the culprit behind my misfiring problem - 4 of the plugs were clean, but one was very badly corroded...there was no gap at all on this plug at all).

However, I am having a very difficult time reaching the last of the 6 spark plugs (it's the number 3 plug...i.e. the middle plug on the driver's side). I have no idea how to get this plug out (because there is practically no space for my socket to fit). I would just leave the old one in there, but I've read that you're not supposed to mix old and new plugs and I would really like to start off with a fresh batch. Do any of you have any ideas. Some photos of my predicament can be found at http://www.geocities.com/twistyboyshaven/sparkplug.html

Thanks for all your expert help!!!






Yip, I would invest your money into a full tuneup including:

Cap & Rotor
AC Delco Plugs
PCV Valve
Plug Wires
Air Filter
Fuel Filter

Also, check your fuel pressure, you might have a leaky injector if your truck is a Vin W CPI Vortec.

Disconnect the bottom of the steering shaft by removing the 11mm bolt and then telescope the shaft into itself. (remember to leave the steering wheel unlocked) It's keyed so it won't be a problem lining it up to put it back on. Then simply swing it upwards and remove the spark plug. Takes about 5 minutes.

Success!!! It took a little longer than 5 minutes to get the steering shaft loose (the bolt was a bit rusted). It turns out that the bolt threads had teflon tape on them, which caused me a LOT of difficulty in getting the nut off. I took off the tape before I reattached the nut because I didn't see any need for it (do you guys think I should have left it on?).

Anyway, I just want to thank everyone again for all their help. This is an awesome forum. This was my first labor-intensive maintenance work on my car. I'm no longer afraid to work on my car and have the confidence to do further work in the future. So you will be hearing from me again.

Thanks!

That wasn't pipetape, it was locktite... You want that locktite (buy it in a small tube) so that the bolt can't work it's way loose.