s-10 blazer missing and sputtering...HELP

i have a chevy s-10 blazer and have really had no issues with it, until now. It just turned 170,000 miles and this morning when I got into it to take my daughter to school, it began. When under a load at idle it loses oil pressure and stutters. Thus the brakes have no stopping power. I am not saying they go to the floor. It has normal foot pressure but it's just not stopping. I have to put it in neutral and rev the engine to get brakes back. Once it's revved up, there are no issues and drives fine. But slowing to under 15pmh drops the oil pressure and engine stalls. It did this once before and after letting it sit for a while it was fine again. This has been happening all day though and now I am concerned. The "sevice engine light" is on too. In testing it out, while at a constant speed, the vehicle fluctuates like I am feathering the pedal. Any help out there?

i have a chevy s-10 blazer and have really had no issues with it, until now. It just turned 170,000 miles and this morning when I got into it to take my daughter to school, it began. When under a load at idle it loses oil pressure and stutters. Thus the brakes have no stopping power. I am not saying they go to the floor. It has normal foot pressure but it's just not stopping. I have to put it in neutral and rev the engine to get brakes back. Once it's revved up, there are no issues and drives fine. But slowing to under 15pmh drops the oil pressure and engine stalls. It did this once before and after letting it sit for a while it was fine again. This has been happening all day though and now I am concerned. The "sevice engine light" is on too. In testing it out, while at a constant speed, the vehicle fluctuates like I am feathering the pedal. Any help out there?

Go to Advance / PepBs / Zone parts store, and get the diagnostic code read.

Sounded like a vacuum leak till you said SES light is on.

Fluctuates? Like at a stoplight idling? Up and down rpm's?

yes when idling. The oil pressure mirrors the rpms and almost to the point of dying out then revs up and back down again. When it sounds like it's gonna die I have to feather the pedal and the same with taking off. Reverse is even worse.

yes when idling. The oil pressure mirrors the rpms and almost to the point of dying out then revs up and back down again. When it sounds like it's gonna die I have to feather the pedal and the same with taking off. Reverse is even worse.

Maybe a vacuum leak, and a separate code for another fault. The vac leak sets no specific code.

You can do the vac leak test right now...




Originally Posted by Schrade View Post
No one got the proper technique for vacuum leak detection...

FIRST (fully warmed up motor); block the gas pedal, or block the throttle linkage. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO GET A STEADY IDLE , around 1,250 rpms, or a little higher. If you don't, you can fish starting fluid, a propane hose, or WD40, or Krylon, or hair spray, or pee, anything, until you need a sweater in Hades, but if the motor is lopin' idle already from a vacuum leak, you ain't gonna' find any leak, unless it's so big that Little Jack Horner can stick his thumb in it and pull out a pineapple NOPE.

AFTER you get a steady idle, THEN, you can spray starting fluid everywhere - that's the best detector, because it's vapor pressure is very high - a LITTLE at a time, all around the motor, until you get the rpm SURGE. Follow the vacuum lines to the EVAP cannister too. You might even have to follow the EVAP lines from the EVAP cannister to the gas tank too, but that vacuum leak will show up as a DTC 32 EGR fault, and won't normally show as loping idle, unless the EVAP cannister has been by-passed (been there, saw that uh-HUH yup).

If you get a surge in a tight spot, and can't tell exactly where it is, light a book of matches, blow out the match heads while they're still burnin', and feed the smoke to the tight spot to see it get drawn in.

Fear not the starting fluid; you cannot put the can down fast enough and light the matches fast enough to catch the starting fluid, because the vapor pressure is so high.

Bookmark this post YUP.

Wrench Wizard OUT!

Thanks a bunch.....I will get on that first thing in the morning..gotta go get starting fluid (and matches...lol) and see if I can get codes at autozone. I will post to this thread when I have an update.

Hey I just parked in my garage. My exhaust smells like a rancid fire works smell. Is this also a symptom of the vacuum leak and running so horribly?

hey i just parked in my garage. My exhaust smells like a rancid fire works smell. Is this also a symptom of the vacuum leak and running so horribly?

y...

The fireworks smell is gas leaking into the intake from the plastic fuel injection lines in the plenum. you are smelling raw fuel and gunk boiling on top of the engine in the air intake plenum (out of your view). Stop using the vehicle until it can repaired as this can cause an engine fire!!