96 Chevy Blazer LT

[auntberber]

Our blazer has about 140K miles on it, and a few months ago, I filled it up with gas, and it started to sputter almost immediately after I pulled out of the parking lot of the gas station. I was 20 miles from home, so I continued to try to get it home. It got steadily worse, and I had to keep it floored so that it wouldn't stall out on me. Floored only got me about 30 mph. Anyway, on the way up a mountain, it finally died & it wouldn't restart. I had it towed to our mechanic & he said that the fuel pump was dead. Rather than spend $1000 in parts & labor, I had the blazer brought home so that my son could work on it.

So, we've replaced the fuel filter, fuel line, fuel pump, and gas tank (it was rusted through in some spots), and the fuel pump is working now...you can hear it when you try to turn the car on. However, it won't start. The distributor was loose (not loose enough for it to jump time), so we tightened it up. Still won't start. It smells like the engine is getting fuel, so I don't think the fuel system is the problem. The spark from the plugs are orange instead of blue....could I have a voltage problem on top of everything else?

Any suggestions you could give me on this would be great. I'm at my wit's end.

Thanks!

[DINO55]

Possible ignition coil or bad coil wire, Distributor Cap and rotor.
When was the last time you did a full tuneup?

[magnum3456]

im kinda sorta new to this stuff...but maybe the catalytic converter is all plugged up....ive had that happen before. hit the catalytic converter with your fist or something a few times and listen for stuff in it.

[auntberber]

It's been a while since it had a complete tune up. We change the oil every 3000 miles, but I'm sure it needs at the very least new plugs & plug wires. I'll replace the ignition coil, distributor, rotor, plugs & plug wires done this weekend. Thanks for your suggestion.

[auntberber]

Ok...so today we replaced the ignition coil, the distributor, cap & rotor, new plugs & plugwires, and it still won't start. It really acts like it's not getting any gas. Fuel pump was already replaced and you can hear it running. Fuel is coming through the fuel line (we tested that today too). We're just at a loss here. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

We poured gas into the carborater & it ran for a couple of minutes until that was gone & then it died again.

Is there any way to get a code without a scanner? We're too far away to take it in to a mechanic to have it scanned.

Thanks for any help you can give us.

[wolfox]

Have you pulled codes from the ECU computer? Did you check for a spark before you did all of this? Have you also checked fuel pressure delivery with the engine turned to "run" but not started? These are two, very simple things one can do to pinpoint what's going on rather than spending good money after bad trying to figure it out with litte return on your cash and efforts. I had performance issues,three times when just after fueling up and taking off. Once, it was a fouled and stuck EGR. Another time, it was a loose gas cap. Another time, it was an ignition module that went bad and would only go bad when the engine sat there, heat soaking. But without proper and thorough diagnosis - thowing parts in a shotgun manner will not cure the problem. Systematic, symptomatic work is needed - and KEEP NOTES... actions and tests on your behalf and resultant behaviors and fault codes from the truck will help you more than anything else.

[auntberber]

We're going to check the fuel pressure next. As far as codes go...is there a way to pull the codes without taking it to a mechanic?

Thanks!

[wolfox]

Places like AUtozone will check codes for free, but try to get them to give you any body codes' straight numbers - not their interpretation. Come back here with any codes present and we'll help you. The codes will look like P0xxx, the x's being any combination of numbers. THese numbers can be checked against a chart in our FAQ section to give you the real dirt....not some partsmonkey interpretation.

[rlith]

Actually you have MSFI not a carb... That said, if you poured gas down the throttlebody and it started, that means it's not getting fuel. Since you replaced your fuel pump we can probably eliminate that as a cause as well as a new fuel filter. And you're getting spark or it wouldn't have caught. So that really leaves 2 things. Either a bad regulator or your injector unit is bad.

[BlazerLT]

Fuel pressure should be 61-66psi with the key to on but the engine not started.

[TheBrettster]

Yea Chevys are know for the crappy fuel pumps. If you do a tune up i recomend AutoLite Dual Platnium, i used regular plugs and i noticed it had a small rough ilde so i went with the dual platnium's and the rough idle went away. The car runs better as well.

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by TheBrettster

Yea Chevys are know for the crappy fuel pumps. If you do a tune up i recomend AutoLite Dual Platnium, i used regular plugs and i noticed it had a small rough ilde so i went with the dual platnium's and the rough idle went away. The car runs better as well.

Nothing but AC Delco Platinums should be used on a 4.3L engine newer than 1996.

[Hendy11]

You said it wouldn't start after you put gas in it but it runs when you pour gas through it. Check to make sure there isn't excessive water in your new gas. Crappy independent gas stations will often skip draining the water from their undergorund fuel tanks and will cause the symptoms you are talking about.

[auntberber]

Well, we finally got it running again. I bought a remanufactured fuel pump the first go round cause it was half the price. Now I know why!! The fuel pump wasn't pumping the fuel. It was coming on, but it wasn't putting out enough pressure to start or run the engine. Once we replaced the pump, it's been running perfect ever since.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

[BlazerLT]

Hope it was an AC Delco pump you purchased.

Any of the others seem to only last about a year or two before failing.