Wow I'm in a pickle. (Broke down truck) and a story.

[Atlas]

I think we're reaching the end of constant projects/work.

 

The water pump bolt appears to have self-sealed, as it's not leaking anymore. I'll take it, and, I'm ready should it self-unseal! I was also getting an oil leak at the front oil pan seal and timing cover and came to find a pan bolt on the corner wasn't even finger-tight. Too easy. And, it was. But, it appears tightening it has reduced a leak producing spots on the ground every time I parked, to just a weep, leaving an occasional dot on the cardboard that lives under it while parked. That's acceptable on a 30 year old engine in my book. I do hate leaks, but, replacing the pan seal is quite the job.

 

The rear washer line is reconnected and the sprayer works, although getting an intermittent washer fluid drip off the bottom. I think it's just residual...the reservoir filled up the channel in the rear floor and drained down into the upside-down spare tire/wheel. So there are residual puddles all over under there, will wait a few days for it to spill out and dry before I go chasing a potential leak.

 

The door speaker...no dice. Speaker works just fine, it's that channel in the factory amp that's gone bad. Can't win 'em all. And, whomever buys this will probably tear out the factory radio for something more modern anyway.

 

I put about 110 miles on it yesterday. Put a lot of wind and heat into it with some mountain driving. Still runs great. Near the top of the pass I got off on a gravel side road and put about 10 miles on with 4hi engaged. Works great.

 

If ya squint, she's mint! God I wish these were still in production. I can see why they're not. They're rudimentary bordering on agricultural. They began life as a pickup truck and then modern society demanded the rear be enclosed for kids and crap. They're still a pickup underneath, and that gives them lots of ride character, sway and bounce and bump steer. They're alive on the road, and, at least for purposes of nostalgia, it makes driving one a lot of fun.

 

The Check Engine light did come back on the pass, P0134 for the upstream O2 sensor dropping out. Putting heat into the exhaust causes it after about 10-15 seconds of increased load at higher RPM. The downstream sensor is completely mangled (someone clearly had a rough time removing it, but they didn't replace it?) so I'll just put two in it. For what, mostly to cure the CEL, I can tell the cat is damaged. It's not plugged or fractured, but it's not catalyzing. There's some guilt in not fixing it, but at a cost of $500+, the truck just won't get driven much under my watch. I dislike the smell...running the truck in the shop even with both doors open and the overhead fans blasting, I still reek of pre-cat exhaust. Sticks to clothing and everything else.

 

Window motor (I'm dreading this), and tires, and that should be about it. 50/50 on Starfire Solarus H/T's, or spending $20 more per tire and going with Cooper Discoverer RT's. I like the look of the RT's a lot more, but is it worth it? I've got a really good (just very old) Toyo Open Country XTX on there now and I like it.

 

[Grumpy Bear]

1 hour ago, Atlas said:

The Check Engine light did come back on the pass, P0134 for the upstream O2 sensor dropping out. Putting heat into the exhaust causes it after about 10-15 seconds of increased load at higher RPM. The downstream sensor is completely mangled (someone clearly had a rough time removing it, but they didn't replace it?) so I'll just put two in it. For what, mostly to cure the CEL, I can tell the cat is damaged. It's not plugged or fractured, but it's not catalyzing. There's some guilt in not fixing it, but at a cost of $500+, the truck just won't get driven much under my watch. I dislike the smell...running the truck in the shop even with both doors open and the overhead fans blasting, I still reek of pre-cat exhaust. Sticks to clothing and everything else.

 

O2's not working well will alter the AFR and make em stink. 

 

Drop that cat in a bucket of hot soapy water then pressure wash the internals, what you can reach. Brings a good many of them back to life if it's soot and not poisoned. 

[StingerZ16]

On 7/27/2026 at 7:17 AM, Atlas said:

spending $20 more per tire and going with Cooper Discoverer RT's. I like the look of the RT's a lot more

$80 for curb appeal and a sale?

[Atlas]

19 minutes ago, StingerZ16 said:

$80 for curb appeal and a sale?

 

Well, no, it's not much considering the curb appeal alone. I've got an appointment for Friday to have the Coopers put on. I also found out Discount Tire gives me $10/tire off for being an AAA member.

 

I'm not doing this to make a bunch of money, it's just for fun. But eventually I'll need to watch my costs. At some point it's just a 95 Blazer valued per pound, like the rest of them. But a slightly nicer, more "fun" looking tire could cinch a sale and win a few extra bucks too. I don't remember if I mentioned what I paid...$1500. I'd be lucky to get $3500-$4000 out of it and that's with $2100 in parts and tires, not counting $280 for taxes and registration. I really don't stand to make anything.

 

The new O2 seems to be working well. Didn't help the exhaust smell, though. Thankfully the seriously messed up downstream O2 sensor was just messed up. Threads in the bung were just fine, and a new one screwed right in (with extra anti-seize! -to be nice to the next guy).

 

 

[asilverblazer]

A running 4x4 here starts at 5K on Facebook. 

 

Off topic, Facebook and Craigslist here have been poisoned with ridiculous asking prices and no low-ballers junk sellers. 

[Atlas]

39 minutes ago, asilverblazer said:

A running 4x4 here starts at 5K on Facebook. 

 

Off topic, Facebook and Craigslist here have been poisoned with ridiculous asking prices and no low-ballers junk sellers. 

 

 

Those sites are hellscapes, for sure... It's mostly all noise. 

 

There are still some decent finds out there, but they go quickly. I'm fairly certain the Blazer will be my last adventure in buying fixer-uppers. Doing it for the sport and enjoyment takes a lot of time/energy. I've had my fun. But this isn't a market I want to be in.

 

The buyers can be just as bad as the crazy ads. The kind who text you at 11 at night asking if you'll take half your asking price and the rest of the bag of chips they're eating. Or if you'll take payments.

 

[Atlas]

New tires are on, Cooper Discoverer Road+Trail AT's in 235/75/15. $100 per tire, after $10 AAA discount. Plus install ($100), disposal fees, and taxes.

 

The new tires ride nice. Catch 22, new tires, I love it again! But I feel like I've been through the wringer with this rig, and maybe I don't need this kind of headache right now. Wait until tomorrow, I'll probably love it again and keep it another week.

 

Never a dull moment: Got a CEL driving to the tire shop, P0172 bank 1 too rich. Oh lordy, really? I've been enjoying an emoji-free dash for too long, apparently. I popped the hood at the shop and I think there was a vacuum leak very close to the intake. Cleared the code and put a bunch of miles on it going home, code never returned. My fix was zip-tying the line on the vacuum reserve ball because the hose won't stay seated. It's either that or the fuel pressure regulator has an issue again or an injector is leaking. See why I'm getting tired of this one?!

 

In the gas price thread I recorded 19mpg on the last tank in fairly mixed driving and some higher-speed highway (70). I also don't have the lower engine shield installed right now, and that would help with diverting a lot of wind underneath the truck.

 

Not too long ago, a green '96 4-door 4x4 came up for sale with less than 1,000 actual miles. There was a story there but it was real, and the place wanted like $25k for it. Would be fun to have a NICE example of one of these, but not too nice. The joy is driving them.

 

That's it for a while...family and social stuff all weekend, no time to play with my Hot Wheels in the garage for the next couple of days.

 

 

 

[Atlas]

Any joy with this truck seems to be short-lived.

 

The CEL for P0172 ("bank 1" too rich) is now "intermittent".

 

I'm not sure where to check, or re-check, and my energy to keep chasing problems with junk is wearing thin. The P0172 seems to set as I'm coming to a stop, completely off the throttle, when fully warm. At least, that's what it's done the 3? times it's set.

 

Everything appears normal on the scanner EXCEPT long term fuel trim. There's only one bank on this vehicle because it's an OBD 1.5 with only one upstream O2 sensor. At idle, it's around -16.4% and will dip to -18% occasionally at idle or off-throttle. LTFT approaches 0 when throttle is held at 2500rpm. Short term appears normal, much closer to zero all the time. The LTFT tells me the engine is running rich at idle but compensating at higher load. But, why?

 

The EVAP purge valve doesn't appear to be leaking/sucking fuel vapor continuously. Is it sticking just as I come to a stop and the engine is choking on fuel vapor and sets the P0172? But that doesn't explain the persistently negative LTFT. Disconnecting the purge valve doesn't seem to make any difference.

 

I suppose that leaves another dang issue with the fuel injector. A leaking fuel pressure regulator, a new leak in the spider, or a leaking fuel injector/poppet valve I didn't see, or a small crack in one of the spider legs.

 

The vacuum line leading to the fuel pressure regulator doesn't have raw fuel in it. It doesn't even smell like fuel when it's pulled off, not until you suck air through it, then you can tell it leads to a fuel component. I'd consider that normal? Nothing is signaling this is a FPR issue from the outside, at least.

 

The oil smells like fuel but it's not building volume. I've noticed most oil in most engines smells like fuel to some degree so it's hard to say if the smell is an issue or not. Or if the engine just still smells like fuel because the crankcase was full of it a few hundred miles ago. But it's been changed twice since that original issue of the leaking fuel line dumping fuel into the intake.

 

Patience is running very thin. Every win seems to be accompanied by two steps backwards, or another issue that leads to removing at least the top half of the intake manifold. Enough! LOL

Edited yesterday at 02:09 AM by Atlas

[richard wysong]

Is it time to put a piece of tape over the CEL? 

[Atlas]

I'd have a hard time selling it like this, I think. The CEL is very occasional but I can imagine someone buying this thinking it's going to get them from A to B and then it gives them trouble a few days later.

 

I still need to fix the starter...that's just embarrassing.

 

The front oil weep/leak...well, it's an old vehicle. I'd fix that if it didn't literally involve dropping the front axle or unmounting the engine and lifting it up several inches for access. It can leak for now.

[asilverblazer]

20 minutes ago, Atlas said:

I'd have a hard time selling it like this, I think. The CEL is very occasional but I can imagine someone buying this thinking it's going to get them from A to B and then it gives them trouble a few days later.

Keep clearing the code and driving it to build more data on circumstances, the problem may become more constant, reveal itself or cause more symptoms that make diagnosis easier.

[Atlas]

So, do I go elbow-deep on this thing or list it for sale and play dumb? Seems to "runs good."

 

I'm about $1200 away from having:

-a rebuilt injector ($300)

-a new cat ($250)

-a new cat back exhaust (OE style) ($300)

-a new AC compressor ($200)

-AC refrigerant charge ($150)

 

In theory, this should rectify the obvious detracting issues from its value and operability. Cold AC with a non-squeaking AC pulley both sounds and feels good. An exhaust that isn't cut/hacked in 17 different places and doesn't vibrate on a crossmember would make it sound and feel less janky. A working cat would help the stink, and will save the earth, but *if and only if* the fuel system is working properly, which would also address the intermittent "rich" CEL.

 

Heard a good one... CEL for "Rich condition" means you haven't spent enough money on the truck lately, and it's letting you know.

 

Rebuilding the injector would seem to be the most important part. Replacing the cat would be secondary. I don't think mine is plugged or overly restricted, but it might be a little restricted? I have no good way to tell other than seat of the pants feel. I hate the smell.

 

The current theory is I have a rich idle problem: A bad fuel pressure regulator, or a leaking injector(s) being the highest probabilities. I already replaced the FPR but that doesn't mean its replacement isn't also bad. It was a new part from Dorman, but the packaging looked like it had been sitting on a shelf for 20 years.

 

This is the (single) upstream O2 sensor shown at idle. I'm getting a lot of "rich" it seems. Sometimes it stays high like that and doesn't drop down. That makes me think it's processing injector leaks or a partially stuck open injector.

 

 

Other times it looks like this. Nice oscillations between rich and lean, which is what I think it should be. Under load and at speed, the oscillations are nice and tight and uniform looking, high and low.

 

 

Fuel trims suggest the PCM is compensating pretty hard at idle to pull fuel out. But it's not enough to trip a CEL. Something about slowing to a stop: brake vaccum booster, EGR, or the EVAP purge is delayed, or there's pooled fuel in the intake again that's draining into a cylinder is enough to set the CEL. Of course, in two days of driving, it hasn't set. I was hoping to actually look at the freeze-frame data when it sets. IAT is high because it's idling on an 83 degree day here.