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1989 K5 - Gradual Learning

First 4x4 - learning basic maintenance / upkeep and maybe some small mods.
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You could try some brake cleaner on a qtip. You only need to clean of the terminal ends.

I have heard of too much dielectric grease causing misfire issues.
 
Capt Ron said:
We moved the dist when I was down there the last time fixing a no start condition. Now that we fixed the vacuum leaks and cracked spark plugs we are gonna have to reset the timing.
Click to expand...

Do we have to reset timing because I replaced cap and rotor, or because of something else? I am honestly sort of excited, I have never set timing before.
 
imiceman44 said:
I don't know about that.
Dielectric grease is a conductor grease to make a better contact.
Not sure about how it works on hi discharge like a spark plug but I don't think it's the problem.
Did you move the distributor at all?
Any vacuum hose not connected?
Are plugs gapped properly?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the questions man.

I didn't move the distributor cap to my knowledge. When installing the new rotor I pulled off the old and popped on the new. For what it is worth the rotor was "pointing" toward about the 7 o'clock position. Not sure that matters but figured I'd mention it. Cap was installed into the same two screw holes as it was removed from so I hope I'm good there.

All vacuum hoses are connected. Some of them are a little ratty so I have a to do item to replace them. Hat off to Ron for finding those issues last time he was over.

You'll be proud of me, I did indeed check the spark plug gap on all of the new plugs before installing. Had to adjust just one that was slightly wider than 0.035.
 
double check 5 and 7, both ends, they are right next each other in the firing order and will run that way. If 5 o'clock position is 1 tdc you are fine if it's not you may have late ignition timing, and that would show as down on power. dielectric grease is ok on both ends. esp in wet environment. just can't squish out and get all over, it will allow spark to go the easiest route which is not the spark plug.

Good job tackling this. waiting to see the results
 
Tonight I went out and did a few things:

  1. Double-checked that everything was firmly connected and that the firing order / plug connections were correct. I found that the wire that connects the distributor cap to the coil wasn't fully seated. Popped that on firmly.
  2. I pulled the spark plug wire ends that were connected to the distributor. I shoved a shop rag into the ends of each one and also wiped down the distributor cap connections. Just trying to make sure I didn't have too much grease in there. I doubt that was actually causing any sort of problem but I did it anyhow.
  3. Took it for a test drive, still no power.
  4. Let the engine cool down, cut all of my zip-ties holding the wires, and flipped each wire one at a time. Added new zip-ties back in place to keep everything orderly.
  5. Took it for a test drive again. Definitely had more power than before, so I think my wires were indeed on backward. Stupid me.
I am not out of the hole yet. When doing the final test drive, the Blazer was taking a long time to shift. It was revving really high before shifting up. I didn't want to press it too much so I just went around the block and came back home. Also, at one point during the drive when I was applying pressure to the gas pedal, the Blazer felt like it died for just a second and then kept going. It lurched from the sudden loss of power and then just came back alive immediately.

At this point I am confident that my spark plugs are in firmly, that the wires are attached correctly (not backward), and that the wires are in the correct order for the firing order. I am starting to think something is up with my distributor rotor or timing. Not sure what to check out next.
 
shima said:
Tonight I went out and did a few things:

  1. Double-checked that everything was firmly connected and that the firing order / plug connections were correct. I found that the wire that connects the distributor cap to the coil wasn't fully seated. Popped that on firmly.
  2. I pulled the spark plug wire ends that were connected to the distributor. I shoved a shop rag into the ends of each one and also wiped down the distributor cap connections. Just trying to make sure I didn't have too much grease in there. I doubt that was actually causing any sort of problem but I did it anyhow.
  3. Took it for a test drive, still no power.
  4. Let the engine cool down, cut all of my zip-ties holding the wires, and flipped each wire one at a time. Added new zip-ties back in place to keep everything orderly.
  5. Took it for a test drive again. Definitely had more power than before, so I think my wires were indeed on backward. Stupid me.
I am not out of the hole yet. When doing the final test drive, the Blazer was taking a long time to shift. It was revving really high before shifting up. I didn't want to press it too much so I just went around the block and came back home. Also, at one point during the drive when I was applying pressure to the gas pedal, the Blazer felt like it died for just a second and then kept going. It lurched from the sudden loss of power and then just came back alive immediately.

At this point I am confident that my spark plugs are in firmly, that the wires are attached correctly (not backward), and that the wires are in the correct order for the firing order. I am starting to think something is up with my distributor rotor or timing. Not sure what to check out next.
Click to expand...
The almost died when you give it gas is definitely a problem with the timing, and/or throttle body adjustment.
I want to say timing in your case
 
imiceman44 said:
The almost died when you give it gas is definitely a problem with the timing, and/or throttle body adjustment.
I want to say timing in your case
Click to expand...

I am wondering if I did not pop the new rotor on at the exact same angle (or o'clock position) that the old one was at before. I tried making sure they were pointing the same way, but perhaps I missed it by a little bit.
 
I forget what year you are working with, and not sig line on my mobile.
But iirc 84? 88? TBI so you have the small cap with separate coil. The rotors on these distributor are pita to remove. I suppose it could be forced on in the wrong spot, but I don't recall ever seeing that. I have seen them not pushed on all the way, but cap shouldn't fit if that is the case.
There could be a problem with the drive gear roll pin.
But I would double check 1# top dead center, with number 1 post on cap before getting in deep.
Also make sure dist body is tight and can't turn.
 
Capt Ron said:
We moved the dist when I was down there the last time fixing a no start condition. Now that we fixed the vacuum leaks and cracked spark plugs we are gonna have to reset the timing.
Click to expand...
I can come by after work tonight around 5, send me a text if that works for you.
 
Just a quick update for you all...

Ron came by on Tuesday. We marked the harmonic balancer with green paint pen and he showed me how to use a timing light. It was pretty cool, I had never checked timing before. Unfortunately for us, the Blazer's timing was all over the place. The mark we made on the harmonic balancer would show up before the 0 degree tick mark, then it would show up after it. The timing was not consistent. Ron was moving the distributor and it seemed like the Blazer's RPM wasn't responding correctly to his changes. So, Ron left that night and asked me to find and disconnect the EST wire according to the directions on the factory sticker.

Today I went outside and found the EST wire. It was attached to a large wire loom that travels right behind/near the brake booster. Had to use a combination of the Haynes manual and YouTube to find it, but I ended up getting it disconnected. When I tried firing up the Blazer, it wouldn't start. I remembered that Ron and I were messing with the distributor and figured that the timing was probably too far out of whack for it to start. So, I texted Ron with a dumb question and he told me to try turning the distributor clockwise a little ways and to try again. The Blazer fired up and idled really smoothly. The RPMs sounded pretty damn high for being in Park, but other than that it was smooth as butter. I tried moving the distributor while it was running, and once again it didn't seem to react all that much to what I was doing. Later in the afternoon, I reconnected the EST and took it for a test drive. It was a little jank at first, especially when hitting the brake - I thought it was going to die on me again like it did last time. But the longer I drove, the better it felt.

Anyhow, my next step is to get my hands on a timing light - I'll probably just pick up one from Harbor Freight tomorrow. Then I'll come home, disconnect the EST again, and set the timing as best I can according to the factory instructions. I am hoping to use the timing light to see the paint pen, then climb up and move the distributor, and then check the paint pen again. The high RPMs in Park is another weird thing I have to figure out, but hopefully once I get the timing right it will sound more "normal".
 
I would get a better timing light than the HF. I had one and it didn't last. You'll need it for the K30 too, so might as well get a decent one.

Once you get timing set to 0 with the wire disconnected lock down the distributor and double check. Sometimes it will move when you tighten the clamp. Then plug the wire in.

You'll never get an accurate, stable timing with the timing wire connected because the ECU is constantly adjusting timing to make the best idle.
 
I picked up a timing light. Sorry to say I went cheap with HF. It was too cheap to ignore ($30!) Fingers are crossed it doesn't bite me in the ass.

Tonight I went out to start the Blazer and it wouldn't start. I figured it was flooded again so I removed the #3 plug (#1 is a pain to remove). It smelled a little gassy but not too bad. Then I decided heck I should remove #1 just like Ron did when he was over. When trying to get it out it snapped in half!

16031571678086132803580551499624.jpg

Once I got the other end out I noticed immediately it was covered in gas.

Next steps are to buy another plug (lol) and set timing. Will update you guys if I make any progress tonight.
 
yep they can do that, need to use a good spark plug socket, and make double sure it is all the way on the plug. once you break it loose, use 2 hands one on the ratchet head, you should be able to remove with the socket and short extension. When installing use and old straight spark plug boot(just pull off old wire) stick a 3/8 x 2" bolt in the wire side, use this to start your plugs. I guaranty you will never strip threads if you do this. Start plug, turn till boot slips, switch to socket turn by hand till plug bottoms out, then snug with a wrench.

Always save an old plug or two just for this reason. the best looking ones.
 
I'm out here trying to set timing. EST is disconnected. My idle is so incredibly high, not sure what the heck is going on. Letting it warm up right now.
 
I got it dialed in. This was really cool to do - it put a smile on my face to see the timing mark exactly where I wanted it.

Here is a video:

Timing Video


At first, I couldn't see the green at all even with the timing light. So I turned the distributor clockwise a bit and heard the RPMs drop. When I checked again, I was just a few degrees retarded so I turned the distributor back just a tiny bit and boom it was on the mark.

After setting the timing, I tried tightening the distributor bolt as best I could. That thing is a real son of a bitch. It's buried so deep that I had to use a long open-ended box wrench... but there's so much going on down there that I could only get it turned a tiny bit at a time. I still don't think I got it tightened down as much as I should have. @Wes Harden I looked at Harbor Freight while I was there but couldn't find the tool / wrench you were talking about in an earlier reply. Can you post a picture of what you were talking about? I think I might have to buy it just for the peace of mind. [EDIT: Nevermind, I found it. Just called a distributor clamp wrench at O'Reilly's.]

Anyhow, I tried firing it up afterward for a test drive. It was flooded again. Decided to call it a night - I'm tired as hell. I'll go out tomorrow, will pull a plug and clear the engine again, then try and take it out for a test drive. This thing is trying to kill me, I swear.
 
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Went out tonight and tried to start it, fired up immediately. Let it run for a few minutes and then shut it off. I wanted to tighten down the distributor bolt a little more with my new wrench.

So later that night after getting the distributor bolt turned all of 1/8th of a turn, I say okay let's go for a test drive. Crank the key and it starts and immediately dies. Try the key again and it just cranks. Hit the gas pedal a little bit and it starts but it's really struggling. I gotta keep my foot on the pedal to keep it alive.

My buddy is over and he's telling me that water and white smoke are coming out of my tail pipe when I'm cranking. He shot a short video and I'll post it up soon. I'm worried that I have a head gasket leak now. When it rains it pours.

EDIT: Tomorrow I am tempted to come out to the garage, start it, and immediately go for a 30+minute test drive. This thing hasn't moved more than 1000 feet in the past month. It's probably a load of shit but I want to stretch its legs and get all those cobwebs out. Probably a pretty bad idea though if I really have a head gasket leak.
 
Sounds to me like the injector/injectors are sticking or something else is causing it to run extremely rich. I'm not a tbi guy but on the multiport ford stuff I've done that's what they do when an injector fails wide open except once they fail that's it. They don't go back and forth like yours is.
 
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