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86 K5 - Suggestions on replacement parts?

mrwilliamsburg33

mrwilliamsburg33

1/2 ton status
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Williamsburg, KY
So I bought an 86 K5 this past summer to drive this winter. I want to fix it back close to stock with a few minor modifications. So, have an open discussion on what you think I should or need to do.

The biggest *problem* I have right now is that my tranny hits hard whenever I put it into gear out of park. If I let it warm up and the let the rpm's come down before I shift, the *hit* isn't so bad. I've had suggestions from slack in the transfer case, u-joints needing replacing, and engine and/or transmission mounts being shot. I haven't crawled up under it to check everything out since its been averaging sub-freezing temperatures and my money flow is a little low.

Anyways, throw me some help and suggestions on the blazer and things to check for to maintain and/or replace.

Thanks!
 
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you pretty much got it covered.check it out and let us know.if you dont let the rpms come down to where the torque converter hits its stall speed,it will always jump into gear from neutral.if its above 1000 it will jump unless you put in a higher rpm stall converter or change the way the engine runs if that is the problem.being a 86 you can adjust the rpm down a lil and see if it helps.where is the idle now?
 
I'm not real sure where the idle is set to right now. I don't have a tach so I don't know how fast I'm spinning. But I do know that my choke is set to run higher when I start it so it'll warm up. The guy I bought it from had put a new carb on it and the TV cable was screwed up. I was busy at the time and couldn't work on it so I dropped it off to my mechanic and told him to check out the cable and adjust the carb (since it wouldn't want to run otherwise). Got the carb working good and he fixed the cable as far as I know. I don't know much about tweaking it, but at least I have a passing gear now. Before, I could hold it to the floor while going up a hill and it wouldn't change gears.

How much should I be able to turn my driveshaft while parked? If I climb under there and start checking things out and the shaft barely moves, is that still ok?
 
There's a little slack in the system. The shaft should turn just a little bit.
 
Oh, and random thought - I always drive mine in D and then shift it to OD when I'm at a sustained 50+ mph. Less stress on the trans.
 
well sometimes when your trans is heading south they will do that pretty hard, id hope for bad joints and bushings
 
After letting mine warm up, put it in reverse and it had a thump to it. Take off in drive, it would shift fine to second, but if you catch the revs just right it would slam into third.
Of course it started after the warranty was up.
Doesn't mean that's what is wrong with your rig, just a possibility.

wheels
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Oh, and random thought - I always drive mine in D and then shift it to OD when I'm at a sustained 50+ mph. Less stress on the trans.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing. Always have actually. Even on the old 95 gmc pickup I used to own. Just does better.

79bonanza said:
well sometimes when your trans is heading south they will do that pretty hard, id hope for bad joints and bushings
Click to expand...
I'm hoping for the same thing... haha. Mine just hits when I put it in gear so hopefully its something simple.

wheels87k5 said:
After letting mine warm up, put it in reverse and it had a thump to it. Take off in drive, it would shift fine to second, but if you catch the revs just right it would slam into third.
Of course it started after the warranty was up.
Doesn't mean that's what is wrong with your rig, just a possibility.

wheels
Click to expand...

After I let mine warm up and tap the gas to let the rpm's come down, it almost shifts normally. It shifts fine going down the road too, other than being a little slow at times. It sometimes hesitates like it is trying to shift, pauses, then goes. Don't really know what that is either.


Note: I tried quoting everyone but not sure if I done it right. How do you all quote multiple people in one reply?
 
Hit that button on each message you want to quote and then either hit Quote or New Reply to go to the reply section with all of them quoted.

Checked your trans fluid? Sounds to me like it MIGHT be slipping a little. May just need a filter and fluid change. However I'd definitely check the bushings and such.
I wish I could tell you how to adjust the TV cable correctly but I think mine is incorrect as well. There's several write ups on here about it.
 
Ok, another quick question... When I apply the brakes, the blazer wants to chatter kind of like it has warped rotors, plus it wants to pull to the right if I have to hit them harder than normal. Just check the pads or what? I had the soft brake lines replaced up front last time it was in the shop.
 
How's the steering parts? Checked your frame for cracks by the steering box?
 
Random thought but these always pull to the right, even when new. I have a review somewhere from one of the car shows of a brand new '89 K5 and they commented that under hard braking it pulled to the right. Think it's the nature of the steering.

That said, loose steering components can show their hands during hard braking.
 
Yea, that would make sense if the steering had tendencies to pull right and everything was starting to wear. Did you put that steering brace on yours from ORD?
 
Yep. That and the XJ shaft tightened it up quite a bit.
 
I got one from someone on here a few years ago and modified it.
 
ANother 86 owner here, I had the same problem with the clunk when shifting into drive or reverse. One day my hood was open, and i shifted into drive and saw my engine move 4 inches to the right. Today, i finally got around to replacing both engine mounts and the tranny mount. Totally fixxed the problem, all three mounts were totally shot. i checked the driveline, rear end, shafts, u joints, all that. ended up it was the mounts, and i only saw it cause my hood was open!
 
Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that they would be the root cause to all that... that's pretty serious. I might try that later, get a buddy to watch as I shift, that's a good idea. If I could get that thump to go away and get my brakes and steering better, I think I would have a pretty good blazer. (putting the rust aside that needs fixing in the floor, and the paint that will be needed in the future)

My brakes are just weird. I've yet to take a look at all of it up front yet, but they seem to "lobe" real bad at slower speeds, almost like they grab and let go, thats what it feels like anyways.

New problem last night, my heat decided to crap out. This happened about a month ago and I replaced the thermostat and filled it all back up with coolant, and the problem was solved. I got back home late last night and didn't get a chance to look everything over. I check it out at lunch and see what I've got. The last time, the radiator was low on coolant so I guess its possible that that was the problem before, not enough fluid to flow. Could be that again, but if it is, I guess I need to find a coolant leak somewhere now....
 
If the coolant leak is not obvious on the outside of the truck, start checking the floor on the passenger side. Heater cores will do that, and if you get low on coolant it is usually the first thing to quit.
 
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