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87 K5 lost power and died...Need help :(

Consciouseye

Consciouseye

Registered Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2006
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Location
Maryland
Update....I am pretty sure the engine is seized....I tried turning it from the crank and i can't budge it. I am very depressed right now.... :(

For those in Maryland....I will most likely put a new motor in next Spring...no sense in doing it now with winter around the corner. Can anyone recommend a reliable shop to have a new motor installed?

2nd option would be to sell it as is...I dont want to do that.

Good Evening Guys,

Just a quick background of my truck before my problem...

I have a 87 K5 Blazer with a 305 in it. Truck has about 157,000 miles. I recently changed the intake manifold gasket making sure we were careful not to get anything in the holes in the V when cleaning up. I had yet to change the oil.

I recently took a drive to Rausch Creek in Pennsylvania which is about 140 miles from my house. I ran through the trails all day and had no problems. When we were on our way home I noticed my truck was slowly loosing power. I would say the truck lost power over the course of about a half a mile. The truck finally lost all power and shut off before coming to a complete stop.

I tried to restart the truck but all I heard was a crank...Engine did not turn over.

Oil Pressure was fine...Did not overheat...The truck had oil...

I ended up having the truck towed back to my house.

Went out the next day and tried to start it...just a crank...engine would not turn over.

The Battery is fairly new and had a strong charge. I took the alternator off and took it to pep Boy's to have it tested...checked out just fine.

Any ideas of what to check next?

Thanks for looking...

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOrFXg99fIE
 
Last edited:
bad connection on the starter??

Bad ground

Anything electrical going to the starter or just a wire loose somewhere. TRy the little distribution block on the left side of the master cylinder

If i think of anything else i'll holler
 
could also be the solenoid.

could always try the screwdriver method (crossin the solenoid with a screwdriver)

Just be sure your fingers are clear ;)
 
First off. If the engine turns over, it's cranking. That may be nitpicky, but it helps for diagnosis. It means the starter works.

Do you hear your fuel pump run for a couple of seconds when you turn the key to run?
 
Dorian...Thanks for responding...When I turn the key all I hear is one "clunk"...I dont recall hearing the fuel pump which had me thinking it may have been deprived of fuel...let's hope...!
 
Bypass the fuel pump relay (should be able to find out how via search on this site) and see if the pump continues to run.

Even with a failed relay it should start (oil pressure switch is a failsafe) but I'm thinking more along the lines of the fuel pump if it gradually started getting worse.
 
Is it carbureted or fuel injected??? Being 87 i would think fuel injected but ya never know about the P.O

Still could be the starter solenoid since it isn't even turning over
 
It is fuel injected....I tried getting out there before it got too dark...going to try again tomorrow.
 
Consciouseye, given your response to Dorian it sounds like there is something wrong with your starting system or the motor is seized (granted that is worst case).

Lets use some common terms here so we are on the same page:
cranks = engine is spinning under starter power and may or may not start


Given your description it sounds like the engine is not cranking on the starter and you are simply hearing the starter engaging the flywheel with a "clunk" but the crank does not turn.

If that is correct then you need to look at the components of your starting system before you can start troubleshooting other systems like fuel pumps and such even if they may be bad and what caused your loss of power before the truck stopped running.

there are not too many things in the starting system:

Battery
Battery cables
Starter
Solinoid
Starter switch

Given your description (I am making some assumptions here) I think we can eliminate the starter switch as you here a clunk.

Battery, have you attempted to jump the truck with another car with a good battery? I know you said that it had a good charge but unless you load test the battery you really cant tell.

Battery cables, Make sure all connections are tight and clean. bad connections will generally show up as a hot connection or cable immediately after a failed start due to the increased current. Look for signs of head damage to insulation and such.

Starter, you may have to remove it and have it checked at your local parts house after you have eliminated all the obvious things.

Last thing before you remove the starter make sure the truck is in park or Neutral and attempt to turn over the engine by hand with a wrench on the harmonic balancer bolt from under the truck you should be able to turn the crank fairly easily with a 1/2 inch ratchet. If you can get the crank to move either direction a little bit the motor is most likely not seized.

If the motor DOES crank, Ignore every thing I said. ;)

Cheers,

Rufus
 
Rufus....

I think we are on the same page now...The engine does not crank...I indeed here a "clunk"...

Still keeping my fingers crossed hoping the engine is not seized.
 
Excellent, then start troubleshooting the starting system and go from there. Once the engine will crank we can troubleshoot the other issues with you.

Cheers,

Rufus
 
rufus beat me to the can you turn the engine over manually question. that is definetly the next thing i would check. what part of md are you in?
 
good deal, im right up the road in pylesville, approx 8 miles from hickory on rt543. pm me and i'll give you my cell # and if you would like i'll try and find some time in the next couple of days and stop in and give you a hand. if you get a chance try to spin it over by hand and see what happens. also when it was losing power was there any smoke or strange noises?
 
He did say he started losing power before it died. I would think becouse the fact he cannot crank it, and just gets a clunk, its possible it locked up. So if it is seized, either you overheated becouse of mud clogging your radiator, or possible your oil pump quit pumping. Your guages could have been faulty and you didnt even know it happen.
So the first thing is to see if the engine is locked.
If the engine still moves, then you need to try to jump it with another vehicle, change battery.
 
Well Consciouseye, That is depressing. Sorry for your loss. Definitely drop a motor of some type in there depending on your circumstances and skill level. Sorry I cant help with a reputable shop in your area but swapping a motor is not that hard and only needs hand tools and a rental of a cheery picker for a weekend.

After that the only question is…what do you want to drop in?
<Evil Laugh> MwaHaHaHa!!!!</Evil Laugh> :haha::D


Cheers,

Rufus
 
finally nice to see some md guys on here

Finally nice to see some md guys on here.. Im located in conowingo so were pretty close if you need a hand let me know
 
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