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First Car, have some questions | 1989 K5 Blazer

jeff in co said:
OK, so trying to post a HUD display on the Lexus forum. I go back to the Lexus forum and scratching my head....I could of sworn I posted those pics. :dunno:

I repost on Lexus forum and look over onto CK5....ah, that's where I posted!! :haha:

Man, too much multitasking today! Smoking ribs, checking some house wiring, forum junk and a beer! :saweet::woot:
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I am glad you cleared that up. I was about to call in a wellness check on you.
 
Can anyone point me in the direction of someone who can help with troubleshooting on my truck.

89’ K5.
Code 32 comes up every now and then after truck has been driven more than 15 minutes or so. Already replaced EGR valve. Could be map sensor?

Also, at cold start, oil pressure is right at 30, then the gauge just starts going further and further to 0 the warmer the engine gets. When the rpms go up, it jumps between 15-30. But at idle and coasting its bottomed out. No knocks, noises or rough idle.

I just gave her a good freshen up, oil change (10w40), plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Gonna put a mechanical oil gauge on it today, but I also read that you’re supposed to do that at cold starts. And my gauge works when cold.
 
You are on the right track. Change to a good working gauge and report back. Never messed with the tbi set ups, so can’t help there. However, egr issues can remain if there is a bad vacuum line. Have that issue on other platforms.
 
Code 32 possibilities:

The ECM will only check the EGR when going over 50 mph so you shouldn't get a code 32 when driving slower. You can get the code 32 if the EGR is plugged up, a vacuum leak at the base of the EGR, a crack in the hose from the EGR to the EGR solenoid, also leaks from other hoses from the TBI itself, a bad EGR solenoid, the EGR not plugged in, if you remove the cats and put in mufflers only (the EGR likes to see some back pressure from the exhaust and when the cats are removed it creates a lot less). Simple things to take care of that will keep the code 32 from happening. (With the exception of the cats.....not hard to replace or put back on but time consuming.)
 
You have a nice blazer there,as others have said,keep it maintained and close to stock,it will last you a long time,I have a 1990,completely stock,just well maintained,I have 255000 miles on it now,still running great,did replace all the valve seals not to long ago and a fuel pump and alternator,that's been about it,and tbi is very reliable
 
Hutch93 said:
Can anyone point me in the direction of someone who can help with troubleshooting on my truck.

89’ K5.
Code 32 comes up every now and then after truck has been driven more than 15 minutes or so. Already replaced EGR valve. Could be map sensor?

Also, at cold start, oil pressure is right at 30, then the gauge just starts going further and further to 0 the warmer the engine gets. When the rpms go up, it jumps between 15-30. But at idle and coasting its bottomed out. No knocks, noises or rough idle.

I just gave her a good freshen up, oil change (10w40), plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Gonna put a mechanical oil gauge on it today, but I also read that you’re supposed to do that at cold starts. And my gauge works when cold.
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Your oil pressure problem could be like mine, worn out bearings and/or oil pump.
Or could be a bad guage or sender.
 
I've seen a few engines at my friends shop that had those symptoms,oil pressure was OK after a cold start,but dropped steadily as the engine warmed up..he pulled the oil pan to inspect the bearings and found a lot of sludge at the bottom of the pan,and some clinging to the oil pump screen..his theory was the sludge solidifies overnight and stuck to the bottom of the pan,then it loosens up as it warms up and thins out some,and gets sucked up against the screen..

A few of the customers said to just replace the oil pump and screen and flush all the crap out of the oil pan--the other engines had the oil pump made into the timing cover and it would have been a very labor intensive project to replace it "in the vehicle" so he told them they may as well start saving up for a good used engine,and just run it for however long it lasted after cleaning the sludge out the best he could..
The engines started getting noisier and two of them spun bearings about a month later..
 
diesel4me said:
I've seen a few engines at my friends shop that had those symptoms,oil pressure was OK after a cold start,but dropped steadily as the engine warmed up..he pulled the oil pan to inspect the bearings and found a lot of sludge at the bottom of the pan,and some clinging to the oil pump screen..his theory was the sludge solidifies overnight and stuck to the bottom of the pan,then it loosens up as it warms up and thins out some,and gets sucked up against the screen..

A few of the customers said to just replace the oil pump and screen and flush all the crap out of the oil pan--the other engines had the oil pump made into the timing cover and it would have been a very labor intensive project to replace it "in the vehicle" so he told them they may as well start saving up for a good used engine,and just run it for however long it lasted after cleaning the sludge out the best he could..
The engines started getting noisier and two of them spun bearings about a month later..
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Been like this for a couple of years.
I just make sure I never idle, if I stop, I keep my foot on the throttle keeping some oil pressure
Icould change the screen and pump but I have a 454 waiting
 
coleman23 said:
Thanks for all the responses guys! I guess I should just leave it alone and not screw it up. Plus, I doubt this car is from Minnesota due to the lack of rust :D Guess I just got lucky

I made a quick little overview of my car if any of you are interested;

I am also interested in buying a soft top like this Skyler one, but from my research, I cannot find any for sale. Do you guys know anyone who would sell one, or even custom make one? Thanks.
attachment.php
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Nice Shape! Don’t change a thing!
 
imiceman44 said:
Been like this for a couple of years.
I just make sure I never idle, if I stop, I keep my foot on the throttle keeping some oil pressure
Icould change the screen and pump but I have a 454 waiting
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I think most all the vehicles he worked on that had this issue were Chrysler products ,the known "sludge bucket" V6 ones ,one was a Jeep with a V8...
Usually if this condition has been going on any length of time,the damage is already done,and my friend thinks cleaning the sludge out and a fresh oil change with the 5W-20 or 30 W oil was what finished them off sooner --they may have lived longer if he did nothing,or used thick oil like 20W-50...he's not had good luck trying "engine flush" or Rislone type products either,loosening all that crud up just lets it get pumped thru the whole engine...

He's had several cars with relatively low miles end up needing an oil pump,the type I mentioned built into the timing cover that runs off the crankshaft,and has a big gear with a smaller gear that rotates around the big one inside it..looks like an old kids toy "Spiro-Graph" gear arrangement!..
a crappy design as far as serviceability goes,you need to remove everything off the front of the engine,till you get to the block itself!..
Only a few of the cars had better oil pressure once fixed,the bearings were likely already scuffed and loose..
 
I’ve been having an issue with my car since I got it.

If my blazer sits for 3+ days, the battery will completely drain and I will have to jump it. The alternator charges the vehicle fine and it will start the next day, but if it sits for half a week it is completely dead. The lights on the dash struggle to turn on.
I think there is a lot of aftermarket wiring in vehicle but I have not checked. Currently, the previous owner has installed:
Kenwood cd/aux radio
Kelsey device (no clue what this is, looked it up and seemed to be a trailor brake, when switch is flipped a little light turns on for a split second)
Possible aftermarket speakers

Can you guys help me proceed from here? What should I do?

Here are some images
In engine bay, drivers side on fire wall https://i.imgur.com/lthk9PR.jpg

Under dash by above pedals https://i.imgur.com/W69qGE1.jpg https://i.imgur.com/pLDZc4g.jpg


Trailor brake? https://i.imgur.com/dw24inV.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ofju68u.jpg

Thanks
 
coleman23 said:
I’ve been having an issue with my car since I got it.

If my blazer sits for 3+ days, the battery will completely drain and I will have to jump it. The alternator charges the vehicle fine and it will start the next day, but if it sits for half a week it is completely dead. The lights on the dash struggle to turn on.
I think there is a lot of aftermarket wiring in vehicle but I have not checked. Currently, the previous owner has installed:
Kenwood cd/aux radio
Kelsey device (no clue what this is, looked it up and seemed to be a trailor brake, when switch is flipped a little light turns on for a split second)
Possible aftermarket speakers

Can you guys help me proceed from here? What should I do?

Here are some images
In engine bay, drivers side on fire wall https://i.imgur.com/lthk9PR.jpg

Under dash by above pedals https://i.imgur.com/W69qGE1.jpg https://i.imgur.com/pLDZc4g.jpg


Trailor brake? https://i.imgur.com/dw24inV.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ofju68u.jpg

Thanks
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You are correct. Trailer brake controller. You can remove it and all associated wiring if you want. I would.
 
Id get a DVM out and measure current draw in the off position. Start pulling fuses, and unplugging things until the current drops drastically. I can't remember what no load current should be.
 
I redid the stereo and I think ive fixed the problem, but I have also been driving it more often so its hard to tell.

Im still lost for more power. My relatives say to switch it to a carb/tuned port injection, and get new heads, cams, and headers. Im only working for around 100-150 more hp from its stock 200. Is TBI so much better than carbs to keep? how hard is the swap if it is worth it? any alternative routes to get more power?
 
That thing is so clean I hate to see it get altered for some street power. I'm not sure tbi had even 200 hoarses. But I always figured who needs hoarses when you can have gears. But that's all personal preference. What I really wanted to say is make sure you keep that thing clean of salt or whatever it is that eats up vehicles with the cancer up there. Maybe get a pressure washer?
 
coleman23 said:
I redid the stereo and I think ive fixed the problem, but I have also been driving it more often so its hard to tell.

Im still lost for more power. My relatives say to switch it to a carb/tuned port injection, and get new heads, cams, and headers. Im only working for around 100-150 more hp from its stock 200. Is TBI so much better than carbs to keep? how hard is the swap if it is worth it? any alternative routes to get more power?
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Your relatives are wrong. Don't switch to a carb, it will probably make less power. For good reliability and driveability the TBI you have is what you want. Tons of guys swap to TBI because carbs suck. Your 175,000 mile motor is tired and never made much power from the factory. Your truck also weighs 5000lbs. If you are thinking heads cam etc. you should just go to a crate motor that has matched parts and proven power. Throwing some aftermarket parts at a old stock bottom end is a recipe for a motor that really doesn't make any power. If it was easy to get 150hp we would all have done it. It takes more than bolt ons for that kind of power increase.
 
coleman23 said:
Im still lost for more power. My relatives say to switch it to a carb/tuned port injection, and get new heads, cams, and headers. Im only working for around 100-150 more hp from its stock 200.
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L98 (TPI) was 245HP/345ft lbs
L05 (TBI) 210/300
L31 (Vortec 1996-2002) 255/330 (initially, I believe Ramjet numbers are quite a bit higher)

Given nearly a decade of technology (1987 square body TBI to 1996 Vortec) 45HP was what GM could muster. And that's the difference between roller cam, multi-port injection, and massively better heads. Asking for 100+ HP is going to involve a lot more than just swapping induction. Properly designed for the task at hand, carb and EFI are going to be neck and neck in terms of power potential. Except EFI is going to be far more enjoyable to drive day in and day out.
 
I guess I’ll just wait for the day to come when a new motor is needed and come back with questions. Thanks again
 
What you should be investigating is how hard, or easy it would be to swap in an ls engine from a tbi set up. Don't be in a hurry to do it but just learn all about it and start collecting parts.
 
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