'86 Blazer not starting. quick question

[roamingaz]

My friend in New Mexico calls me and tells me she is getting divorced and needs to get her old truck running again, so I tell her to have it towed to my house and I will work on it.....
The old Blazer did run when parked but the soon to be ex did a lot of piss poor work on it. It is in ok condition for a 1986 Blazer that has been parked for 3 years in a dirt field.

I put a new battery in it and the selanoid only made some clicking sounds. Took the starter off and it tested bad so I put in a new starter and it makes more noise but still not turning over. I am thinking the engine may be siezed up from sitting too long and not being started but thats my question to you all. Do you think it it would freeze up from lack of starting, and is there anyway to break it free to get it started?
My friend really doesn't want to put a lot of money into it and I am basicly just trying to get it running so I can sell it for her.

 

[chasespeed]

If its been sitting that long, check your electrical connections... particularly the grounds from teh engine to the frame, to the batt, hot lead to the starter.

ALSO, you can try to turn the engine by hand....if it doesnt turn over by hand... pull the plugs and put some ATF in the cylinders, let it sit, and try to turn it by hand again....

OR, you could remove the inpsection plate from the trans, access the fly wheel, and use a prybar to move it......

Chase

 

[hillbillyjake]

if it has the hei ignition, which i think an 86 should have, change the control module under the distributor cap. i craked for along time on my old 84 before swapping this out to fix the problem. i think it was around $15 at napa.

hope this helps.

 

[78Bronco]

First thing you should have done was pull the spark plugs and try to turn over by using a breaker bar at the crank. If it doesn't move then the pistons are seized. You can spray some penetrating oil down there and let it sit for a couple days then try to turn over by hand again. This method will best determine if the engine is seized with the plugs removed there is no compression and easy to feel the condition of the engine. If you get it moving then I would suggest leaving the plugs out and crank it over with the starter to get some "fresh" oil moving through the engine prior to it firing up at 700 rpms right away. Once you can get turning over then you can start diagnosing the other issues.

My old 351M got moving again by this method and it still doesn't burn any blue from a cold start after sitting for 5 years.

 

[jp0863]

I second the idea of penetrating oil. which engine does it have? i only ask because the 6.2 diesel is notorious for this. I have had 3 in the last couple years that were "seized" according to the previous owner. Once i sprayed them and lit it sit for a few days, they turned over easily.

 

[roamingaz]

it has the 350 engine.
I attempted to get it to turn over with a breaker bar and no luck, but I didn't remove the spark plugs either so that could be why.
I will removed the plugs and spray it with some lube and let it set for a day or so and then give it a try with the breaker bar again.


I may just stop messing with it and sell it as is for $1500

 

[dbreid]

I have had several of these trucks, and own two currently (One Suburban with the 350, and a K30 with the 454).

Your first move is to pull ALL the plugs, stick it in neutral and turn it over by hand. You'll never be able to spin it against compression.

Then, as stated, do the penetrating oil thing, and then check all your ground straps. Sand them, clean them, and make sure the wires themselves are good to go.

After that, it should crank. Might not start, of course, but it should crank. If it does (and doesn't fire)...

Then replace the Cap, Rotor, and possibly the coil (on top of HEI). I doubt that is bad, but you never know. These trucks have notoriously bad caps and rotors.

Then do all the normal BS like checking plugs, wires, fuel lines (probably totally gummed up).

I'd also take this opportunity to pour a bunch of Dry Gas in the tank. My guess is the gas in that tank is gross, and the stuff in the lines it varnished.

Good luck!

-Dan

 

[EdoHart]

Like others said, get it turning by hand without the spark plugs. 3 year old gas can be pretty nasty, clogging small orifices with varnish. I would drain the gas tank and put in fresh gasoline. You may want to use a liberal amount of carburetor cleaner in the carburetor (or fuel injection components), let it soak for a while, then crank the engine to clean out any of that varnish. You may have to repeat the carburetor cleaner a few times. If you get it running, I suggest you run a few tanks of fuel system cleaner in the gasoline.

 

[rparker762]

I would suggest dropping the tank and checking it out. I bought my 84 Blazer that had been sitting for 3 years. When I picked it up it was running but a few days later it stopped. Long story short, I ended up dropping the tank only to fing the bottom inch was rusted sludge. Replaced it with a 31 gallon tank. I say, drop the tank, replace all filters, pump fresh gas through the lines and pump, and clean out the carb. Everything I did. Doing it first could save you a lot of headaches, unlike me....

Hope you get it running.