I have two problems with my 1999 Chevy Blazer 6 Cyl 4wd: car door and engine stalling
Car door:
When I align the door latch with the striker, I can close the door. But after I slam the door to close it a few times, the latch moves around so it is not aligning with the striker so I can’t close the door anymore. I have to move the latch to align with the striker again. How do I stop the latch position from moving around?
When I press the lock/unlock button on the door switch, I can lock and unlock all doors except the front driver door. I can manually pull up and down the lock on the door but it is not responding to the door switch. What’s the problem here? door switch, rod, latch, actuator, or wire?
Stalling:
When I start the engine, the car will run for about 1 minute or a few minutes at most, and it will just randomly shut off. I can put the key back in and start it again no problem. But same thing will happen and I think it shuts off even faster. I just noticed there is fuel leaking near the edge of the fuel tank. I think it only leaks when car is running. If you go to the back of the car and look down at the fuel tank, it is leaking at the bottom edge.
The area where it is leaking looks kinda burned and black rust buildup? It is not leaking a lot, looks like just continuous little bit dripping at the bottom edge. Maybe it is leaking because it is too old and corrosion/rust caused a small leak? This is a 1999 Chevy Blazer so I expect everything under the car to look dirty and old. Can I fix it with epoxy or something?
Can a leak like this cause the car to randomly shut off? I can start the car no problem every time but it will die after a few minutes. I checked the fuel pressure and it looks like it is at 54 psi. engine off key on, and idle psi are both 54. Is 54 ok or just a little bit too low to keep the car running? I just changed the fuel filter and I can hear the fuel pump priming.
regarding your door:
These are very heavy doors. open your door, and have someone look at the inside of the hinges as you pick up and lower the outer edge of the door (pick up on the end near the latch.) If the hinges are shot, they will be able to see play in the hinges. They sell hinge replacement kits for these. If the hinge is solid and the door itself is moving (or the door frame,) then bigger decisions need to be made.
Your fuel leak should be of great concern. ANY link can be fatal in the right circumstances.
I’d bet the pipes have rusted and you have a pinhole leak. No amount of epoxy will fix that. Replacing the pump and sender assembly is the only fix. Check the pressure lines for rust, too.
I forgot to mention the car door is sagging. I think it is because of worn door pins and bushings. I can lift the door up to align the latch with the striker. I think the latch moves out of position because I am slamming the door to close it.
Fuel is leaking from the fuel tank. If you go to the back of the car and look at the fuel tank, it is leaking at the bottom corner, just a little bit of continuous dripping so I don’t think it is a big leak. Can I use epoxy to fix it?
Even little drops of gasoline are highly flammable. Not to mention the fumes. One guy tossing a lit cigarette on the ground could spark a fire, or worse.
This is not something to delay or try and cheap out on. Go and get it fixed.
Isn’t there 3 (Philips head or torques) screws that hold the latch to the door??? Try tightening them??
They have Door Hinge Pin And Bushing Kit - (1 Pin, 2 Bushings And 1 Clip) for like $10.00
As far as the stalling issue, FIX the fuel leak and we can talk…
Just incase you can’t find a good used fuel tank (if it is leaking), they do sell new tanks and straps also if needed…
Concur w/comments above about door, likely hinge problem. Verify by lifting on door when closing. Improvement in latching points to hinge problem. My truck’s doors sag too, for same reason. In my case doesn’t affect latching mechanism. Sometimes all that is needed is to replace the hinge pins. Replace the hinges is backup.
The fuel leak problem, concur w/above, that repair seems like it should be the first priority. Any fuel leak, however small, can potentially result in car fire. Not worth the risk of not addressing that problem immediately. Epoxy, other glues, not the answer. Replace the parts that are leaking, hoses, fuel tank, pump/sender ass’y, etc. If you don’t know which parts to replace, ask a shop to do an inspection of the cause.
What’s causing the engine to stall? Rather than guess, see if you can come up with some experiments to decide if the problem is most likely fuel, or a spark (ignition system)? If engine mainteance is behind schedule, suggest to start there. Replace engine air filter, spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor, and spark wires (if so configured). A sticky thottle valve mechanism is another likley culprit. Take a look inside the throttle body, especially adjacent & immediately behind the throttle valve. See a lot of crud in there?
