At a loss. 4x4, 4.3L 71,000 miles. New battery. About five times a month when attempting to start, I hear the fuel pump, all lights, radio etc. are operational, the motor won’t turn over…like it’s in drive. Turn it off then back on, sometimes nothing sometimes eureka! This can go on for three to five minutes. The weather is not a factor since its been doing it for about eight months. I am stationed in Belgium in the U.S. military and the availability of a computer diagnostic seems to be unavailable. Naturally I would like to know specifically what I should order to avoid the high Euro/Dollar conversion costs. Any thoughts?
Have you tried starting it in neutral or jiggling the shift lever in Park? This hasn’t happened on my 2000 Blazer (yet), but I had a similar problem with a 1995 Dakota, if it didn’t start in Park moving the shift lever to neutral always worked.
Ed B.
Ed B. Thanks for your quick response! Yes, when your in that situation for three to five minutes, you start thinking of everything and anything that could be causing it, ya know? Some cars you gotta push on the brake pedal before it’ll start…while I don’t have to perform that operation normally, I tried that too. I went through the whole gambit of problem solving techniques…from behind the drivers wheel. Remember three to five minutes behind your steering wheel is a long time! You go through everything fast, then the same thing slowly. Then all of a sudden…it’s unexplainable and it won’t work the same way next time! Thanks.
Whenever I hear of this type of problem on a GM, the first question to be asked is; when it fails to start, if you leave the key in the RUN position, is the word SECURITY lit up or flashing on the dashboard?
I’m assuming yes, means you can’t start it in Park or neutral. I admit I’m guessing at this point, perhaps there is a problem with the Neutral Safety switch itself. Autozone has a repair guide for 94 - 99 S-10 pickups and Blazers. The neutral safety switch is located on the trans. A google on “neutral safety switch” should give you an idea of the symptoms of a bad switch.
http://www1.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/18/bf/d6/0900823d8018bfd6/repairInfoPages.htm
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than myself will post.
Good luck,
Ed B.
You should be able to get an inexpensive digital multimeter (“voltmeter”) from the PX/BX. Get the wiring diagrams, and other troubleshooting instructions, from the Internet at www.alldata.com (US $25 per year). From the wiring diagrams, you want to start with the START Circuits. I think there may be a problem with the ignition switch. Using the wiring diagram, you can KNOW if it’s the ignition switch, or something else.
You didn’t want to just start throwing parts at it, did you?
i just went through the same problem. the destributer does not vent properly. replaced rotor and cap rough first start but after that its fine