Well that wasn't it. I had no problem getting up to 75 at a steady increase without it dropping to a lower gear. Then I got in some traffic which slowed me down to 65. As soon as that cleared I stepped on it to get back up to 75. It dropped into passing gear. The RPM's went up and the speed was going up but very slow. Then it started the same thing. Choking and sputtering. Three hours later after we were home we decided to go out to eat. Even at low speeds it would start to sputter and you had to push down a little more on the gas to get it to speed up. Then it would be fine until you came to a stop. After the stop same thing. This morning it is still doing it but not as bad. And it still isn't throwing any codes. Any other ideas?
Thanks,
Don[/quote:6428a4fceb]
I spoke to soon this morning. Because all I did was drive it around two blocks. My son and I went to get groceries. It acted sluggish from the second we pulled onto the road. The max speed limit is 45 in town and it started to really act up bad. The engine sound got a low rumble and it was cutting out bad and when it would catch I would hear a bang like metel under the vehicle. It was also changing gear erratically. The store is about a mile and a half from here. We made it to the store. We needed groceries anyway even if I would have to call a tow truck. Some kid in the lot walked up and asked about it. I told him what all had happened. He said it could be a coil or the computer going out. I took it with a grain of salt because he looked really young. Anyway we were in the store an hour. When we got ready to leave it worked fine. Very strange. And still the service engine soon light Did Not came on. And it is still not throwing a code.[/Quote:6428a4fceb]
Hello again, finally maybe,
Well I may have discovered the other half of the problem. And this may help some readers as well because I couldn't believe it myself. I started thinking back on when I did the tune up. I did that the day before installing the new fuel pump. I decided to recheck my work. So I pulled the plugs (which is a pain) etc. When I got to the rotor and cap is where I found a problem. I pulled the cap off. I noticed the rotor looked badly worn, pitted deep in the center and pitted on the outer metal and heavily tarnished. It looked like a used rotor. But you could tell by the plastic that is was new. When I went to remove it I found it wasn't tight at all. It was basically floating freely. I tried to tighten it down to no avail. One side would tighten to a point and a little more it would come free. So I took it all the way off and noticed that the screws were not the same size. They were both the new screws that came with it because the blue was still on them. You cannot tighten down on plastic a lot for fear you would break it. I noticed one of the screws was a little thinner with different threading. I mean you have to look really close. I also noticed the plastic pin on that side that fits into the guide hole was broken off. I had a friend run me up to the parts store and I showed it to them. They pulled another one and guess what? The same thing. Lucky I had kept the original screws and the thicker one was what is suppose to be in it. The man even looked it up on the computer and sure enough the thicker one was the correct one for both sides. So he started looking at the case of them. All were the same. Then he pulled another case and it contained both the correct screws. He said that it sometimes happens. Anyway he switched them out for me. He also informed me that a lot of people had been coming in with the same problem I had. It had baffled all of the employees and they had been selling coils trying to help people trouble shoot the problem. It seems that this rotor fits a few other vehicles besides the 2000 Blazer.
I'm no tech by any means. But I can see how a gradual increase in speed might work alright like mine did. But once you kicked into passing gear at a high speed that rotor must have been just hitting where it could. Throwing the spark off and confusing the computer etc. I installed the new one with the correct screws and like I said the max speed here in town is 45. I punched it a lot. I could instantly tell it was better. The big test will be when I have to pick up my son Thursday and hit the expressway. I do think the extra ground helped and was a major factor as well. I'll let you know. But if you want the name of the parts store email me private. Because they have been really good to me and it isn't their fault they got a bad case of rotors. But everyone needs to look at the new screws and the old ones. It's something anyone could miss. Especially if they are not a mechanic. I think even a mechanic could make this error.
So far I want to thank you for all your help. It's a major thing for me to work on my car. I'm a 100% disabled vet. They retired me a few years ago. That's why I look to you guys for automotive answers. You guys have always steered me right. Pat on the back!
Sunday, September 12th, 2010 AT 7:45 PM
