Camino LS6

Choke is non-functional.

Well, it should start on just what fuel is already in the carb - so I wouldn't be looking at the fuel pump. Does it have a high idle on a cold start? It should.

Doubtful. To check the fuel pump, just check your oil. If it is overfull, or smells like gas, you need a new fuel pump. If not, look to other things causing the hard start. (Carb issues/ignition issues) Check the timing. EDIT: My first suspects would be choke adjustment/actuation or timing.

Yeah, I know. I'd be looking for the high water mark to make my decision.

No purchase plans at this time. Will be entering a heavy "sell" mode soon.

Negotiations are ongoing...

I for one, wouldn't mind getting a slightly soggy new vehicle on the cheap. But I'd have to be sure about just how much water it encountered. I'm willing to bet that, though unsaleable as new, a great many fully-functional vehicles are contained in this number.

This is the right way forward, even if the packaging needs some work.

Happy Birthday!

I believe you are correct about the spot weld from the back, but it can't be seen as the "panel" is really a square structural tube with no access to the back. Obviously, water/debris must collect in there. The 4-doors had child locks, but the locks don't lock automatically (except this one time). I'll investigate.

It also has two cables. Minus the weird rust, it is pretty sturdy.

Thanks, I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and have it fixed properly at a body shop. Not going to be cheap, but it has to happen. I will have to wait a while before it is in the budget, since the plow is more important. But no, the gate was not bound at all, it worked quite easily and smoothly right up until this happened. It seems to be a design and/or manufacturing flaw. DF: spare key and remotes are a priority.

Pics:

I suppose. But then, none of my other vehicles have ever done this to me. I'll get copies of the key and new remote(s) soon.

Balthy: No pics yet (haven't wanted to look at it), but I may take some today. BK: Could well be, but they shouldn't have locked in the first place. I almost never lock my doors, so defaults like that are annoying.

Well, I'm sticking with Red - no time for other options.

Weld-on hinges just suck all around. But this problem has nothing to do with the hinges themselves, I'll take some pics once I have the heart to look at it again.

Why the hell these gates aren't hinged like the pickups I'll never understand.

Just like the Blazer before it, the only rust on that panel is the rectangle of the hinge itself - the rest of the panel is pristine. It is as if the hinge itself (or its welds) are corrosive - obviously a design flaw. Green is still here, and yes, the thought of flipping Red has crossed my mind. That would be another delay in things that I can ill afford. I'll have to think this over. All of the 400s had barn doors, or a tailgate, no hatches.

Thanks Horse, but the tailgate hinge problem is a major downer and a major repair. Very unhappy, should have held out for barn doors again.

To clarify: I broke the mirror, not my hand. This just sucks,sucks,sucks.

Well said, Intrigued.

So, I pull into the driveway and stop to collect the trash cans. I use the dash switch to open the rear hatch in my new Tahoe and load in the cans. Truck is running while I do this. I close up the back and go to the driver's door. The Tahoe has locked itself with my only key in the ignition. I try multiple "tools" to get at the lock switch on the door while I try to balance on the running board. I slip. I smack the side-view mirror with my hand, breaking it. After about an hour and a half of trying, I manage to operate the lock switch. One direction - no result The other direction - no result So I go for the window switch and finally get into the truck. I have scraped the paint on the inside of the door with the improvised "tools". I try the lock switch. It does nothing but click. I have to unlock the doors manually. I decide to open the rear again in case that's where the issue is. I open the hatch and lower the gate. Guess what? Remember that odd hinge rust that detached the gate on my '92 Blazer? Yep, I hear a "crunching" sound as I lower the gate. The right hand hinge has pulled loose from the body and exposed its invisible rust problem. And those locks? Suddenly they work again. NOT HAPPY AT ALL!

The biggest obstacle in the way of energy independence today, is the EPA itself. That needs to be fixed.

Clearly, the guiding principle here should be the diversification of our energy supply. We should never again rely on a single source so heavily that it imperils our energy independence, our national security, and our economy. That said, the most viable motor fuel to take us past oil is clearly CNG. It is abundant, cheap, domestic, and vastly cleaner than gasoline and diesel. No energy source is perfect, nor without compromise, but CNG is best positioned to take us to a much better place with minimal need for technological advances and monetary investment. It would give us a century-long window in which to develop all of the other alternatives while vastly improving things right now.