Ok - long story short - my truck hasn't been right since I moved from
Colorado to Florida four years ago. (1999 Chevy Blazer LS, 4 door,
4WD, 4.3L V-6 Vortec, fully loaded)

Problem 1: The check engine light will not go off. When we hook it up
to a computer, it says "Random Cylinder Misfire" After a tune-up, the
light goes off, then comes back on and stays on. Occassionally it will
turn off for a while, but then comes back on. Interesting side note -
if I drive it back up to Colorado and stay at an altitude of 4000 ft
or higher, the light goes off and stays off and I have no trouble. Not
sure what that is all about. I do know that all the gas in Colorado
contains Ethanol, the gas here doesn't. This is a minor problem that
would be nice to fix, but not a big deal. By the way, I had the
dealership at one point change out the sensor for that and it still
comes on.

Problem 2: Last year I got stuck in front of a huge mud puddle on the
dirt road in front of my house after a very severe and very heavy
rain. I ended up with water in the engine and blew an intake valve. My
dad tore it apart and fixed that, but ever since then, it hasn't been
quite right. At times it seems to vapor lock, and it has slowly been
losing all of it's "balls" so to speak - It used to jump right up
there, now it takes me MINUTES to get up to 70mph on the highway.  The
other day it started losing power and refused to do anything when I
hit the gas, so I pulled over. It had coolant. It had gas. Oil was a
bit low, but it smelled "burned" if that makes sense. I left it for a
few hours, went back, put some oil in it, at which point the burning
smell went away, and nursed it home. My wife said she saw "several"
puffs of smoke come from out of the tailpipe on the interstate that
day from the vehicle behind me she was in.

Occasionally if I am driving when it is cool out during the night or
cool during what passes for winter here in Florida, it runs great.
Lots of get up and go, no hesitation, etc. Sometimes I'll hit the gas
and the engine and the tach revs up, but I get NO increase in speed at
all. It felt a little bit like the tranny was slipping, so I put some
stuff in it to fix that and supposedly plug up any leaks, and it has
quit slipping like that on me.

I took it to the mechanic, and he ran a compression check on it, which
turned out ok,  then hooked it up to the computer. He called to tell
me I need a "massive tune-up" - plugs, wires, PCV valve, fuel filter,
roter and cap, etc. We just did all this about 18 months ago when part
of the fuel injection system died, and I don't even have 93,000 miles
on the truck yet! It isn't due for it's first tune up until 100,000
miles, and here I am on my second one. So WTF? This makes NO sense to
me at all, and frankly, I'm really very disappointed. I have owned
Chevys my whole life, and I have never had this much trouble from a
car.

Anyway, I hope that is enough for you folks to give me an idea of what
the problem is and why it keeps recurring. I don't want to do it, I
truly don't, but unless Chevy starts to offer a TRUE 100,000 mile
bumper to bumper warranty like some of the foreign cars do, I am going
to have to buy one of those. I want my Blazer. I love my Blazer when
she is running right. More importantly, she is PAID OFF! Thanks in
advance.

James
(Oh, and for the record, I am not in a position to take on another car
payment, no matter how small, for at least another year or two)