Expert: Skip Bollinger - 4/19/2007

Question
i have a 94 s-10 blazer and when i give it gas to get up to speed it bogs down and sounds like it is barely running and putters,also last week it had a really bad smell like a burning sulfur smell,and now it just wont go when you get on the gas.

Answer
Jimmy,
  May I preface this response with this: I'm a Parts Professional, NOT a tech. I'm probably not qualified to give you and accurate answer but I have been on a Parts Counter for 34 years and will offer these thoughts..
  Jimmy, I want you to do 2 things. Take a piece of paper, 8 1/2" x 11" and go to a "good running car" and have someone start the car. Take the paper and hold it at the end of the tailpipe. Have them "rev" the engine. Watch the paper and see how the exhaust moves the paper. NOW take it to your Blazer and do the same thing. Does the paper move the same? What I'm thinking is the catalytic converter is plugged up. It is choking the engine with reversion into the combustion chamber. To see what I'm talking about, close your mouth and take a deep breath through your nose. Pretty free flowing, right? NOW take your finger and close one of your nostrils and breathe in. Quite a difference, right?? This is what I think is going on with your truck.
  What you can also do is open the hood, remove the air cleaner. Start the truck and hold a black piece or dark piece of paper, or something beside the air intake. You want to look across the top of the intake and see the paper. Rev up the engine and see if you see a "cloud" come up out of the air intake. If you do, this is fuel being pushed up past the intake valve caused by a clogged exhaust.
  IF the paper just doesn't move like it should or you see a "cloud" out of the air intake, take the converter loose from the header pipe and drive the truck. Noisy, I know, but it will tell you if you have a clogged exhaust.
  I'm sure there are other possible problems but with your smelling a "sulfur" smell, leads me to believe the problem is in the converter.
  Good luck and let me know what happens...
Skip