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Older S-10's

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Comments

  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    i thought of the best way to put it. just like some people, i wish i had "met" my s-10 earlier. lol...with about 15k on the clock, we could have had a lot of fun together. and i wish i could keep it but i cant make 2 payments.
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    tsjay, you said i was "obsessed" with my mileage...you computed yours out to decimals several times...all i did was simply check mine and then ask for pointers...lol...thats why i was miffed. but all is understood and i am glad youve been so helpful.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Gotcha. Good luck selling your S10. Keep us posted on how it's going. Also, let us know about that tranny on the Ranger. Maybe you lucked out and didn't actually hurt anything. I hope that's the case.

    C ya

    tom
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    *sighs* a friend and i went over my paperwork on the new ranger...they really screwed me over and i didnt even realize it. my $11,000 truck is going to cost me closer to $15,000 since i didnt take into account that the lease adds money in the long run. i was looking at what i could save now, but not later. if i would have bought it, i would have made almost the same payment and owned it in four years. the way it is, i still owe $4,500 in four years. so i am taking the extended coverage off it, to save $2,000, and then refinancing it ina couple years to buy it. damn i got taken! i have studied Edmunds and other sites and thought i had the best way to go and i still let them add extra crap and raise my long term cost. i am very ticked off. my old S-10 is looking nicer and nicer. lol
  • richcolorichcolo Member Posts: 81
    I believe your 1985 has a computer controlled carb. If it has a "CHECK ENGINE" light that comes on when you start it, it does. Those were used, if I recall correctly, on 1984 and 1985 S-10's and Camaro/Firebird only. If you don't have the light, but you have a "CHOKE" light, then you have the non-computer carb, and the electrically heated choke. This carb was used on all S-10's earlier than the computer carb. 1982 and 1983, I think, plus a whole bunch of 1980 - 1983 X and A cars. (Citation, Celebrity, Phoenix, 6000, Omega, Cutlass Cierra, Skylark, Century) w/ 2.8 V-6.

    If you have a 2.5, the carb is common to all none FI 2.5's. I think that the MPI (multi port injection) became standard on the S-10 2.8's.

    Real carb shops are getting hard to find, and the computer carbs never did work right, at least at 5,000 feet they didn't. If you don't care about emissions, swapping back to the older carb is an option. If you really want to get the old truck running nice, holly makes (or used to anyway) an aftermarket fuel injection (throttle body) set up for this engine, but it doesn't come cheap.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Hey, just thought I would post, since no one else is.


    I put my 7000th mile on my S-10 since I bought it. I was about half way to work this morning when the odometer hit 141,502. When I bought the truck on July 16th, it had 134,502. All of those 7000 miles would have been on my 2001 Jeep Wrangler Sport, if it weren't for my little S-10. So, I have 12,8xx miles on the Jeep instead of 19,8xx. That's gotta be worth some big bucks in terms of preserving the value of my Jeep!


    I am about 1800 miles into my most recent oil change, and the dipstick just shows the oil to be about one third of a quart low. Not too bad, huh?


    What a great little tuck! Love it, love it, love it!


    Check out my Jeep, if you are interested...


    http://www.members.aol.com/tjoh298765/thelma.html


    c ya


    tom

  • rmyers76rmyers76 Member Posts: 34
    After almost a month and 1500 miles, my truck decided to act up again with the same symptoms as I mentioned in my post #143. I was coming to a 4 way stop and it popped and died. Kept cranking and nothing but a dead battery. At least this time, it died on the way home and not the way to work. After I got it towed to the driveway, I started to go to work.

    I turned the key and heard the fuel pump kick on so I ruled out any fuel delivery problems. I checked the ignition and I wasn't getting any spark. I took the ignition control module to the auto parts store and it tested bad. $26 and a hour later, the truck fired right up.

    I guess the moral of the story is don't ignore problems that seem to go away. It cost me an extra $55 for the tow to figure that one out.
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    same thing happened to my dads 92 about 2 months ago
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    long time no see. i am having trouble selling my s-10...no calls at all. i am thinking of combining it with my fiancee's car payment and simply paying it off and then selling it whenever it works. i still like the little truck...maybe sell it on EBAY? the new Ranger is awesome. not a single problem...gets 23 mpg and has more power than the s-10 does. anyway, just wanted to say hi.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Hey, glad you are happy with that Ranger. I guess there has been no indication that you hurt anything when you accidentally got into reverse? Hope that is the case.

    Your S-10 is a 2.8, right? And your 4 cylinder Ranger seems to have more power? I know that a 2.8 isn't exactly loaded with power, but I would have thought it would have more than would a four cylinder, especially since your Ranger is an automatic.

    c ya

    tom
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    that i hurt the Ranger...midnight_stang posted a few times in response to my initial concern...he rebuilds his own stuff and is pretty knowledgeable. he said when he was in high school he used to "drop shift" his automatic Ranger- rev it up and slam it into Drive, to peel out of the high school parking lot...and he had to replace his tranny at 115k. so if he did that a bunch, and i hurt mine once, i imagine i will be okay. and besides, if i have to replace it 5 years from now like he did, then i deserve it and i will gladly fork over the cash.
    the Ranger has 119hp and 146 torque. the S-10 has 125hp and 150 torque. so on paper the S-10 is more powerful. but the Ranger is much quicker off the line and has a better top end, and seems to have more power. perhaps it does, as vehicles do lose some of their compression and factory "punch" with age.
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    to add to the power, the Ranger has sequential multiport injection and the S-10 has the prehistoric Throttle body Injection. if the s-10 had the same injection as the ranger i am sure it would be awesome and easily overpower the ranger.
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    just FYI... last night i bought a spray-in bedliner...in an aerosol can from Advance Auto Parts. the cans were 8 bucks apiece and i used 7 of them on the bed of my shortbed Ranger. the dealership wanted 300 bucks for a plastic drop in liner and i said no way. i then started looking around for a cheaper and better alternative. the spray in liner was very easy to apply and it almost does the job itself. it bonds to itself and resists running and smearing. it dries very hard and has something like a high-grit sandpaper feel to it after drying. it isnt thick enough to fully protect the bed from deep scratches or dents...the kind youd see if you hauled cement blocks or something like that, but i put on three coats and i am placing a rubber mat in the bottom of the bed, and i went from unprotected, scratched paint to a covered and protected bed for about 100 bucks. did i mention it looks fantastic? guys, dont feel nervous about spraying your truck yourself. i did, until i saw the results. just so you know there is a viable alternative to being gouged at JC Whitney and dealerships. No rattles, trapped water, rust, or scratches. Sounds good to me, especially on an older truck where you dont want to spend hundreds. I think i am also going to try to find a rubberized coating i can place over the spray, to give it a little "give" so i dont dent the bed.
    By the way, Auto Zone also carries a similar product but i bought the Plasti-Kote brand because it is made locally, about 20 miles from here- in Medina, Ohio.
  • minikinminikin Member Posts: 389
    to paint or spray undercoat over the Plasti-Kote bed spray!
    -- Don
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    bought a scanner and now can scan pics galore

    heres one from back in 93

    image
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Nice pic. Ain't puppies the coolest things in the world?

    What's doggie's name again? I forgot. Is he still doin' OK?

    tom
  • 45auto45auto Member Posts: 16
    I have a 98 ranger with a custom conversion package. I just bought a motorcycle and plan to use the same colors eventually, and show them as a matching set. After hearing people talk about how many miles people were racking up on their 2.5 motors, I found a 91 s-10 with 154000 miles on it. the air still works, it dosent smoke, and it keeps me from putting too many miles on my show truck. This little chevy runs great!!! Not only that try to find indiglo guages for a ranger with a tach. You can get custom accessories for achevy easily, but good luck trying to get them for a ford. If i had it to do all over again, I would buy an s-10 with the 4.3 v-6.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Thanks for the post. Yeah, these little S-10's are something! They just keep going and going.

    I sure do love mine. I'm up to 141K and some change on mine. Bought it back in the summer when it had 134,502 miles on it.

    tom
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    i think my s-10 may be gone by tonight. a man called about it last night and seemed interested. i gave him all the info he wanted and he is coming to drive it at 3:00.
    i hate to think of that solid little truck leaving me, but i love my Ranger and it serves me better and will last longer. the funny thing was that when my fiancee and i discussed building/buying a house, the first thought that went through my mind was "cool, now i can go get an older s-10 as my "work on the house" truck. lol
  • rmyers76rmyers76 Member Posts: 34
    91 S10 4.3 2WD

    When I turn on my directional, my windshield wipers will kick on for just one wipe. I know its not a big problem and my wife finds it quite funny but one of these days I'm going to fix it. I am assuming its a problem with the wiring on the directional lever.

    Has anyone replaced one on a vehicle like this and how hard was it?

    I think if I have to spend more than an hour on it, I'll keep living with the ghost wiper.
  • erikheikererikheiker Member Posts: 230
    My 89 S-15 did the same thing. Every so often a left turn signal would sweep the wipers once. I just lived with it since it only happened once a month or so. Since I had cruise, I didn't want to mess with something that controlled so many functions.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Been pretty quiet around here. Just thought I would tell you guys that my little S-10 reached another minor milestone: reached 142,000 on the way to work yesterday. I have now put 7500 miles on the truck since buying it in July.

    We've had so much rain that I haven't been able to do my weekend ritual of washing the S-10 the last two weekends. I sure hate to see it so dirty, but I can't get a break in the weather. No use in washing the truck when the roads stay wet all the time.

    Let's have some posting!

    tom
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    i have had two people call and then not show up, to look at my s-10. annoying, let me tell you!
    i still love that little truck and its kinda sad to see it sitting all by itself in the parking lot. lol
    i hope someone takes good care of her.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    That's the problem with trying to sell a vehicle on your own. People will call and not show up, and people who have no earthly means of buying it will come look at it and test drive it.

    Lots of times people will be real interested but not able to buy until they sell the one they are driving. You take in the shorts on trade-in most of the time, but at least you avoid all the hassle of trying to sell it yourself.

    tom
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    youre right. i am sure i will find someone...wish me luck.
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    my truck was making some "hot" smells and so i checked my fluids and realized that my tranny fluid was low. i filled it to where its supposed to be...but could i have done damage to it by driving it with it low?
    the dealership, i thought, would have maintained it, and so i checked the oil and steering fluid, and i smelled the tranny fluid but didnt check the level since it shifted fine. any thoughts? i am used to a stick and this crap is a little annoying.
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    i put my truck on stoneage.com and got an email from a guy in north carolina who wants to pay cash!!!
    funny...i cant find anyone in ohio where i am! lol
    so anyway, he is going to come look at it soon. we agreed on $2,800...he would be a good addition to this site, and i am going to give him the URL...i think it would be fun to see how far my truck goes, and maybe add to our readership.
    he had a truck like mine and someone apparently ran into him and totaled it. i cant blame him for wanting another one.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Glad you have sold your truck. Hope everything goes as planned.

    That is kinda weird that no one locally was interested in it and you ended up selling it to someone from NC.

    It would be cool to be able to keep up with that truck to see how many miles the guy gets out of it. Hope he will post here, as you suggested.

    tom
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    the guy backed out of the deal. he decided it was too far to drive and too much to spend, in the holiday season, so i am stuck making another payment on the truck i dont need. grrr...
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Sorry, Pal. That's just another one of the joys of trying to sell a vehicle. People will seem so serious about buying and then back out at the last minute.

    My little truck is still doing great! It now has about 142,300 miles on it and is still running great.

    c ya

    tom
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Hey, People, wake up! We need some posting here!

    My truck has 142,4xx miles on it now, so very soon I will have put 8000 miles on it since I bought it on 7/16/01.

    I am within a couple hundred miles of the end of my 3000 mile oil change interval, and the dipstick is showing that the truck has used about two thirds of a quart of oil since the last oil change. I think that is great for an old truck like that.

    Let's hear from some of you!

    tom
  • NativeTxNativeTx Member Posts: 10
    I have the same setup as you and my S-10 has been doing that for years. If anyone ever figures out how to fix it I would like to know. I notice mine does it more when the weather is cold than other times.

    Hope everyone had a great Holiday and look forward to continued posts in 2002.

    jerry
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    image

    Heres a pretty good pic
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    another offer from a guy who called today. he is coming and i said i am firm on $2,800...should be a quick sell. wish me luck. *sniff* i miss it already!
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Hi People! Hey, anybody have any ideas about why my S-10 has lost power?

    Most of you know that I have an '89 S-10 short wheel base, 2WD pickup with the 2.8 and a 5-speed.

    It just reached the 143,000 mile mark on the odometer.

    Just in the last few days, I have noticed that I have no acceleration when I try to wind out the gears. It never had exactly great power, being a 2.8, but it has definitely lost what power it did have.

    The engine runs smoothly with no sputtering or jerking as if it had a miss. It's just that I don't get ANY acceleration when the RPM's come up as I wind out the gears. I don't have a tach, but just by listening to the egine, I know I am up in the RPM range where I should be getting some acceleration, but I am getting NOTHING.

    This is not the problem, since the clutch is grabbing just fine from a standing start and shows no indication of slippage, but that is what it feels like when I wind out the gears. It's like I am getting the high RPM's, but no extra power to the back wheels as a result of the increased RPM's.

    Once again, the engine is running smoothly, and I would have no indication that anything is wrong until I need to accelerate more than just the normal take off. Even the gas mileage is normal.

    What's going on here???? In the old days, I would wonder if the vacuum advance on the distributor was not working, but I guess timing is controlled by the computer on my truck, right?

    tom
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    Any check engine light on ? How old is the
    cat.converter ? Sometimes they plug up and
    rob power. Any good muffler shop will
    check em' for free ! Just a thought !
    Hey Ryan didn't your dad have this prob with
    his s10 ?..................geo
  • ryanbabryanbab Member Posts: 7,240
    yea his catalytic converter was shot. But his wasnt running smoothly though
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Thanks for the tip. I guess I'll have the guys down at the little shop at the end of my road check it out for me. They are good mechanics and they charge much less than most places for their labor.

    They even have a chassis dynomometer there! It's actually a speed shop, but they take in regular mechanical work to keep them busy.

    So, they ought to know what they are doing.

    No, there's no engine light on. Almost forgot to answer you about that.

    tom
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    I don't know if this is the problem or not, but I found a vacuum line with one end not attached to anything. I couldn't find where it is supposed to go, and for all I know that thing may have been like that ever since I bought the truck.

    I'll have the guys at the shop check it out for me, and if it's something really simple, they probably won't even charge me anything.

    tom
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Hey, does the distributor still have to be rotated to advance the timing when the engine RPMs go up? The timing is computer controlled, right? But does the distributor still have to physically rotate in order for the timing to be advanced, and is this accomplished by vacuum?

    I couldn't feel any vacuum on that loose end of the hose, but maybe the vacuum is pulled on that line from wherever that plugs into. Maybe the hole that the loose end goes into is the vacuum source, which would most likely mean the intake manifold, right?

    I do hear a sort of roaring noise that I didn't used to hear, so maybe I really do have a vacuum leak.

    tom
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    Probably so ! Any hose routing sticker
    under the hood? Something as simple as
    a loose or cracked vac. hose could be
    the problem . Especially on a older
    vehicle ! You may have got lucky !....Geo
  • PAmanPAman Member Posts: 207
    I don't remember if that engine is fuel-injected or has a carb....pretty sure it is FI.

    If it is a fuel-injected engine, loosing power at acceleration yet running smooth at idle is a definite sign of a weak fuel pump. If it runs worse or the pump is noisy when the gas tank is nearly empty, that is another sign of a weak pump.

    Check the fuel pressure; if it is out of spec, change the pump and the fuel filter. ONLY go with an AC-Delco pump. Avoid the Made-in-Malasyia no-name parts out there---you don't want to do this twice. The new pump should come with a new O-ring and a screen--if not, replace those also.

    After you replace the pump and the filter, put a can of BG 44K in the gas tank. If you can't find it in your area, go to www.cambridgeauto.com, and click on the link for Ryno products. Yes, I know it lists for $20 per can, but it is worth every penny. This stuff is not sold on late-night TV by retired actors--this is the stuff that professional shops use every day. It cleans the excess carbon off the back of your intake valves. This restores compression and lowers temperatures on the valves and in the intake manifold.

    As for the earlier suggestion to check vacuum lines, that is a good idea, but I would go even further. On a truck that old, I would go to the parts store and buy about 3-5 feet of the three most common sizes of vacuum hose. Remove ONE VACUUM HOSE AT A TIME, match it to the closest size of hose, and replace it. Keep going until you replace all of them. If you find a broken 'T' connector, replace that, also. You'll be amazed how hard and brittle the existing hoses are. You will also likely notice an improvement in overall performance because most of those hard, brittle hoses leaked a small amount of vacuum. When you add up their total vacuum loss, it is significant. This is also VERY cheap preventive maintenance, expecially considering that an open vacuum leak can destroy a $50-100 oxygen sensor.

    Good luck!

    Joe
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Thanks a bunch for your posts!

    Guess what, Sonja? You were on the money with your cat converter suggestion! That's what it was.

    I took a vacation day today to have my sick little S-10 seen about. Went to the shop down at the end of the road and had the fuel filter replaced. Also, the mechanic found where that vacuum line connected to. It was for the EGR valve and went into some round thing.

    I was really optimistic that one or both of those simple things would be the solution, but when I took a test drive, I almost didn't make it back to the shop!

    The mechanic drove the truck and then told me that he suspected that the converter was the problem, so I took it to a muffler shop about six miles away.

    What a trip that was! The engine died at a stoplight only about a mile and a half from the shop where the fuel filter had been replaced, and I had a hard time getting it started again. After it finally started, I had to drive at about 25 MPH, and it almost wouldn't even do that.

    I got about a quarter mile from the muffler shop, and got caught by another light. The engine died as soon as I pushed in the clutch at the stoplight, and this time it wouldn't start.

    I had to push the truck the rest of the way, with about half of the distance being slightly downhill, thank God.

    The truck is running fine now. Glad that's over with!

    Thanks again, you guys!

    tom
  • pmjdepmjde Member Posts: 4
    Anyone have any knowledge of a source of a whistleing sound coming from the engine compartment, Sounds like maybe a brake booster???
  • PAmanPAman Member Posts: 207
    A bad brake booster would more likely be a hissing noise. A whistling noise would depend on what the conditions are.

    Joe
  • pmjdepmjde Member Posts: 4
    Whistleing sound is at idle goes away when engine speeds up. I have checked all vacum hoses and cannot find leak
  • PAmanPAman Member Posts: 207
    If your gas mileage or driveability are affected, I would suspect the gasket at the base of the throttle body where it attaches to the intake manifold. If they are not affected, you may have a gasket with a small crack, but is not large enough yet to affect your gas mileage.

    I've heard some of the 5.7 engines are having trouble with a collapsing gasket at the base of the throttle body. Since the 4.3 is basically a 5.7 engine with two cylinders removed, they may use the same gasket.

    If you have a tach on the truck, have someone watch the tack at idle, and spray carb cleaner or WD-40 around the throttle body. If you suddenly get a significant change in RPM, you have found your leak.

    Good luck!

    Joe
  • rmyers76rmyers76 Member Posts: 34
    91 chevy S10 2wd

    On my way home today when I push the brake pedal and it travels a little further than normal. I pumped the brake a few more times and the brake light turned on on the dash. I knew I lost fluid so when I got home I checked the master cylinder and sure enough one half was empty. I filled and pumped brakes again so I could find the leak - brake fluid dripping out of right rear drum. I replaced the wheel cylinder that was bad and now heres where it gets tricky.

    After I installed the new wheel cylinder and put the brakes back together, I tried to pressure bleed the rear wheels. The new wheel cylinder wasn't a problem. About four trips of the brake pedal and all the air was gone. I loosed the bleed screw on the old wheel cylinder and barely any fluid came out. I tried pressure bleeding this side a few times and nothing. Finally I took the bleed screw out and then I finally got a little fluid to come out but not much.

    I tried the pedal and it is stiffer than it was but still not right. The brake light is still on on the dash. I know my front brakes are okay so I'm not too worried but I still have some air trapped in the rear lines. Any ideas on things to try to get it out? I suspect something may be clogged on my left rear wheel cylinder so I may replace that tomorrow but I'd like to avoid it if possible.

    I also posted this on the Maintenance and Repair board but I thought I would try here too.

    Thanks
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    How is the master cylinder split? Is one compartment for the front and one for the back? Or is it split right front/left rear and left front/right rear? Ain't no mechanic, so this may be a dumb question. Looks like you would want it split the latter way, so that you would get some braking in both the front and rear if one system went out.

    Guess that really is irrelevant to your problem anyway, huh?

    tom
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    The guy at the muffler shop said that sometimes when the converter plugs, the heat builds up so much in the heads that it ruins the spark plugs and can even melt the spark plug wires. Guess that wasn't the case with my truck, though, cause it's running well and just got 25.3 MPG on a trip when I drove about 75 MPH most of the time.

    Still lovin' that little truck! I have now put 9000 miles on it since buying it in July when it had 134,502 miles on it.

    I don't think I have put any more money into it than a guy should expect to have to spend when he buys a vehicle with that many miles on it.

    So far, I have had two U joints, the heater fan motor, the serpentine belt, the water pump, the thermostat, the fan clutch, and the catalytic converter replaced.

    I have had a couple non-mechanical problems fixed also. The flat part of the bench sear was reupholstered and a star in the windshield was repaired.

    There aren't too many things left that I might expect to have to deal with. I suppose the starting motor, alternator, fuel pump, and the heater core might be some of the next things that might go. Will be needing a brake job before too long also.

    Since I only paid $2450 for the truck, including tax and license and all, I still think I have some nice, reliable, cheap transportation in that little S-10.

    tom
This discussion has been closed.