Older S-10's

rmyers76 · January 2002

The master cylinder is split between the front and the rear. Luckily, the problem I had was with the rear so I still had full front brakes which do about 70% of the work anyway. I bled my rear lines again last night and things seem a little better and the brake light is off now.

The brakes seem a little touchy now. My right front caliper seems to lock up pretty quick. My brake fluid is dirtier than sin even after adding all new fluid in the front half of the master cylinder. In spring, I'm going to completely redo the brakes all around so I only have to live with it for a few more months.

gmdrone · January 2002

Just a thought, I had some problems a while ago with a brake line (flexible rubber) that had collapsed internally. It took a lot of problem solving to find it, but eventually it showed up because I couldn't get the caliper to release, and yet when I loosened the bleed screw, it would pass fluid just fine. Perhaps somewhere in there you've got a little flap of rubber plugging the hose up!

mjbwrtr · January 2002

tsjay-
i sold my s-10 today. a guy gave me $2,500 for it. he's going to use it for fishing trips and such, so it's going to be happy in its old age- its definitely used to fishing trips! lol
i am going to give the guy the url here and we can see how long it will run and maybe get another addict to our group here. should be interesting. update- the shimmy in first gear has gone since the tightening of those bolts. the mechanic said if there was a problem at all, it could be a little something off kilter in the tranny. well, apparently there is nothing at all "off kilter" because the shimmy had vanished and it runs like new. i hope its new owner gets another hundred thousand out of her. i will stick around and chat with you guys, even though i dont own it anymore...think of me as a FUTURE older s-10 owner.

tsjay · January 2002

Congrats on selling the S-10. I hope the new owner really will join us in here and let us know how the truck is doing.

I have now put almost 9500 miles on mine since I bought it this past summer. It has 143,9xx miles on it now. Running great since I had the cat converter replaced.

tom

sonjaab · January 2002

Good to hear its running fine !
It was the cat. convt. right?
Drive Happy!.............Geo

tsjay · January 2002

Check post number 244. I told you there that you were right about the catalytic converter and thanked you for your advice.

Thanks again! That puppy is running fine now.

tom

tsjay · February 2002

Well, when I got about a mile from work on the way home last night, the old odometer rolled over on 144,000. The truck is really running well since the cat converter was changed.

I now have an anifreeze leak, though. It has leaked ever since I had the water pump replaced, so I'll take it back to the boys at the shop down the road who changed the pump for me. I'm sure they will take care of it for me.

tom

tsjay · February 2002

It was a either a bad gasket or they botched the job when they put the water pump on for me. They fixed the problem, and they didn't charge me anything. I knew those boys would take care of me! They are "good old boys" down there at that shop.

I had them put some new brake pads on the front for me while they had the truck. They said the rotors were in real good shape and didn't need to be turned. Also said I caught it just at the right time, because there wasn't much left of the old pads, but they hadn't gotten down to the point that they were scarring the rotor.

tom

mjbwrtr · February 2002

help me out here. remember when i accidentally shifted into reverse while driving? well i got the fluid and filter changed after that and in the last 2 weeks or so i notice a growling noise...much like the noise you get when you put a manual tranny in too high a gear for the speed youre going...sounds like bogging down sorta. except this happens in my 2000 Ranger with auto tranny and 18k miles. any idea what this noise is? it doesnt seem to mater the conditions...it does it when its downshifting, mostly, but also when accelerating. also i have noticed that when i start it on a hill and put it in gear it sorta shudders a bit, like it wanted to stall. this is annoying to say the least. i know it isnt an older s-10 but i trust you guys' opinions and knowledge. help me out here!

tsjay · February 2002

I would take it to a dealer. It's under warranty, right? I would not assume that your little "mistake" has anything to do with the problem. It COULD HAVE, I suppose, but it is not necessarily related to that incident at all.

It may be downshifing too late, and this would cause your engine to bog down. This could even be a computer problem, since the shifting of the modern day auto trannies is computer controlled.

tom

mjbwrtr · February 2002

thanks for the fast reply. youre right...it does seem to downshift late and when i stomp on it to go up a hill or something, it does take forever to shift (if at all.)
so its just a adjustment huh? well under the hood is a sticker that says the PCM was repleced already. (powertrain control module). sounds like a frequent problem. maybe itll happen again and i can get a new FX4 or something, under the lemon law...lol yeah right.

tsjay · February 2002

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to let you folks know that I have now put 10,000 miles on my little truck since buying it on 7/16/01. It had 134,502 on it when I bought it, and this past Monday on the way to work, the odometer rolled over to 144,502.

I am so happy with that truck! I've had to have a few things taken care of, but they have been things that you could only expect an old truck like that to need. These things included the following:

Front and Rear U-Joints
Heater Fan
Water Pump
Fan Clutch
Catalytic Converter

I bought the truck with tax, license, and all for $2450, and it has probably already paid for itself by keeping those 10K miles from being put on my 2001 Jeep Wrangler Sport.

It runs as smooth as a sewing machine, gets great gas mileage, and it is all a guy could ask for in a work truck.

tom

brentebc · February 2002

havent posted since October however I havent forgotten about this site! I have a 91 S-10 I bought in May, paid 3950 for it as it had only 48K miles. As of today I have 54K on it and havent had any problems with it. I has the 2.8 with the 5-sp man. tahoe pkg, no air, power windows or cruise. I use it on the week-end only to haul stuff, i.e. dirt, mulch, wood. Have done a few things to it, put on new monroe sensimatic shocks,load-levelers on the rear, installed a tach and have changed all the fluids and replaced the belts and hoses as well as the vaccum lines. Also put a set of BFG Long Trail TA's on (205 75R14) I also recently put in a hypertech chip and a k&n air filter. It seems to help the performance, havent tried it with premium fuel like they reccomend since I have no pinging using 89 octane. On another site they reccomended that when you install the K&N filter you flip the air cleaner cover to let nore air in. I've done this and it seems to help although I cant qunatify it. Recently bought a Delco am/fm cd player off of ebay. It was out of a 96 Camaro, it fits in the dash with no problem however the radio harness plug in my truck is different from the plugs on the back of the new radio. Any suggestions on where to find an adapter? Any Help would be appreciated.

ryanbab · February 2002

Brent how do you like the tires? Are they good in snow? Where did you get em and how much?

tsjay · February 2002

About time we heard from you again! Hope you ain't gonna wait that long again before your next post!

I'll bet you love to hear stuff like I and others here have posted about our high mileage S-10's being so reliable. I love to hear about people with over 200K on their S-10's. I sure plan on getting all the mileage that I can out of mine.

That was sure a lucky find on your part, getting one with so few miles on it.

Oh, I don't know what to tell you about your wiring harness, but I have heard that the people at www.crutchfield.com are real nice and offer lots of advice. They may even have an adapter that will work.

tom

usn1 · February 2002

..ok, I bought my 1986 S-10 Blazer, 4x4, Tahoe Pkg, 2.8 V-6 brand new...I have 176,000 miles on it so far..had the transmission overhauled at about the 130,000 mile mark...uses about 1/2 to 1/3 quarts of oil between oil changes.. I usually change the oil at the 3 to 4 thousand mile mark...changed all vacuum hoses at about 140,000 mark...still drives good...want to keep it till it quits, but at the same time, I want an 8 cyclinder silverado pick-up..I know if I sell it I will probably regret it..it is the first one I had bought new..been driving it for 16 yrs now..I don't know how much longer I'll keep it..it has been a good one so far...

ryanbab · February 2002

"I know if I sell it I will probably regret it"

Yep my mom sold her 87 blazer in may of 2000. She ordered it factory new in 1986. To this day she still talks about it. We see it occasionally. Sold it when it had 135K on it. Never had any problems

rmyers76 · February 2002

Hi all,

91 2wd 4.3L - 157k miles (50k on engine #2)

Right now, I have a set of air adjustable shocks on the rear of the trunk and they were ok for a few years but they leak now and are starting to bother me. I tow a 1700# trailer quite often so I need a set of shocks that can handle a decent load and keep the rear off the ground. I kinda get sick of putting air into the air adjustable shocks so I am looking for a standard heavy duty shock. Any suggestions?

brentebc · February 2002

I also have a 91 S-10 and I put a pair of Monroe Sens-a-Matic Load Levelers on mine in July. I have no complaints I don't haul a trailer very often but I do haul dirt and mulch and these do a great job of keeping the rear end from dragging on the ground and the ride is good when the bed is empty. I paid around $120 for the pair but they are well worth it.

brentebc · February 2002

I like my BFG Long Trail T/A's-they have done real well in what little snow we've had this year, of course it doesn't hurt that I put 4-70 lbs bags of sand in the back. I got them at the tire rack in So. Bend, paid $58.00 apiece.

ryanbab · February 2002

do you live in the South bend area?

HMMM $58 a tire isnt bad. I live 1.5 hrs away wouldnt be a bad deal and also a friend of mine can get a small discount there

tsjay · March 2002

Thanks, Bob, for reviving this thread. Will it be moved to the S-10 owners club? Would get more traffic that way, I'll bet.

tom

gcosh1 · March 2002

I have a 1989 S-10, which I bought a year ago for $3k. It now has 102k miles on it. I have a long bed 4.3L V6. I recently put a new catalytic converter and muffler on it, which improved performance dramatically. I am very happy with how the truck runs, my only complaint is that I have a rear wheel drive model, and the handling is absolutely awful here in the Midwest in the snow. Even 300lbs of tube sand in the truck bed has a negligible effect, so I have to drive very cautiously & carefully in snow and ice.

jim4444 · March 2002

Maybe you need some good tires? Ask anyone with a new S10 what they think about the uniroyals that come with it.

My friend also has a S10, I have good tires, Michelins, and he uses sand bags in the bed.

I only slide around when I want to!

Does your truck have positraction?

tsjay · April 2002

Hey everyone, why no posting?

As long as I'm here, I will tell you that my little truck has over 146K miles on it now, and I have personally put over 12K on it since I bought it last summer.

Still looking and running great! Love it!

Tom

rmyers76 · April 2002

160K miles down on my 91, 40K more to go before I can put it to sleep.

Only new problem to report is a minor (but frustrating) electrical problem. My dome light went out and I can't seem to get it fixed. I replaced the bulb but that didn't help. Got out the volt meter and no juice getting to the light. The lights at the floor level light up which are on the same circuit as the dome so a fuse isn't the problem.

Oh well, if I get some time I will be tracing the wiring and trying to find an answer.

tsjay · April 2002

Thanks for posting. Geez, I thought I might be the only one left in here!

Tom

sonjaab · April 2002

Puter been broke..so no post ! Dads 99 S 10 30k
trouble free miles ! Hes hauling winter
debris to the dump today !
Yup, Hard working, long lastin, Chevys !
Stay cool dude !...Geo

PF_Flyer · April 2002

Just a reminder that our Town Hall chat happens on Wednesday (5-7pm Pacific/8-10 pm Eastern). This week, our topic will be:

Import Trucks: Can they compete with domestics?

http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/newsviews.html

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tsjay · May 2002

Sure has been quiet in here for a long time!

Nothing new to report, but my little truck has over 147,000 on it now and is still doing great.

Let's have some posting!

Tom

joey300m · May 2002

Just located this board and read all the messages. I have a 85 whose engine was replaced with a 4.3 liter
at 75,000 miles. Had to do tranny work at 180,000 (spun O/D gear) and replaced clutch. Other than the fact that body is showing lots of rust since the original owner lived at Mass. shore, can say this truck has been great. Used it to plow the NY snow and with the 4.3liter and 4 wheel,and it definetly kept upwith the big boys. Kept telling my wife, let's get through this winter, let's hit 200,000 miles etc. but we made both of them and it still goes. Lots of minor things like, a stuck drivers window, broken lock cylinder etc. but this has been a great machine. Since I work construction, I'm not too concerned about its' esthetics just as long it gets me the 60 miles I drive daily to work.

PS. With the oil filter so eaily accessed, oil changes at every 2,000 seems like the least I could do. Other things repaired: heater core, water pump.

tsjay · May 2002

Thanks for the post. Hope you will be a regular contributor here. We have certainly been lacking in posts for a long time.

These S10s are great little trucks, aren't they. You said you read all the posts, so you know that my '89 is in fantastic condition and I got a killer deal on it last summer.

I absolutely love it and couldn't ask for a better work truck. Hardly ever haul anything, but pickups are sure handy once in a while.

Tom

NativeTx · May 2002

Just wanted to post. I have the 91 S-10 Blazer with 4.3 auto. I now have 155K on the truck and it still runs fine. Thinking about a paint job now. The truck needs some cosmetic work done but so far still runs fine. Always nice to stop by here and see what's going on.

fastdogg · May 2002

I have an 89 s10 with 206K miles bought it with 135K miles. Put crate 4.3 in it with 193K. Has 3 inch exhaust from cat back and flowmaster. Also has K&N air filter. Runs strong. I think it was painted just before I got it and paint is getting tired again.

tsjay · June 2002

I haven't posted in a while, but neither has anyone else.

My little truck rolled over on 148,000 miles the other day. It's still running great, and I just took it on a business trip of close to 200 miles one way.

I haven't checked gas mileage for that trip yet, but the previous tank checked out at 25.3 MPG.

I drove 70 to 75 MPH with the A/C on most of the trip, but I'll bet I still got 27 ot 28 MPG. I will fill up later today and will post the gas mileage.

I think the oil consumption, which was only about one half to three quarters of a quart between changes, has gotten better since I switched to Valvoline Max Life oil.

Catch you guys later.

Tom

P.S. For those who don't know me or know about my truck, I have an '89 S-10 SWB regular cab pickup with the 2.8 V6 and a five speed tranny. I bought it on 7/16/01 when it had 134,502 miles on it.

tsjay · June 2002

I said I expected that the mileage would check out at 27 ot 28 MPG for my trip, but it was actually 26.8 MPG.

Tom

ntaylor · June 2002

Except for swapping out the original engine for a crate engine, some body work and replacing a couple windshields, I've done most of the work myself on my '88 S-10 Blazer 4.3 4x4. Changing the fuel pump by myself is something I hope to never do again.

Anyway, ever since swapping the engine I've had the following problem(s): 1) the A/C doesn't get nearly as cool as it used to. I don't know if this has anything to do with the shop's requirement to swap the R-12 with enviro-friendlier R-34. 2) with the A/C going, the compressor is constantly (every 2 seconds or so) kicking in an out. I think this is part of the problem with #3. 3) when stopped at a stop light, or even while in park, every so often it feels like someone is running in to me, like a big "miss" in the engine or something. Battery is fine, alternator is fine. I think if the constant on and off switching of the compressor were fixed then all might be well. Maybe I just need to refill the R-34? Any suggestions or advice would be nice. And, if its refillinig the freon, yes I know - don't try this at home.

Thanks,
NT

stubborn1 · June 2002

I had similar problems with the AC compressor kicking in and out every 2 seconds on my S10. If there is not enough refrigerant pressure, the AC will kick out instead of staying engaged. I had the system charged with R-12 (a few years ago when you could buy it) and the problem went away.

I haven't been brave enough to try and switch to R-134A yet. Hopefully the old R-12 will hold on for two more years before I dump my truck.

-Rob

tsjay · June 2002

You can put me down for that problem too. My compressor has been kicking in and out like that ever since I bought my truck last summer.

I have been told that the system probably needs to be charged, but I have just never gotten around to it. I have heard that it is really expensive to have it filled with the old refridgerant, and that if I have it converted to the new stuff, it will be even more expensive and will not cool as well as it does with the old stuff.

I know it is not good for the A/C to run it low on refridgerant, so I need to get something done before using it all summer.

Tom

ntaylor · June 2002

When the dealership was replacing my engine, they informed me that since they also had to drain the original R-12 that they were required (by law?) to replace it with the new stuf (R-134A). Seems like they always leave a different screw loose so that they can keep you coming back.

neil

tsjay · June 2002

What did the conversion to the new R-134A cost ya?

Also, does your AC cool as well with the new stuff as it did with the R12?

Thanks

Tom

PAman · June 2002

There is NO law mandating changeover to R-134a on a system set up for R-12. Why, then, do some dealers say that? Well, other than the fact that some dealers are so slimy, they leave an ooze trail when they walk, it is simply economics.

R-134a costs as little as $3 per 12 ounce can, but even at wholesale levels, R-12 costs as much as $25-40 per pound. Most systems require from 2-6 pounds of freon. If a dealer kept R-12 in your system, but in 30 days you developed a leak and he has to fix it under warranty, guess who pays? He does.....

Chances are, when he did your A/C system, he put new hoses or had the rubber parts of the old hoses replaced, so the rest of the conversion usually consists of a flush, new oil, new O-rings and a few other extras. If your condenser wasn't big enough for R-134a, he wouldn't have done the conversion in the first place.

Most conversions to R-134a these days are virtually invisible to the customer if a quality shop is doing the work. The secret is having a tech who knows how to work and fine tune a system using R-134a for the best performance, having a good fan and a condenser large enough to handle the heat.

Good luck!

Joe

sonjaab · June 2002

Just had my walkin cooler lines repaired.
It was a r-12 system. The refrige repair
guy used something called "hot shot".
Its a r-12 substitute ! Cooler works fine !
Not sure of the mfr. tho......geo

ntaylor · June 2002

When I was in for my annual "state inspection" last week I asked about the A/C and was told that it is still using R-12 (i.e. no conversion was ever made), and that it is likely that all I'd need is a pound or two of R-12, totaling ~$100. So, I'm taking it in tomorrow while the boss is out.

If they tell me that its a bad evaporator core or a leak near the core, I'm going to live with it (just too darn hard to do work under the dash).

ntaylor

PAman · June 2002

If your dealer first told you they HAD to convert it to 134a (which they don't) then you found out there was no conversion done, and now they want to get you in telling you it may only need a pound or two, when you know it will likely need other repairs, sounds like you need a new dealer!

If they lied to you once, and it sounds like they are about to pull the ol' bait-and-switch once your truck is in their service bay, why use them?

Find a good independent shop you can BELIEVE! There's enough liars and used car salesmen posing as service writers in this business without giving them more of your money. If you DO go somewhere else, be sure and call the former shop and tell the manager why you took your business somewhere else.

By the way, I just had a leak fixed in my 2000 S-10. It was the O-ring going into the accumulator. If they claim a component is leaking, ask them to check or replace the O-rings first unless they are sure it is a hard part that has failed. O-rings are cheap to replace when compared to hard parts. If you can get into the shop and have the technician show you the leak, notice if his freon detector goes off when he is around a hard part, or if it goes off when it is near a connector. If the connection is leaking, you may only need a new seal or O-ring.

Joe

ntaylor · June 2002

Well, as painful as it is, here is how it stands today. I found an independent shop that I HOPE I can trust to perform the A/C service. They called me and informed me that the system had a grand total of 4-1/2 oz. of R-12 in it and that it needed 19 oz. They said that they were not able to detect any leaks, but they did put the dye so I could monitor things over the next weeks/months. They tried to convince me to convert to R-134A ($275). I thought about it and felt that since I really never did have A/C after the engine replacement that the dealership simply must not have replaced the R-12 at all. I'm guessing that they either did not collect it properly or that they did not put it back. I guess I could go back to the dealership and complain, but I don't think they wouldn't do a thing about it at this point (2 years after they put in the new engine). So, in either case I might just try to use this incident as an opportunity for them to earn back my business when that time comes (I've got $2500 in gmcard $ and have been in the market for a new truck for a while). The main problem with this idea is that the only connection between the service and the sales departments is the owner. Who knows how far my gripes about service problems are going to go with a sales person. I guess I can try to get them to throw in all the extra warranty stuff. Then simply let them know that I think that other dealerships might be more interested in my business.

Duped or just stupid? Right now I feel a little of both. I may regret not converting. If things go wrong w/ the A/C I will probably just let it go. Afterall, its going to be my kids' car in a couple of years, and I'm sure that any wheels, A/C or not, will be more than acceptable to them. (The '62 Buick Special I drove in H.S. had 460 A/C - - 4 windows down and go 60 mph)

My next job is stripping and painting the hood. Anyone recommend a good paint stripper? I plan to do this in my garage on top of plastic/tarp.

Have a good day!
ntaylor

tommc · June 2002

Usually when replacing an engine the mech will take every effort to not disconnect an R12 system. Unbolt the compressor and lay it aside. I'd suspect the system was low to start with and maybe pulling on the hoses lost some more, and some since has leaked. Todays AC shops use an ultrasonic leak check that takes about 2 minutes to pinpoint a leak, near 100 percent accurate unless it is a high pressure leak. If I were keeping the truck for any length of time I would certainly convert to R134a HFC. Real simple to shoot in a can every couple years. If done right the cooling capacity would be nearly the same, you wouldn't notice any difference.
I'd use chemical strip on the hood. Zip Strip or Bix. Messy but you get a real smooth finish to paint over.

ntaylor · June 2002

Thanks, tommc. The A/C system may have been low to begin with, but when I took it in for the work it was as cold as it was the day I bought it. I'm going to call and ask what they do w/ the A/C when they replace an engine. Really, its history now.

Also thanks for the tip on the chemical strip. I definitely wasn't going to sand, but I really didn't have any idea of what stripper to go with. Can you tell me if these are generally available?

(The cracking paint is actually the result of another mediocre warranty job way back when. I am much more impressed with the factory paint and finish jobs I'm seeing nowadays)

ntaylor

jgaines1 · June 2002

My truck has turned 240,000 miles, (4.3, 4x4, automatic),the last three years plowing snow in the winter, pulling a boat in the summer. Its got some rust, but no mechanical problems until this year. Consumer reports should have rate this model tops! I will need another 4.3 before it hits 260,000, but I would say that should be expected.

tsjay · June 2002

VERY impressive! These little trucks are the greatest, ain't they?

My S10 rolled over on 149K on a short business trip yesterday, and I got 27.9 MPG for the trip! I was driving 70 to 75 MPH with the AC on too. I have the 2.8 V6 and a five speed in an '89 S10 SWB two wheel drive pickup.

Gotta love 'em.

Tom

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