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Chevy S10 - GMC S15 and Sonoma Stalling/Dying Problems
Few days ago my wile driving my 1995 S10 2.2 I felt a little hesitation like it was time to change the spark plugs.
Another day wile driving the ENGINE light turn on and few minutes later the car just stop working without any hesitation
just stop and id not want it to start at all.
I check the fuel filter and visually check the gas pump flow and there is plenty of gas moving trough that area. Also check the
sparks and they are all good.
What else can it be? Ah! My mechanic came to see it and told me that the compression was very low and that is why the car will not start.
I have trouble with this because the car was moving so well before the problem
Please help / thanks
See Also: Chevy S10/GMC S-15 Maintenance
Another day wile driving the ENGINE light turn on and few minutes later the car just stop working without any hesitation
just stop and id not want it to start at all.
I check the fuel filter and visually check the gas pump flow and there is plenty of gas moving trough that area. Also check the
sparks and they are all good.
What else can it be? Ah! My mechanic came to see it and told me that the compression was very low and that is why the car will not start.
I have trouble with this because the car was moving so well before the problem
Please help / thanks
See Also: Chevy S10/GMC S-15 Maintenance
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Comments
I have replaced the fuel pump, filters, fuel pump relay, done a check of all vacumn lines, checked all electrical connections to the distributor, coil carb etc., to ensure they are properly seated. Now I am at a loss, not sure where to look next. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve J.
He said that the wire going to the ignition switch was rubbing against something and after 9 years of rubbing finally grounded/shorted out the wire.
This must have been going on for 9 years. Probably never inserted properly at the factory.
kcram - Pickups Host
Yesterday, I tore it down and my suspicion was correct. The broken chain sat at the bottom of the timing cover. I replaced the set as well as the tensioner.
I started it up and it ran except it ran terribly. It's like the engine timing is severely retarded. I am suspecting that I am out of time by 180 degrees. My chiltons book did not tell me how to go about replacing a "broken" chain. It only has instructions on how to "replace" a chain which would mean the timing marks would be correct once you got the timing cover off and looked at it. I can't find any information on how to re-establish timing for this engine. It is distributor-less so I am stumped.
If you are attempting to replace the timing gear/chain set, let me know and I'll send you some tips on what I've learned during the tear down of the front side of this motor.
vi-kan
Good luck.
Thank you.
Rodrigo.
I just got the head back from the machine shop with a full valve job. They replaced 4 bent valves on cylinders 3 and 4.
I have never done a timing chain or belt on a distributorless engine. It's weird not being able to see which cylinder my distributor is supposedly firing on.
Any tips on this?
thanks,
vi-kan
vi-kan
Distributor out, crank sensor in, time marches on. Progress takes time to adjust. Remember when we use to get the tack/dwell meter out and fidget with duel points?
Sounds like your 2.2 is one of those projects that turns into never ending, where one thing leads to another, fun, fun, fun. That's usually my story.
Were the tops of the pistons and push rods ok? Did the machine shop change out the valve stem seals with new ones while they were in there? I had to replace mine last summer (seals) because it was puffing smoke on start up. I did mine with heads on but its alot simpler if you already have the heads off.
Good luck.
I took the head in and got a valve job as well as replaced 4 valves (on cylinder positions 3 & 4). No bent pushrods and the pistons were barely touched although you could see where the contact was made. The bent valves on the intake side were visible with the naked eye while still mounted in the head but the exhaust valves that were bent was so slight, you could only see it when the valves were out and on the bench. Cost: $278 at the local NAPA machine shop which I've used before.
I'm still hesistant on the whether or not I should have the number 1 piston at TDC when my timing marks on the crank and camgear are aligned properly. If no timing adjustment is possible, doesn't it make sense to just line up the gears and let her run? I'm thinking that the crank sensor is what compensates for the advance/retard on the timing.
I do remember messing with tach and dwell meters with the old point ignitions. I also remember sync'ing carbs every weekend as well....don't miss it!
My sonoma HAS been an ongoing project. I've got but a few pages left in the manual that hasn't been touched. The brightest side to this vehicle is 1) handy little truck 2)excellent gas mileage....and 3.... well ...two out of three isn't bad huh? hahaha...
I'm looking at a 2001 Nissan Frontier as a primary driver now and will keep the SON-O-MA Bleep as a spare. Sad...yes I know.
thanks for the input!
vi-kan
My 92 S-10 is also an ongoing project. Like you said they're handy to have for occasional chores and putzen around. At present I'm going round and round with the fuel pump relay signal from ECM. The pump works fine, the relay works fine (new), but no voltage from the ECM. I took the ECM out of the dash and fondled and caressed it for awhile. I even removed & plugged back in it's removable chip. After determining there wasn't anything I could do to make it feel better I put the ECM back. What's bizarre is when I jump the relay to activate the pump, I then get signal voltage from the ECM. I'm at the point now to where I'm going to install a toggle switch and indicator light in the dash until the real problem surfaces. The truck runs good when I jump the relay.
My son had a 03 Frontier with turbo. He liked the power but had poor fuel mileage. He traded for 05 Frontier 4dr, 4.0L, 6sp manual. He said it gets 25mpg on hiway and plenty of zip.
Good luck &
Keep' em Trucking
Well, I finally got my Sonoma up and running on sunday. I stuck with the game plan and it worked. That thing runs quieter now than when I first bought it used. I'm happy with the outcome but am still purchasing the 2001 4 cyl frontier for a mere 9K @ 55K miles. You know, after looking back at it, it wasn't a very hard job. There were a few things I would have done differently but that's in the category of poor planning for me. Like bolting the EGR valve and plate to the head BEFORE I installed the head. Also, I'd surely bolt up the fuel line that connects to the rack towards the back of the head also. Those were the two most things that made me say bad words. hahah.. Well, it's all done now and I'm glad. I did set the #1 piston to compression stroke and once again, checked the timing marks on the crank and cam gear to ensure they were right. Fired up with no problem.
You talk about your fuel pump on the 92. Well, I had a very weird encounter with mine on this same truck. About a year ago, I'd be driving and it would suddenly lose power where it would only idle. I immediately thought my fuel pump (in tank) quit. However, If I shut off the engine and restarted it, it ran fine for another couple miles and do the same thing. So, I shut it down, turned the key on to listen to the fuel pump prime up. I sounded fine. Then I thought to change the fuel filter thinking a big piece of something might be making its way up to the filter to block the passage of fuel and when I shut it down, it floated away far enough for it to pass fuel once again. Keep in mind, I had an 88 S-10 blazer that had a fuel pump quit on me. So, I figured if the fuel pump ran, it was fine. I was under the impression that the in tank pump either runs or it doesn't run at all. Wrong. I finally tapped into the fuel line by using a T fitting just after the fuel filter so I could eliminate that possibility as well and duct taped a pressure gage to my drivers side window. Lo and behold, when I lost power, the gage would be steadily dropping to zero. I'd pull over, shut it off and restart and shazam! The pressure gage would read 40 lbs or so of pressure once again. I changed the in tank pump and all it's attachments that were hooked to it while it sits in the tank and all was well. So, I learned that those in tank pumps can get weak / hot / and sort of work and not necessarily just quit altogether. That one threw me for a loop. To change it was pretty simple. I unbolted the bed, disconnected a few wires and semi spun the bed to gain access to the tank, then pulled out the old pump and put in the new. Pretty simple. Later on, I talked to one of the chevrolet mechanics and he told me that the best policy is to keep a half tank of fuel in it to help with the cooling of the pump. So, I pretty much do if I can help it. It's better to see a 15 or 20 dollar tab at the pump nowadays anyway instead of the 30 to 40 dollar tab it takes to fill up. hahah... Makes ME feel better anyway.
Thanks for the responses. Let me know how your fuel problem comes out. I'm curious to hear what happens.
Good luck!
Got my S-10 running again. It purrs like a kitten. As it turns out it was like you said, the fuel pump. I too thought that with electric fuel pumps they either worked or didn't, like a light bulb. That's what threw me for a loop. Well, it's all behind me now. On to bigger and better things. A side note; if I had it to do over again I would have went about it the way you did by detaching the bed and sliding it out of the way. I used the procedure outlined in the book and dropped the fuel tank from the bottom. That was a wooly booger to deal with, but I persevered. I believe that to be a successful DIY'er sometimes you need to be stubborn as a weed and hang in there. Of course there is that 10% rule, you know, where one needs to be 10% smarter than the equipment there working on. Ha Ha The 10% rule is what trips me up. That's where these forums help me wether I'm working on cars, trucks, or tractors as to where someone else out there has been down that road ahead.
Keep the faith! :shades:
I'm happy to hear you're back on the road again. What ever way you got the pump changed, the results are good right? When I did mine, my tank was over half full so I knew I had to try something different. Yes the 10% rule does come in handy. haha.. I have done a lot of reading on these forums to see if people out there have had the same symptoms and problem that I'm experiencing and have had some success. I really enjoyed conversing with someone like you who just by reading what you write, i can trust the suggestions and advice and actually understand the train of thought. I thank you very much. Since this last problem with my truck, i've gotten on Ebay and purchased the full factory service manual set from a guy that is brand new for 20 bucks. Yes, I am anticipating more problems with this kitten. hahah.. Thanks again Hoodlatch. Don't hesitate to write if you have any question I may be able to help you with. My main job is computers so I can help with that too.
Aloha!
vi-kan
The problem is this: When i start up cold, i get the clicking and when i accelerate i can redline the oil temp/pressure. At about 3rd gear it'll head back down but every press of the gas will pump it back up. After maybe 5 minutes, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, the clicking will cease and the pressure stays in the middle of the gauge.
I've changed the oil and filter a couple times, i've used thickener and thinner in the oil but nothing has worked. I spoke to a fella at a NAPA shop and he knew of an oil pressure issue with older GMC/Chevy trucks. He says they lowered the oil pressure in these trucks.
Anyone have a similar problem by chance? I'm stumped and i can't believe it would be my oil pump or anything like that.
The pickup has had good maintenance. New plugs, wires, fuel filter. After this happened I changed the fuel filter again. That didn't help. I took it to a mechanic and he cleaned the throttle plate and the idle air control valve. He claimed he couldn't get it to die, but it didn't take long for it to die for me. I thought he may be on to something, so I bought a nee idle air control valve and installed it (along with cleaning the area it seats into a little more). That seemed to help for a while, then back it went to the same old die on decel mode. Sometimes I'll just be sitting at a red light and it will decide to start deiseling and try to die.
I've also examined and changed a few of my vacuum hoses, but that has not helped. I tried running a can of Seafoam through it. That seemed to help some, then it got over that and has continued the same symptoms.
I'm suspicious someone could have put something in my gas tank to have started all of this because one of my '04 vehicles started having symptoms a little similar to this at about the same time. I may be a little too paranoid, I don't know. Possibly some bad gas? Wouldn't that have worked itself out by now? I've driven it quite a bit.
I've not had my fuel pressure checked yet. I've wondered it it was safe to disconnect the idle air control valve and see how it runs then. Is that safe?
Any ideas what I should try next?
Thanks,
James
First of all, there are two 4.3L engines available. One is with CPI (central port injection) and the other is a code Z engine or throttle body. You didn't specify in your post which one you have.
You mentioned that you replaced the fuel pump and it is still losing pressure? Where are you taking the reading from? If you turn the key to the ON position, can you hear the pump run?
Could you have a bad "new" pump?
I had a problem on a 95 2.2 Sonoma that started and ran well for about 2 miles then would bog down and die. I put a pressure gage on a "T" fitting right after the fuel filter going towards the engine with a long enough hose so the gage could be duct taped to the drivers window. That allowed me to monitor the pressure as I drove. Sure enough, when the pressure started dropping, the engine bogged down and eventually died. It happened on acceleration only. It would idle ALL DAY LONG if I let it without any problems. Once I pulled over and shut off the engine, I could restart immediately and go another couple miles.
I used to believe that in-tank pumps would either run or NOT run. I was wrong. I replaced the pump assy and connecting hoses in the tank and it was all taken care of. Ran like a champ once again.
If this problem you are having is repeated every time you drive, and accellerate, then I would say your pump or since it is new, the interconnecting hose is bad. I can't remember what they called that piece but I replaced it to eliminate having to pull the bed back off to get to the fuel tank again. It's a little more expense but will keep you from having to guess and sliding the bed off to the side once more.
Good luck
vi-kan
I have a 93 sonoma and its hesitating after getting to operating temp. Gets to the point I can't hardly drive it. Changed just about every part possible and still no luck. Do you have any Ideas?
Thanks and happy new year.
Tony
I would check and make sure your air filter is not plugged for starters. I know people think of that as the last thing to check if it's checked at all. At Idle, it will run fine, but as the engine demands more air as you accelerate and give it more fuel, it will stumble as if it's being "choked".
Encounter a puddle after a hard rain, drive thru slush or puddles after a snowfall, run thru a gutter with standing water will result; occasionally, in an erratic idle and difficulty accelerating. When at a stop engine will randomly (foot OFF pedal, clutch not engaged) rev and fall (no tach but guess 500+ RPM. Additionally will experience a problem accelerating, will simply not accelerate normally, feels like a speed limiter (not a rev limiter as engine will rev high) is in place. In certain traffic situations I've had to down shift hard to accelerate (when in normal, dry conditions I would have good acceleration in gear I was already in).
Note that Truck has a well maintained K&N oiled air filter and routine normal maintenance done professionally. Note that condition occurs in both 2X4 and 4X4.
A 20 or 30 minute drive on dry pavement or motor off for a while restores normal operation.
Sounds strange....yes, but am CERTAIN of the correlation with wet conditions. Have owned vehicle since new.
Sorry so long for my first post but currently in the middle of Colorado snow melt and experiencing problem as we speak. THANKS for any input.