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Chevy S10/GMC S15-Sonoma: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
Keep me posted on any new happenings with your situation. Anyone else having these problems?
and you stop and park the gauge sometimes shows empty and the low fuel light comes on. I have shifted the truck from drive to neutral going down the road and the gauge goes all over the place. Now this problem does not happen every time but there have been times when I haven't
known if I have a 1/4 or 1/2 tank of gas .
'least accurate' ??? My '97 S-10 came with
what the owner's manual claims to be an 18.1
gallon fuel tank. The numbers you provided
pretty much supports that capacity, and quite
accurately reflects my experiences.
Even if you're gauge works perfectly, I would
recommend that you fill your tank, run it
down to almost empty, fill it again, figure
out how many miles to the gallon you get,
multiply that by your tank's capacity, reset
your trip odometer at every fill-up, determine
what your vehicle's mileage range is, and not
worry about what your gas gauge says so much.
I'm getting around 27mpg lately, so I know
that after 450 miles or so, I should consider
getting some gas, regardless of what the gauge
indicates....
JMO....
But, it does NOT move from 1/4 to E or E to 1/4 when it is being parked nor does it move all over the place. So while I believe there are problems with the fuel gauge I don't have the same problem as scoops. I have owned other vehicles that the gauge would not go all the way to F or E, that if you waited for E you would be walking, and that when they reached E you still had a large reserve of fuel. The 2002 S-10 is the first one that has a fuel gauge that with favorite areas where it likes to stop and rest and then rapidly goes to it's next favorite area.
From what I have seen they deliberately set the low fuel light to come on a little early to help people avoid running the tank too low which lowers the full level in the tank and allows the fuel pump to run hotter as well, remember the fuel pump is cooled by the gas in the tank too, helps the pump last longer if you don't let the level get too low too often
Good mornin
Rando
If that was true they would have the guage "E" when the tank 1/4 full,just another myth.The pump is cooled by the fuel passing through it and it sets in a sump.
any cooling the pump gets helps in the long run, and of course they normally last longer than the warranty period,,,so the mfgr gets to say "yes the pump is 20 bucks and the labor is 150, thankyou very much"....probably being very forgiving on those prices too!!!
Keeping the pump submerged will let it live a little longer, but yes you are right about those details you mentioned, they do help.
I think we all wished those pumps were air-cooled
but I guess that would add another 50 bucks and save the 150 labor charge for us home mechanics huh?
see ya
Rando
Kraasch:
your under warranty buddy, get back to the dealer to let them here it and fix it before something else vibrates/wears,,,noises sometimes come from NOT where you hear them.
Most people wait until the engine starts losing power,hard on the pump.
keep gas in the tank, and change filter regularly, and cross your fingers,,,,
I think we both are on the same page here.
See ya
Rando
the pressure...I opened my fuel cap to relieve
the tank pressure, but that did nothing to the
fuel that was already in the line...I ended up
with a face full of gas...it's a very simple
installation though....
Oh yeah, I have a '97 S-10 LS w/2.2L....
Chevy should fix the stupid gas gauge. After 1/2 tank it often drops to below empty!! Usually with 4 gallons remaining.
I'm glad that I discovered this before my road trips so I avoided unnecessary pit stops.
I get 20-21 mpg on road trips including town miles as well. About 16mpg strickly in town.
Nice truck but Chevy has been aware of this gas gauge problem for a long time and can't seem to fix it...no excuse in my opinion.
I'd like to pass along this story to show you Chevy/GM once had a heart regarding reimbursement for out-of-warranty repairs.
I bought a 1982 GMC S-15 Sierra (same as S-10 but different badges, yes?) new in '82. 5 speed, V-6. Drove it only 6K a year and just sold it last month with 116K on it. Aside from five (5) Clutches (no, don't ride the clutch) and four (4) sets of brakes it was a pretty good vehicle.
At 53K and nine (9) years old, warranty expired, of course, I was driving on the freeway with my then 10 year old daughter. Heard a high-pitched Twinnngggg and pulled over. All well. Looked fine. Back on the freeway and up to 65MPH. Whamm! Transmission locked solid!
No control, rear wheels locked and sliding toward a cliff but instead, luckily, hit a berm of dirt and stopped.
Front and rear wheels bent by the berm.
Transmission toast. Driveshaft/u-joints/carrier twisted and more to the tune of $2,000.
A tooth had broken off one of the gears in the tranny and lodged between a meshing pair, Locking it solid.
With very little hope that GM would do anything, I took a shot anyway. Through a month or two of letters and phone calls they agreed to split the cost with me! Got a check for $1,000!
From reading this thread, it looks like those days are gone. But, you know, what goes around comes around. When will ALL the automakers realize an inferior product coupled with poor customer service and total indifference to customer satisfaction will sink their ship. I think some of them are sinking as we speak......
Also try turning the caps lock button off
much easier on the eyes
Thanks in advance
Has anyone else had a noise on the driver side behind the dash board? It does it at about 1200 rpms. It sounds like a wheel turning that is also grinding. The dealer couldn't find anything wrong. Sometimes the power steering doesn't work at idle. It seems to be linked to the noise. Of course the dealer found nothing wrong. Any of you had this problem?
truck that I use for work everyday). For some reason it has developed a problem with only
lukewarm heat coming from the heater, even though the engine is fully warmed up..I recall at
one time there were a bunch of people posting messages with this heater problem..anyone
recall a fix????
My dad had this problem about a yr and a half ago. i cant recall offhand how he fixed it
Anyone else having this problem? Am I being lied to by the service department like I think I am?
Anyone else having any rattling noise and getting the same story?
The balance shaft is connected to the drivetrain, above the camshaft. Theres no loading and unloading of it. The 90 degree V6 needs a balance shaft to reduce vibrations, and having driven a 90 S10 without a balance shaft I can tell you it works.
Dont know whats wrong with youre truck but it sounds like the dealer doesnt want to take the time to find out whats wrong with it.
The plastic tanks are quite new,my 99 Sonoma is metal,but either 00 or 01 they went to plastic.M y 00 Cavalier has plastic.When they go to plastic you lose almost 1 gal in fuel capacity the plastic tank is about 1/4 in thick.
I thought the gas tanks were made of plastic?