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Chevy S10/GMC S15-Sonoma: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
Rick
http://www.petitiononline.com/GM5SP/petition.html
In the meanwhile its good ammunition when arguing with GM about the problem.
at 20k engine began stalling in afternoon on L.A. freeways. Most horrifying part was i had to come to complete stop before re-starting engine. It would stall 5-8 times daily. Dealer had it 3 times, could not find or duplicate problem. Engine codes revealed erratic anti-theft device...they would clear codes and say all is fine. At 4th visit i threatened to invoke BUY-BACK lemon law, they allowed me to trade up. I now drive an '03 GMC Sonoma FWD crewcab w/4.3.
Have owned 5 S10s, '87 4x4 2.8L (Best), '88 4.3 SO-SO, 91 Tahoe S10 4.3, 4x4 BLAZER (worst), '94 S10 4.3, 200k trouble free...
Insist they replace computer module, or threaten legal action.
Good luck.
Andy
The recommended lubricant is a highly friction modified semi-synthetic synchromesh oil to reduce transmission component wear.
Could it be that some are having their oil changes done at Jiffy Lube, and some GL4 or GL5 lubricant has been added to the transmission???
Recommendation: Don't get an 2.2L s-10
What else do you know about this problem? My 97 has 87,000 and to my knowledge has not had a head gasket failure.
2. Before tearing into the engine, remove the serpentine belt. Don't run the engine long--I think the belt runs the water pump. If the noise goes away, you probably have a noisy belt tensioner, alternator or water pump.
3. Before tearing into the engine, I would try running a can of engine flush in the oil, then change the oil and add a can of Restore with the new oil. If I remember the layout of that engine, the lifters have alot of oil flowing on them. It's pretty difficult for a lifter to go bad with good oil flow, unless you have a broken spring in the lifter.
Good luck.
Joe
The truck has 89000 miles on it and the transmission sure is a smooth shifter and quite in all the gears. I don't feel that the slight bearing noise is a problem considering the light weight oil used.
I have another grandson with an old 91 S10 with 136000 miles on it and going strong in spite of severe abuse. The S10 obviously is one tough truck. But young people play games as though in a demolition derby.
Your solution may be tough love.
I don't get the connection of ladies or elder men. A vehicle should be driven in a safe and reasonable manner regardless of the driver. Is it I'm young and I can rip and tear.
To the point: When we started it on the lot, it had the little whiney sound coming from sort of behind the ext. cab. You can't hear the noise at all when you're in the cab. I gave the dealer a funny look when I heard it and his reply was "It's the fuel pump, they all sound like that now". Knowing the pump was in that general location, we went with it. He said it would go away after it warmed up - however I noticed after I drove it the 80 miles home, left it running and got out - it was still doing it. Am I hallucinating? Is this guy full of it or do they all do that now? It's the strangest little sound that does just seem like something electrical is running. Quite an odd feature to try and sell cars with though.
I had a 93 4-banger that I loved and managed to drive to it's near death (it still does a great grocery run). I kept trying to buy a "car" - but couldn't force myself to do it. Anyway... just curious about the whine!
Also, anyone have a clue what this deep brown-purple metallic color is I have purchased? Just curious to find a real color name.
Thanks! - Alicia *8-)
Thanks
Thanks
Which would explain why you couldn't find it.
Note the hump on the valve cover. It's inside. I did replace mine on a 97.
Thanks
1. Without warning, the engine will lose power and refuse to rev above 1500 RPM or so. This tends to happen only in warm to hot weather. It didn't start happening until the truck was out of warranty (about 2 years old and 40k miles) and that summer it only happened a couple of times. This past summer, it was happening at least once a week, and several times a day during a 30 mile commute on really hot days. To me it feels a lot like what happens when I hit 94 MPH and the governer kicks in, it's a total loss of power and I start to coast, pressing the gas pedal has no effect. If I stay below 1500 RPM when this happens then it runs ok, going just above that makes it cut out. Anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds after it starts, the problem goes away and I can accelerate again. This is a serious defect and has me thinking "computer problem".
2. The fuel gauge doesn't work, it shows I have a nearly full tank all the time. Occassionally it will spike below "E" for a second or two at idle, but then go right back up to full. I have to use the odometer to keep track of my gas consumption because the guage is useless. This started at about 60k miles.
3. I have an exhaust system leak, which I believe is before the catalytic converter. Is there a common place to check where such leaks usually occur? Could it be a cracked manifold??
There have been a myriad of other problems that I've either decided to live with (half the radio's buttons have burnt out lights for example) or have already fixed (the cone-shaped splined shaft that the driver side wiper arm is bolted to became stripped for no apparent reason, causing the wiper to stop working during a heay downpour). This S-10 is the last of a string of GM products my wife and I purchased (we've switched to a non-North American brand) because the build quality and engineering are lacking IMHO. If I can just get 5 more years out of this truck...
Exhaust leak may be the expansion/vibration joint in the front pipe, or maybe tighten up the bolts at the pipe junction with the manifold.
No help with engine shut down, may be a limp home mode, but should show a SES light.
Finally found out the the electric connector to fuel pump assembly on top of fuel tank was slightly loose and in cold temps would not make connection. Bent/tightened the connectors and now it works fine.
point is, you have to identify the problem and trace backwards.
Fuel pumps make noise, can you here it, verify pressure?
spark present?
cold temps make electrical connections loose sometimes...jiggle them and you may find some problems....
good luck.
Rando
Ben
My opinion is that I would change to one of the new high mileage oils. Valvoline Max Life was the first one, but now there are other brands available.
If the lifter has gunk in it, the flush will probably clean it out. If the lifter is wearing out, the flush won't help.
Joe
I looked at a number of these trucks and the workmanship on them appears terrible. There are evident differences in gap widths between body panels, misaligned hoods, etc. Seems like one must look at ten of these trucks before finding one that does not have any of these glaring flaws.
After reading some of these posts, I am not very encouraged to buy this truck. I like the utility of the crew cab and I like the 4.3 V6 engine power and torque. But $ 25K is a steep price to pay for this vehicle and there are many other trucks to consider. Dodge Dakota crew cab 4X4 with a 4.7 litre v8 is only about 2K more, but a lot more of a truck for the money. However, I have a hefty GM card rebate (about $3200), plus there is additional 3000 rebate on the truck, which makes the purchase of S-10 more tempting.
For some reason, they do not offer a tow package on the S-10. The tow package is available on the Blazer with the same powertrain and you get a trasmission oil cooler, which is important.
I am considering holding on to my 95 Nissan SE V6 4X4 truck. I bought it new, it has about 76K miles and has been a great and reliable truck with minimal problems. It does not get great mileage (17 MPG) due to low gearing, but these trucks run over 300K miles when properly maintained. Plus mine is a 5 speed manual, which has been absolutely reliable. It can tow my 4000 lb boat/trailer without any problems. I would really hate to get rid of a good truck and buy something that could prove to be unreliable and of dubious quality.