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Chevy S10 Owner Reviews - READ ONLY

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Messages Page 32 of 65

#310 of 648 1994 S-10 pickup owner by swmichigan

Sep 24, 2000 (2:51 am)

First, let me say that my post does not cover any problems regarding the Chevy S-10...just praises. I am the owner of a 1994 Chevy S-10 (standard short bed) pickup with a 5-speed transmission. I bought it two years ago, and it now has 43,000 miles. I average 28 miles per gallon. Last week I had new brakes/rotors and a new exhaust put on (the pipe ahead of the muffler rusted through. Being the pipe is welded to the muffler, I had to have both replaced). Grand total = $500.00. Other than the seemingly normal wear and tear, I've had no problems. It has the standard 2.2L engine, which doesn't have a tremendous amount of power, but I'm still happy with this truck. I know my two cents doesn't mean much to the people posting their problems, but I just wanted others to know that not all S-10's are problematic. I have a great little truck.

#311 of 648 Exhaust Heat by djrobinson

Sep 24, 2000 (10:57 pm)

I own a 1998 Chevy S10 (4 cyl; automatic; AC)and I have a problem with heat from the engine compartment entering the vehicle. With the climate control in the "off" position, hot air, in lieu of outside fresh air, enters the vehicle at the accelerator (gets hot and is quite uncomfortable to the foot). With the controls in the "vent" position, the hot air blows in my face. The dealership says this is normal for the S10 and there is nothing they can do to correct this situation. If this is a factory defect, is there something that can be done to fix the problem? Please advise.

#312 of 648 S-10 Wiper Problem by mr5by5

Sep 28, 2000 (8:54 pm)

Sorry for interrupting this conversation, but since there seem to be some of you here who are having various problems with your S-10's, I wanted to throw this message out where you can see it. I have been having a problem finding a place to post this write-up, I originally posted it on my Personal webpage at Geocities but apparently no Search Engines can see it there. Maybe some of you in this S-10 forum have had this problem and this post will help you out...


BTW: Our '94 4-cylinder Automatic S-10 2WD has had zero problems other than this one and the seat belt inertia locks that just quit working. With over 77K on it we still pull down over 27mpg, have had no traction problems in nasty winter driving with the Tiger Paws that now have over 80K on them (on another S-10) and still look pretty safe! Yeah, it rattles a little and rides rough - I bought a pick-up not a luxury sedan! For the under 10K price-tag 6 years ago this has been a very good vehicle...


THE WIPER PROBLEM


About the time the original 36,000 mile warrantee ran out on our ’94 S-10 Pick-up we started to have intermittent problems
with the windshield wipers. They would either refuse to work or stop working, usually in warm weather or after the
temperature warmed-up under the hood in colder weather.


I checked GM Safety recalls and found nothing and, eventually, inquired of my dealer’s service department on a couple
different occasions to see if GM was aware of this problem and if they would offer to fix it - no such luck!


I knew the Wiper Motor Assembly would be an expensive part, so we limped along for the better part of 3 years with
unreliable wipers on the truck. I found that I could wiggle the connector on the motor and get the wipers working again most of
the time if I was willing to get out in the rain - for my wife and daughter, who also drive the S-10, I treated the windshield to a
frequent coating of Rain-X. One of the first things I looked at when we bought our ’98 S-10 2 years ago was the wiper motor
- it had the same configuration but a different part number which made me even more suspicious that the ’94 motor had some
kind of design defect.


THE CAUSE


Just this past week I decided that I was going to resolve the problem with the ’94 once and for all. I removed the Wiper Motor
Assemblies from both trucks and found that the ’98 Assembly worked fine on the ’94 but the ’94 Motor demonstrated the
same problem on the ’98 - if I wiggled the harness plugged into the ’94 Motor it would work sometimes on either truck. I
removed the cover on the ’94 Motor Assembly and found that the male connector body is molded-into the Motor Circuit
Board Assembly - the only thing holding it to the Motor Assembly is the plastic cover attached by 3 Torx screws.


I couldn’t see anything obviously wrong so I set the thing aside and went to my local Advance Auto Parts store to see if I could
buy a new Wiper Motor Assembly for a reasonable price. They listed a rebuilt Wiper Motor Assembly at $25.00 + $15.00
core charge, which seemed pretty reasonable, but when the counterman brought the motor out and we opened it to make sure
it was OK, I found that it did not include the Connector and Circuit Board Assembly! I was pretty sure the problem was in the
Connector and Circuit Board so I told the counterman at Advance "No Thanks" and went home for a closer look. Before I left
the store, though, I sneaked a peak at the computer terminal screen and noticed that they also listed a Delco Wiper Motor
Assembly at $123.00! I didn’t feel so bad about the money I had spent on all that Rain-X over the past few years…


When I got home I sat down with the old ’94 Wiper Motor and removed the Connector and Circuit Board Assembly. Now,
looking really close at the board in the area of the Connector, I could see that the solder was cracked around 4 of the 5
connector pins where they were soldered to the Circuit Board pads - AHA!


I got out my trusty soldering iron (I’m a mechanic, not a sparky! I hate sniffing the smoke from burning solder flux and burning
my fingers with the soldering iron. But I learned in soldering class that "a good mechanical joint makes a good solder joint" and
it was pretty clear the Connector on that Motor board had neither!). I re-heated each of the five solder joints where the
connector pins attached to the Circuit Board until the pins were hot enough to flow solder on the opposite side of each pin to
the soldering iron, and ended-up with 5 nice, shiny, solder joints with no gaps or cracks around the pins. When I plugged the
Motor in to the Harness it worked perfectly! I wiggled the Connector and it no longer seems to have any effect on the
operation of the Motor! VIOLA! Two cents worth of electricity and a penny’s worth of solder seems to have done the trick!


My theory is that the soldering machine that assembled the Wiper Motor Circuit Board Assembly for the ’94 S-10 was not
set-up properly to get a good solder joint on the heavy connector pins. It would take a lot more power to heat the heavy pins
than the small electrical components on the Circuit Board and, because the connector pins did not get hot enough during the
soldering operation, they ended-up with "cold" solder joints that cracked during the first 3 years of the truck’s life. The Motor
Assemblies at Advance Auto Parts are cheap because GM Dealers have been replacing Motor Assemblies like hot-cakes with
those $123 Delco parts, and Delco is wholesaling the Motors to the rebuilder for next-to-nothing. Unfortunately, the rebuilt
Motor won’t fix your Wipers if you have the same problem I had, and you’ll be doing a lot of nasty, unnecessary work by
removing and replacing the whole motor.


HERE’S WHAT TO DO


· DO NOT attempt to remove the whole Wiper Motor Assembly from your S-10! It is very difficult to remove the plastic cowl
vent from the car to get at the nut that attaches the Motor shaft to the Wiper Arms and you do not need to do it.


· Remove the Connector from the Wiper Motor by lifting the latch on top of the Connector and gently pulling the connector out
of the Wiper Motor to the left.


· Remove the three Torx screws that hold the black plastic cover on the Wiper Motor Assembly and pop the cover off.


· The only thing holding the Circuit Board and Connector Assembly in place now is the snug fit between the edges of the
Circuit Board and the Motor Housing. You will see about 4 spots around the periphery of the board where they have provided
a small notch for a screwdriver blade to pry the Circuit Board away from the motor. Pry gently at each spot until the Circuit
Board pops out and carefully slide it down and forward away from the motor.


· Look carefully at the 5 spots where the Connector pins solder to the board - if you have "cold" solder joints there you may
need to look real close to see the cracks in the solder around the pins or maybe even use a magnifying glass.


· Now sit down with a small soldering iron (mine has about a ¼-inch tip - you don’t want to use a Wood-burning tool and a
tiny instrument soldering iron might not get the pins hot enough) and heat each pin ‘til you see the solder on the Circuit Board
pad "sag" around the pin and the crack disappears. I added a little bit of solder to each joint for good measure - just don’t
"bridge" the space between copper traces on the board or you’ll end-up with a short!


When you put it all back together you should have a more reliable Wiper system on your S-10. It takes a half-hour. costs
almost nothing, and might even work on other GM cars with Wiper problems.


If it works for you send me an E-mail and let me know!

#313 of 648 Thanks Mr5by5 by beatfarmer

Sep 29, 2000 (8:04 pm)

My '95 has this exact problem and GM wouldn't repair it under the recall because my manufacture date was too early. The fix sounds simple enough. Yep, I do the wiggle the connector to get it working trick too.


Much thanks again for saving me the bucks.

#314 of 648 S-10 3rd Door Noise by wincem

Oct 01, 2000 (6:35 am)

I bought a 2000 S-10 just this past June and have been totally happy so far. I've only had two complaints. One- The steering made a loud knocking noise when starting from a dead stop with the wheels totally turned (dealer changed bushings and fine now) and Two- the third door made really loud rattles going over even tiny bumps. I never really gave this too much of a thought seeing as how I knew about this problem before I bought the truck from reading this forum. However, today after washing my truck, I took the door panel off to see if it was something I could figure out. Well, it took me all of two minutes to fix the problem. There is a rod that runs from the door handle up to the top latch. This is the problem. All I had to do was unclip the black plastic clip holding the rod, and then move it up a couple notches, just enough to make it snug, without actually pulling on the rod. And Voila! Its all fixed. I figured you might all be interested about this since there used to be so many postings regarding this annoying rattle. Most of the posts said their dealers couldn't fix it either. Well, do it yourself. Takes five minutes tops, and didn't even get my hands dirty. I took it all over the place over large bumps and potholes too, and not a peep out of the door. (I'm so proud of myself!!) As for my overall feelings on the truck- I highly recommend getting one. Mine is a Victory Red, 2000 S-10 ext-cab 4.3, with the sport side bed and Z-Q8 suspension. I am always getting looks from people as I cruise down the street and get plenty of compliments. The engine has plenty of horsepower stock from the factory, and I haven't lost a race yet. One other hint for those of you concerned about gas mileage- I know it won't make that much of a difference, but a tonneau cover will help cut down on wind drag, thus helping your mpg. Its worth the little money they cost if you do alot of highway driving. Otherwise, leave the tailgate at home, it'll help too, unless you absolutely need it. If you have any other questions, please feel free to e-mail me at cmjdjmsympatico.ca Thanks for listening!

#315 of 648 Love my 91 S-10 by shelby12

Oct 02, 2000 (8:22 am)

Mine: a 91 S-10 4.3 V6 with 225,000 miles on it, and plenty of HP and compression left. Husband maintained from day one with reg oil changes, TLC, and lectures (to me) to treat it with respect. His: a 56 step side Apache with the small window - such a BEAST, but a real looker around town.
I love my truck, have had some minor repairs, mostly maint, radiator, fuel pump, alternator etc.
Biggest complaint is electrical (power windows, gauge quirks) but overall a GREAT truck. Bought new, and hubby always good about changing the oil, etc. Still has lots of giddyup. My truck has been there, done that, and will do it again. Is now a challenge to see how many miles I can go. Dog owns the ext cab...no third door back then!

#316 of 648 1989 S10 2.8 by antonio42

Oct 03, 2000 (5:06 pm)

I have a standard cab with the long bed. This great truck has almost 130,000 miles on it and still runs great. I put larger tires on it. 235 75R 15 they give me good ground clearance and a great ride. I keep the oil changed and don't treat it mean. It should keep running several more years.

#317 of 648 post#330dirobinson by joe3891

Oct 05, 2000 (8:49 pm)

I have a 1999 Sonoma auto & ac.With the system turned off you still have air coming in at the floor and the temperature control will still control the temp.IN moderate cold I dont even turn the sys. on I just adjust the temp.control.I know your S10 has the same sys.I like it,if you lose a blower motor you could still have heat.Any ? just ask.

#318 of 648 by dangbwi

Oct 06, 2000 (11:55 pm)

Own a 1997 S-10 LS 4 cyl. 5 speed, with air, cruise and tilt. I have 46,000 mostly highway miles on it now, and it has been perfect. I average around 28 mpg all around and 30 plus mpg at 65 mph, with the cruise, on the highway. No complaints about the truck, it rides quiet and comfortable. I have never had the TigerPaw tires do anything to make me hate them. We have ice and snow covered roads for most of the winter in Northern Wisconsin and the tires have been fine for me.

#319 of 648 new 2.2L OHC in S10? by dannyg

Oct 09, 2000 (4:20 am)

Any news if Chevy is going to offer their new 2.2L OHC 4cyl in the S10? It is now used by Saturn, but I hear it will be used in a lot of GM cars/trucks in the future. Info at http://www.gmpowertrain.com.


I'm looking to replace my old V6 Ranger with a new S10 or Ranger, probably a 4cyl for better fuel economy. A new 2.3L OHC engine will be available in the 2001 Ranger this winter, I wonder if Chevy will counter with their 2.2 OHC.


Thanks for any info.

Messages Page 32 of 65

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