I just replaced computer brain and finally it works and 6 miles later same symtoms again Its unreliable will start wont drive drive and quit and wont start I replaced cps emc ecm coil packs sparkplug wires sparkplugs pvc valve inline fuel filter I have tried anything someone says…like loose or bad gas cap can let water in your fuel if thats true or not I put Heet in to dry up any water problem put premium fuel in my truck changed the oil ever 3 thousand miles its my work truck never took it out in the woods and abused it never raced any cars with it just babied it and tried to get as much mileage out of her as possible…any help would be great I’m now thinking its timing belt help me…
You need to narrow it down a little more. Have you done tests which elimate anything? Like can you say for certain it isn’t a spark problem? It isn’t a fuel problem? It isn’t a compression problem? have you read out all the diagnostic codes in the computer memory?
timing belt … maybe the timing belt needs replacing, but as a cause for these symptoms? I don’t see it being that …
S10 never had a timing belt
The “coil packs” confuses me . . . just what engine is this?
What model year?
Compression test?
Fuel pressure test?
Good to know that the tuneup stuff has been done
Do you have a good spark . . . I mean a bright blue spark when using the spark tester
FYI . . . holding a spark plug to ground and watching it spark a weak orange isn’t the same thing as a bright blue spark from the spark tester tool, which is very cheap, by the way
Everybody I know who’s ever owned a Chevy S10 has replaced just about everything.
And I was the person who replaced just about everything, until the owners wised up and got rid of the vehicle.
In mechanics terms, the Chevy S10 is a money generator.
Tester
I agree with @Tester
S10s and all their derivatives . . . Sonoma, Jimmy, Blazer, etc. are money generators
Old school through and through, with lots of parts that need to be replaced frequently
Especially if it’s got a 4.3 V6
All of them will need lower intake gaskets
They all leak oil from the rear main seals, sometimes even the plate
The a-arm bushings wear out quickly, versus newer trucks
The steering components wear out quickly, versus newer trucks
Eventually, they ALL need the linear shift actuator, also known as the shift tube. Because it breaks right next to the spring
They need more frequent scheduled maintenance, versus newer trucks
The door hinges are DEFINITELY a weak spot. If you don’t replace the hinge pin bushings and pins in a timely manner, the holes for the bushings will hog out. If you let that go too long, the force transmits into the door frame itself, and it WILL tear off. At which point, you need welding skills. Even if you replace the bushings in a timely manner, they don’t last long
They are simple to work on, but they need to be worked on frequently
I have owned 2 that frustrated owners sold me for srcap iron prices because of various problems. Once repaired both were relatively reliable. Both were 2.8L throttle body injected engines. Over the years the S-10 line has seen a great deal of evolution and until the year model and engine are known we are looking at a blank sheet.
MOST of the S10s that I see NEED THE FUEL INJECTION SPYDER… If you have the 4.3L Vortec engine…one of the MOST COMMON failures that prompt owenrs to replace all the wrong things are cause by the “Spyder” Look it up…you will see page after page on the internet about the woes this thing causes. To date I have replaced over 14 of these units…AFTER the owners threw away money on items the engine did NOT NEED…In fact Ive become something of a local legend around here as the guy who can always get these vehicles running properly. Its not me…its just a part problem… Look into it…you will not be disappointed for lack of info.
Blackbird.
There’s mention of replacing the fuel filter but not the fuel pump. Those can be intermittent.
The ECM grounds below the carpet on all the S-10s I am familiar with. And various problems including repeated failures of the ECM and ignition module werecaused by a poor ground. Usually the vehicles have a history of a leaking windshield that soaked the carpet liner behind the glove box and caused rust at the ground connection. A great many GM vehicles had hard to diagnose intermittant problems caused by leaking windshields in the 80s and 90s. I seem to recall that Astro Vans were the worst. It was always worthwhile to disconnect and sand the ground connection whenever replacing the ECM or module on GM vehicles.
The S10 fuel injection systems . . . including the central fuel injection . . . are not that hard to diagnose, if you have a decent scan tool and fuel pressure gauge
Unfortunately, a lot of guys are lacking one or the other, or both
Come to think of it, a lot of the guys are also missing a good brain in their heads
I remember a 2003 S10 with the 2.2 and the returnless fuel system, which had a fuel injection problem and lean codes. It was hard to start also. Everybody thought it would be something really complicated, like replacing the pump. It was the fuel pressure/regulator assembly. There was insufficient pressure at the rail. There was good pressure going to the regulator, but it was pissing most of it back to the tank, instead of directing it to the fuel rail. After replacing the regulator, all the problems were fixed. Fuel pressures were correct, fuel trims were correct. No hard starting
A shotgun mechanic would have probably replaced fuel injectors, fuel pump, or something like that, and be left with the same problem
If its an S10…NONE OF US will be able to nail what it is. There are clues that we just cant see hear or smell when we are doing things via the internet. If we were all hanging out in a parking lot drinking beer I bet we could narrow it down pretty quick with all of our knowledge.
Just my 2 cents
Blackbird
I’m all for that beer. I have at least a case of various brands in the shop. Ya’ll come on over.
will start wont drive drive and quit and wont start
Can you rephrase that? I still don’t quite know what your symptoms are.
And what happens when it won’t start? Does it crank? Does it sound like it’s about to start but then doesn’t? What?
Sounds like we need the OP to tow the S10 to a Parking lot somewhere where we can all assemble…get drunk on beer and diagnose some S10 issues… LOL
I get so frustrated sometimes while trying to assist some of these folks… If we were just in front of the vehicle…we could solve almost all of these problems… We are at a SEVERE DISADVANTAGE doing things thisa way… I think we all know this. Its just frustrating is all. we are only as accurate as the problem description…
Sometimes people say the car just wont start…but fail to mention that their brother in law was under the hood and said something about borrowing my “Coil” or “Distributor” or something like that…OH SORRY…I FORGOT to mention this before. What do you think this problem could be? DO I need a new car? HAHAHAHAHAA
Blackbird
I’ll drink the beer and watch you guys diagnose and fix this mysterious S10
If Carolyn will overlook my asking, does anyone else recall Fallstaff beer? That was the only beer available from bootleggers and the local Legion Hut years ago and I recall the flavor and wish I could get a case of some facsimile since the brand is no longer brewed. So far National Bohemian is the closest and it is not available anywhere near me.
As a kid in Texas, I remember many adults at the time drank Falstaff which was very popular and heavily advertised. Schlitz was also a favorite.
Sort of a side note and related to wheels. I have a full six-pack of Harley Davidson beer I bought at Sturgis, SD back in 1984. It was a limited production run brewed by Pabst I think and I managed to get it back to OK on the back of a bike in one piece.
It was 6 bucks a six-pack and at one point (don’t know if it’s still that way or not) people were buying it a few years later as collectibles for 100 bucks a can.
With some foresight, what I should have done is bought a bunch and shipped it home by UPS.
Mine is still held together by the plastic and unopened. Maybe a can or two of that swill and the S-10 would be a forgotten memory… 
You can all have your beer, but if we’re going to be working on an S10, I’m bring a bottle of Jack.
We can all push it (we know it aint going to run) to a nearby gravel pit and do some target practice. Somebody bring a 50cal
Yosemite
Hahaha…Sorry…Just the mere mention of a few Brewskis got you guys seriously SIDETRACKED.
Seems like we all need to go out a crack a few. S10 be damned. I wouldn’t pass on the Jack either…LOL
Blackbird.
As long as we’re recommending beers, next fall/early winter try to find Founders Backwoods Bastard. That is an amazingly delicious beer, but get it quick because it flies off the shelf and is only made once a year.
To maintain compliance with the “posts must mention cars” ethic, don’t drink it while driving.
(Carolyn’s gonna want to smack me again)