Chevrolet S10 overheating problems

Filed Aug 21, 2021 · Brakes, Engine · SC

2003 Chevy S10 has been maintained and taking care of. Brakes in rear were sticking due to factory defective ABS control module. Rear wheel bearing gave out and started leaking axle fluid cause of a sticking drivers side brake from ABS control module malfunctioning. After much cost of replacing calipers and brake pads the culprit from a defectively ABS control module making the brake caliper stick to the rotor.. Next the coolant leaks from the intake manifold gasket and now the heater core leaks… this truck has only 146k miles on it and I always taking care of it keeping up before it’s schedule maintenance. But what I see is poor defective parts from GM. SO I have to make sure I get this work done and keep the coolant filled or there be a motor issue from overheating. This is a SAFETY concern and if the heater core leaks then breathing the toxic coolants isn’t safe at all when the AC is on or no heat in winter!. Now GM discontinued making the S10 in North America but redesigned a front wheel drive diesel version in South America.

Filed Sep 17, 2016 · Engine · 88,000 miles · WI

2002 chev. S-10 ext. Cab, v6 auto. 88,xxx mi. 9/10/16 sunny, dry am mid 70's.southbound I 41 70mph engine suddenly stopped running. No prior indication of trouble, not overheated, no leaks. Other gauges were indicating normal. I had only driven 5mi. On state hwy. Prior to driving 15mi. On interstate when engine stopped, v6 vortec 4.3l. Previous service to engine included water pump replacement 1 wk. Earlier by dealer. Now on side of road vehicle will not start, turns over, dash indicators, batt. Strong. This vehicle has 88,000 original miles, I am second owner, 2002 ext. Cab s-10. Towed to local chev. Dealer and they replaced maf (mass air flow) sensor, $477 parts and labor,+ tax, and suggested replacing fuel injector system. I declined injector replacement. Drove vehicle 5mi. On state hwy. Toward home when suddenly the engine stopped, as before. Towed vehicle to gmc dealer who recommends replacing the icm (ignition control module) $375 part, it should arrive in a couple of days, and says it's definitely not the injectors. Just doing my fair share to boost the economy. It's all just a money grab anyway. I figure another $500-$1000 and it may run again. Solution : unkown as yet. Instead of carfax, we need a permanent lemon label on dealership doors/show room floor indicating any car or truck history with 2 or more recalls and constant repairs, maybe gm should have failed (bankrupt). Toyota really isn't to good either. What a con game.

Filed Jul 17, 2009 · Engine · 63,000 miles · MI

It's a 99 s-10 v6 / 4.3liter rarely driven, 62,000 miles on the vehicle. No real event leading to the problem. Right now it is leaking radiator fluid from the front of the engine block. I cannot see where the leak is directly as it picks and chooses days to leak and not leak. It hasn't overheated or anything yet. It still has the original radiator fluid in it from when I bought it. I keep telling my mechanic we need to flush or just change the fluid. For over 6 months he keeps saying its fine. It drips onto the skid plate under the engine and drips from there. Never a huge puddle just enough to make a 2 foot diameter wet spot. Nothing has been done yet. Mechanic says to put kars radiator stop leak in it. I have a long road trip coming up in 2 weeks and afraid to take it out of town.

Filed Aug 29, 2008 · Visibility · 42,000 miles · AR

Windshield wipers stopped working. Checked all the fuses and found no problems. Windshield wipers well at times and stopped at very bad times; heavy rain times. After several days of chasing wires I found the micro soldering on the wipers computer board cracked in several places. The wire harness vibrated on it and the engine overheated it. The entire system needs a better attachment for the wire harness and some form of insulation from the engine.

Filed Apr 3, 2008 · Engine, Lights · 15,777 miles · OH

Vehicle purchased 2/23/04 new 2004 s-10 club cab - in feb 05 was returned due to coolant leak - both eng. Oil cooler hoses replaced. Also fuel gauge was erratic they replaced fuel level sensor in tank replaced mileage 15777. At that time the 4wd was not engaging properly but they could not duplicate the problem so no repair was made. March 9, 2005 motor had a ticking noise - a lifter collapsed and replaced along with the intake gasket. There was also a leak - they found the rear extension housing leaking -the rear drive shaft was removed and seal replaced. Oct 10, 2005 transmission leak and engine noise under acceleration - rear transfer case output seal replaced and engine pressure check. March 30, 2006 check engine light on and exhaust system rattling - thermostat replaced and catalytic converter. Mileage 34,997 june 2007 tail light on right not working - wiring issues repaired twice. November 2007 grinding noise when put into 4wd but once put back into 2wd okay. March 2008 - 4wd making loud noise when engaged and also making continuing noise when in 2wd - found to be transaxle going out. Wiper motor guit - replaced. Mileage now 74,540 this is where I am now driving with the transaxle going out. Love truck size and comfort but to many problems. Will probably go with different brand next purchase but only after much research. Found many complaints on transaxle issue and feel manufacturer. Should take care of this one.

Filed Mar 12, 2007 · Engine, Suspension · 73,960 miles · IL

Tsb #030601024a -- rattle noise in engine. *tt (the federal safety agency id #10004301, march 01 2004) #6 rod cap stretched, causing bearing to fail. Also other bearings began to fail. Possibly due to coolant leak from intake manifold gasket or just very defective part - mechanic unsure this of a vehicle that is properly (sometimes overly) maintained. Have all service records to prove it. Even mechanics commented on upkeep of vehicle. Service facility refuses to make repairs - trying to force complete engine replacement even though crank journals can be polished, new bearings can be put in and rod can be replaced. Basically they and gm are looking for a big payday - they are sadly mistaken. I have had nothing but problems with this vehicle, with each repair becoming more and more expensive. I now have to get rid of the truck and have financial hardship due to the costly repairs. The sad part about this is gm does not stand behind their products / services, a recall should have been done for this problem as it is very common to their engine families, similar to the piston slap issue with the truck ls-series of engines.

Filed Nov 6, 2006 · Engine · 86,000 miles · OH

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the radiator overheated, and the temperate gauge went all the way to the red line. There was yellow fluid that overflowed from the reservoir and had rusted the radiator. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer who refused to flush the radiator. The manufacturer was not alerted.

Filed Nov 16, 2005 · Brakes, Electrical · 71,500 miles · NV

On july 22, 2005, I paid the dealer $615.74 to replace a shorted air pump. I brought it in since the light gauges were turning on. The "check engine" lighted on and off. One week later, the A/C stopped working. The dealer charged me $105.19 for the diagnosis. On aug. 10, I paid another shop $852.08 to replace the A/C compressor. On aug. 30, my s-10 stalled and hasn't worked since then. A mechanic said the engine has to be replaced (another $3000 +) due to overheating of the radiator. There was no prior indication that the radiator was leaking or heating except when the light gauges were turning on in july. I bought this truck brand new in 2000 and have spent over $7000 in repairs and regular maintenance since then. The battery acid has leaked. Brake pads keep wearing out. Several air injection malfunctions and pumps have been replaced. I've purchased at least 2 sets of tires. It has less than 72,000 miles.

Filed Sep 12, 2004 · Transmission · 50,000 miles · NC

Truck was slipping out of gear, and eventually was making a grinding noise when trying to shift. It was taken to mechanic and readout indicated the transmission was overheating. Truck was taken to mechanic a total of 3 times for evaluation when final determination was a new transmission was needed. New transmission was put in; and a week later, the new transmission would not shift into gear. Truck is still at mechanics being evaluated.

Filed Oct 22, 2003 · Transmission · 58,000 miles · GA

I recently purchased a used 2000 chevy s-10 with 48,000 miles. The vehicle is extra clean and there were no apparent problems. I had to make a trip from atlanta, ga to chicago, il. Coming back on the interstate (traveling 75-80 miles an hour), the check engine light came on and the truck downshifted from overdrive into third. I was nearly rear ended by two 18-wheelers while I tried to slow the vehicle so that the RPM's were not in the critical zone. I stopped at the first auto repair shop I could find, and was told that the transmission was severely damaged and would need to be rebuilt. Apparently, the bands were slipping and caused the fluid to overheat and turn extremely dark. The truck now has 58,000 miles, and needs a new transmission. This is the third gm car that I have had that I have had to have major transmission work done. The last one was a buick and had less than 60,000 miles on it.