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s10 again
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Post by s10 again »

Hello everyone, my name is Chris. Originally my first post was going to be a question about what to look out for on a crew cab that I was going to look at this morning. But my stupid Spam filter caught the confirmation email, and I thought it was just taking a few days to go through. My techno wife figured it out for me.

Anyway, I have owned a few S10s and more than a few Astro/Safari vans and I know most of the stuff to look out for, so I went and test drove and looked over the crew cab and she looked good, so we drug it home.

It is a loaded black ZR5 with 235/75/15s and 3.73 rear with limited slip, and I love it. It has a few small things that need to be patched up but only one thing bothering me - it was a 2 hour drive one way. On the way back, I was on a long but not steep grade. I had a shudder at around 1500 rpm - I think it was the TC kicking in and out but may have been an engine shudder. I gave it a little gas, it dropped back a gear, I let off the gas, went back to 1500 or so, and it never did it again. Is there anything I need to look out for with that?

I thank you guys for having this forum here, I have been reading loads of info and gaining valuable knowledge. I look forward to posting more.

Chris
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Post by HenryJ »

Welcome :wave:

The converter locking and unlocking on a grade is "normal" operating for these. Kind of a pain, but a programmer, or shift kit can help.
I added a switch to control my converter lock up. I can disable it if I want to.

Enjoy whats here and don't be afraid to wake up long dead subjects. We just love to bring them back to life.

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s10 again
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Post by s10 again »

Thanks for the welcome HenryJ. And thank you for easing my mind about that shutter. This is the newest s10 I'v owned (It's an 02 BTW) and all the others I lived in flat lands with and never had one do that before. It was shuttering and the tach started jumping back and forth a couple hundred RPM kinda worried me.

The dealer said it just had the 4wd repaired. When test driving it I could not find a good spot to test it out. So I put it in 4high and did a gentle turn just enough to feel that it was binding up so I knew it was working to some degree. It's been raining here pretty good for a while and I have a hill out back that 2wd truck can't climb when wet. So I just gave her a good 4wd test and all I can say is wow.

I'm glad It's ok to bring up old questions here because when my bank account rebounds from buying the truck I want to de-soccer mom her a bit. :)

Chris.
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Post by HenryJ »

Save a little here and there. Read lots and decide what direction you want to go with it.
They really are pretty capable right out of the box. There are a few low buck and even free mods you can do in the mean time if the mod bug bites.

What year truck did you get? How many miles on it?

"Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary does." - Richard Hammond
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If at first you don't succeed - Don't take up Skydiving!
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Post by s10 again »

She's is an 02 with 102k on it and it is loaded and 1 owner looks great in and out. We gave 8,450 for it out the door. I figure thats a decent deal. There is an 03 Gmc zr5 down the road with 130k and not loaded and they want 10,500 for it.

My biggest grip right now is that she is missing the bed caps and bed rails. :x But thats not bad to have to replace. It helped me talk them down from 9k. :)


Chris.
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Post by HenryJ »

The bed rails were removed from some to allow the installation of a tonneau cover. That might be something to consider before you look too hard at replacing them.

Did you get the steel or plastic fuel tank?

100K is not a bad place to be. There is a long list of service items that will need attention, but you bought it right.
Put a transmission service on the top of that list. That might even smooth the stutter shift a little.

"Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary does." - Richard Hammond
"Speed is just a matter of Money - How fast do YOU want to go?"-Mechanic from Mad Max-
If at first you don't succeed - Don't take up Skydiving!
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Post by s10 again »

Hmmm, Having 3 kids still at home 2others out on there own and 2 grands maybe a little more dry storage area would be a good thing.

I was going to ask about transmission service. I was worried that if it has never been done if it would be ok to change it this late in the game. Some are ok others I know should be left alone and keep the fingers crossed. It is possible that the fluid was changed with the 4wd repair. I think they said something in the trans was at fault. Should I just do the fluid and filter or will it need to be computer tuned as well?

I think next big things are the coolant and a tune up. I had a 99 extreme 4.3 a couple of years ago and did not know about dex mud That was a fun experience. Well I was on the look out this time and the coolant does not look great it has not turned to sludge yet so thats got to get done soon as well.

As for the fuel tank I just looked but it is still wet out there but it looks to be steel.

Thanks for your insight.

Chris.
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Post by HenryJ »

If you don't know for sure where you are on the transmission service, it is never too late. Flush , filter and fluid exchange.
I would drop all the fluids and start fresh. Even the transfercase. It doesn't take much.

Are you willing and able to do all the service work yourself, or planning to have it done?

"Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary does." - Richard Hammond
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Post by s10 again »

Yep, I can tackle most of it myself. I was already planing on changing everything down to the brake fluid. I might even put some synthetic in the diffs. I always run synthetic mobile 1 in the engines as long as the engine gets along with it. I have a heep XJ that hates it though so it gets dino juice. My Extreme did very well on synthetic so I'm guessing the crew will love it as well.

I can tell you for a fact that if you have a dodge truck with over 110k on the trans fluid you stand a good chance of killing the tranny if you change it that late. Been there done that. But GM makes a much better transmission so I'm not that worried about changing it now. I also have a new trans cooler that I will toss on there so then she should be good to go. Everything else is just petty crap. like the driver side heated seat switch has a broken clip and the garage door opener hatch clip is broken.

It has near new Kumho Solus KR21 tires on it. But I think after getting the important things tended to I want to get some 30x9.5 BFG ko's under it.

From there I don't know what will be next but I like the Synergy Offroad Hidden Winch Mount , ORI light bar and since you got me to thinking a tonneau cover would be nice.

I don't need to get to crazy with lift because I have already done that on my XJ with 7.5" of lift and 35x12.5 15's. :wink:

Chris.
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Post by HenryJ »

I'm not a fan of synthetic in the rear diff. The Gov-loc already has enough against it.

Be sure to take your truck in and have all the transmission fluid exchanged. You can do the filter and clean the pan, but then change all the fluid. It is worth the expense. There are ways to do this your self, but the machine sure is easy.

Dodge transmissions are the only ones left that do not circulate fluid in park. When they are hot , either idle them in neutral, or shut them off. The fluid stops pumping when you toss it in park. That just cooks the fluid.
The fluid level must be checked in neutral for this reason too. In park the fluid drains back and reads high. If it is full when in park, it will be very low in neutral.
They are also the only one left that you must manually adjust the bands every 20k miles. Many just let tha go and slip them to an early death.
Those things kill more of the Mopar transmissions than anything. I am not a fan of the "D"s (We don't say the "D" word in my house ;) )

That hidden winch mount is neat, but think about a receiver mount winch. You could use that on the front, rear or the XJ if needed. Mine sure has been handy.

Check out the stuff on the 2" body lift. It has many benefits beyond getting it up and looking more like a truck. That will give you good clearance for a set of 30" tires.

I had a toolbox and tonneau cover combination. I went to a Softopper. I REALLY like it. I'll not be going back.

"Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary does." - Richard Hammond
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If at first you don't succeed - Don't take up Skydiving!
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Post by s10 again »

I did a lot of reading back when I had my Extreme about the G80 because I was beating the crap out of it. I did not buy a bright red Regular cab step bed Extreme just to cruise it!!! Livening in the country has some advantages. I was told by a few friends that if I kept driving sideways that the Gov lock was going to blow. 40k of hard driving and it never gave up it's ghost. Many say that the Eaton G80 is better than the old Gov lock I don't know I have had trucks with both and only one failed it just stopped working no boom just turned into an open diff. Don't get me wrong though if I was going to really wheel this truck and beat on it with big aggressive tires I would replace the G80 with a real locker!!!

My thought was that synthetic might help both the gears and the G80. Is there something I missed about the G80 not liking synthetic?


My XJ has a winch bumper on it just need to get a winch for it. It has not been a priority because the darn thing has never been stuck. I just like the clean look of that hidden set up for the s10. I will be hauling the family around to camp grounds and places to hike. Since I'm not going to go nuts with lift and tires I just want a little security in case I do get stuck.

I use to hate body lifts too many things got misaligned and need to have brackets made to lift the bumpers, radiator, shift linkages, and sometimes the steering shaft. I have not really looked at the body lifts for these trucks. They seem cheap do they have brackets to relocate the bumpers and everything. I know I will have to do the hitch and sidebars myself I read up on here that far. It is tempting because then I don't have to upset the factory suspension and driveline geometry.


I'm looking at soft covers right now just to see what is out there for the crews.


Chris.
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Post by HenryJ »

s10 again wrote:... Is there something I missed about the G80 not liking synthetic?
I don't like to use it where clutch linings are being used. The additives to most do not meet the requirements. There is a good thread on that around here. That goes for the G80 and transmissions. Read up on it though as there are those who disagree and have not had problems.
Synthetic doesn't make financial sense where it needs to be changed frequently. I run in dirty and wet conditions necessitating more frequent changes. If you don't go offroad and spend all your time on the highways, synth may work just fine for you.

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Post by killian96ss »

Welcome to the forum Chris! :wave:

With 100k miles on the clock a complete transmission flush is a good idea, but with that many miles I would use regular Dexron III and not switch to synthetic trans fluid. Using synthetic trans fluid that late will most lileky fry the clutches.

The G80 will works just fine with synthetic fluid, plus the synthetic oil frees up hp, increases gas mileage, and reduces wear. I now have over 300k miles combined on 3 different S10's using synthetics with the G80, and all of them work flawlessly. :wink:

I use 75W/90 Royal Purple in both diffs on my 88 S10 and 05 ZR2. My Crew Cab had Redline 75W/90NS in both diffs. Both Gear oils are very good quality!

Steve
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Post by gocntry »

s10 again wrote:I just like the clean look of that hidden set up for the s10.

Chris.
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Post by s10 again »

Thanks Steve, I wouldn't shock the transmission with synthetic at this point. I'm waiting for some $$$ to come in. Once I get it I think I will take her in to a good trans shop and let them look it over. I have found I couple more concerns and want a shop to check it out. Yesterday picking up my kids from school I had to wait in a slow moving line of traffic. Once free of the traffic I pulled out onto the road and the little 10 started to sound like a 747. It took a second for me to catch on that it was the clutch fan fully engaged. But it was being very loud because the transmission was holding the 1st-2nd gear shift to 3000rpm. I was on a little hill but for just easing on the gas I thought it should have shifted lower than that. Well paying attention to the tach it never shifts below 2000rpm no matter how easy I am on the gas. I don't feel any bad slipping but this thing is a slush box compared to the 99 Extreme I had. So I'll take in and let them give it a look over and service the trans.

Next is some play in the steering I'm going right now to pick up a new floor jack so I can check it out. It looks like it is either the center link or pitman arm right now. we will see.

I took some time to fix the broken heated seat switch with a hot glue gun. I hope that switch does not heat up too much when its on. Also the rear bumper looked as if it had been well bumped. But after looking at it the bolts where all loose so that was an easy fix.


gocntry, With all that needs doing right now I have to focus cash flow on maintenance but if you still have that mount later I might get in touch.

:D thanks for the welcome and advise everyone!!!!

Chris.
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Post by F9K9 »

Welcome to the forum! Where in TN are you and where do you wheel the XJ?
s10 again wrote:..............My XJ has a winch bumper on it just need to get a winch for it. It has not been a priority because the darn thing has never been stuck. .........
You do realize that you just cursed yourself with that statement unless, it is a mall crawler :wink:
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Post by s10 again »

Well looks like I'm going to need some front end parts so the over kill person I'm will likely replace the whole enchilada. So I'm off to look at any available heavy duty replacement parts and will soon be bugging you guys in the Tires /Lifts / Suspension forum. :D While ordering parts I'll grab some lift shackles. Since I will need an alignment once I replace everything might as well get some lift from those TBs. Someone had it lifted before I believe because there are spacers in the swaybar endlinks. I think when they set her back down they went too far. The passenger side bump stop is gone and there is not enough room to put one back without some lift. Drivers side bump stop is blown out and is resting on the control arm with the truck sitting level.

I wonder is one of you have a second to answer something that puzzles me. I have read the stuff on here about TB adjustment and cranking. When we did this on our Toyota it was just done by a measurement taken from the center hub to the fender. Why do we have to do the whole Z measurement thing or should that have been done on the Yota's as well?

Chris.
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Post by HenryJ »

That is just the only reference they gave us. It is not really clear as it is anyway.

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Post by F9K9 »

Chris, it's just to willy nilly from one S-10 to another. Too much difference between one to another. GM never did alter their Z trim measurements or let the public know what they were. If, you set your front end up to their specs, you will be told they have been changed but, they will not produce the new ones. If, you get really bored or have been assigned bed rest for a couple of weeks then search for Z trim measurements with me as the author. :lol:
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Post by s10 again »

f9k9 wrote:Welcome to the forum! Where in TN are you and where do you wheel the XJ?
s10 again wrote:..............My XJ has a winch bumper on it just need to get a winch for it. It has not been a priority because the darn thing has never been stuck. .........
You do realize that you just cursed yourself with that statement unless, it is a mall crawler :wink:
Thanks for the welcome, I'm over here by Johnson city.

The only wheeling my Xj did was through ditches,over fallen trees and such. This when we lived in the flats of SC. We moved up here and the xj has been parked for a while as I battle death wobble so no rock crawling yet it might then I might need a winch.:wink: A matter of fact we are looking at full size 4x4 bow ties to trailer the XJ to trails. My s10 will only see light to medium level off-roading. Might to some trail exploring with it. I also have a 4x4 2dr tracker to play with.

Chris.
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Post by F9K9 »

PM me sometime about the XJ. Harlan or Black Mountain ORV park is equal distance for both of us. We don't need to bore these S-10 "ifs" guys with our dribble. :lol:
[size=75][b]"For those who have fought for it, [i][color=red]FR[/color][color=white]EE[/color][color=blue]DOM[/color][/i] has a taste that the protected will never know."
[url=http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=73349]GUIDE TO SEARCHING. [i] (Some of the forum software is different but, it has helped me a lot.)[/i][/url][/b]
[b]"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." Edmund Burke[/b][/size]
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Post by s10 again »

f9k9 wrote:PM me sometime about the XJ. Harlan or Black Mountain ORV park is equal distance for both of us. We don't need to bore these S-10 "ifs" guys with our dribble. :lol:

We might have to do that once I have a way to trailer my XJ. My parents live in Callalantee ATV trails back yard and I keep meaning to take my tracker in there to do a little pre-running. Have you ever been there?


Thanks for taking the time guys to fill me in on that whole Z hight thing. I'll ask more about getting my low riding crew back in the air once I'm ready to rebuild the front end. One more ? Did ZR5 trucks sit lower than none ZR5's? I was reading the TB crank under mods and that truck had 6.5" between the tire and fender to start with and 33.5 from fender to ground. Now I know the ZR5 fender flares are going to be different but mine measures 3.75 from top of tire to the flare and 31" from the ground to the flare. That seems to be a big difference to me. Did that truck have a body lift as well tweaking the TBs? This seems to verify that my truck has been lowered too much.

Chris.
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Post by roadrunner »

Welcome to the forum. As regards your loud fan. They do make a fair amount of noise when engaged but you should check the air-flow side of your radiator. Mine was exceptionally loud till I discovered it was 80% plugged with dirt and bugs. Kinda hard on the fan clutch and water pump too when that happens as well as making the truck run a bit on the warm/hot side.
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Post by s10 again »

Hey all thanks for the welcome and all the advice. I look forward to being a part of this great forum. I got a chance to take some pics of my crew cab and we put them online here if anyone wants to take a look. http://picasaweb.google.com/jacobskm/S10#

Thanks again!

Chris.