Opinions wanted on S10 trucks.

[benjy_26]

Hello all.

 

Recently, I have come across the need for a vehicle that has an automatic transmission, has 4wd, is simple to work on, and is cheap enough to not feel too bad about beating on it a bit.

 

My first inclination is to pick up anpther Jeep, maybe a late model XJ or some sort of WJ. Looking in my area, anything with "Jeep" on it goes for WAY too much over what it's really worth. I have seen a few ZR2 Blazers and S10 pickups for the right price and in decent condition. What are y'all's thoughts/experiences with these vehicles? One positive that I can see in them is that they're Chevys, and parts are EVERYWHERE.

[Megadan]

I had an old late 80's S10 2.8V6 for a little while that had 190k on it and ran and drove strong after a bit of tune up and a couple of replacements (Distributor and Map sensor).  As long as they were decently cared for, they are pretty reliable.  The interior was garbage, but that's kind of a GM trademark, otherwise a decent truck.   Buddy of mine just bought a 91 2.8 with 230k, 2wd.  Put 100 bucks into it, and runs great. Just needs an exhaust to be a good daily/beater.  Also had an uncle who bought one new and drove it for 17 years before he got tired of it and sold it off, still ran strong.  

About the only thing I tell people to avoid is the 2.2 cyl in the late 90's models.  Any of the V6's will be great as long as they weren't abused too hard.

[500 MJ]

Had a '96 with the 2.2L in high school. It ate head gaskets like crazy, replaced the head gasket every 30K. It was decent mpg, a fun little truck. Drove it into college, bought an MJ and quickly sold it!

[benjy_26]

[benjy_26]

BTW, is there a reason why S10 guys like their 2.8's but the Heeps that came with that same engine are generally looked down upon?

[1987Comanche]

The '84-86 XJ/MJs with the 2.8 were all carbureted.  EFI helped those engines out a lot.  The 2.8 is an ok motor but the GM 4.3 TBI is indestructible if you take 1/2 decent care of it.  I've seen S-10s with 300K+ on the 4.3L.  The 4L60 usually needs a rebuild around 150K or so.  The CSFI engines are ok if you put in the good intake gaskets & the Delphi SFI retrofit spider.

[benjy_26]

The '84-86 XJ/MJs with the 2.8 were all carbureted. EFI helped those engines out a lot. The 2.8 is an ok motor but the GM 4.3 TBI is indestructible if you take 1/2 decent care of it. I've seen S-10s with 300K+ on the 4.3L. The 4L60 usually needs a rebuild around 150K or so. The CSFI engines are ok if you put in the good intake gaskets & the Delphi SFI retrofit spider.

 

That makes a lot of sense. Aren't the 4.3's basically just a chopped down 5.7?

 

The trucks I'm eyeballing have the MPFI conversion already done, if I'm not mistaken. They should be good to go assuming the transmission is in good condition, right?

[Wiggilez]

 

The '84-86 XJ/MJs with the 2.8 were all carbureted. EFI helped those engines out a lot. The 2.8 is an ok motor but the GM 4.3 TBI is indestructible if you take 1/2 decent care of it. I've seen S-10s with 300K+ on the 4.3L. The 4L60 usually needs a rebuild around 150K or so. The CSFI engines are ok if you put in the good intake gaskets & the Delphi SFI retrofit spider.

 

That makes a lot of sense. Aren't the 4.3's basically just a chopped down 5.7?

 

The trucks I'm eyeballing have the MPFI conversion already done, if I'm not mistaken. They should be good to go assuming the transmission is in good condition, right?

 

 

That's what some of the guys told me when I used to work for GM said.

[1987Comanche]

Yep, the 262 (4.3) is a 350 Chevy with 2 inner cylinders missing (I think 3 & 6).  A lot have balance shafts as a 90 deg V6 isn't the smoothest running design. There are some subtle differences in some of the bolt on parts but, like the 350, parts are generally plentiful & cheap. 

 

 Check for the presence of the Fel-Pro "problem solver" intake gaskets.  They have metal cores with rubber bonded to them.  The OE gaskets are plastic with cut rubber channels and they are junk.  Typically when either the injection spider or LIMG goes you replace them both but some guys may not have done that.

[benjy_26]

Thanks for the tip!