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Chevy Truck Repair Questions and Answers

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Question: 1995 Chevy Truck mileage: 103,000.  Bright yellow froth at oil filler cap, oil at dipstick looks fine.  Has a gunked up engine.  Started loosing oil pressure and smelling.  Oil pressure drops with higher temperature and rises with acceleration but still low when engine is warm.  What has happened?

Answer: The symptoms you describe, are usually caused by coolant getting into the engine oil.  A blown head gasket or leaky intake manifold gaskets are usually the cause.

Question: 1999 Chevy Pick-up mileage: 80,000.  After changing out the clutch, master cylinder, slave cylinder, the plastic fluid holder and hose, bled the clutch as described in manual.  Feels like plenty of clutch!  However, clutch will not engage!  Pulled transmission down, checked clutch plate, throw out bearing, and clutch pad. (I changed only the pad)  Would this hinder proper operation of the clutch?  Did I need to change the whole thing out?  I forgot to mention, it is a 3-speed transmission.  Everything looks O.K.  What should I do?

Answer: The clutch pressure plate may be faulty.  It is normally a good practice to replace the clutch pressure plate, clutch disk and throw-out bearing all at the same time.

Question: 1998 Chevy Truck C1500  mileage: 118,000.  The problem that I have with my 98 pickup truck is that this afternoon when I turned the key it made a grinding noise like the battery was dead but I ended up putting jumper cables on and it still made the same noise. The truck didn�t even turn on. What I do know is that the truck runs fine because the day before it was driving smooth. The noise only occurs when I try turning on the truck. I'm thinking it could be my starter or my alternator but I'm not sure. Can you please tell me what could be wrong and if it is my starter, how hard is it to install it, how much the parts cost, and were is the part located on the truck?

Answer: Here are some things to check.  Load test the battery.  Check that the battery cable connections are clean.  Check for 12 volts to starter solenoid with the key in the start position.   These things should be checked first then the ignition switch, starter and starter solenoid.  One of these may be faulty.  The starter is moderately easy to install. The starter is located on the lower right side of the engine by the flywheel.

Question: 1997 Chevrolet 1500 Truck mileage: 84,000.  I'm experiencing sporadic misfiring on acceleration.  I've replaced fuel and air filters, distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs and spark plug wires.  I've inspected the injectors, checked the fuel pump pressure and checked the fuel for contamination.   Everything checks out OK.  It doesn't seem to matter if the engine is cold or warm, it still misfires sporadically.  Is there perhaps a control that advances the spark that could be malfunctioning?  I know the old cars had a vacuum advance for this function, but I'm not clear on how this works on today's electronic ignition systems.  Please help!

Answer: Your car is equipped with a computer controlled engine management system.  An independent auto service center can scan your computer for fault or error codes.  The information should pinpoint the malfunctioning components.

Question: 1993 Chevy p/u mileage: 90,000.  My truck has started to miss on acceleration.  I replaced the usual suspects, plugs, wires, rotor and dist. cap, fuel and air filter, PCV valve.  This didn’t have any effect, so I took it to the Chevy dealership for a diagnostic. Their conclusion was that I had carbon buildup and for $165.00 they would decarb my engine.  I knew that what they would do was run some chemicals through it, so I said no thanks, bought a carbon removal product, added it to my gas and nothing.  It still hesitates upon acceleration.  Maybe my catalytic converter is partially plugged.  How would I check it?

Answer: Try replacing the oxygen sensor.  A weak signal from the sensor may be causing your problem.  To test for a plugged converter, drill a small hole in the exhaust pipe right before the catalytic converter.  Install a temporary hose fitting and attach a long rubber hose and a 0 to 10 pound pressure gauge.  With the gauge inside the car, drive up a hill or accelerate and read the pressure.  Normal is 2 to 3 pounds, restricted 4 pounds or higher.  The drawback to this method is the small hole will need to be welded shut after the test; a minor job if you have a welder.

Question: 2000 Chevy Truck mileage: 88,000.  The truck runs great, uses a little oil, but runs great.  The gas mileage has gone down a bit and the exhaust pipes stay black.  What can I do to check this out?  Could it be a problem with the throttle body, a sensor or what?  Thanks

Answer: Your car may be ready for a major tune-up including spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, rotor, fuel filter and air filter.  Also, perform a fuel pump pressure test.  Clean fuel injection system including throttle bore, idle speed control motor and passages.  If problem still exists, scan computer for trouble codes.

Question: 1997 Chevy z-71 truck 1500 mileage: 47,000. I have two things to ask about: 1. Is it normal at this mileage to have to replace the brakes and the rotors? 2. I have a check engine light that keeps coming on. I had the oil changed on time; would you know what else to check out on this? Thanks.

Answer: Yes it is normal to replace the brakes at 47,000 miles. If the rotors are worn undersize, there is a minimum size they can safely be turned to. The "check engine" light will "light" when there is a malfunction in the engine management system. The fault code is then stored in the computer. The computer must be scanned to retrieve these stored faults to pinpoint the malfunctioning component.

Question: 1991 Chevy Truck 1500 mileage: 150,000: I've replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter, and I've put about 7 bottles of injector cleaner in my tank over the past 3 months and it has not helped my problem. My truck has an automatic transmission. Whenever it goes to shift to the next higher gear or whenever I go to accelerate a little bit it will bog down. If I then give it a lot of gas, it will run fine. It just seems at the lower rpm it will not take gas correctly. Any ideas?

Answer: Check the catalytic converter to make sure it is not "plugged" or restricted. Your car is equipped with a computer controlled engine management system. An independent auto service center can scan your computer for fault or error codes. The information should pinpoint the mal functioning components. Pay extra attention to the oxygen sensor, most injector cleaners can harm the sensor. Before you use that type of cleaner, be sure it is safe to use on an engine with an oxygen sensor.

Question: 1975 Chevy 1/2-ton pickup mileage: 130,000. The engine threw a rod. I want to replace it rather than attempt to repair it. I have only been able to find a 292. However, I can't find anyone who can tell me what other parts, if any, will need to be replaced when going from a 250 to a 292. The truck has a manual transmission (three on the column) and is 2-wheel drive. Is there any chance that the back end would be incompatible with the 292?

Answer: The 292 engine should bolt up to the 250 bell housing. You may have to change the motor mounts.

Question: 1967 Chevy C10 mileage: 75,000. My tuck seems to have lost power I adjusted the timing and set it to 4 degrees before TDC and that helped a little but I still have very little power. I think it could be a carburetor problem but I am not sure. It sounds good at an idle but when I try to accelerate it just doesn’t want to go. I have a manual transmission on this engine so I don’t think it is in the transmission. I have a Holly 650 on this engine and I don't know what or how to adjust it. Please help. Do you think that this is something for a pro to adjust? This is not the original engine I just changed it over the summer.

Answer: Do a compression check on the engine. All cylinders should have 100 PSI or better. Does your truck have the original distributor with points and condenser? If yes and they have not been recently replaced, install new points and condenser and reset timing. With timing light hooked up, rev engine to approximately 2500 RPM. Does the timing mark advance? Next test the fuel pump pressure. If all the above check out the carburetor may need to be rebuilt. No external adjustment will correct the problem you are having.

Question: 1989 Chevrolet 2500 Truck mileage: 150,000. Did a valve job, both heads. Compression good all cylinders, from 90 to 120. Its starts great, but runs like it's only on 6 cylinders. New distributor cap and wires (rust inside dist.) New PBC valve, EGR valve, checked all vacuum lines. Told by mechanic intake manifold might have vacuum leak. I have vacuum gauge, but don't know where to hook it up? In addition, how many pounds should I have? Or, can you think of any thing else it could be.

Answer: Here are some things to check. If the miss is caused by a vacuum leak, it will "run" on all 8 cylinders under power (no vacuum under acceleration). Check to see that the spark plug firing order 18436572; cylinder #5 and #7 are easily switched. Cylinder compression of 90 to 120 pounds is not that good you may be oil fouling the spark plugs.

Question: Question (follow-up):  1989 Chevrolet 2500 mileage: 150,000. Correction on first question sent. It’s a TBI fuel injected engine. What is the difference between TBI and SFI?

Answer: TBI is short for throttle body injection. SFI is sequential fuel injection. The TBI unit more or less replaced the carburetor. Two constant flow injector sit on top of an intake manifold. SFI has one injector for each cylinder and are "sequenced" in time with the engine.

Question: 1979 Chevy 3/4 ton p/u 4x4, mileage: 23,000. My truck shakes violently when going over railroad tracks, but not all of them. It also does this when going over dips that aren't particularly deep and this seems to happen only when it is uneven on one side of the road. Usually this happens with the left side of the truck. The speed at which this occurs is 30 mph. I know you mentioned tire rods, CV joints etc. Could that be the culprit? What’s the average cost for some of these repairs (I know it depends on what part of the country you live in, just a ball park figure) and how long does it take (hours) for some of these repairs?

Answer: You are on the right track. Tie rod ends can cause your problem. Your truck is not equipped with CV Joints. Other possibilities are ball joint or/and worn steering box. If you have oversized tires on your truck, they will magnify the problem. A wheel alignment service center should be able to check out your truck. The cost of the necessary repair varies with the amount of work done. If in doubt, get 2 or 3 estimates.

Question: 1995 Chevy Truck mileage: 130,000. The windshield wipers stop intermittently. There is no common factor or reason why they stop, other than it is raining and I am not under the hood or steering column trying to figure it out. Some time if I switch the wipers to high, they will restart. I will appreciate any help you can afford me.

Answer: Electrical problems like the one you describe are difficult to trace. The wiper motor would be our first area to check. The switch would be next. If you can duplicate the problem with the car stopped, check for 12 volts at each unit. It may be something as simple as a bad fuse.

Question: 1989 Chevy pick-up, 4-wheel drive. The battery seems good (lights work good). It will not start; starter does not turn and I cannot hear the solenoid plunger activate. There is just a slight click when the key is turned to start. Do I replace the starter - the solenoid or look somewhere else? Thanks.

Answer: Your problem may be a weak battery or loose cables. Have the battery load tested. If it tests okay, the problem is probably the starter/solenoid.

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