how many miles to the gallon does the 6cyl run??? and does the s 10 come with a towing hitch??? and I read that the max towing capacity is around 4000 is this true?? and one more question when towing do you do it on drive or overdrive???

There are 2 different v6 engines, a 2.8L... and a 4.3L.

2.8L engines have weak crank journals, so their bottom end doesn't last as long as it should, however I'm getting around 25mpg on my auto, 4x4 blazer. It's not my choice engine for towing, but it does get the job done.

The 4.3L does have a good bottom end, and a fair amount of towing ability. They are the best 6 cylinder chevy motor, but they are kinda gas pigs. I don't know what milage to expect since I have never had one.

put a complete tow package on, and take your time while driving with a 4000lb trailer and you should be fine. but first check with your insurance company they might not cover you if they figure that the trailer is too much weight for the truck

S-10's don't come with a trailer hitch, although some might have had them installed as a dealer option. Trailer hitches don't cost that much, and I had a special rear bumper welded up with a 2" reciever hitch built in

Where I live we require trailer brakes for any trailer weighing more than 2000lbs

And finally Never tow a trailer while in OverDrive. I had a boss burn out a new transmission doing that, and the warranty wouldn't cover it.

great advice but the gas pig thing sucks big time what is the how many miles to the gallon does this truck go???? the 6 cyl that is I drive a 91 caprice and I think it gets less then 19 or18 to the gallon if the truck gets a few more ill be happy with that... by the way I dont plan on towing more then 2000lbs maybe even less then 1500 how does a 4cyl stand up to that weight???

If you use a 4 banger try getting a 2.5L, 5 speed and it should get work fine. It'll still be slow towing up hills.

If you use a 4x4 you can install a posi-lock system on the front end ( a cable system which bypasses the vacume operated front axcle lock ) which allows you to drive in 2wd low range when you need the extra torque

well i plan on getting an s 10 xtreme 6cyl im just concerned on the gas thing now

98 4.3l owner here, the gas mileage, as with any engin depends on how much led is in your foot, if i drive nicely mostly highway, ill get upwords of 25 miles to the gallon, mostly city miles is 19 to 21, and if i drive like a jackass, which as any 18 year old has the tendency to do now and again, im pushen 11 miles to the gallon.... 4K sounds awfuly heavy for a 1/4 ton truck, i think you would be realy pushen a 4.3l chevy to pull that much behind you, my moms full sized ford 150 (went with the ford because the 1500 had less towing capacity) is only rated to tow 8000 pounds, alwase in overdrive while city driving, once cruseing, for better gas mileage it is ok to put it into OD, never ever ever ever set cruse while towing, and never try accelerating much while in OD... but if i was you and wanted to lug that kind of weight, i would look full sized truck, the s 10 might do it, but it will have some struggleing, and that does nothing but excessive wear and tare to the vehical, if you go 4 banger, especally 2.2l forget towing, 2.5, i would maby hall but still i wouldnt tow, and the most i would do is a bass boat on my 4.3... when in doubt, MORE POWER!

I have an 89 with 4.3 TBI , I get 20 plus with oversized tires(31") . have two buddies with mid 90's models that get better .

I have a 4.3 and get 10 miles and I think there is something wrong with her.

movin2 you are runen way rich or have another fuel related problem if your only gettin 10 to the gallon (assumeing that you didnt tell us kilomiters, if you did you have an even bigger problem lol)

A well tuned 4.3 should get around 17-19 local, 22-24 hwy

movin2 you are runen way rich or have another fuel related problem if your only gettin 10 to the gallon (assumeing that you didnt tell us kilomiters, if you did you have an even bigger problem lol)
I was talking miles.I am getting a code stating it's runnin rich.As soon as I get the cash I'm gonna buy some new 02 sensors.I just found out that they need replaced after 100,000 mile.Mine has 106,000.I think I'm gonna replace them all.

I have a 1988 2.8 and I was wondering if the TBI setup off a 4.3 will work if I put the 2.8 injectors in it.

I have a 1988 2.8 and I was wondering if the TBI setup off a 4.3 will work if I put the 2.8 injectors in it.
the web pages say yes it will wrk, however since I never tried it I won't promise anything

They have different model numbers in my haynes manual and CFM numbers . Curious though . Hope that it does not run rich . Do both units look like the same mount and wires?

i got a question does the s10 xtreme come with a tow hitch (the ones behind the lic plate???) if not can i throw one on???

Kenwood Guy, Haven't you found your dream S-10 yet?

I've got a sugestion for you.

It sounds like your a pretty handy guy, and you want the best truck that you can afford.

Why not go to some of those auto wrecks that have re-buildable trucks that the insurance companies sold them.

They are often very affordable, and often don't need much more than a fender, and possibly a hood.
And of course a paint job to match all those parts up.

I was in one last week, and they had some late model import 4x4's for as little as $1500.00 canadian. Now I'm kicking myself for fixxing up old junk.

Nice S-10's can't be much more.

If I talked to them nicely they would probably give me the parts that I need for the re-build too.

i got a question does the s10 xtreme come with a tow hitch (the ones behind the lic plate???) if not can i throw one on???
they are called hidden hitches, you can get them from summit and streetbeatscustom, places like that

a few more questions I read that the v6 s10 is a gas hog does the gas milage of the v6 come close to the 4cyl or is it more like having a v8 in your car if so maybe im better off getting a full size truck?????? anyone know the gas milage of the full size1500 truck or a ram ???

my moms ford (i know somone will say no comparison) is an 03 and gets roughly 20 miles to the gallon, my 98 s 10 (i drive it hard) gets 20 miles to the gallon, differences are, my mom can pull our camping trailer and i dont dare try... the choice you make depends on your application, mine was a street truck, mommies was a practical camping vehical

hmm i see

I was at a chev dealer last week and was told by the sales rep that the s10 extreme was / is not set up for towing as they do not have a complete truck frame.... (I found this stament kinda weird).

I have a 1990 4.3L S10 and, if I accelerate slow, can get about 21mpg on the highway. I have to drive like an old man, though. But I think older trucks burn a little bit more gas.

i got a question does the s10 xtreme come with a tow hitch (the ones behind the lic plate???) if not can i throw one on???

Not new. But there are companies that sell them of course. Summit Racing has A LOT of cool parts, including that hitch. I think it's about $150 or so. My truck already had a hitch on it when I bought it, so I haven't bought the hitch that hides behind the plate. :-(

If the bottom end of the 2.8s are weak why not beef up the parts?
Is it possbilty to do that?

the 2.8 is a pos they just blow up
dont buy one

There aren't any beefed up parts that I'm aware of for the 2.8L.
The truth is that it won't blow up on you, but the botom end bearings don't last long.

You can however get a 3.4L from a comaro and bolt it right in with very little extra work.
If I have to do it again that's what I'll do next time.

I'm actually thinking of buying a core 3.4L soon and building it up even though I've only got 6000miles on my re-built 2.8

You can read these links about the swap
http://home.earthlink.net/~micfly/matt.htm
http://www.off-road.com/jeep/cherokee/xjtech/engine/28-34swap.html
http://users.spec.net/home/emxjc/
http://s-series.org/module-htmlpages-display-pid-1-print-1.html

the 2.8 is a pos they just blow up
dont buy one
unless the block has a ford emblem on it does not count as a POS.

no, 1.9, every one makes mistakes, the 2.8 was and i beleve still is chevys mistake, no ford or dodge symble neccisary (side note, imo the 2.2 in the s 10's is no better then the 2.8, the 2.2 in something like a cavalier is fine)

I have a 94 s-10 ZR2, with 31' all terrains. I have a very heavy foot, i just got my spider inkection unit fixed. im getting 20mpg, where as before i got about 10, if that. My towing is perfectly fine, but what exactly are you planning to tow?

the 2.8 is still a under powered poor excuse for a
v6 ive worked on more 2.8 s 10s than any other engine size

yes but we learn from the mistakes and fix them by making a better motor or finding some one with the
tools to make new and improved parts.

ok i can tell thet u like the 2.8 but i think it is underpowered junk not for a truck the 4.3 is to
small

if you think a 4.3 is to small for average joe in his s 10, try sitten behind one, they have power in them, add exhaust and a cai, and theyll throw yur ass back into the seat

If you want real power then put a 572 chevy motor in an s-10.

If you want real power then put a 572 chevy motor in an s-10.

And when you do that send in the pics, otherrwise we won't believe that you did it.

Since I joined this forum some guy claimed that his neibor droped in a viper V10
And 1 guy claimed that he droped in a mustang 5.0L
Neither one could prove it with a simple photo

And when you do that send in the pics, otherrwise we won't believe that you did it.

Since I joined this forum some guy claimed that his neibor droped in a viper V10
And 1 guy claimed that he droped in a mustang 5.0L
Neither one could prove it with a simple photo
not only could they not prove it, BUT for some unknowen reason, they never came back to the boards :dunno:

And we were nice to them, unlike that guy that claimed to have a high hp 350 in his Blazer, and then claimed that it had a high mileage 2.8L in it a month later

What was his name again ?civic

I like having horse power under the hood but i'm not stupid enough to put a 572 in an s-10. I want a truck to drive not hual plus insurance, tires and every ticket happy cop in jefferson county.

insurence??? your insurence wont go up, treat your insurence like the army does, dont ask dont tell, my agent has even told me that, im upping my policy once she gets back from paint, i just wont tell them about the 350 seeins how it wont be in untill after the upping, then they dont charge me a lead foot fee, and ill have a 20k policy, enough to cover what ive got into it, plus some because i have done a lot of work myselfe, and if anything needs replaced they take a shops est. not me doing it myselfe est.

If you have enough power and know how to use it those cops in jefferson county will never keep up.
But then again if they have any aircraft your pretty much hooped.

Plus things like tires do last as long as you respect the power.

Comeon 1.9 to 2.8 S-10 - YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Just kidding, A 350 is the answer. 400SBC biggest

The only thing that I would want a bigger motor in is my Motorhome, and that will hopefully be a high compression 502 Cadalac motor in a few years.
I know where a 70 parts cady is, and he's almost broke. I'm hoping that he'll decide to part with that motor. The highest compression 502 that they made, so it should be a good core.

dont even start that kinda shit overboard, no matter how much quicker then the cars you are, they are trained for high speed persuit, if you do manage to outrun the chopper (not realy that hard, they cannot fly by airports and top out at about 120 mph (190k/h)) but you will never outrun those damn radios, theres one of you and several of them trying to stop you, i know you was just joking, but this is the disclamer

Shoot, Sorry and your right dmbrisket;

I actually had to stop building and buying fast vehicles to calm my need for speed.
I won't mention any of the stuff that I did when I was your age, but I will say that I think anyone that does what I did is Crazy.