Newbie Questions

Hey everyone, I'm new here (and to automotive maintenance/repair) and have a few questions on fixing up my 1996 4.3 S10 (Regular Cab)...
First, my back wheel is really, really squeaky (especially when in reverse)... wondering what could make it squeal so much, as I'm almost positive it's not the brakes. Also, on a completely different note I was wondering if you guys had heard of heated dipsticks that supposedly help with cold starts.... anyway, thanks in advance, and I look forward to working with y'all in the near future!

Squeaky back wheel...while driving in reverse...
Or does it stop and start squeaking?

Dip Stick heater...I have heard of them but...have not used them...I live in Central Minnesota...and have used tank heaters, frost plug heaters...magnetic heaters that are placed on the oil pan...But, personally if It is cold and I expect the vehicle to have a hard time starting...I take my battery in...which is simple...once you loosen the terminal ends...if you remove the holddown...often the cables can be pushes on and twisted slightly to tighten....and therefore no wrenches needed...

Now, again I live where it is often below zero...and if I need to get to work the next day...a warm, charged battery...is the ticket...Blessings... :o)

squeaking in reverse i would say it's likely a hardware spring inside the brake that's rubbing up against the drum. I haven't heard of a dipstick heater before, kinda sounds neat though....i live in Canada and it does get fairly cold here, i use a block heater...the frost plug kind...and it works great, i lived in Thunder Bay for two years and it really helped there...if your battery is in good shape it should be fine in the cold, but if it's on the way out then you might find a slow turning engine in the morning, or better yet your starter might be drawing alot of power and therefore making it seem like the battery is pooched. If you take it somewhere most places do a free load test on your battery and a crank test on your starter, just get them to test it then you can do the work and save some money. Hope that helped.

Thanks guys! I was just curious about the whole dipstick thing... my battery is solid right now.... I'm getting worried about the squeaky wheel problem, I may just take it in. I live in a rather conservative town that loves pulling people over who are under 30 and I'd rather not draw attention to myself w/a noisy truck....

good call.

:lol thanks man. Also, I fixed me heat shield today and when I was out giving it a test run I notice that it squeaks both in reverse and when driving forward... any thoughts?

what squeeks? the truck or more specifically the heat shield?

Sorry, I didn't say that well... I fixed the heat shield for unrelated reasons. . . the wheel/axle is squeaking for some reason...
On the topic of the heat shield tho, after wrapping it with some wire it is still making the "card in bicycle spokes" sound on acceleration, and I'm wondering whether I've just not wrapped it tight enough or if something else is wrong.
Fox: Thanks for helping me thus far man, I really appreciate it!

no problem man....if the heat shield you are talking about is above the converter then i would just take it off.....they are an ongoing problem on these trucks, wrap it tighter yes, but you will be doing that until you sell the truck. As for the squeek, if you are positive it's coming from the rear of the truck and not the front (front i would say it's the squeeler tab on the brake pad rubbing, just bend it back and put new pads on it soon) then it's very likely a hardware spring from the rear brakes rubbing against the brake drum....hardware kits are cheap ($13 CDN) but just make sure when your doing them to replace both sides (one kit does both sides)...BUT....only one side at a time so if you get mixed up on where they all go then you can refer to the other side. and while your in there clean the adjusters and re-lube them so they work properly for ya. Have fun! hope that helped.

The heat shield is still making nasty noises... are you saying that I can take it off completely and the heat from the muffler won't melt things around it?

the heat shield goes over the cat, and yes you can take it off with no worry. i had the same problem but i just got a new hose clamp and tightend it down really tight.