Need input on 96 S-10 cylinder head

I hope someone can give me some solid input concerning cylinder head on a 96 S-10 and maybe some general characteristics and quarks with the engine.

I personally am a Ford and Honda person and I do not keep up with GM products, but I have a son in law that has a 1996 Chevy S-10 who called me the other night saying his truck got hot and just quit, after finding he had lost a lot of coolant and slowly replaced in order to get home that night, he found the next day his water pump had gone out, so he replaced it, and the coolant again, now he says he is losing coolant around the cylinder head and he fears a cracked head, I say maybe its just a head gasket ( although I have not personally looked at this vehicle )

But just in case and out of curiosity I check prices for him on used heads and find many listed as being drilled and tapped for water outlet, what is this all about? Does the Chevy S-10 with the 2.2L engine have a history of head trouble/cooling problems, is a cracked head situation common to this engine if it has run hot. This engine of his in question has about 90,000 miles on it. I f anyone can fill me in on specific problem areas or known trouble some characteristics on this engine I sure would appreciate it

Why not just have it magnufluxed? It will save a lot of headachs to have the head checked out at a good machine shop. If it's the gasket or the head, you still are gonna have it off.

True and something I myself would do, what he plans to do? I don't know I have not heard anything from him, but I was more interested in on specific history of these vehicles, what common problems they tend to have etc, and am interested in this business about seeing so many heads listed as being drilled and tapped for water outlet, is this part of some service bulletin put out on them ? and is the 2.2 prone to cracked heads?

Check the 4cyl forum at www.s10forum.com (http://www.s10forum.com) you can see the common probs there... Also forums.s-series.org

Sorry for the delay. The water outlet on the 2.2 is the difference between the front wheel drive and the rear wheel drive. If it has the water outlet in the front and rear of the head it is FWD and RWD if it doesn't it can be plugged for a rear wheel drive but an 8mm hole will need to be drilled and tapped beside the freeze plug hole for mounting of an thermostat housing. You can't magnaflux aluminum but you can have them dye checked. The crack is probably along the outer head bolt holes running horizontally or on the deck surface running up the side of the head. Usually both cracks are non-repairable.