Need advice on 97 Sonoma ZR2 4.3L (Page 2/6)
Jncomutt JAN 28, 08:48 AM
Yeah, I'm not lookin for great gas mileage, but I was thinkin 18-20mpg would be reasonable since it was all highway. If not, no big deal, I won't drive it that much anyway.. I'm lookin forward to gettin it cleaned up and registered, seems like it'll be perfect for what I need it to do.
Jncomutt JAN 28, 08:16 PM
I did some reading and it appears it is not a true zr2 but rather just stickered as one. No big deal to me as I didn't even know what it meant but apparently they're more popular among the true off-road people. When I decide to sell this thing that could have been worth a couple extra hundred bucks it seems. I guess they came factory with bigger tires and a different rear end, maybe other HD suspension parts. Hopefully by being a typical truck, replacement parts will be cheaper.
weaselbeak JAN 28, 09:37 PM

quote
Originally posted by Monkeyman:

The 4.3s, especially in a 4wd truck, are never going to get good gas mileage. I drive very conservatively, rarely have the 4wd engaged and (since the A/C doesn't work) never have the A/C on and I average 16.8mpg (mostly short trips). If I was on the highway a lot, I might average 17.5-18.0 but I think that would be pushing it. I got similar gas mileage with my '03 Dodge full size (4wd, automatic, 5.7L Hemi V8). That's about the only thing I really don't like about my Blazer (and my old Jimmy). I want/need a one ton truck. Someone said I'd feel the pain of worse gas mileage. I told them I'd never notice.



My son's 98 Blazer 4WD 4.3 never got 20mpg, but came close. He got around 17 pulling his 16 ft bass boat. It might be a thing of gearing or just driveline losses, as my full size 2WD 2000 Silverado 4.3 with a very tall 5th gear and a good tune will get 23-25 on the interstate. It only turns 1800 rpm at 70.

[This message has been edited by weaselbeak (edited 01-28-2013).]

CowsPatoot JAN 29, 12:11 AM

quote
Originally posted by Jncomutt:
Yeah, I'm not lookin for great gas mileage, but I was thinkin 18-20mpg would be reasonable since it was all highway. If not, no big deal, I won't drive it that much anyway.. I'm lookin forward to gettin it cleaned up and registered, seems like it'll be perfect for what I need it to do.



I had a 91 S10 with the 4.3 and 5 speed, 4wd and sitting on 31" tires (same as the ZR2 had), and I pulled 22mpg around town (and I didn't drive it easy). On the other hand, my cousin had a 2000 ZR2 with the automatic, and he used to borrow my Silverado (5.3L) for long trips because it got so much better gas mileage.



quote
Originally posted by Jncomutt:

I did some reading and it appears it is not a true zr2 but rather just stickered as one. No big deal to me as I didn't even know what it meant but apparently they're more popular among the true off-road people. When I decide to sell this thing that could have been worth a couple extra hundred bucks it seems. I guess they came factory with bigger tires and a different rear end, maybe other HD suspension parts. Hopefully by being a typical truck, replacement parts will be cheaper.



That was my first thought when I saw the pic. The ZR2 would have had 31x10.5x15 tires, a 3" lift, and fender flares to cover them. They never offered the ZR2 in a stepside. Off road use and aggressive appearance were the only advantages to the ZR2 package.

Regardless....I hope your S10 treats you as good as mine treated me...and I hope you treat it better than I treated mine. I could get rubber in the first three gears in 4wd. I sold it when the tranny let go at 280k miles. I suspect those last to statements are related.
Monkeyman JAN 29, 04:31 AM

quote
Originally posted by weaselbeak:

It only turns 1800 rpm at 70.




Must be gearing as mine turns that at about 60.
Monkeyman JAN 29, 05:04 AM

quote
Originally posted by CowsPatoot:


That was my first thought when I saw the pic. The ZR2 would have had 31x10.5x15 tires, a 3" lift, and fender flares to cover them. They never offered the ZR2 in a stepside. Off road use and aggressive appearance were the only advantages to the ZR2 package.




The ZR2 (both in pick up and SUV forms) also had a wider front end/track. If you put 31x10.50s on a non-ZR2, you'll rub the inside of the tires at full lock. (That's what I had on my non-ZR2 Jimmy.) The ZR2s must have been geared differently, too, as they got about the same gas mileage as the non-ZR2s. The ZR2 was a Chevy S 10. The GMC Sonoma variety was called the HighRider and the Blazer varient was the Blazer2 (and could only be had in a 2 door). The only real difference between the Chevy and GMC varients were the body colored flares on the GMC. (Both the S 10 and Blazer ZR2s had black flares.)

You can't add the ZR2 flares to a non-ZR2, either. The fenders are made with tabs for the flares and the OEM flares (and flarettes) are damn pricey. A few other bits and pieces....the tranny linkage (assuming you have an automatic) is cable operated. If you don't like the column shifter, it's easy to swap to an OEM floor shifter. I did it on both my Jimmy and my current Blazer. If you end up wanting to do that, PM me and I'll give you the details. A 2" lift is simple, too. The front suspension has torsion bars (T bars) and the rear is a generic leaf spring (axle over) setup. +2" rear shackles are dirt cheap and you can safely crank the T bars 2". Anything more than that either requires an aftermarket kit (few and far between and expensive) or a straight front axle swap (very labor intensive and you'd better know how to weld...WELL...but it's not too pricey if you can find a good D44 at a good price). You can run 31x10.5s with a 2" T bar lift, 33s with one of the aftermarket 6" lifts and I've seen 38s on a 12" straight front axle lift. I never regeared my Jimmy when I had 31s and it still seemed to pull fine. Speedo was off by a few mph. Body lifts for the early 2nd gens (like yours) are about $100. Body lifts for the later 2nd gens (like my Blazer) are about 2 1/2x that. Don't go more than 2". Power mirrors can be swapped out to later heated power mirrors pretty easily (another one of the mods I did to my Jimmy) and you can swap the overhead temp/compass for the temp/compass/trip computer with the addition of a single wire (and the correct module). Actually, swapping out the entire interior to the later 2nd gen is pretty easy. Again, another one of the things I did to my Jimmy as I liked the looks of the later interior. (Actually, I started out with just the door power panels so the newer p/mirror switch would look "right". Decided to do the door panels then seats, etc.)

I digress. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I modified the crap out of the Jimmy although the only things I've done (or plan to do) with the Blazer is the trip computer, auto dimming mirror, 2" suspension lift and floor mounted shifter.
Jncomutt JAN 29, 08:14 AM
Monkeyman, thanks for all that great info. I dropped the truck off at my garage and haven't been back since. I really don't know if it has a lift or t-bar crank, etc. I didn't really look it over that closely. I plan to be there this weekend so I can get it all cleaned up and start doing some basic tune up items. I'll have to check to see what size tires are on it, and if the suspension has been modified. There is some slack in the steering I need to diag. to see if its just basic arms or if I'll need a new steering box. What is this 'rag joint' that people seem to mention in the steering shaft? I see them say it goes bad, but I don't find a replacement other than "flaming river u-joint upgrade'. The truck has manual windows and manual locks, so power mirrors were out of the question. I'd been happier if it had one or the other, but oh well.
Monkeyman JAN 29, 09:32 AM
I can't tell from the pics, but I'll bet it's got the stock suspension and stock size tires (235/75/15). If it's got 31s, it's got a T bar lift. It's not nearly high enough for anything else and it's almost impossible to run 31s without it. Sometimes, it even takes a body lift in addition to a T bar crank to fit 31s. (It would on my Blazer.)

The rag joint is basically a piece of rubber between the 2 steering shafts. Unless you're pointing-and-shooting more than steering, it's probably ok. I'd have the entire front suspension checked out as the Pitman arms sometimes crack. Mine's got a tiny crack but I won't replace it until spring. I'm not planning on any off roading and it's a pretty stout piece even with a little crack. S 10s aren't known for their precise steering so a little bit of looseness is "normal". Could be out of alignment, too. They're easy to align with no crank on the T bars, not so easy with them cranked but still do-able. My alignment is within 1% of spec with the T bar crank but I couldn't get it perfect.

Upgrading to p/windows, p/locks and p/mirrors is easy. You can find a pair of power doors at any boneyard for probably $100. Unbolt the old doors, bolt on the new ones and run a couple wires. Worst case, the regulators might be bad from sitting in the weather but those are reasonably cheap and easy to replace.
Jncomutt JAN 29, 09:47 AM
Wow, you've provided more knowledge than the past hr or so of searching S10 forums, lol. The steering 'slop' is pretty bad, not just a small dead spot. Also, the steering is 'straight' when the wheel is at about 2 O'clock, so I assume some suspension parts are required, plus an alignment. Looking at rock auto, just about every part is $15 ea. so it shouldn't be bad at all.

Is there a way to 'zero' out the T-bar if it has been cranked at all? If/when I need to swap out some worn parts (which i'm expecting to find at 219k miles), I'd like to put things back to factory, if possible.
Monkeyman JAN 29, 12:16 PM
Rock Auto has some good prices. Surprisingly, eBay has some pretty good prices on used hard parts for the S 10s. I'd guess mostly because they made about a zillion of them in all their various forms. Most hard parts will outlast the truck (and they really will go forever). You can break the T bars and A arms but it's rare. FWIW, the ZR2 T bars are different than the non-ZR2 bars. The ZR2 T bars are thicker. I think you can use them but I don't remember if there was anything involved other than a simple swap.

There's no real way to "reset" the T bars. Lots of on and off the jack involved. Jack the truck up and loosen the adjusting bolts (1 on each side) most of the way. Lower it back down and see how the front fender gap compares to the rear (top of tire to bottom of fender...make sure you have equal tire pressure first). Make sure the body is level (left/right). Now jack it back up and tighten the bolts a few turns. Turn each bolt the same BUT the left and right bolts may or may not be equal. Lower it back down and recheck the height. If it's close, bounce the truck a few times to settle things. Measure again. Keep this up until the fender gaps are even front/rear. Usually, it only takes a couple times up/down on the jack to get it close enough for the alignment.