PDA

View Full Version : Electrolysis In 1994 S10



JEFFTATE
05-25-2005, 10:03 AM
O.K. I know a 1994 S10 isn't a great pro-touring car,but if you've got a project car, you most likely have or need a parts runner truck. My 1994 S10 has a history of coolant leaks. The head gasket,egr plate gasket,water pump,upper radiator hose,lower radiator hose,heater core,and TWO radiators have been replaced.
I think there may be an electolysis problem.Has anyone had a problem like this and how did you solve it? I did a search on this forum and turned up a thread that had some useful info from Ron Davis Racing Products, but I was wondering if anyone had any direct experience with an S10.
THANKS EVERYONE !

dennis68
05-25-2005, 10:14 AM
That wouldn't be a 2.8 by chance would it? The S series has a long history of cooling system problems. The 2.8 would spit out head gaskets and from there they would never be right again. The later trucks went to dex-cool which turned out to ber the biggest POS ever developed. Do a google for either dex-cool or s-10 cooling system problems, the list is endless.

Swap an LS1 in it and be done with it. :drive:

JEFFTATE
05-25-2005, 12:50 PM
No,It's a 2.2L that uses regular ethylene glycol green antifreeze/coolant.I'm going to start by checking and cleaning all the ground connections at the block,head,radiator core support,etc..Then I'm going to flush and refill the system with distilled water at a
70/30 mix,with a ph additive.Then I'm going to start looking for a bad ground circuit somwhere ; maybe a design flaw? I,m then going to add ground wires to the radiator,heater core,and an additional ground wire from the head to the frame or battery.Is it possible that the head is not properly connected to the block for ground circuit flow because of the gasket between the two,and sealer on the head bolts ?
The Service Manager at the dealership I work at says that the problem may be due to the actual flow of the coolant through the dissimilar metals and not actually a bad ground. Maybe I can just neutralize the acid in the coolant and solve the problem.
There are similar problems with ships at sea with the salt water rushing past the hull. I think boats use an anode to help with this problem ? I,m not sure what an anode is or what it does or if i even spelled it correctly.

porschev8
05-25-2005, 12:55 PM
O.K. I know a 1994 S10 isn't a great pro-touring car,but if you've got a project car, you most likely have or need a parts runner truck. My 1994 S10 has a history of coolant leaks. The head gasket,egr plate gasket,water pump,upper radiator hose,lower radiator hose,heater core,and TWO radiators have been replaced.
I think there may be an electolysis problem.Has anyone had a problem like this and how did you solve it? I did a search on this forum and turned up a thread that had some useful info from Ron Davis Racing Products, but I was wondering if anyone had any direct experience with an S10.
THANKS EVERYONE !


What kind of water are you using in your cooling system?

JEFFTATE
05-25-2005, 01:10 PM
I use plain old tap/garden hose water.I flush and refill the cooling sytem with a 50/50 mix every 30k miles.I do a 30k mile service every 30,000 miles.The truck has been great except for coolant leaks.(It has 156,000 miles on it now).I love having this free cheap transportation around,because it gives me more money to spend on my 1969 Camaro.

porschev8
05-25-2005, 02:28 PM
I use plain old tap/garden hose water.I flush and refill the cooling sytem with a 50/50 mix every 30k miles.I do a 30k mile service every 30,000 miles.The truck has been great except for coolant leaks.(It has 156,000 miles on it now).I love having this free cheap transportation around,because it gives me more money to spend on my 1969 Camaro.

Well there's your problem. Quit using that tap water.

Distilled water only premixed 50/50 with normal green Prestone. Distilled water won't carry a current like tap water will.

porschev8
05-25-2005, 10:32 PM
I use plain old tap/garden hose water.I flush and refill the cooling sytem with a 50/50 mix every 30k miles.I do a 30k mile service every 30,000 miles.The truck has been great except for coolant leaks.(It has 156,000 miles on it now).I love having this free cheap transportation around,because it gives me more money to spend on my 1969 Camaro.


I have a '96 S-10 with over 160,000 miles and the cooling system is probably one of the only things that has never given any trouble. I've used Distilled water from day 1 and the cooling system has never leaked a drop.

JEFFTATE
05-26-2005, 06:09 AM
Thanks Tim ! I'm going to switch to distilled water only on everything I own and drive.
This is good information and experience for anyone reading this thread.

CamaroAJ
05-26-2005, 08:22 AM
GM tech assist told me to put a grond strap on the radiator to a good body ground. i had a tracker that we were working on that another guy here put 3 heater cores in it then it came back again so i called bofore i put a 4th core in it and thats what he said to do. he also told me to mix 1 box of arm and hammer baking soda in with the new coolent and water, it turns it from a alkline (sp?) to a base.

porschev8
05-26-2005, 08:46 AM
Thanks Tim ! I'm going to switch to distilled water only on everything I own and drive.
This is good information and experience for anyone reading this thread.

No problem!

JEFFTATE
05-30-2005, 07:37 AM
I added ground straps to the radiator,cylinder head, and heater core. Also,installed new radiator,heater hose and radiator hoses. I used a 70/30 mix of distilled water and good old green ethylene glycol antifreeze, and added a box of baking soda. After reassembly I have tested cool ing system voltage at .172 volts DC and .003 volts AC.
I think my problem is solved. THANKS Tim and A.J. !