Dayton Daily News

Wheels: A letter from Wayne says, “Since I have owned my Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck over the past two years, I have had very few problems. However, every now and then the service engine light would come on. I asked a parts store to check it, and the code was for the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) sensor. It ran just fine, and before I could take it to a shop, the light went out. This happened periodically, but the light would always go out. This last week it stopped and was extremely hard to start. I finally got it going with starter fluid. I went back to a parts store, and they read a code for a bad throttle position sensor (TPS) and a random misfiring. I replaced the TPS and checked the plugs. They were the originals and the truck has 120,000 miles on it. They were also showing a 0.075 gap. I replaced the plugs, making sure they were gapped correctly (0.060).

I also disconnected the battery to reset the computer. I started right off and I drove about 6 miles. It did the same thing again. It finally started using starter fluid, and it idled roughly for several minutes. I drove to the shop where I work, shut it off and it restarted OK. I have parked it for the time being until I can find the real problem. The guy at the parts store suggested that it might be the ignition module and/or the coil packs. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t have a lot of money in the truck, and the timing chain was replaced about 18 months ago, so it is well worth keeping. The body is not rusted, and it looks good. Also, is the clutch adjustable?”

Halderman: I think the most likely cause of the no-start is the fuel pump and/or fuel filter. This is a high-failure item and can cause the exact problems you are experiencing. If you haven’t replaced the fuel filter before, do that and see if everything is OK. The EGR could still be a problem, but is unlikely to cause the no-start unless the truck has a lack of power when running.

The clutch on your truck is not adjustable. It uses a hydraulic system similar to a brake system to operate the clutch. If the fluid in the clutch master cylinder is low, add some fluid and see if that helps. The most likely cause is a worn seal, allowing fluid to get past, which can result in difficulty shifting, especially into Reverse. According to service information, the only repair is to replace the entire hydraulic system as an assembly, since individual parts are not available.