Need Some Help Here

[kattsmeow]

I have a 1987 Chevy Silverado, right now it's sitting at a garage and apparently their stumped on what's wrong with it. The Service light on day one has not went off. They told me if I did certain things it would purr like a kitten. Well $1600 Dollars and it's still not right. 2 Throttle body Injectors, spark plugs, ignition coil,distributor cap,temp sensor,valve cover gasket,,intake manifold gasket was done on this truck. After a big argument with the shop cause they said the light would not come back on and it would be right this time. Do you have any idea what it can be? Maybe a EGR or a Control Module? I'm limited with funds. Are they a way that you can find Codes on this Truck? Needing some help in this Matter.

 

[Redfish]

Your 1987 does have a way to read the codes in the ECM. A decent shop should be able to do this, you can do it at home if you need to. Hopefully someone will come along that can tell you the procedure but it involves jumping across two pins on the diagnostic port. That is located in the same place as most other modern vehicles, basically underneath the brake release lever. Then you count the flashes of the check engine light.

No point in guessing when you can definitely read the codes.

This pic just shows the diagnostic port on the bottom right in the dark part of the pic.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Bextreme04]

I have a 1987 Chevy Silverado, right now it's sitting at a garage and apparently their stumped on what's wrong with it. The Service light on day one has not went off. They told me if I did certain things it would purr like a kitten. Well $1600 Dollars and it's still not right. 2 Throttle body Injectors, spark plugs, ignition coil,distributor cap,temp sensor,valve cover gasket,,intake manifold gasket was done on this truck. After a big argument with the shop cause they said the light would not come back on and it would be right this time. Do you have any idea what it can be? Maybe a EGR or a Control Module? I'm limited with funds. Are they a way that you can find Codes on this Truck? Needing some help in this Matter.

Jeez... $1600 for basically a tune-up and ~$200 in parts?

They should have the correct tools to plug into the ALDL port and read the codes and live sensor data. If they don't... you are at the wrong shop. You can go into the reference library here and access all of the manuals for every year truck. The one you need to figure this out is the 1987 Emissions and drivability manual. It will give you details on how to read the codes and how to troubleshoot the code that you have. If you can't access that forum yet, heres the link to the manual you need:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/i...Fuel_and_Emissions_Including_Driveability.pdf

 

[kattsmeow]

I thought it was giving me a tune up and not fix the problem. It was running fine until I was driving home from the store and the service light came on. It didn't do anything when the light came on. No loss of power , no sputtering it drove fine but the light came on. But the next day it wouldn't start. Not the Battery it's fairly new. So I had it towed to a local shop that I used and had no issues with until now. With all the Tune up didn't really seemed to help, I'm sure it did, but I didn't bring it their for a Time up. It was the not starting and the Service light which they have never told me what was the problem. I know they messed with the timing which was fine. Seems like I've got more problems now than I did in the first place. I will ask about the codes cause I thought there was a way to get those. Thanks for the input!

 

[kattsmeow]

I really appreciate the help. I had said earlier I was fine with them messing with my Timing well I miss quoted I wasn't happy about that. This Shop lost a good mechanic and now I think they hired someone not certified. I've asked and never got a answer. I thought it was a little high on the price but you pay for them working on it and the parts can be $20.00 but the labor is what gets you. Being a Woman that loves ole Trucks that's what I get. But this Lady is learning a lot, I've not gave up on her and Won't. I knew there were a way to get codes, I just knew it. Thanks for the advice I came to the right forum

 

[Redfish]

I thought it was giving me a tune up and not fix the problem. It was running fine until I was driving home from the store and the service light came on. It didn't do anything when the light came on. No loss of power , no sputtering it drove fine but the light came on. But the next day it wouldn't start. Not the Battery it's fairly new. So I had it towed to a local shop that I used and had no issues with until now. With all the Tune up didn't really seemed to help, I'm sure it did, but I didn't bring it their for a Time up. It was the not starting and the Service light which they have never told me what was the problem. I know they messed with the timing which was fine. Seems like I've got more problems now than I did in the first place. I will ask about the codes cause I thought there was a way to get those. Thanks for the input!

If this is the truck in your avatar pic, it is going to be worth the effort to get it running right. That is a good looking truck.

These early TBI systems are very simple by today's standards. When I was reviving my '87 I eventually replaced most of the components you listed and quite a few more. Every one made a small improvement but most of mine were original to 1987 and were not performing all that well.

The O2 sensor, the MAP sensor, and the ignition control module located inside the distributor all made a noticeable difference.

Good luck, that truck can be sorted out and made reliable again.

 

[Snoots]

Check all of your vacuum lines. If they're old, replace them. Cheap and easy to do.

 

[Bextreme04]

I really appreciate the help. I had said earlier I was fine with them messing with my Timing well I miss quoted I wasn't happy about that. This Shop lost a good mechanic and now I think they hired someone not certified. I've asked and never got a answer. I thought it was a little high on the price but you pay for them working on it and the parts can be $20.00 but the labor is what gets you. Being a Woman that loves ole Trucks that's what I get. But this Lady is learning a lot, I've not gave up on her and Won't. I knew there were a way to get codes, I just knew it. Thanks for the advice I came to the right forum

They could not have messed with timing if it wasn't running. They should have been able to walk you through why they replaced the parts and also provide you the bad parts. The timing on a TBI motor must be set with a specific procedure that locks out the electronic timing control and has to be set with the engine running, hot, and at a specific idle RPM. If it won't run, they could have only tried to rough set the timing in order to get it running, and then would need to get it started and running well in order to set the timing properly. I get the labor thing, but I would want to see the numbers on what they charged for each one and why they thought them necessary.

They should have provided you a list of the parts needing to be replaced, the cost of the work, and an explanation for why they thought they needed to be replaced BEFORE any work was done. If you took it into the shop to have the issue fixed, the only work that should have happened before they sat down and talked to you about it would have been diagnosis at a fixed shop rate. In most states it is ILLEGAL for them to just shotgun a bunch of parts at a vehicle without prior owner approval and then hit you with a big bill. It looks like you are in Tennessee, so in your case it would be Tennessee code 66-19-104: https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-66/chapter-19/part-1/66-19-104

I have seen bad shops charge for diagnosis not done and parts not replaced and it really pisses me off. I wouldn't be mad at a $1600 bill if it had fixed the issue and the truck was purring like a kitten, but it sounds like they had no idea what they were doing and just charged you for their trial and error(which didn't actually fix the problem).

 

[Keith Seymore]

I thought it was giving me a tune up and not fix the problem. It was running fine until I was driving home from the store and the service light came on. It didn't do anything when the light came on. No loss of power , no sputtering it drove fine but the light came on. But the next day it wouldn't start. Not the Battery it's fairly new. So I had it towed to a local shop that I used and had no issues with until now. With all the Tune up didn't really seemed to help, I'm sure it did, but I didn't bring it their for a Time up. It was the not starting and the Service light which they have never told me what was the problem. I know they messed with the timing which was fine. Seems like I've got more problems now than I did in the first place. I will ask about the codes cause I thought there was a way to get those. Thanks for the input!

So the truck runs fine but the "Service Engine" light stays on?

I'd put a piece of tape over the light.

It's usually some obscure California emissions code that nobody cares about anyway.

K

 

[Dryriver1]

So the truck runs fine but the "Service Engine" light stays on?

I'd put a piece of tape over the light.

It's usually some obscure California emissions code that nobody cares about anyway.

K

Hello @Kieth Seymore . I hope all is well.

If you see on the 4th sentence or so she mentions that it did not start the next day...

Hopefully some of the GMSB Buddies can point her in the best direction.

@Ricko1966 maybe you can give some good input on her issues here.

Also @kattsmeow welcome to GMSB from far west Texas.

Be well and stay safe out there.
Best wishes to you and all of your loved ones always!

R.
Dryriver1

 

[Dryriver1]

Check all of your vacuum lines. If they're old, replace them. Cheap and easy to do.

@kattsmeow I hope all is well.

I like @Snoots suggestions too.
Maybe while it is running you can spray a little bit of water mist with a spray bottle or some carb cleaner around the hoses to see if it affects any changes and that might show which hoses might have tiny cracks or holes that are hardly visible as other members have mentioned here before to find vacuum leaks.

Best wishes to you and all of your loved ones always!

R.
Dryriver1

 

[Ricko1966]

Short terminals A and B together with a piece of wire. Your check engine light is going to flash codes similiar to Morse code you're going to get a a long solid light a pause and 2 quick blinks that's a code 12 it should repeat 3 times then move to the next code. Be ready have paper and pencil. Get me the codes let's see what we cam figure out. Also if you're not having a drivability problem don't get in a panic the check engine light should be a watch the converter light because that's what iylts primary function is,to protect the converter or evap emissions,not your engine,transmission or anything else. Drain your oil and go for a full throttle blast down the highway,your check engine light will not come on. Unplug the oxygen sensor it will come on.

 

[gmbellew]

Short terminals A and B together with a piece of wire. Your check engine light is going to flash codes similiar to Morse code you're going to get a a long solid light a pause and 2 quick blinks that's a code 12 it should repeat 3 times then move to the next code. Be ready have paper and pencil. Get me the codes let's see what we cam figure out. Also if you're not having a drivability problem don't get in a panic the check engine light should be a watch the converter light because that's what iylts primary function is,to protect the converter or evap emissions,not your engine,transmission or anything else. Drain your oil and go for a full throttle blast down the highway,your check engine light will not come on. Unplug the oxygen sensor it will come on.

after you jumper A and B, turn the key to "on". then the light will flash codes. otherwise solid advice.

I'd also check the no start chart in the service manual

 

[Soundmound]

Welcome from the PNW! I used to live in Nashville and know of a couple garages I'd trust there if that's your twenty. You picked a great forum for your particular rig. Stick around and be active, you'll be glad you did. I hope you get her running well again soon, it's a good looking truck!

 

[bucket]

I really appreciate the help. I had said earlier I was fine with them messing with my Timing well I miss quoted I wasn't happy about that. This Shop lost a good mechanic and now I think they hired someone not certified. I've asked and never got a answer. I thought it was a little high on the price but you pay for them working on it and the parts can be $20.00 but the labor is what gets you. Being a Woman that loves ole Trucks that's what I get. But this Lady is learning a lot, I've not gave up on her and Won't. I knew there were a way to get codes, I just knew it. Thanks for the advice I came to the right forum

Don't focus on finding a shop with a "certified" mechanic. There's a lot of mechanics out there with various certifications that should not be working on vehicles and really have no clue what they are doing.

Find a shop that has a reputation for being reliable and honest.