20 Most Recent 1988 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 - Page 7 Questions & Answers

The only thing left is the carb, Have it rebuilt, sounds like a needle valve or the float is sticking. Check the choke, make sure it's open first before having it rebuilt

could be fuel related or i found a bad coil going out will crank and run about 10 miles till the coil gets hot then will shut of, wait about 10 to 20 min. to cool crank up and run some more ,check the coil, hope to help robert b.

can you hear the pump run or not ,turn on switch and listen to hear the pump ,if not could be fuel pump fuse or relay or bad fuel pump itself,listen close to hear the pump first ,hope this is some help,thanks robert b.

There is a switch under the dash that is actuated by the brake pedal arm. Take a look at that and make sure it is properly being depressed or released with the movement of the brake pedal. You will need someone to watch the brake lights while you mess with it. Good luck.

Check underhood juction block,also brk swith is common failure for that model.

Make sure your transmission fluid is up to level, if it is, put a little bit on your fingers from the dipstick, does it smell burnt? if your unsure rub it between your fingers if it looks more black than red and feels gritty its burnt, try changing fluid and filter if that doesnt help your forward clutches are out, ive had some luck with trans-X in situations like this but its rare that it helps and almost never lasts hope i could help

You must have a bare wire at the back of your truck that's shorting out where gravel stones have pounded the outside coating off. If you have an after market trailer plug on there, you might want to check that out too. The connections to your main wires from the trailer plug, are never done properly, and always cause problems somewhere.

You don't change the headlight, you just change the bulb. In the back iof the headlight you will see a nylon socket holder . You squeeze the clip, and turn it counter clockwise and pull it out. Pull the old bulb out, and replace with a new one, being carefull not to touch the glass part of the new bulb with your fingers. The oil on your fingers will leave a finger print, and that will shorten the life of the bulb.

May try a new dimmer switch since the power goes through it first.

When you say the "instruments on the dash work but are all off", what do you mean? Does this have a conventional analog instrument panel or is it the digital cluster that was available for some models.

First thing to check would be the fuses. Locate the fuses that feed the accessories in question. Be sure they have 12volts on both sides of the fuse with the key on engine off.

Once you eliminate the fuses I'd start with the power windows and door locks. Remove the master switch on the drivers door and back probe the wires. Be sure the switch has a constant 12v and constant ground. If not, repair the open in wiring. If power and ground is present, back probe the two wires that feed either the drivers or passenger door, press the button. Using a digital volt meter verify you are receiving + or - 12 volts. If the switch isn't working, replace. If it's feeding power and ground to the correct wires remove the door panel and follow the wires to the corresponding component (power window motor or door lock actuator). Back probe those wires and pressing the switch verify that the power and ground are reaching the component. If you have power and ground to those wires replace the component and retest. If not, repair open in wiring.

You could use the same basic diagnostic approach for the other circuits as well.

Does the blower motor work in any speed, specifically high? The most common problem with blower motors are either bad blower resitors (should be mounted to the heater box in the engine bay or under the dash on the passenger side) or the blower motor itself. With this problem i'd start by checking to see if you have 12 volts at the blower motor with the speed on high. If you do and the blower motor doesn't work, replace the blower motor. If you don't have 12volts i'd check the reistors, the wiring for that can be a bit tricky so to simplify the diagnostic process i'd just remove the resitor pack and visiually inspect them for open or burnt resitors.

For the radio.. remove the radio. Verify you have a constant 12volt wire (usually red) switched 12volt wire (yellow?) and a ground (black). If all that is there and the radio still doesn't turn on, the radio needs to be replaced. If not, repair wiring as necissary.

Having a service manual with appropriate wiring schematics will be of great help with solving all these electrical gremlins.

Good Luck,
Chris

Best solution I can come up with is to go to your nearest wrecking yard and buy an instrument cluster to replace yours.

What you have is commonly known as a "dually" (because it has dual rear wheels) Essentially the truck is identical to others of that year except for the rear differential which has "floating" axles (likely a Dana unit). The best manual would be the original chevy shop manual...Otherwise try and find a chilton or motors manual for that year.
I don't quite understand what your question heading means...Are you considering swapping the engine?

distributor only sends pulses when turning,see if your coil is firing

did you bleed the system?if so the check the switch at the emergancy brake peddle it could be out of adjustment

it's one of your fuses that burned out. buy a fuse tester at any auto parts and test all your fuses. when lights and horns fail as a group, it's usualy the fuse that protects these multiple parts that's gone bad.

sounds like youtr transfer gearbox needs an overhaul

Some things to look for for would be a vacuum leak still in the intake manifold gaskets (that's a tricky gasket), check the MAP sensor since if the connector is loose or if it's leaking or defective it might be the cause and even the TPS, although you'd think a MAP or TPS problem would trip the MIL. I've seen wires get twisted up, broken and misrouted between the back of the engine and the firewall that could cause faulty information going to the PCM. Good luck.

check your U Joints

check the fuel pressure regulator

You are going to need the front end checked for worn componets, start with sterering box and check everything that moves, tie rods idler arm ect. how many miles?