I am the truck killer!

[mkirsch]

My "kill count" is up to three.

First my trusty 2002 Chevy 3500 8.1L started missing and was undriveable. The mechanic changed the 20 year old plugs and wires so maybe that's fixed, but that truck is not here. Plus, 8.8MPG with $4.69 gas...

Second my Dad's 2015 (thread below) electrical system. So I can't drive that.

Yesterday I was headed to pick up a chicken BBQ dinner from a local church, and a lifter seized in my 2015 Silverado 1500, presumably bending a pushrod. Second time it happened. Last time it's happening to me. Worst time ever to need a new truck.

I'm reduced to driving mom's Chevy Trax, which currently is not licensed or insured and has a dead battery.

[Grit_dog]

mkirsch wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
ZR2 conjures up images of 20 year old S10 blazers!

Gonna make you feel old. Try 30 years. The ZR2 was 1994-1996 according to Wikipedia.

Dang, you're right! Thanks buddy...lol

[blt2ski]

Mkirsch
Generally speaking, I have to agree with grit, the pre about 2013 4.3 was not a bad motor. Especially the vortex versions from about 94/95 on. Previous 2bbl, and TBI versions were good to about 150k Mile's. GM put a better different set of rings, pistons bearings etc in the vortex versions, 250+k Mile's was not uncommon.
I've driven all 3 versions, and owned an 89 TBI, 2000 vortex in Astro vans. Was overall happy.
The LS version is a beast vs previous versions.
If I wanted and wanted to afford a new rig, with some pulling power, assuming mpg's, the turbo 4 cyl with the 8 spd trans 3.73 gears would be hands down better yet. Or the diesel IF you drive about 15-20k Mile's a year could make sense. The diesel is not an extreme $$ addition upgrade vs the 8 lug rigs. About $1500 vs $7-8k! At 33-35 freeway mpg empty you can pay for that extra in 3-4 yrs or less or about 70k Mile's total.
Assuming you can get away with a 1500.

Marty

[ppine]

Good Fords from 2002 have no spark plugs.

Try a different brand.
Do more maintenance. Get serious about it.
Have a skilled person watch how you drive.
Hopefully these ideas will help your luck.

[Grit_dog]

^And yet none of this thread has a single thing to do with the original GM 4.3 V6.
Almost as pertinent as comparing (presumably you were comparing) the newer GM LS based 4.3 to a Ford or???

Although to your discussion, Sounds more like horrible diagnosis, not a horrible engine. The old small block 4.3 was generally a very robust bulletproof engine.

And if it was new enough to have 6 injectors, it was port injected, not throttle body injected.

[mkirsch]

I have a bad taste in my mouth from my last 4.3L "350 with two cylinders lopped off" experience. That thing never ran right from the day it rolled off the dealer's lot.

Had a small miss in it from day one. Took it back in the first week, they dismissed me, "could not recreate customer complaint." I even took them out and showed them. They acted like they could not feel it.

The small miss finally turned into a big miss, and an engine light. They couldn't ignore it then. New plugs, wires, cap, rotor, clear codes. Back to a small miss, which I pointed out and even showed them again, got told I was nuts.

It needed plugs, wires, cap and rotor about every 13 months to make the big miss go back to a small miss. Then one day it died on the highway. Bad ignition coil. Got it fixed, back to a small miss. Killed two ignition coils that way. That's where I got my bad opinion of AAA.

The one day the big miss came back and no amount of new plugs, wires, caps, rotors, or ignition coils would fix it. Took it to an independent garage near my work. After a few hours they called, said they acknowledged the miss, but could not find anything wrong. They angrily told me if I came and got it NOW, and never brought it back, they would not charge me for the diagnostic time.

Then it wouldn't start in my parents' front yard. Ended up borrowing my Dad's truck to get back home. He somehow managed to get it running and took it to a country mechanic, who FINALLY diagnosed the TBI fuel injectors and found that 3 of them weren't firing at all and the other 3 were misfiring. I'd had enough. Replace the three bad ones, I'm trading it in. That's where my 2003 came from, and that's the best truck I'd owned so far. Never missed a beat in 12 years. Never left me on the side of the road. Had a perpetual EVAP code for the last 6 years but it would stay off long enough to pass inspection.

Ok this turned into quite the rant, but I'm not going to delete it because I went to all the trouble of writing it, LOL...

[Grit_dog]

9 out of the 10 gears are useful. The split from 9 to 10 is about useless though.

[Me_Again]

FishOnOne wrote:

Me Again wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:


On the other hand the 2.7l has proven extremely reliable and capable. I’m recommending them to anyone looking for a newer GM full size truck.



Thanks

Jerem

I have a little 2.7L twin turbo 1/2T. When thinking I needed a pickup to replace my 2020 Ford Edge ST (2.7L twin turbo) I researched GM and RAM and turned them both down(GM lifter issues and Hemi cam issues) and up with a 2021 F150 2.7L. Nice truck.

Ford 3.5 EB have cam phaser problems. Perhaps not as significant as the other brands but a problem indeed.

I believe the 2.7L Ecoboost is noted as more reliable than the 3.5 Ecoboost. The 10 speed tranny is a bit of an over kill, for the torquey little engine.

[FishOnOne]

blt2ski wrote:

mkirsch wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
So sorry for your troubles!

I have a buddy who has a lifter fail on his 2020 Silverado. Instead of waiting for the truck to get repaired he traded it in on a new ZR2 Silverado.

200 MILES on the new truck.
~ Lifter Failure ~

On the other hand the 2.7l has proven extremely reliable and capable. I’m recommending them to anyone looking for a newer GM full size truck.

They do have DOD but it’s controlled by the cam not the lifter. Seems to be a much more reliable system.

Thanks

Jerem

Dang, I would have figured that they had that cured by now...

If I trade this thing after getting it fixed, I don't want another one. How are the 4.3L V6's holding up? The one I had in 1997 was a lemon, but I can't imagine that the current ones share anything but the displacement...

The current 4.3 from 2014 or so on is based on the 5.3/6.0 vs previous a 350 with 2 cylinders lopped off.

Not sure if the 4.3 is still available excepting maybe WT models.

Granted I've only owned mine a year, started with 93k, now almost 112k miles. Nothing but oil changes. I did put new shocks and 2" lift struts, along with a 2" lift 1500 lb add a leaf to the suspension. This has made hauling 3000 lbs in the bed way nicer. Along with the one trailer I tow with 700 lbs of HW not sag as much. It's now about the same height as grits truck is from factory.
One issue with the 4.3 to think about, is the RA is the 10 bolt 8.5" vs the V8s getting the 12 bolt 9.5. both are SF versions.
I did get 24-25 on freeway before lift and taller tire, now down about 3 mpg

I've towed 8500 lb about on par speed wis with the BB 454s I had in the 90s, along with the vortex 350 in my 8 lug 2500. The 6 ap trans is a BIG help vs the 3 and 4 sp autos in thos rigs.

Marty

The highly complex 2.7 replaced the simple 4.3 engine.

[blt2ski]

mkirsch wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
So sorry for your troubles!

I have a buddy who has a lifter fail on his 2020 Silverado. Instead of waiting for the truck to get repaired he traded it in on a new ZR2 Silverado.

200 MILES on the new truck.
~ Lifter Failure ~

On the other hand the 2.7l has proven extremely reliable and capable. I’m recommending them to anyone looking for a newer GM full size truck.

They do have DOD but it’s controlled by the cam not the lifter. Seems to be a much more reliable system.

Thanks

Jerem

Dang, I would have figured that they had that cured by now...

If I trade this thing after getting it fixed, I don't want another one. How are the 4.3L V6's holding up? The one I had in 1997 was a lemon, but I can't imagine that the current ones share anything but the displacement...

The current 4.3 from 2014 or so on is based on the 5.3/6.0 vs previous a 350 with 2 cylinders lopped off.

Not sure if the 4.3 is still available excepting maybe WT models.

Granted I've only owned mine a year, started with 93k, now almost 112k miles. Nothing but oil changes. I did put new shocks and 2" lift struts, along with a 2" lift 1500 lb add a leaf to the suspension. This has made hauling 3000 lbs in the bed way nicer. Along with the one trailer I tow with 700 lbs of HW not sag as much. It's now about the same height as grits truck is from factory.
One issue with the 4.3 to think about, is the RA is the 10 bolt 8.5" vs the V8s getting the 12 bolt 9.5. both are SF versions.
I did get 24-25 on freeway before lift and taller tire, now down about 3 mpg

I've towed 8500 lb about on par speed wis with the BB 454s I had in the 90s, along with the vortex 350 in my 8 lug 2500. The 6 ap trans is a BIG help vs the 3 and 4 sp autos in thos rigs.

Marty

[FishOnOne]

Me Again wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:


On the other hand the 2.7l has proven extremely reliable and capable. I’m recommending them to anyone looking for a newer GM full size truck.



Thanks

Jerem

I have a little 2.7L twin turbo 1/2T. When thinking I needed a pickup to replace my 2020 Ford Edge ST (2.7L twin turbo) I researched GM and RAM and turned them both down(GM lifter issues and Hemi cam issues) and up with a 2021 F150 2.7L. Nice truck.

Ford 3.5 EB have cam phaser problems. Perhaps not as significant as the other brands but a problem indeed.

[Me_Again]

jerem0621 wrote:


On the other hand the 2.7l has proven extremely reliable and capable. I’m recommending them to anyone looking for a newer GM full size truck.



Thanks

Jerem

I have a little 2.7L twin turbo 1/2T. When thinking I needed a pickup to replace my 2020 Ford Edge ST (2.7L twin turbo) I researched GM and RAM and turned them both down(GM lifter issues and Hemi cam issues) and up with a 2021 F150 2.7L. Nice truck.

[mkirsch]

jerem0621 wrote:
So sorry for your troubles!

I have a buddy who has a lifter fail on his 2020 Silverado. Instead of waiting for the truck to get repaired he traded it in on a new ZR2 Silverado.

200 MILES on the new truck.
~ Lifter Failure ~

On the other hand the 2.7l has proven extremely reliable and capable. I’m recommending them to anyone looking for a newer GM full size truck.

They do have DOD but it’s controlled by the cam not the lifter. Seems to be a much more reliable system.

Thanks

Jerem

Dang, I would have figured that they had that cured by now...

If I trade this thing after getting it fixed, I don't want another one. How are the 4.3L V6's holding up? The one I had in 1997 was a lemon, but I can't imagine that the current ones share anything but the displacement...

[mkirsch]

Grit dog wrote:
ZR2 conjures up images of 20 year old S10 blazers!

Gonna make you feel old. Try 30 years. The ZR2 was 1994-1996 according to Wikipedia.

[mkirsch]

bguy wrote:
What is causing these failures?
I thought that was a Hemi thing?

GM mechanic told me they "swell" in the bore because they're hollow hydraulic roller lifters.

If they were solid roller lifters, no problem.
If they were straight hydraulic lifters, no problem.

The combination of the two is what's the issue.