GM 5.3 liter Vortec Engine

[Andrew Zuber]

Anybody got this engine in their chevy or GMC truck?

Drove a Sierra yesterday with it...couldn't hardly keep the back wheels from breaking loose! Sweet!



What kind of mileage could I expect with this powerhouse???



az

 

[Michael S]

Well it is actually the weakest powerhouse of the American truck market....and the gas mileage will very depending on the set-up that you get....My dad has a 04 Z71 and he get 15-16mpg.....if you get a 2wd drive you will probably see closer to 17-19 mpg.....

 

[Andrew Zuber]

Hard to believe weakest...

The 'standard' engine for that class is a 4.8 liter, I believe...



az

 

[Michael S]

Compare the 5.3 GM motor to the 5.7 Dodge motor and the 5.4 of Ford....and you will see that the GM is the weakest I have been a big Chevy and GM fan for a long time but I was really disappointed with the Truck line....

 

[Jim B]

Andy Jimbob is right, go drive the others. if you were impressed with the power of the chevy go drive the ford 150 withthe 5.4 and you will be even more impresed then go drive the dodge 1500 with the hemi and you will be blown away.

 

[Jeff Farrar]

I have a '03 Z71 with the 5.3. I also get about 15-16mpg. No complaints here. Seems to be lots power.

 

[Mark Northcutt]

I have an 02 Chevy Ext. Cab with the 5.3L (285 horse in 02) and it pulls great. I get around 16-17 around town and about 13 pulling the Nitro (882). I have heard the 5.4L Ford puts out around 300 horse. Compared to the 295 horse 5.3L (03 and above) it wouldnt be that much different. The only thing Ford would really have is more torque than anything. I had a 94 Dodge 5.9L, A 00 Ford 5.4L, and now the 02 5.3L Chevy. I would have to say the Chevy overall does better than any truck I have owned by far.

 

[Jim B]

Mark, between the chevy and ford there isnt much of a horsepower difference, its the torque where the ford really beats it and torque is king when it comes to towing. The dodge hemi beats them all in the torque dpt by over 25 ft#, its just flat out strong.

 

[Michael S]

And I know its not one of the Big 3....but Nissan has really come on strong with the Titan they just built....engine numbers wise its the strongest.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Problem with Nissan and Toyota is that they are not full size trucks. Now before everybody piles on...look at the wheelbase and weight #'s. They are lighter, shorter and smaller. BFHP in the towing area has a looooong thread on this. It really is an apples to oranges comparison.





TOXIC

 

[Michael S]

The really big disappointment for me this year from Chevy/GM was the new Colorado...I think they did a really nice job styling this new truck but they fell big time short when they stuck an Inline-5 cyl. engine in that truck....why not at least offer the smaller V8 Chevy makes....an Inline 5 is a joke....

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Strongest Shmongest! I think your on the WRONG board to be doin' Chevy bashin' There's a lot of GM fans here!

Ford may have more torque but, give me my Chevy. Dodge may be stronger but, give me my Chevy. Nissan may have more HP but, with more moving parts there's gonna be more trouble when it breaks...Give me my Chevy! And the biggest of all...go buy parts for any but Chevy and your gonna' pay thru the nose. Just opinion

BTW..inlines are NOT a joke. I think they are gonna' be around awhile...while I agree they do need a mid-size with the option to get a V8.

TEE

 

[Michael S]

Toxic the New Nissan Titan is a full size truck...you might want to look again at wheelbase and weight....its as big and bigger than some of the Big 3....

 

[Michael S]

nobody is bashing we where just stating what truck manufactures are the strongest. I own a Chevy Tahoe so I am also a fan of Chevy....just stating facts....

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Yeah and look at the pice Jimbob....wooowee!

 

[Michael S]

if Chevy would have had an history with an inline 5...then I would agree with you TEE....but for chevy to get a motor from Subuaru, when chevy has one of the best line of engine blocks in the business, is a stupid move if you ask me...they have no history or experience with this motor, so guess who the test monkeys will be....the customer....

 

[Mark Northcutt]

I agree with TEE on the inline stuff they used to be pretty popular and I am sure thats why they are back. remember the inline 6 Ford had a few years back? That thing was pretty darn strong for a 6 cylinder. GM made a inline 6 at one time or another and it was pretty tough itself.

 

[Michael S]

I agree an Inline is a good engine...but an Inline 5 cyl. is unheard of...that is what I am saying.



Dodge has the best inline in the business with there cummings diesel....

 

[Mark Northcutt]

Oh no, Cummings? Duramax will kill that! Actually though even that I am a Chevy fan I would go Powerstroke on a Diesel.

 

[Michael S]

We are talking Inline Engines....not V8 like Ford and Chevy have....



And chevy has always been behind Ford and Dodge as far as the diesel engine is concerened....

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Unheard of or not...Look at past experience with GM. Whne they come out with the 4.3...everybody jumped on the bash wagon...and guess what? It was one their biggest sellers...BULLETPROOF MOTOR!

 

[Mark Northcutt]

Yes sir, The 4.3L is BULLETPROOF!!

 

[Michael S]

An inline 5 has no place in the midsize truck market. The Trail blazer motor would have been the engine to put in that truck...which is an inline 6. At least when chevy came out with the 4.3 they had experence with V6 engines....Chevy has no experence with a 5 cyl. engine

 

[C C]

A few weeks ago couple of guys I work with had a testosterone discussion about trucks and we agreed to test drive the new 2004 Ford F150 with what ever they claim to be their biggest gas motor. So during lunch we went to a local dealership and went for a ride, no comparison to the Dodge with a Hemi.



So, I let both of the guys drive my Dodge, they now both want a Dodge with a Hemi.



17 mpg HWY



If you ever go and take a Dodge with a Hemi 5.7 for a test drive you will never ever again compare any truck to the Dodge with a Hemi. There is none.



As for the new Nissan I had a guy in a 04 Maroon 4 door 4X4 roll up on me the other day and wanted to play with the Hemi so I indulged him. Last I saw of him was a little red spec in my rear view mirror.



The only mods I have done is a K&N filter.



Cass

 

[Mark Northcutt]

When you are taking off from the line with that Hemi just please pray your transmission does not fall out. Just kiddin! Has Chrysler fixed those transmissions yet? They had a rash of problems for a while.

 

[C C]

I have owned 6 Dodge Ram Trucks since 94 and still own 3 of them that are daily drivers. Not one has had a tranny problem when I owned them. The 94 according to the guy I sold it to 5 years ago now has 145K miles and last month he dropped $1,000 into the tranny.



I have heard of people with tranny issues but the new 2003 with a 5.7 has a different tranny and so far no problems but I only have 12K miles on it. My sons 95 has 153K miles and I just paid out $350 to have the tranny lines replaced. The guy that did the work looked over the tranny for me and said it looks great.



So all I can say is that maybe I am just lucky.



Cass

 

[Jim B]

Mark, the tranny's in the dodges seem to be pretty good now. i have had zero problems with the one in my dakota, it like it much better then the last one i had in my gmc. It dosent hunt for gears and such and has a nice smooth feel to it. I have the 4.7l v8 in my truck and it tows my 882 like its not there.



I think chevy missed it bigtime with the colorado too, I test drove a 4wd one for the heck of it. the one i drove had the i5 and it feels weak. that i5 just dosent have the bottom emd torque that the 4.3 had and its not going to be a good motor for towing. If they put the i6 from the trailblazer in that would be a whole different story. I have owned a few 4.3l powered trucks and it was a great motor, good power and reliable as anything. If i had to have a 6cyl truck that would be the only motor i would want.



Jimbob, you may want to check the specs on that titan motor compared to the hemi, its about 40hp shy. It is right thee with it torque wise and it looks pretty good to me. I may have to go test drive one and see what it feels like.

 

[Bill McElroy]

JimBob,....why would GM want to put a small V8 in the colorado and then end up competing against their own full size pickups?!...The Colorado is the replacement for the old S-10 pickups....just like the TrailBlazers are replacements for the old S-10 Blazers...slightly bigger and more powerful..yet not as big as the Tahoe's and Yukons.



Mac

 

[Bruce Yeaton]

Andy, to answer your question, I have the 5.3L in my Silverado. Tows the boat fine, no problems. Mileage isn't great, but I am running 4.11 gears too. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Jim B]

Mac, a v8 would be great in the colorado, that way they can compete with the dodge dakota where a v8 can be had. Right now i dont think you can even compare the two, the dakota is worlds more capable with the v8 then the colorado is with the i5. with the cost being the same i would take the dakota every time over the colorado. The colodaro motor may make more horsepower at high rpm over the 4.3 that its replacing but makes much less torque both at peak and especially at low rpm. Its reflected in the tow ratings being decreased as well over the s10. Why no i6 still puzzles me.

 

[Bill McElroy]

Don't know!!...I just draw'em.,...don't engineer them!!..LOL

 

[Lloyd Alexander]

I have serviced all differant types of

auotmobiles for the past 14 years.YOU CAN

NOT BEAT A CHEVY!!!!!Resale value,longivity

and looks.My 1995 Silverado 5.7L has 172500

miles.The brakes and tires and 1 alternator

is all that has been replaced.Honestly though

the biggest thing is just to take care of

whichever truck you choose to buy and most

any of them will give you years of dependable

service.

Ford

Found On Road Dead

Fixed Or Repaired Daily

And if you spell it backwards

Driver Returns On Foot



Cracked

Head

Every

Valve

Rattles

Oil

Leak

Every

Time

Chevrolet # 1

 

[Larry Harp]

I always heard that a little differantly.



Chevrolet=Can Hear Every Valve Rod Or Lifter Every Time



Ford=First On Race Day



Fiat= Fix It Again Tony



Pontiac= Poor Old Nut Thinks It's A Cadillac

;>))



Harpo

 

[Marke Cicero]

Andy,

Is it powerful? YES

Is it reliable? YES

Can it tow your boat? YES, with out even breaking a sweat!!

Mileage? I can get from Oxford, MI to Nasua, NH on 41 gallons. That's 18mpg. I get about 15mpg towing the TV-18.



If YOU like the truck, get it. You will not have any problems with that engine.

 

[Bruce Yeaton]

I'll save ya some $$$ and sell you mine, it's an 01 Silverado....

 

[Ken Neeley]

I've owned alot of 'em....5.3 is a great engine, but go with the 5.7 in that truck.

Better mileage, more power, etc.



The 327 block will pull about anything you need, but with the 350, it won't have to work as hard.



I now have a 2500HD with the 400 in it....WOW!!!

 

[Richard Whittemore]

I'm not sure that GM still makes the 5.7 L (350), I didn't see it as being available when I researched my truck.

I ordered a 2004 1500 crew cab SLT with a 5.3... it arrives tomorrow, dealer prep and I drive her home Wed.

Any way alot of folks brag on the Ford 5.4 and it's 300 HP.

Divided the cubic inches into the HP (or vise versa) and there ios only .004 difference in the HP ratio. The 5.4 is 6.102 cubic inches larger than the 5.3 (with 61.02 cubic inches to a liter). So inch for inch they are very close.

The difference in the gear reduction of the trannies and rearends is another factor that might make the difference.

GM will give you cash back, Ford is too proud. YOu can pull about 5000 lb with the 5.3. No matter what you pull or pull with they will all slow down on the hills.

Enjoy the GM, I will mine....

 

[Bob G.]

Richard,



I have to disagree with your last statement about slowing down on hills. I have the 6.0L/300hp/360lb-ft motor in my 1500HD and it will pull uphill with no problem. I keep it in 3rd gear and use Tow Haul mode. I know someone will tell me it's not safe, and I know it, but I've been up to 90mph while towing my boat. There's a good chance that the trailer tires are not rated for high speeds, so I try to keep it at 70mph.



Bob G.

 

[Corey Carrico2]

Well I had my first tow with the Nissan Titan. I am very pleased! With my 882 over 300 miles I hit 14.6MPG. Without the boat I hit 17.8MPG. Tonneau cover helped a lot. I have 4x4 and 285 series tires so a standard Titan would have to be better by a MPG or so.



Being a new truck there seems to be a lot of misinformation out there. It is full size, it is powerful, and it is very roomy. Price wise (Considering the trim level) it was less than all but the Dodge, I am just not a Dodge fan.



Give the Nissan a chance and you might be impressed. I was a LOYAL Ford guy and it was a tough decision but the Nissan was less $$$ and felt stronger in the engine dept. 305HP/379FT-lbs)

--Corey

 

[Richard Whittemore]

Bob G.

I was thinking about 5000lb of 5th wheel when I made that statement. Sorry for the ommision.

The 1500 5.3 has a curb weight of 4950 give or take a few lbs. It is rated to pull 9200lbs (conservatively I think).

It may be 10,200.

I'll be in the Rutland area this summer, about late June early July. Please try to have nice weather for our visit...



Richard



Corey,

The Nissan Titan is one tough looking truck, I like its looks. Haven't delved into them at all. Seeing my Brother in law is a Ford Employee, I would be the family Black Sheep if I ever bought "Rice burner" as he calls it.

I'm sure it is a fine truck and I'm not knocking it.

Enjoy.

Richard

 

[Bob G.]

Richard,



I'll put in an early request for good weather. How about no snow, cloudy and 72*F??



Bob G.

 

[Richard Whittemore]

Sounds good.

I'll probably do some trout fishing in Chittenden Dam.

I'd ask you down but it looks like you're about 70 miles north. Maybe someday.

 

[Bob G.]

Richard,



Or you could come up and do some bass fishing on Champlain.



Bob G.

 

[Richard Whittemore]

Maybe... just maybe.

See how the time/trip goes.