I think you're overthinking it.

My 2002 GMC Sierra with a 4.8 I purchased new had well over 250k before I sold it. The gal I sold it to had passed 300k the last time I had talked to her.

My mom still is driving her 2002 Chevy Tahoe with a 5.3 she purchased new with zero issues and never plans to get rid of it.

Both have seen only Mobil 1 and have had religious preventative maintenance performed.

Properly cared for these engines will easily go 500k miles. You'll be having to replace fuel pumps and other niggling things, but the engines themselves are pretty bulletproof if you take care of them.

I haven't had a Chevy small block in a few years, but I have driven a Chevy truck over 200,000 before. My 5.3 was still running well when I traded it for one 12 years newer. I disagree with the premise that your living on borrowed time. I bet you get past 200,000 on the engine and in 4 or 5 more years you might be ready to trade out of it.

I don't think it will be the engine that makes you trade it, it'll be all the other little parts that break in 4 or 5 years. At least I hope that's how it all works out!

Those of you talking about your 200k mile GMs are still living in the wonderful world of the Vortec motors.
We are sadly passed that era. I love my 2000 Silverado and it I’ll long outlast this Suburban even with the rust issues.
The Vortec days were glorious but sadly GM moved on to this Ecotec garbage and I think it was 2010 when they started messing with active fuel management, cylinder deactivation, etc and destroyed a good thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Paten:
https://fraserengineco.com/5-3...ted-engine-for-sale/

I saw that but they seem to be snakes in the grass. They claim DOD delete but all they do is provide you with a RANGE tuner.
Which is what I have now, it just electronically bypasses the computer telling the system to deactivate cylinders.
Which is what I have now.

It does not use all the parts to completely remedy the issues of the internal lifter issues.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

quote:

Originally posted by Paten:
https://fraserengineco.com/5-3...ted-engine-for-sale/

I saw that but they seem to be snakes in the grass. They claim DOD delete but all they do is provide you with a RANGE tuner.
Which is what I have now, it just electronically bypasses the computer telling the system to deactivate cylinders.
Which is what I have now.

It does not use all the parts to completely remedy the issues of the internal lifter issues.

Well, it appears they do a bit more than 'provide you with a RANGE tuner'. From the linked webpage under 'What's Included':

✅ New Updated NON AFM Camshaft
✅ New NON AFM Lifter Trays
✅ 16 Hydraulic Roller Lifters (Non AFM) (NO AFM) GOOD (WITH AFM) NO GOOD

They claim to remove the AFM System, NOT just deactivate it. Are there other AFM related mechanical components that you have concerns with and/or compromise the performance/reliability of the engine?

If you can do the R&R yourself, buy a low mileage used motor install it and get another 100k+ You might only have to spend $5k in that scenario.

You put $16k into a $25k truck and it gets totalled, you will get a $25k check from the insurance company.

Power Train Products sells a reman 5.3, they are pretty well respected, you can get complete reman engines, diffs, trans, transfer cases etc. You get a 3 year warranty and can up it to 5 or 7 years.

5.3 L83 on sale too... $4,699

Link

I’ve hesitated to jump in here due to lack up current information on the GM crate engines, approaching eight years retired and haven’t kept up with the program.

The L8T connect and cruise, if you go that way with that or other C&C packages IIRC those transmissions are RWD configuration only and not 4WD which I’m assuming your ‘Burban is.

GM used to offer a couple 5.3’s one of them was 19259918 as a drop in configuration with 315 hp. The other one was 19244096 with 327 hp. Of course these part numbers could,have changed or been discontinued, you can verify these with your local dealer. Don’t think either of these have the dreaded cylinder deactivation either.

The deactivation, besides a tune the correct way to get rid of it is to replace the lifters and the lifter carriers (forget the exact nomenclature used) in the cylinders that shut off. I think if I remember right you can still use the same camshaft but it would be better to replace it with a performance grind of some type at the same time you replace the lifters.

The 315 horse engine I mentioned has an aluminum block, the 327 is an iron block also.

One consideration is warranty, the GMPP engines have a 2 year 50k mileage warranty while the regular Powertrain replacements have a 3 year 100k the last time I knew, that’s another consideration. There are some hoops when you use a Powertrain (not a performance engine) and change as using a 6.2 in place of a 5.3, that is considered a non catalog (OEM install) usage and the warranty dropped to 12/12 so that’s another risk.

I still have a dealership connection for GMPP engines, I can get you a price and it can be shipped.

I fought the AFM issue
I now have a Tundra

Good luck with your decision

Are you running a RANGE tuner in your 2015 Suburban yet? I did until we sold ours, I was a fan of it.

Are you asking if anyone has put a GMT800 Vortec engine in that generation of Suburban? I'm no mechanic, but that would be interesting. I'm guessing it would be alot of headache and expense, if it can even happen.

125K miles..
I wouldn't be considering a crate engine just yet.

A basic AFM delete kit with a cam is around $500
Bump up the cam and lifters and it's around $950 for a bit more oomph.
If you have money burning a hole in the ol wallet a set of better heads is about $1,500, since the heads are off anyway.
Rod and main bearings are not expensive, roll in a new set, button it up and run it.

The trans is coming out so I would just pull the entire powertrain and separate it on the floor.
Throw the engine on a stand and it doesn't get much easier to work on.

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

quote:

Originally posted by Paten:
https://fraserengineco.com/5-3...ted-engine-for-sale/

I saw that but they seem to be snakes in the grass. They claim DOD delete but all they do is provide you with a RANGE tuner.
Which is what I have now, it just electronically bypasses the computer telling the system to deactivate cylinders.
Which is what I have now.

It does not use all the parts to completely remedy the issues of the internal lifter issues.

Well, it appears they do a bit more than 'provide you with a RANGE tuner'. From the linked webpage under 'What's Included':

✅ New Updated NON AFM Camshaft
✅ New NON AFM Lifter Trays
✅ 16 Hydraulic Roller Lifters (Non AFM) (NO AFM) GOOD (WITH AFM) NO GOOD

They claim to remove the AFM System, NOT just deactivate it. Are there other AFM related mechanical components that you have concerns with and/or compromise the performance/reliability of the engine?

Yeah, I had too many tabs open at once and was looking at 2 different things.
However I would not be using a Range with all the stuff deleted. I have a proper tune done.

quote:

Originally posted by Hammer1967:
I fought the AFM issue
I now have a Tundra

Good luck with your decision

I drive a Tundra and if Toyota actually made an extended wheel base 5.7L Sequoia we’d have been in one long ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Scuba Steve Sig:
Are you running a RANGE tuner in your 2015 Suburban yet? I did until we sold ours, I was a fan of it.

Are you asking if anyone has put a GMT800 Vortec engine in that generation of Suburban? I'm no mechanic, but that would be interesting. I'm guessing it would be alot of headache and expense, if it can even happen.

I have the Range been on it since I bought the truck. Ordered it on the way home from purchasing the vehicle.

Not looking to put a Vortec in it. I was swing folks who have 200k+ 5.3s are from the Vortec era.

I want the 5.3L Ecotec with all the AFM garbage deleted.

quote:

Originally posted by powermad:
125K miles..
I wouldn't be considering a crate engine just yet.

A basic AFM delete kit with a cam is around $500
Bump up the cam and lifters and it's around $950 for a bit more oomph.
If you have money burning a hole in the ol wallet a set of better heads is about $1,500, since the heads are off anyway.
Rod and main bearings are not expensive, roll in a new set, button it up and run it.

The trans is coming out so I would just pull the entire powertrain and separate it on the floor.
Throw the engine on a stand and it doesn't get much easier to work on.

I need to look into the process more and see what we are looking at.

It may be something I am comfortable doing.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

The Vortec days were glorious but sadly GM moved on to this Ecotec garbage and I think it was 2010 when they started messing with active fuel management, cylinder deactivation, etc and destroyed a good thing.

No offense intended, but I have to ask. If you knew that it had a crappy motor that can't get 125k out of it, why'd you buy it?

quote:

Originally posted by mojojojo:

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

The Vortec days were glorious but sadly GM moved on to this Ecotec garbage and I think it was 2010 when they started messing with active fuel management, cylinder deactivation, etc and destroyed a good thing.

No offense intended, but I have to ask. If you knew that it had a crappy motor that can't get 125k out of it, why'd you buy it?

Because it was (and may still be) the best overall package out there. Ecoboost was still really problematic in 2015 so that writes off the Expedition. Sequoia was a stout option but in terms of basically everything else, it was way behind the competition.

quote:

Originally posted by mojojojo:

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

The Vortec days were glorious but sadly GM moved on to this Ecotec garbage and I think it was 2010 when they started messing with active fuel management, cylinder deactivation, etc and destroyed a good thing.

No offense intended, but I have to ask. If you knew that it had a crappy motor that can't get 125k out of it, why'd you buy it?

Fair question and MikeNH is mostly correct.
For extended wheel base full size 4WD SUVs which is a requirement for us you have 2 Options GM and Ford.
I had a 2016 Expedition but the 3.5L Ecoboost was still quite problematic past 100-125k+ I got mine for an absolute steal but as it aged and the Ecoboost issues were becoming common place I traded it for my Tundra and could not be happier.

6+ years ago when I purchased this the general consensus was that simply plugging in the $200 RANGE AFM Delete solved the engine issues.
So, I bought it certified used with 55k 2 years old bumper to bumper warranty and 60k powertrain. So I was not overly worried and only planned to keep it for 5 or 6 years. Because while used vehicle prices weren’t cheap they weren’t INSANE like we are seeing today.

Now we have 6+ more years of data and way more of these motors running RANGE devices for 75-100k miles we find that the Range device does not solve the problem it just kicks the can down the road and the only true way to remedy the problem is to remove the Active Fuel Management components entirely.

Having owned both now and when comparing the Ford to the GM (removing the drivetrains) the GM is a better vehicle all around when it comes to driving comfort, handling, interior design, and most importantly for my wife it looks way better.
She did not like the Expedition at all.

So we were and still are stuck which two options that aren’t great. So I picked the lesser of two evils with the consensus being the Range device was a problem solver. When it just add some longevity to the motor which for $200 is well worth the benefit.

Now if Toyota would have just given us an extended wheel base 5.7L Sequoia or Ford would have given the 5.0 Coyote motor as an option in the Expedition or used vehicle prices were NOT INSANE I would not be trying to see how we can stick this thing out.

I gave 35k out the door for this thing with 55k miles. The most loaded Suburban you could get minus the power running boards.

Looking today to buy a fully loaded Suburban with 55k and a warranty you’re at $50k minimum. That is a 2020 which is the same generation we have now.
So gaining nothing but less mileage for $30k after trading in what we have.

So the game has changed substantially. I had planned to be looking for something newer about now but now just going to keep this thing rolling as long as possible.

I second your Expedition vs Suburban. I've rented Expeditions on vacations, I didn't like the knob shifter and doubted the longevity of the Ecoboost. You don't see many of any generation of Expedition on the road, they just don't seem to last.

I was turned off by the current Suburban generation's pull-button shifter over the previous column shifter, but got over it. The Ford knob was way too easy to end up in the wrong gear than you were wanting though.

Not sure what state you are in, but I am seeing Certified GM 2022 and 2023 Suburbans in the $50K-$60K range with similar mileage. I guess "Carbravo" is what GM uses for certified listings, learned something new today.

2022 Z71 in St. Louis $54,770

The trees are still green in the pictures of this one. I assume dealers will deal.

Will the current generation's "Dynamic Fuel Management" be any better than previous cylinder deactivations? Who knows. My GMT800 Avalanche gets basically the same fuel economy without any of that garbage, but wives drive what wives want to drive and rust isn't fashionable.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In the event we were to buy something else the budget is $40k.
Hence the reason I am looking at squeezing this as much as possible. Even toying with the idea of a crate motor.

The money you save doing the top end yourself can be put into an investment. A Whipple supercharger would be one .


https://whipplesuperchargers.c...k-suv-2014-2020.html

bought a crate 350 about 25 years ago. Added an edelbrook 4 barrel carb. to it and put it in an early 70's 3/4 ton C20 pickup. Still going strong those were the good days.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Those of you talking about your 200k mile GMs are still living in the wonderful world of the Vortec motors....

Probably true for me. I had 2 Chevy's that were great in the 90s and early 2000s. I'm in a Ford F150 v6 twin turbo eco-boost that's working well at 70,000 miles, but I don't trust it to last long either.

Chevy and Ford both know how to make a great truck engines but all the smog crap they have to put on and squeezing that last % of mileage make them not durable.

What about a Lexus LS430 engine with a supercharger?