Silverado 4.3L LV3 V6 Bad Engine Teardown! Poor Maintenance & Design Is A Recipe For A Blown Engine

[@jh5131]

Can we all take a moment to appreciate the fact that his videos get right to the point. No flashy graphics intro with stupid music for 10-15 seconds. No stupid carnival barker intro or whatever. Just fade in and boom...straight to business and right into the teardown, it's great

[@Paramount531]

Yes! No yelling, no referring to yourself in the third person, just what we came here to see. Thank you!

[@blackericdenice]

I like him because he doesn’t have a goofy laugh like Scotty Kilmer.

[@GarthGoldberg]

Totally the opposite of Doug DeMuro, where it's all about him.

[@denniswisniewski8682]

Exactly right! There`s Music in almost every video now and i skip Intros as fast as i can.

[@blackericdenice]

@@danielknepper6884 Doug is a clown and these new so-call car guys really just want to be entertained.

[@heathwoodlee520]

I love how Adam Sandler takes these engines apart so easily.

[@mikefoehr235]

Lmao

[@lynndonovan4941]

He does look a lot like Adam Sandler now that you mention it! Lol

[@matt8863]

@@lynndonovan4941 Sounds like him too.

[@Grannybang35]

Omfggggg

[@saeedhossain6099]

dude, cold blooded accurate but coooooold blooded

[@FIREPHILSPENCER]

Older 4.3 are some of the best v6 engines ever made.

[@kurtisstutzman7056]

Except for the center crank journal...! I've broken many rods in the 80s to early 90s 4.3s, always the center journal from oil starvation, but my s10 blazers were work trucks... One of them had 800k on the chassis, 5 700r4's, and 4 4.3's went into that one...!!! We traveled all over the southeast pulling small 10' enclosed trailers full of tools...! We were high rise/ condo builders, actually we were the finishers, the buildings themselves were already built...! Thanks

[@danielbonner8309]

These are pretty good and they actually made power and were efficient.

[@exconjon]

If you ever come across one of those 5 cylinder engines Izuzu and GM made, that would be an interesting teardown to watch.

[@damonfleming3952]

Second this

[@kevin122759]

It is called the "Atlas" motor. There was a 4, 5 and 6 cyl. The inline 6 was in the trailblazer. Great motor.

[@Oddman1980]

I drove one of the trucks those engines came in - there was a whole family, a 4, 5, and 6 cylinder. I had the 2.9 liter four banger, and it was a good running engine, but if anything went wrong, whatever it was would be almost impossible to reach under the hood. I, too, would like to see one of the GM Atlas engines torn down.

[@guardrail2897]

@@Oddman1980 The 3.5 5 cyl had a lot of timing chain issues. I think that got fixed with the 3.7 5 cyl.

[@Oddman1980]

@@guardrail2897 the 2.8 and 3.5 engines had timing chain and valve problems, and yup the 2.9 and 3.7 engines were the fix.

[@saltycreole2673]

May I just say, my wife changes the oil in her 2010 Ford Edge every 3k-5k, tops off all the fluids, (Constantly) checks her disc brakes like a neurosurgeon, listens for every noise she considers not normal and makes me pin it down whether it exists or not! 130,000 miles and it runs like the day we bought it. The Ford mechanic after the warranty checkup actually told her this was the cleanest, best maintained, woman driven Ford Edge he's ever seen. She even picked up on the air conditioner filter that needed changing before the mechanic caught it. I ask you gentlemen, am I a lucky guy or what?

[@TestECull]

3k change intervals on a 2010 engine when my 1985 engine is fine to 5k+ according to Blackstone Labs oil examination?! Wow what a piece of shit engine. Good on your wife for looking after her car though.

[@Richard-wk9le]

Did she come with a Boat and motor ?

[@09corvettezr1]

Just be sure to keep an eye on the water pump(internally chain driven on the V6 models) and the power transfer unit(transfer case on AWD V6 models) as they are highly prone to overheating their "lifetime fill" of oil and subsequently having a shorter lifetime then anything else in the drivetrain.

[@johncoops6897]

Does your wife's parents own a brewery?

[@michaelchristopher8266]

I have seen plenty of Edges with way over 200k miles that run like new, and a couple around 300k

[@drewsneddon8219]

"Its always more sanitary to go front to back...". You got a chuckle out of me with that...

[@vater1760]

I very rarely comment, but as soon as I heard that phrase, I had to check. Sure enough, it’s the very first comment! I love subtle stuff like this worked into videos.

[@silent1967]

Or if she's ugly it's better that way too.

[@IcedragonofSolitude]

It's even a reference to the mercedes video he did before this, where he made a "back to front" comment.

[@jamiedriscoll9781]

My chuckle was "There's a little white on the tip"

[@saewoody6366]

It normally would have made me laugh, but I was in the middle of eating my breakfast! 🤢. I had to take a moment before I could continue eating my eggs!😂

[@kkdejour4512]

I'm really enjoying your tear downs. Modern engines can be so simple and yet so complicated. I like seeing the different engines and the way each manufacturer interprets what they want an engine to be like. Also showing the quality of them and letting us know the common failures of an engine from either the manufacturer or just neglect. Thanks. This is an invaluable resource for me and so many!

[@timlee4204]

Don't forget that Governments around the world are putting huge amounts of pressure on manufacturers concerning emissions and buyers are the same about fuel economy and it all costs in the end.

[@mschiffel1]

Watching these modern engine teardowns makes me appreciate the old inline sixes and the 1st gen. small blocks even more.

[@trixie9867]

i think i'd prefer the slow old 4.3 a little more than the soot direct injection here - even if it is faster

[@hpijosh222]

I have one of these in my 2014 Sierra with about 250,000 miles and its been solid so far. It did pop the head off one of the exhaust manifold bolts so that's still a thing.

[@kingdommusic5456]

overall these engines are virtually bulletproof over any ford , and took a ton of abuse/ neglect to get to this tear down stand , most will never see this type of abuse ~Very rare

[@hpijosh222]

Over 260k and 10k hours and it's still going. About to do a oil pan reseal and replace the original vacuum pump and belts.

[@kingsmvp3858]

How is that transmission holding? Just got one myself couple days ago with 133k miles

[@hpijosh222]

@@kingsmvp3858 It was a company truck before I got it and never had the fluid changed, so it came apart at about 235k miles. I put a used one in and have been driving it ever since, its at about 271k now.

[@timskiff9422]

The 4.3 in my old chevy truck was a powerhouse. It was based on a 350 minus 2 cylinders. Had carb issues but ran good.

[@damanifesto]

Mercruiser put a lot of those old 4.3 engines in boats under 30 feet. They ran pretty well and had enough torque to power a smaller boat.

[@rexmedina4561]

Yeah, couldn’t see why he unloaded on the 4.3 vortec. Tbi, sure, rag on the power but reliability, checks out.

[@jeffreyarthur1056]

Used a lot of them in hyster tow motors/fork lifts

[@FarmBossSaws]

Those intake gaskets though! Arghh!

[@DFX4509B]

@@rexmedina4561 Giving it a turbo and a special port-injection system, and AWD, allows it to compete with Ferraris ala what the Syclone bragged about when it was in production being able to beat a Ferrari at the time IIRC.

[@nickbrooks3253]

I work at a GM dealer and I've never seen one of the gen 5 4.3s have a lifter fail or any other major failure for that matter. Usually they're really solid engines. You can tell from the amount of varnish and sludge that this one was seriously neglected. That said the oil pumps on the Gen 5 V8 engines fail regularly in cold weather. The slide breaks and then you have no oil pressure. The lifters on the V8s fail regularly too especially on the 6.2. Don't get me started on the ones built post Covid in the 2021 models I've seen those have valve springs break at 50 km and lifters fail in 5000km. Seen three 2021 6.2s spin rod bearings at low mileage too.

[@kskip4242]

You're absolutely correct people also bash on the 3.6 V6 engines to and it's literally because people do not keep the oil changed and full on these motors. People simply do not understand what preventive maintenance is. GM makes very solid engines, it's people's poor habits that give their products bad names. I will say this I do not believe in going over 4,000 miles on an oil change I think that's a lot of the problem on these newer engines as people go 5,6, even up to 10,000 miles on not changing oil and I think that's the Killer.

[@nickbrooks3253]

@@kskip4242 I agree a lot of issues with the modern engines are due to bad maintenance habits. I own a 3.6 with 260000km myself and it has never been apart at all and runs perfect. I do change the oil every 5000km with synthetic though. The early direct injected ones in 2009 or so were pretty bad but the later ones are solid as long as people change the oil regularly. Pretty much the only common thing on 2012+ ones is the front cover leaking and the water pumps leaking.

[@kskip4242]

@@nickbrooks3253 Yeah I have the lfx 3.6 in my 2012 impala and ive beat the snot out of it and with regular service it still runs strong at just over 200 thousand. Question, I just changed the water pump on it because the gasket, not the seep hole was leaking, so after I get the new one on with new metal gasket, that sucker was still leaking! I went ahead and drove it ( leaking) up to operational temp and 99% of the leak stopped, but still has a slight leak! What gives?

[@nickbrooks3253]

@@kskip4242 I've got the exact same car as you then. Did you use new bolts? They're supposed to be one time use. I find with those metal gaskets the surface has to be super clean or else it will leak. If there is pitting or anything on the sealing surfaces you can use a little rtv as well when installing the pump and it shouldn't leak again.

[@kskip4242]

@@nickbrooks3253 yes I used the bolts that were brand-new that came with the pump. I'm guessing there might have been something on the surface that I didn't get off or maybe a little bit of pitting in the aluminum or something it's not leaking anymore.Thanks for replying back.I went back over the bolts with just a bit more torque is how I got it to stop seeping.

[@richardrtracy]

What's wrong with a 4.3 vortec? Best motor I've ever had. 236000 and still going strong.

[@alberteinstein3078]

A little tlc and they'll run forever.

[@christopherweise438]

Richard Tracy - They're just fine if you don't expect too much. Great in the S-10 stuff. Not so great in Silverados. Like Eric said......"the power of a 4 cylinder, with the fuel economy of a V8".

[@jblyon2]

Literally everything on them and bolted onto them fails prematurely. I've never come across one that wasn't an absolutely hunk of garbage and having an owner swearing to never buy any GM product again.

[@richardrtracy]

Mines in a 96 c1500 w/t , just did the spiders once, and a fuel pump. Guess I got real lucky.

[@TestECull]

Well, if all you want is a longblock that never wears out, you're in the money. But if you want an engine that's got the power of an 8 with the economy of a 6 you'll want a Ford 4.9, not a GM 4.3.

[@LeonTroutskiunplugged]

Another awesome teardown. Seeing the complexity of the "new" stuff keeps me in my comfort zone of iron pushrod engines of the 60's and 70's.

[@TestECull]

Indeed. Simple and robust. Rugged. Easy to work on.

[@CJColvin]

@@TestECull Yep you got it brother and they'll definitely outlast just about any EcoBoost engine out there.

[@CJColvin]

@BL Dontmatter Yep you got it brother.

[@TestECull]

@BL Dontmatter They're known to fail at 90-110k in the F-series. Just simply asking too much of too little. Ford should have just put a more modern EFI on the 87-96 spec 4.9 I6 and pressed it back into service woulda sold so so so so so many trucks with engines that'll never die.

[@nfrcomputers]

@BL Dontmatter f150 is the best selling truck in America cause you gotta buy a new one every year

[@jackdecker8100]

Best quote from this video. "Well....that's never going back together"! We have all thought it and it's about time someone said it.

[@matthewb8229]

This was very educational video. I haven't seen one of these engines pulled apart. Really good stuff.

[@joshuahedrick]

I have 275,000 miles on the LV1 version of this engine (comes from the factory with no AFM) and it's been ultra reliable with absolutely no problems. With the exception that it does consume 1 quart of oil every 2,500 miles or so. But, I blame myself for that problem because for the first 100,000 miles I was not running full synthetic oil which is recommended by GM.

[@ouch1011]

Looks like that engine had a typical “fleet” life. Probably spent its entire life at either full throttle or idle, and maybe got an oil change once a year from the cheapest possible quick lube joint in town.

[@Resurrection9]

@BL Dontmatter 100% I always believed that oil changes should be based on the amount of hours the engine is run, not mileage.

[@vexed_con]

@@Resurrection9 also how the engine is ran during those hours. Oil in an engine in a track car has a much shorter service interval than oil in a normal car because of the sustained high rpm high heat environment

[@freedomisntfree_44]

@BL Dontmatter dang I can change mine at 5000 miles and it’s still clear

[@FishFind3000]

@@Resurrection9 that’s why I like the way bmw does there oil change system. It’s Calculated by fuel burned.

[@gailgrove]

@@Resurrection9 I believe fuel burn is the best method of determining oil life. Idle hours count, but an engine being run hard will need more frequent oil changes. Either way this engine was neglected.

[@Land_Raver]

This guy was great in Rookie if the Year. Never would of imagined him tearing down engines.

[@JPRD2379]

I've got that engine in my '16 , a good engine ,always wanted to see a detailed tear-down ,thank you.Unfortunatly the one example you have must have been beat the crap out of with poor maintenance

[@hilltonia133]

Looks like it was a construction truck and had an oil change once a year 😬😬

[@matt9c1]

"a good engine" Yea, until your lifters fail. GM started their decline in 2007 and never recovered. They have no interest in making things right. Meanwhile, Toyota pays out billions to replace rusty frames on trucks 10+ years old with a ton of miles on them.

[@craigquann]

Alot of lifter failure us due to the thinner oils (5w20) in a hydraulically actuated system. And extended oil change intervals or neglect. Surprisingly this is the first LV3 I've heard have a lifter failure, and they're the only one of the 3 ecotec3 family that runs 5w30 and not 5w20. So maybe that's a factor. However that engine wasn't maintained...

[@davidb6576]

@@matt9c1 I've seen plenty of those frame-swap trucks on CSW!, but it's a little sad how rusty _they've_ gotten, and the condition of the rest of the undercarriage? Ugh. Toyota needs to learn that rust coating doesn't mean coating their parts in rust....

[@karlschauff7989]

Change your oil at least every 5k miles. That's the key. AFM systems rely on tiny oil passages and small screens that act as filters. The biggest reason AFM lifters fail is because the owner pushed oil change intervals out too long and those tiny oil passages became clogged with sludge deposits. The idiotic assumption that if you use a fancy expensive full synthetic engine oil, you can go 7500 to 15000 miles between oil changes is the number one killer of AFM systems. Just because a used oil test says you have plenty of TBN left at 10k miles or you simply believe the oil jug's claims doesn't mean that the engine oil is loaded with carbon soot and unburned gasoline (particularly in engines with direct injection) that go right through the oil filter and caused accelerated wear/sludge in the AFM solenoids, manifold, and tiny lifter mechanisms in AFM lifters. Excessive idling is also terrible for roller lifters, particularly when combined with bad engine oil maintenance.

[@a2cryss]

Great video. In defense of the Vortec V6, my 93 S10 2 door blazer was pretty quick and would get 24MPG in mixed driving. No NA 4Cyl could get 200HP and 260 lb-ft of torque in 1993 and the Ranger 4.0 V6 was at 145HP. With electric fan, shorty headers, cat-back, CAI, 3.73 gears, and under drive pulleys, I was hanging with Mustang 5.0s and beat a few who must not have been good with a manual trans. It was trouble free to 219,000 miles and still going but passed on for the rust here in MI.

[@elmarko9051]

In the 90's my dad used a couple of Astro/Safaris to pull travel trailers...200/260 were pretty darn good numbers for a v6.

[@jeffambrose5244]

@@elmarko9051 yes my 03 astro has a built 4l60e and chirps in second torque for the win

[@RedfishCarolina]

I owned several Vortec 4.3 and actually driving one currently and yes they are good. However that Ford 4.0 was rated at 160hp and was most certainly under-rated. It really put out more than that, easily as much as the Chevy. They were badass engines.

[@Giovanni_Adventures]

Same here 2000 Chevy 4.3 250,000 and I'm going to replace the intake gasket this weekend, very small coolant leak. I get over 20 mph n highway. Not bad for a 23 year old truck. Heck I just bought a new car in September and it's been back to the shop last month because of coolant leak. So I can't say one thing bad about the old 4.3.

[@scottamy6496]

I have this engine in my 2016 Chevrolet Silverado single cab short bed 4x4 and so far at 83,000 miles it’s been great! I disabled the dod system with a Range plugin dongle and so far it’s been doing well! I run Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w30 and change it at about 4000 miles, I figure it’s cheap insurance to do a more frequent oil change and have given serious thought to adding a catch can as I’ve seen a lot of people saying it really helps! Thanks for a great video!

[@lawnmowerdude]

It looks like the few oil changes this engine had were far apart.

[@frestkd]

The GM Atlas 4 5 and 6 cylinder engine family would be a good teardowns. I have to look if you have done them already...

[@young11984]

Would be awesome to see each of the 4-5-6cyl variants in a series torn down to see the differences of changes over the years, thats a lot of engines and time though. I love that Calvin has found the breaking point of 800+ whp from a stock bottom end/head 4200, shows they are tough and people are the biggest issue with their failures

[@skylinefever]

Sometimes on a V engine, one cylinder head will be cleaner than the other one. If one head had a PCV Valve and the opposite head head a fresh air inlet, the head nearest the PCV valve will get dirtier. Dirty vapors form both sides of the engine eventually reach the PCV valve. It becomes even more obvious with this engine because the owner didn't change his oil when needed, or the OLM was too optimistic about what oil life the driver could expect. I looked online to see what parts are available for rebuilding this engine. I was surprised to see very few.

[@michelleberry-1314]

That's exactly right. More so depending which valve cover has the oil fill I would think. I have 2 older gen 4.3L. One in a 2002 s-10 the other in a 2005 astro van. PCV is identical on both with the exception that the astro PCV valve is part of the cover and non-serviceable. The astro (with 509,000km) looks to be relatively clean evenly on both heads under the covers and it has the oil fill on the left cover which has the PCV valve. On the s-10 (with 401,000km) the right head is considerably cleaner than the left head under the covers and the oil fill is on the right cover which is where the PCV fresh air inlet is. Both vehicles get the same oil around every 5000km for the past 10ish years that I have been servicing them.

[@edifyguy]

The OLM is only a reasonable calculator of need if you're using a high quality oil that meets the performance characteristics the PCM is using for its calculations. Put in the cheapest barf-mart garbage you can find and its calculations will be hopelessly optimistic.

[@jimparker7778]

great video. Watching this makes it hard to understand why there was no love for the 4.8 gen-four GM engines. Mine is a 2009 so it has no DoD or variable valve timing. Just a simple V8. Still quiet and runs great after 150k miles.

[@joshuahedrick]

In my experience the Gen V V6 that replaced the L20 4.8 as the base engine is more reliable. I owned 2 4.8. 1 blew a spark plug thru the valve cover and needed a new head. Both required new ignition coils on #7 cylinder every 100,000 miles. The V6 has more oil consumption but no extra maintenance costs like the V8.

[@jimparker7778]

@@joshuahedrick I had a GMC Acadia 3.6 bought new that was bulletproof, and the 4.8 in my 2009 Silverado as well. Great service from both.

[@jeremygregory7178]

I had this engine in my 2014 Sierra. It was a nice little engine, good power, torque, and gas mileage. At 253k miles the lifter failed on cylinder number 5. Just sold the truck after debating a new engine. I changed my oil every 6k with full synthetic oil.

[@nexushexus4365]

Little engine? Compared to what?

[@edifyguy]

@@nexushexus4365 350 gas (5.7), 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, 6.2......lots of other options for GM trucks over the years.

[@sef2273]

Probably failed at 50k miles not 250

[@jeremygregory7178]

@@sef2273 253k to be exact.

[@CorvetteCoonass]

@@sef2273 Lack of oil pressure and/or sludgy oil kills the lifters faster. Idling the engine for long periods also doesn't help matters since it doesnt give optimal oil pressure. As long as you change your oil at no more than 5000 miles and keep your engine idling to a minimum, the lifters will last a very long time. Edit: I once have seen a police vehicle have to have a complete engine rebuild because the 5.3L Ecotec3 DOD lifter failed and ruined the engine. I guaruntee the police vehicle idled itself to death.

[@rideswift]

I have one of these in a service truck, so far I'm impressed. I wish they used this in the Colorado / Canyon trucks. Its a much better option than the 3.5 (?) that they are using.

[@Duken4evr29]

Agree. The 3.6 that the Colorado/Canyon uses is a revvy sporty engine that makes good high RPM power. The 3.6 has proven to be very reliable too, but the 4.3 here is a proper truck engine with more power at lower RPM where trucks need it; the 4.3 would have been a better choice for GM's mid size trucks. I hear for 2023 GM is going with the 2.7 4 cylinder turbo engine for the Colorado/Canyon, and the 2.8 diesel and 3.6 V6 are going away. The engine in the video looks like a company fleet situation. Tons of miles, minimal care. That thing was nasty inside. There have been problems with AFM/DOD. Apparently current engines don't have it due to the chip shortage, a silver lining perhaps.

[@V8Power5300]

@@Duken4evr29 They have the AFM lifters, the ECU is just missing the chips to control them

[@devinhiggison1198]

the old 4.3's are unpowered gas hogs sure, but they are so damn reliable

[@jeffambrose5244]

They move a 5800 lb van pretty good and reliably

[@bobbyvarnell9350]

There’s a TSB about increased soot in the oil from the direct injection wearing out the pins in timing chains causing them to elongate.

[@jamesplotkin4674]

Jason of Engineering Explained has a great episode all about this issue.

[@craigquann]

Yup. But again it comes down to maintenance. "Oil is cheaper and easier to change than the engine!"

[@kskip4242]

Change the oil every three to four thousand miles solve the problem. These long extended oil change intervals are a joke.

[@aaronhumphrey2009]

The ports n intake valves look heavily carboned up ..Ford fixed this on the 5.0 by adding another set of port injectors that run part- time..

[@kskip4242]

@@aaronhumphrey2009 I own two of the direct-injected 3.6 LFX V6 engines and supposedly they do the same thing but I keep my oil change with full synthetic every three to four thousand miles and use premium gas and don't have any of that problem. I think a lot of the valve cocaine comes from using the wrong oil not keeping it full and letting it go really long in between services.

[@georgedavis4284]

Have you did a LU3 4.3L (2003-2013), if not would you

[@ralphlyons8020]

My favorite time on a Saturday night!

[@FatAznAznWithCake]

That variable oil pump works exactly how an auto transmission pump works. Try taking a look at a 4l60e pump and you’ll see what I mean.

[@kenwheeler8135]

The 4.3 V6 came out in 1986, and was available in the Chevy Monte Carlo, unlike Olds, Buick, and Pontiac which stuck with the 3.8L V6. The bore and stroke of the original 4.3 was the same as the Chevy 350.

[@Bmizzzle1]

Hey bud, congrats on your 100k level. I was actually in the process of making an engine drip tray to saddlebag over the engine stand, but looks like a company already is making it. I know you spend a lot of time reading comments and questions, I was wondering if you could do a tear down on a mid- late 90s Northstar 32valve engine. I’ve been fixing cars 20 years, but mostly for a dealership, and I’ve never seen the guts on that gem of an engine. Thanks

[@LaPabst]

I have a 2014 Silverado with this motor in it, I bought it new. Its been flawless from day one. BUT, I NEVER go the the recommended oil change interval. I stay with 3000 miles and have the dealer do it. Im a machinist and mechanic in my 60's. I've seen it all and will you one thing: Keep oil fresh, keep the trans serviced BEFORE your supposed too. Watch for leaks and give your rig what she needs as soon as she need it. 300K miles is no problem for any of this junk, even the worst of the worst. I drove a 89 Chrysler Laser (Bought that POS new, drove it to the junkyard after 210,000 miserable miles, it was hitting on all four and still pulling well, the rest of that thing was ruined) the formula works every time.

[@jaredkennedy6576]

Wasn't the clean cylinder the one with the failed lifter? Without having fresh air to support combustion, the fuel that was still being injected would clean everything up pretty well.

[@stephenw2992]

Might explain the new plug and lead as well, fitted in an attempt to get that dead cylinder working again.

[@hydrocarbon82]

It could also explain the bearings, I'd bet it was causing a rich misfire (plug change to try fixing), and most of the fuel was washing down the cylinder. All that fuel in the oil makes for bad times for the bearings. The thing about failed lifters is it doesn't get that bad overnight. People brush it off and then it cascades into this. That cam lobe ware thru 1/2" of the lifter's body!

[@jimdavis6833]

If there is no fresh air, there also is no fresh fuel. THINK.

[@jaredkennedy6576]

@@jimdavis6833 It's direct injected. That means the fuel is injected directly into the cylinder like a diesel, rather than into the intake port. So yes, on this engine there is fuel without clean air.

[@jimdavis6833]

@@jaredkennedy6576 My mistake. I'm not up to date, because I gave up working on engines when they started needing $20,000 worth of equipment to troubleshoot and repair. I'm from the days when a timing light and compression tester plus dwell meter was pretty much all you needed, except for hand tools.

[@huxleywolfkin1202]

I own a 4.3 LU3 vortec that statement about HP and MPG are so true

[@budlanctot3060]

I think if that were my engine I'd be embarrassed by how dirty that was inside.

[@I_know_what_im_talking_about]

Clearly not enough oil changes and probably running it well past 0% oil life a few times to build up that much varnish.

[@edifyguy]

@@I_know_what_im_talking_about And probably running the cheapest oil he could get, just to make sure he'd have a problem.

[@kingdommusic5456]

overall these engines are virtually bulletproof over any ford , and took a ton of abuse/ neglect to get to this tear down stand , most will never see this type of abuse ~Very rare

[@andrew168]

21 mins. "always more sanitary to work from to back". Damn, you drop that in an engine tear down. Brilliant. That's why I am subscribed.

[@stephengrant1890]

From my experience, this was was caused by a lifter. If the customer hears a valve ticking on this motor, they need to turn it off immediately, and get it towed to avoid damage. Also you need to remove the oil pan before you take off the timing cover.

[@karlschauff7989]

If only the average owner had that kind of common sense. An AFM lifter doesn't guarantee a destroyed engine unless you ignore the obvious knocking noise and keep driving it anyways. It takes a long time to grind down a lifter like the one in this engine. Changing the oil frequently and never going beyond 5k miles makes far more of a difference than running any overpriced boutique full-syn engine oil. Just because the TBN of the oil suggests that it has thousands of miles left in its usable life doesn't mean that it isn't loaded with abrasive carbon soot and other combustion byproducts that the oil filter will never capture. The most common way to cause an AFM lifter issue is dirty oil. Sludge and abrasive carbon are are the single biggest cause of AFM lifters problems. Sludge and carbon accumulation are terrible for just about any complex modern engine, which is why so many engines with complex variable valve timing/lift systems have major issues or even die an early death -- VVT solenoid failures, timing chain tensioner failures, cam phaser failures, stretched timing chains, etc.

[@jheetman]

I don't even hate to say it but my old 97 blaze with the vortec 4.3 was the best truck i ever had. It had more low end grunt than my trailblazer and towed better too, even might have got a smidge better mileage. I miss that old truck, it did everything i ever threw at it and was a reliable daily driver, after i fixed all the nickle and dime issues.

[@allenbeaulieu7077]

Nice tear down Eric. As always, it was very interesting. I enjoy every one. Be well. Big Al.

[@t-yoonit]

Little note on the hemi engines regarding the cam failure rate: You're more likely to see ones with cam trouble just due to the nature of your business. That said, I've done some digging and the general consensus from my research is that it's mainly due to poor design causing cam starvation during extended low RPM operation. Oil consumption on them is also a normal occurrence and if not monitored regularly, can result in starvation. The Hemi platform places the cam a fair bit farther away from the crank than most other V8 engines. At low RPM, this results in less oil slinging off the counterbalances up to the cam, the bridges cast into the block also limit runoff from reaching the cam. There are drains for the oil system that direct oil back to the pan as well. Under normal driving conditions, most of these flaws are defeated because of sheer oil volume, but lots of extended periods of idling, or low oil levels will result in oil starvation of the cam. Lifter failure is also a thing but the mechanism of failure is the same as the DoD lifters in the LS platform of GM engines. While lifter failure usually also wipes out a cam, it is also very possible to have a cam starved for oil with no lifter damage. Many people are mistaken thinking that swapping to non MDS lifters will save their cam, and then are stunned when they still wind up with a wiped out cam at some point. It's worth noting that most of those cam only failures are in fleet vehicles like police cars and such. I have a 2012 Ram 1500 with MDS, I check my oil every couple of fuel stops, and have 200k miles without a single issue and I idle a fair bit more than most folks. I use synthetic oil which helps quite a bit.

[@theohiggins9120]

been waiting all day... thank you kind sir.

[@kurtisstutzman7056]

I tore apart tons of 80s to early 90s 4.3s, they all had broken, failed rods on the center journal... They had an oil starvation issue obviously...! I had a bunch odd s10 blazers back then and they were fuel hogs...!!! Never had any other issues except for the rod on the center journal... Thanks, keep up your awesomeness and go enjoy some nature today...! Don't forget to compliment someone today...

[@ericwilson2585]

I love watching your tear downs. So I'm going to throw one out there, a Cadillac LH2 engine, or even just some kind of a Northstar, maybe??

[@MDBenson]

Shouldn’t be too hard to find a scrap Northstar, afterall…

[@DanBowkley]

Why you wanna torture the poor man like that? :D

[@acemobile9806]

I bet the starter will still be in place 🤣

[@MDBenson]

@@acemobile9806 and yet… it only takes 60-90 mins to change and isn’t plastered in road crud. Also not many people seem to complain about that on 2UZ Toyotas!

[@chubbysumo2230]

I don't think this engine ever saw an oil change. This is that magical lifetime oil.

[@TheProjectHelpDesk]

Just for giggles one day you should tear down a Briggs and Stratton LOL. Maybe as an April 1 video.

[@TestECull]

I have been hounding him to find a flathead car engine for the channel but an old flatty Briggs might be the closest we get. And hell that's one he could start up on the teardown table before he tears it down!

[@JiKimbo]

You need to check out Mustie1 on YT.

[@howardsmiller]

As a European viewer I'm still amazed to see that OHV engines are still alive and well.

[@s1135274]

But you wouldn't be all that surprised once you got over the shock and annoyance of having to find a 9/16 inch spanner to remove the valve cover.

[@marcmaney5162]

My neighbor had a 4.3 Vortec in his S-10. It made so much noise when he pulled out of his driveway that I thought he'd be going 110 past my house. Nope, only 25.

[@Zinglupate]

What i'd love to see is a teardown of any 80s/90s Mercedes engine, OM601, OM602, OM603, OM606, M102, M103, M104, M111, M119 etc. This was a great teardown by the way.

[@jamesplotkin4674]

Got to stay on top of those pesky OCI's, especially for all GDI engines. Best oil/filters and frequently changed. This engine deserved better. RIP

[@3gunshooter60]

Probably best practice to change oil way before the computer says it's time on those DOD engines. Still seems like a lame idea to me.

[@James_Hough]

C'mon now! I had a 1990 GMC S-15 Jimmy with the old 4.3L Vortec and I drover it to about 190,000 miles without issues, sold it, and saw it driving around town for another few years.

[@Tony-ps9qk]

I work with GM dealers daily and I've had many dealers tell me lifters and transmissions fail as low as 500MI !! To this day. GM is a sad company. This isn't acceptable in a $50k suburban let alone a $120 Escalade

[@KennyboyGM]

It’s a supplier issue using bad alloy mixes. It’s been fixed now.

[@BobSmith-mc7uq]

99 Sierra with the spider 4.3, over 200,000 miles. Original plastic distributor gave out. Good power & starts every time. What more could you ask for?

[@oldcarnocar]

great engine,i PURPOSLY bought a 03 1500 BECAUSE it had the 4.3,some guys need a power trip to compinsate for tiny "equipment"lol

[@johncoops6897]

What more could you ask for? A new distributor, I guess.

[@ssgpentland8241]

We work on them all the time and they are good engines. Biggest issue is many owners overwork them and push oil change intervals too far. If your truck is a daily driver, a 4.3 is a d@mn good option

[@andel5792]

3500 is a good interval but 5-6k intervals are a bit too much.

[@Jorge.Rangel]

Do you know how many lifters of each it uses? Thanks.

[@danielclark5170]

GM really screwed up on this version of the 4.3 v6 engine, I had a 98 GM 4.3 vortec engine with almost 198000 miles when I sold it and only had to replace the water pump and fuel pump in 10 years of ownership. That we the best truck I ever had and could get over 25 mpg on the highway.

[@craigsowers8456]

Ditto ... loved my '98 Chevy 4.3 V6 ... never a moment's issue with it ... regular oil changes and put good Gas in her. And plenty of pep for a vehicle weighing 2 tons !!! Only engine I've had better in my 2.4L Toyota HiLux Turbo Diesel ... not available back home in USA but WOW ... indestructible (see UK Top Gear where they tried to destroy one ... hilarious !!!).

[@rideswift]

Do you have any experiance with this engine? ive had both versions and can say that GM did not screw up, this is a great engine and will last if maintained.

[@acemobile9806]

Same at least according to my uncle. He had a '96 & drove that thing until the body ceased to exist around the engine, I reckon it had at least 400K. He swears the old 4.3 is the best engine GM made.

[@undertow2142]

Seriously, imagine if they went the turbo route for the highest end and heavy duty versions back in the early 90s. Single turbo 4.3 V6 with variable valve timing could get good fuel economy in a delivery van, especially compared to a v8.

[@NotOnYourLife]

My wife has that engine in her Z-71, so far it has been ok for her, she just hit 100k miles and the only engine related issue was an oil cooler leaking. The dealership "fixed" it and a couple hundred miles later it dropped oil on the interstate rather quickly. She had sense enough to cut it off immediately and after getting it back the dealership actually did fix it. It has been rock solid ever since. It pulls an 18' trailer with 2 cubes of alfalfa on it easily. Not a bad little engine for general light duty.

[@stevebot]

I'm guessing the clean cylinder is the one with the broken lifter, and guessing it was an intake lifter so it wasn't breathing but was getting fuel via the DI and that cleaned it up. The old Vortec 4.3 was ok on gas, I've still got one, runs great, sweats coolant out the intake gaskets. Typical GM for that era.

[@19580822]

I had a 1989 S10 Blazer with an earlier version of this engine (RPO LB4), and later a 2001 Astro (RPO L35). Both had decent power and got decent mileage. Kept them both for 10+ years with no serious issues, although I had to replace some of the cheap plastic vacuum lines in the Astro (major PITA). Good engines IMHO.

[@throttlebottle5906]

power of a broken 305 with the gas usage of a 350. lol

[@drewnashty]

@@throttlebottle5906 Well it was literally a 305 minus 2 cylinders, so not sure how your expectation's of high output is supposed to trump basic knowledge of physics. A completely stock '92 S10 with the 4.3L and 700R4 sure had me surprised, thing had way more power than any 4 cylinder (contrary to this breakdown queen's experiences) of it's time especially torque where it mattered down low for a truck. Even as a flying brick with a whopping 150hp it would smoke any stock all motor 4 cylinder hatchback off the line of it's day and many years after considering I had it around 2003 to 2007ish with over 250k miles before giving it to my X (what a waste that was). I had two problems with that truck, the cheap radiator and the heater core leaked and had to be replaced, I believe that was around the 210k mark, not a big deal considering it spent those last few years in Phoenix. Dry heat is good against rust but it's harsh on all the cheap plastics in cars. My 1976 Blazer faired better than newer cars for the 15 years I lived there

[@BacheFate]

Recent cars, pcm shuts off the injector after a certain missfire counts.

[@BWADaniel]

I’ve got a 5.7L hemi engine that had a lifter explode and a chunk fell between the crankshaft and wall of the block and seized the crank. There’s also a half circle chunk that broke off the lifter bore when it exploded lol. I bought new lifters, new cam, all new bearings, oil pump, water pump. Everything, put it back together and it runs great. Honestly, engine blocks and engines are more resistant then we think. I’m really doing this as a test to see how long it’ll last with a damaged lifter bore. I’ve got pictures of it if anybody is curious lol. I think that block is good in my opinion clean it back up, it shouldn’t be a problem. Your lifter just moves up and down on the cam. It shouldn’t be rocking loosely in the lifter bore anyway. If it did, there’s no way I would’ve ran my engine again.

[@SC400slide]

As soon as GM went to their active fuel management crap their reliability went way down. Great video!

[@The_Future_isnt_so_Bright]

If you delete the balance shaft, you wont even notice. The shaft is tuned for Idle , anything above that it is more of a annoyance than beneficial. They clatter alot when chain gets loose so just remove chain and put her back together. My truck is real smooth at idle and through all rpm ranges. I have no regrets.

[@lordcorgi6481]

The best thing about the newer 4.3 is that it doesn't have the GM permenant cylinder deactivation system that the V8s do.

[@Discretesignals]

I think it does have DOD, did you see the DOD lifters?

[@lordcorgi6481]

@@Discretesignals oh if that's the case then it's a waste of aluminum

[@schoolmaster8038]

what does "permanent" deactivation refer to because I can control will the throttle pretty easily to switch between 4 to 6.

[@donvoll2580]

@@Discretesignals So what does that mean? Thanks

[@lordcorgi6481]

@@schoolmaster8038 It's a joke people talk about with GM engines. The cylinder deactivation caused the deactivated cylinders to be starved of oil which caused premature wear which lead to that cylinder being "permanently deactivated" because the engine just grenaded. According to GM this problem has be fixed, but I've seen as new as 2020s still have the same problem in the 5.3L

[@FonicsSuck]

Used to have one of these in a 2018 Silverado. Was a perfect engine in that truck. Was much better on gas around town than the 5.3. Honestly, most pickup owners could have a 4.3 instead of a 5.3 and not know the difference. For what the vast majority of truck owners do, it is more than capable. Worked fine for towing around a 24' Grew boat on a tandem axle trailer. That whole package weighs about 5000-6000lbs and it was no sweat really.

[@FarmBossSaws]

I had this engine in one of my work trucks, a 16' extended cab. I liked it because it was lighter and more nimble than the 5.3 which is a bonus for all the off-road driving I did with it.

[@stevemccauley5734]

My dad has an early 2000s Silverado 2 wheel drive truck with a 4.3. I drive a 4 wheel drive one with a 5.3. He went with me to trailer a car back through a bunch of hills in Arkansas. More than once he told me “man I wish I’d bought a V8 truck”. Every time I take him to lunch he says the same thing. You’re wrong. I’ve owned one 4.3 V6 that was in a Blazer & I’d never do it again. Gutless engine with horrible gas mileage. Like mentioned by others, it never could compare to the Ford 300. Chevy should’ve done I6s if they wanted a 6 cyl in a truck or SUV.

[@adotintheshark4848]

You're right about the Vortec 4.3 . I had a Chev Astro van with that lump in it. It couldn't get out of its own way but drank gas like a Cadillac. And the oil pump is the same design as what's used in the front pump of the transmission. Reliable and can move a lot of oil.

[@wymple09]

Started out right off knocking on the old 4.3. One of the best engines I've ever had and a certainly not a gas hog. Get real. My 2001 1/2 ton Silverado got 25 mph on the road, 21 in town, with decent power & torque. Good for a truck.

[@truckinNloving]

Dang. I never got over 21 on highway in my 03 Chevy 1500 4.3 the 7 years I've owned it.

[@oldcarnocar]

warren,homie u damn right! 1986-2013 4.3 was a bad mofo! got one in a s-10...fk'n thing flys 92 tbi

[@IacobucciB]

No you didn’t. Not even my manual S-10 broke 21mpg on the highway, completely empty. Updated spider injector got it up a little, but I have a very hard time believing a 4.3 got better MPG in a larger, heavier vehicle.

[@craigquann]

They weren't overly fuel efficienct... But they were reliable. Not too often I've ever heard them fail.

[@FishFind3000]

Don’t believe the on board computer. They lie.

[@joaquinpinon2872]

Once again, thanks for another great and enjoyable video, simple and to the point with funny remarks along the way. God bless you

[@denniss5512]

Good teardown. I can't see why spending a little time polishing up the impact spots would make this an unusable block. I've see a lot worse. And at the price of a "good used" being $3500 this is a great candidate for a rebuild.

[@jackpatteeuw9244]

The block can be easily cleaned up. Need to hone the cylinder and lifter bores. Replacement bearings, pistons, cam, lifters, etc would probably make it not cost effective.

[@tonychavez2083]

We just had a 4.3 with a bad misfire we tracked to worn cam lobes and more than one bad lifter worn through! 2018 Silverado 1/2 ton low miles, 88K miles!!

[@notsogreat123]

Direct injection would be great if it weren't for the smog crap !! Thanks EPA !!

[@member57]

It is basically an LS or LT based, just wondered why it took so long to update the engine. The oil pump looks like a transmission pump, interesting design. Somebody didn't do simple maintenance but people will blame Chevy when it is clearly neglect that destroyed this engine.

[@mrl390]

I loved the 4.3 in my 2014 Silverado. It had all the power I needed, sounded good and was nice and smooth. Plus if you run the 4.3 on e85 it bumps the output to 300hp and 330 lb ft torque. If I were in the market for another Silverado I would buy one with the v6 before I’d get a v8. Wish they used a dual injection system like the Toyotas do to keep the carbon from building up. That was one dirty engine inside.

[@BobbersDown]

Ford switched to dual injection in 2017 as well to avoid similar issues plaguing the Ecoboost.

[@toddbob55]

GM vehicles are junk dude

[@craigquann]

Can of CRC or seafoam induction cleaner periodically and an aftermarket oil catch can will solve the carbon issue.

[@mike6206]

I have this engine in my 2014 Silverado. It reakly surprised me how head and shoulders better it was than it's cast iron ancestor. The video shows what happens when servicing is constantly neglected. An oil change around 5,000 miles with a good oil and filter will save a lot of headaches later. The International DT family of diesels used roller lifters with no issues. The AFM/DFM lifters were the ones that a lot of channels put the blame on, yet this one was a non-AFM/DFM lifter. Did the lack of oil changes cause the failure? It certainly didn't help keep it working properly.

[@samholdsworth420]

My 4.3 has 261,000 miles on it still running strong. It can still pass California emissions 😜

[@bryancarpenter7470]

Now you didn't need to go talking smack about Vortec 4.3's. 😉 True, the stock intake manifold gaskets were pathetic. My 2001 and 2002 S-10 Crew Cabs both got big, squishy FelPro gaskets and upgraded spider injectors long ago. I love 'em! 🙂👍

[@johnspelman8976]

Enjoyed that one, sometimes that dual overhead cam turbo stuff seems like way overkill. What's with GM and lifters

[@karlschauff7989]

The lifters don't tolerate neglect. The average car buyer today won't even check the oil level between changes... which they think they can go 10k miles between changes... even if they let the vehicle idle for a half hour every morning before driving 2 miles to work. That kind of habit leads to excessive carbon soot (abrasive) and sludge deposits in the tiny passages that feed the AFM control system. The lifters activate and deactivate based on oil pressure, which is turned on and off by oil solenoids. Clog those channels up and the lifters don't lock and unlock like they should. Run dirty oil filled with abrasive carbon soot (coming from combustion byproducts, particularly with direct injection which tends to be more "sooty") through those lifters and they increase the chances of an issue with the pin that has to move freely to "collapse" the lifter and deactivate the cylinder. Excessive idling in the winter and not getting the vehicle up to temp will cause the engine oil to become diluted with fuel. Gasoline is a terrible lubricant and if you accumulate a lot of it in the engine oil, tiny mechanisms such as the ones found in AFM lifters will further increase the likelihood of a problem. There's also the issue of human perception vs statistics. GM builds and sells well over a million V6 and V8 engines with AFM lifters every year. When you have tens of millions of trucks, SUV's, and sports cars with AFM lifters, even a lifter failure rate of 1% means tens of thousands of vehicles that need to be repaired. If the owner is smart and stops driving the vehicle as soon as they hear the lifter tick, there usually isn't any serious damage and the lifters get replaced. But if you neglect basic maintenance and have bad driving habits, you end up with a lifter like the one that came out of this engine. They had to have driven hundreds if not thousands of miles with a LOUD lifter tick. Judging by the sludge, the owner of the vehicle this engine came from barely met the minimum maintenance requirements. In all likelihood it was a company truck and the company changed the oil sparingly and the employees drove the truck into the ground. The same kind of neglect that frequently kills AFM lifters is the same kind of neglect that causes the common issues in engines from all manufacturers -- VVT solenoid failures, cam phaser issues, timing chain tensioner issues, timing chain stretch, etc.

[@edifyguy]

@@karlschauff7989 You'll love this story I got from one of the owners who also works the counter at my local parts haunt. Some old guy comes in with one of these DOD engines and it's got a lifter tick. It isn't very old. He wants sea foam to put in the oil to clean the lifters. Parts guy asks what oil he's using. 10w40, the only thing you should ever put in a Chevy. Parts guy politely informs him that the designs on these engines has changed a great deal in the last 30 years, and he really should use the oil specified on the cap, I think it was 5w20 5w30 DexOS. The old guy is belligerent, 10w40 is the only thing you should ever put in a Chevy, give me my sea foam and don't argue with me. Parts guy knows the guys at the dealership in town, and wouldn't you know, a few weeks later this same old guy's motor was junk with less than 20,000 miles because he refused to give it what it needed. Of course, that's not neglect, that's outright abuse for stubbornness' sake. I just thought you would find the story interesting.

[@altruismfirst6489]

Lv1 is the simpler version of this engine, no variable cam timing or displacement on demand etc. A more reliable unit for delivery Vans.

[@altruismfirst6489]

Gonna add would like to see a kit to remove the balance shaft, new non variable oil pump, better lifters, electric waterpump housing and aftermarket heads with headifolds for easier turbo bolt up than using aftermarket complicated turbo headers. This engine could easily beat a Nissan GTR engine for size, weight and simplicity but it needs work to get there, yet very possible.

[@larryw5429]

Oil pump looks just like a transmission pump!

[@sammorgan2390]

I have a Silverado with the old vortec v6 , I like what he said the power of a 4 cylinder with the fuel economy of a v8 that killed me

[@robertslegers257]

How can you blame a faulty lifter design. When you see how filthy that engine was. Proper oil changes and that engine would still be running.

[@greapsoho]

Those vortec 4.3 definitely have some maintenance replacement parts,but to call them unreliable is wild, a bunch of those engines are on recorded 500,000 mile lists

[@minuscu1e]

I cant wait for you to do the porsche engine!

[@KennyboyGM]

I think he did. Subarus are flat engines

[@jogmas12]

I always use OEM spark plugs as my replacements, always. I tried other spark plugs and my vehicles ran like crud.

[@Mittencarpentry]

Hope you engaged your safety squints before removing that spring!

[@RMosher11]

I think all the 4.3 V6's have required a balance shaft due to them being based on the 90 degree small block Chevy. I'm no expert but it has something to do with the vibrations of a 90 degree V6. The majority of all V6's are generally 60 degree bank angle to even out the firing pulses.

[@JohnnyAFG81]

Nice obscure V6! Always wanted to see a tear down on these. Any idea if a 1.4L turbo Fiat engine is in the near future?

[@TestECull]

long stretch to get a Euro engine on his table that isn't Merc or BMW given how rare they are in the US. *Maybe* able to get that engine if it ended up in the 500 but that's still a long shot.

[@JohnnyAFG81]

@@TestECull thé came in the 500 Abarth and 5 dr Fiat 500L

[@TestECull]

@@JohnnyAFG81 Then there's a few of them putting along American roads, but again, it's still a bit of a long shot for one to cross Eric's teardown table. There'd have to be a market for the parts and enough cars on the road that there's a steady supply of cores to strip and sell. The other way would be for a viewer to donate one specifically for him to make a video with, as we saw with the smallblock Chevy he did two weeks ago. I don't see that many Fiat 500s. I see a couple, but for every 500 I see I'll see 10 vehicles that have an LS-based V8 in them.

[@JohnnyAFG81]

@@TestECull i figured it’s a stretch to find one, was curious to see the multiair setup. I’d settle for 2.4 multiair that came in Chrysler products.

[@craigquann]

Didn't the 1.4t also come in the dodge dart?

[@LuckyBaldwin777]

In shops we rarely bought a plug wire set. We had spools of wire and a box full of different boots and fittings. We'd scope the engine and if we found it had a bad wire, we'd make a new one, install it and scope it again to make sure it was fixed. Much cheaper to do it that way than buy a $40 wire set to fix a bad $2 wire..

[@09corvettezr1]

While the problem has been greatly reduced I have still had to remove one broken exhaust manifold bolt from a gen v v8, though it did have about 170000miles.

[@Jimrandolph-e7d]

If a lifter bore is a problem, you can buy a honing tool, or a kit that has several sizes of stone honing tools that do a fantastic job, all the way from a monster, that fits diesel piston cylinders up to about 6"+, down to ones that can fit into bores as small as, I think 3/4". Don't quote me on the sizes, but I remember using different ones for multiple purposes. I think you might look for specific size range tools, or whole kits, at places like Harbor Freight, or probably Amazon, but you won't find this kind of stuff at your local auto parts store.

[@pancudowny]

This reminds me of replacing the crank on my '94 LN2 2.2L OHV I-4, before I actually drove [for the 1st-time] the S-10 pickup it powered. The previous owner replaced the timing-chain assembly after the tension-er failed, but didn't remove the broken tension-er parts from the oil pan... and the oiling system sucked them up, and fed them first to the lifters--as was the oiling priority of it's design--and then the crankshaft. The most upsetting part of the damage done was never getting those lifters to quiet-down (sounded like a diesel until the end) for all the miles I put on that truck, until they finally collapsed... leading to a long-block replacement. I sent it away to have done "inexpensively" to discover 30k-mi. later the re-manned engine used a sub-par tension-er, which I replaced with factory pieces myself, and lasted 80k-mi. May have lasted longer if I installed the orificed galley plug that came with it, which goes behind the cam gear and supplies the necessary lubrication the timing-chain set was denied when that engine was initially run in the S-10 platform. (Was to be splash-oiled when transverse-mounted in the FWD cars it's originally designed for.)

[@kwt7667g]

Adam, I really didn’t think I’d sit through this entire video…but I did great job!

[@neilcook4710]

Love the detective work. We get customers all the time who " don't know what's going on " only to find the cold, hard evidence.

[@jamest.5001]

If the lifter bore is damaged, it can be sleeved, race blocks had brass bushings in the lifter bores, to be 100% sure it's square in the block, and the brass has less friction, I'd definitely use the block, crank, pistons heads, I'd put a cam in it, maybe put a V8 oil pump, and injector pump, in it,. if it will fit!

[@AdeptApe]

Eric, my "new" service van has this engine in it and I wanted to know more about them. Looks like you are the man on these type of engine teardowns. Hopefully mine goes for 500,000 before any problems, ha ha!

[@I_Do_Cars]

Since yours is a van, and not a truck, you do not have DOD/AFM, and thus, those hardly have the same degree of issues. Plus I know you’re not the guy whose gonna go over on oil change interval. Should serve you well Josh!

[@AdeptApe]

@@I_Do_Cars Well it has a ticking noise now, so maybe I'll be doing my own tear down on it. At least I own a few wrenches.

[@I_Do_Cars]

@@AdeptApe bummer man. I’m sure it’s a relatively simple fix, there isn’t much to that. Sounds like you have more content 🤦‍♂️

[@ryanroberts1104]

Been thinking one of these with a turbo would be fun vs a gen III 5.3...but now that I've seen the guts...no thank you. Excessively complicated. Gen III was the perfect balance of new tech and old tech without putting wires inside the engine!

[@Giovanni_Adventures]

2000 Chevy 4.3 250,000 and I'm going to replace the intake gasket this weekend, very small coolant leak. I get over 20 mph on highway and power is good. Lots of towing my trailer 800 miles one way. Not bad for a 23 year old truck. Heck I just bought a new car in September and it's been back to the shop last month because of coolant leak. So I can't say one thing bad about the old 4.3

[@mcgama88]

I followed this tear down with lively interest. Why? Well, because my friends keep bringing me their problems to fix. And, I always recommend they maintain the simple stuff. Like oil and antifreeze change. So where the oil pan pickup tube was a crafty bit of dismantle, and more. The timing chain bits. Thanks for the post. I enjoyed watching as refit is part process after....things are dismantled. M.

[@isitmeorisityou20]

I enjoy watching your teardowns with my autistic son, and he gets super excited when you speed up the timing. Could you possibly do some kind of montage of you just removing bolts?

[@nicholasnachos2008]

These were great in the s10/Sonoma, blazer and astro vans. I really like how they are in that platform. The Silverado’s tho, well, theyre wimpy as hell. They were ok at best for a work truck but its not great when you need to tow or if you want to pass people.

[@44R0Ndin]

As for the autopsy, my guess is that the lifter got siezed, its roller got battered by the cam and disintegrated, and then all the needle bearings from that lifter went thru the engine (therefore the other shrapnel).

[@edifyguy]

And the noise was likely ignored for a LONG time. Just like the oil changes.....