1995 GM 4.3 a monster?

[901Memphis]

I have a co-worker who i talk about cars every now and then about, he drives a 1995 GMC Sonoma with the 4.3 liter 6 cyl engine. I remember talking to him a few months ago about doing his oil change on the truck and telling me it had some chunks coming out when he drained the oil, i told him he should do some shorter oci with a good oil to help reduce the sludge......

Flash forward to present and i was talking to him and hes doing another oil change. I asked him why he just did one recently, he said he put 21,000 miles on it in less than 4 months time!

Now this is crazy to me that he is going over 20k miles on castrol gtx high mileage oil with ac delco filters.

The thing that gets me the most confused is this thing runs smooth and has about 400,000 miles on the original engine/tranny! Are all these engines beastly or is he just getting lucky?

I know he drives 50 miles each way to work and a lot of other highway driving, but still this is madness.

 

[Falcon_LS]

I have a friend who is an auto electrician, and drives a '95 Astro with the same 4.3L V6. He changes oil once a year with Motorcraft Syn Blend 10W-30 and an ACDelco filter. I've never seen him take it on the highway, and his driving consists of short city trips. He puts about 10,000 miles on it a year, and replaces all the fluids every December. Although it's only at 120,000 miles, it drives like new.

I don't know how true this is, but he said it was basically a 305 with 2 less cylinders.

 

[caravanmike]

their are plenty of examples of 4.3L's with more than 300,000 miles on them. if you half way take care of them they last. mike

 

[justinf89]

I know its mostly highway miles but good lord. My 98 astro only lasted until 195k until it spun a main and the trans was already slipping. I babied it most of the way. My 04 has 173k which has to be highway miles and the trans is already slipping pulling away from stop lights. I change the fluid every 5k to be careful. The motor really runs pretty good though.

 

[JHZR2]

They are tough drivetrains.

 

[sciphi]

The 4.3 is a V8 with 2 fewer cylinders. And yes, they're near bombproof.

 

[The_Eric]

To be precise, a 4.3 is a 350 with two less cylinders. They share the same bore spacing and 4.0"x3.48" bore and stroke.

Edit: they also share the same crankshaft rod and main bearing sizes, timing chains will interchange as well as many other little parts and pieces.

 

[bullwinkle]

The 4.3 is a VERY tough engine-the 4L60E transmissions that they came with-NOT SO MUCH! The '97 I used to have had a reverse slip that was there from day one & was worsening when I sold it, the company I used to work for had several mid-90's 4.3l S-10s w/5 speeds that made it over 350K before they got rid of them.

 

[sangyup81]

sounds like it IS a monster! =)

 

[HangerHarley]

Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
The 4.3 is a VERY tough engine-the 4L60E transmissions that they came with-NOT SO MUCH! The '97 I used to have had a reverse slip that was there from day one & was worsening when I sold it, the company I used to work for had several mid-90's 4.3l S-10s w/5 speeds that made it over 350K before they got rid of them.


I know someone selling a 1990 S-15 GMC Jimmy 2 wheel drive, 4.3 that has very very good upkeep and about 150,000 miles on it for $1500. I agree the Transmissions will go before the engine. Id buy it if i could.

93s and later, "W" VIN (not Z) with TBI injection run BETTER on Premium, due to new Vortec heads! Man WHAT AN ENGINE!

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Are all these engines beastly or is he just getting lucky?

I know he drives 50 miles each way to work and a lot of other highway driving, but still this is madness.


Not all engines are that reliable, but truth be told most of them can last that long with decent care. The heavy dose of highway driving is a HUGE factor in long life.

Other engines that are known to hold up like that:

Jeep 4.0
Ford Modulars, 302, the old 300 straight-six
Mopar 5.2/5.9, 4.7, 5.7, 3.8
GM LSx family

Really the list of engines that are known to be somewhat fragile and not likely to last that long no matter how well they're cared for is much shorter. Things like the Cadillac Northstar, Mopar 2.7, Mitsubishi 3.0 and 2.5, etc.

 

[kbohip72]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis


Flash forward to present and i was talking to him and hes doing another oil change. I asked him why he just did one recently, he said he put 21,000 miles on it in less than 4 months time!



You must have been talking to him while he was on the phone driving down the road. He's racking up over 5k miles a month on that thing! That's about 186 miles a day...EVERY day. What does this guy do?

 

[oggb]

GM 4.3L, No oil change in 2+ years thread

 

[Bill in Utah]

My 1996 C1500 truck has the 4.3l V6/5 speed and is still going great with only 270,000 miles on it. I was over at the guy who bought it from me and all he has done is brakes, oil changes and just put a new set of shocks on it.

What is amazing to me is its the white paint and most of the chevys from that timeframe have no rust, just major spots where the paint has "fallen" off. His is still in excellent condition.

I wish I had that truck when my Daughter needed a vehicle. It would have been better than the Contour for her.

I liked the 4.3l v6 so much when I found my current truck (2004 GMC with 4.3l V6/5sp reg cab 4x4) I was very pleased it had the 4.3 in it.

Bill

 

[Spazdog]

If you can live with the CPI failures, not much else will break on a GM 4.3 V6.

 

[dishdude]

I was at the UPS garage where they work on the delivery trucks (all done in house), and the guy there was showing me a truck they were servicing, and he said the majority of those trucks had the 4.3 and that they held up well under all the abuse. He was telling me that the UPS trucks are meticulously maintained, and that they are constantly inspecting items to replace them before they fail. He said a breakdown in the field is extremely costly and they do everything to avoid them.

He said they don't so though many starters as I would have imagined, he said the ignition switch lock is the most worn item. Everytime the driver leaves the truck, the key is turned and pulled out!

 

[HangerHarley]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
I liked the 4.3l v6 so much when I found my current truck (2004 GMC with 4.3l V6/5sp reg cab 4x4) I was very pleased it had the 4.3 in it.

Bill


Bill it sounds like you had about the last year they made the Jimmy/Blazer! Then they went to Colorado/Canyon and that truck is one people forgot exists.

I too think it is a great engine. Ill seriously look out for one, if i ever seriously buy a second vehicle.

My parents had one in the 90s and i was most impressed, mainly due to taking after the Chevrolet fanfare.. seems to be spot-on here. had a Dealer Demo. Wonderful, wonderful, Wonderful S-10 SUV. Absolutely great.

If the rattling back window latch doesnt bug the ____ out of you.

Doors close like tank doors.. thin doors, yet sturdy. i like.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: HangerHarley
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
I liked the 4.3l v6 so much when I found my current truck (2004 GMC with 4.3l V6/5sp reg cab 4x4) I was very pleased it had the 4.3 in it.

Bill


Bill it sounds like you had about the last year they made the Jimmy/Blazer! Then they went to Colorado/Canyon and that truck is one people forgot exists.

I too think it is a great engine. Ill seriously look out for one, if i ever seriously buy a second vehicle.

My parents had one in the 90s and i was most impressed, mainly due to taking after the Chevrolet fanfare.. seems to be spot-on here. had a Dealer Demo. Wonderful, wonderful, Wonderful S-10 SUV. Absolutely great.

If the rattling back window latch doesnt bug the ____ out of you.

Doors close like tank doors.. thin doors, yet sturdy. i like.


My 2004 GMC is the Sierra.

Photos and story in this thread.

Take care, Bill

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: kbohip72
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis


Flash forward to present and i was talking to him and hes doing another oil change. I asked him why he just did one recently, he said he put 21,000 miles on it in less than 4 months time!



You must have been talking to him while he was on the phone driving down the road. He's racking up over 5k miles a month on that thing! That's about 186 miles a day...EVERY day. What does this guy do?


Well 100 miles of it is driving to work every day, so i am sure he has no trouble driving all over the place after and before work.

 

[paulo57509]

The 4.3L is a good engine. There have been two of them in the family, both Astro/Safari vans. The '98 Astro is now in FL and is pushing 300k; the .03 Safari is only at 117k.

Like someone else said, many parts interchange with the SBC. However, somewhere along the line, GM put a balance shaft in the lifter valley.

I think the only issue with this engine is the CPI fuel system; a central injector with individual poppet valves at the cylinders. I haven't experienced it (yet) but I hear and read of others having issues with this system.