Long Lasting 4.3

what's the longest anyone has heard of a chevrolet 4.3 v6 motor lasting? i think the best i heard was 258k... just curious what other numbers are out there...

Over 300k miles I have heard.

my dads friend has a 92 4.3 and his has 289000 original tranny too.

I own a 1991 4.3 vin Z with 231,000 miles on it. It's my daily driver also. Just take care of it and it should last a long time.

I've heard someone lasted only 318k miles and his engine blew, but I can't verify that.

My '96 has 200,000 miles and I've had no problems with it. I think the 4.3 is a great engine.:biggrin:

yea im at 190000 on my 95. have a very small oil leak, and a slight tap. everything else is good. tranny still shifts smooth

My '96 has 200,000 miles and I've had no problems with it. I think the 4.3 is a great engine.:biggrin:

have you been driving it since 96? tranny ever replaced? [just curious]

One question about durability, have any of you had to replace you water pump? and at what miliages did you do it? thanks

130,000miles on mine with the stock pump from the factory.

One question about durability, have any of you had to replace you water pump? and at what miliages did you do it? thanks

Changing the waterpump is not too bad, if that is your concern. I recently just replaced mine several weeks ago, at 65K. I may have gotten a bad one from the factory, to replace that one as soon as I did.

have you been driving it since 96? tranny ever replaced? [just curious]

I had the tranny rebiult at about 150,000 miles and I've had it since '96. I've done some minor repairs/replacements to the engine but nothing major.

I just bought my Blazer at 122K knowing how well they last. Let's face it, the 4.3 is basically just a small block chevy which has been around for 50 years, just refined.

Changing the waterpump is not too bad, if that is your concern. I recently just replaced mine several weeks ago, at 65K. I may have gotten a bad one from the factory, to replace that one as soon as I did.

That is exactly my concern from previous cars that i or my famiy have had, some water pumps have almost been impossible to change. there is nothing wrong with it now, nock on wood, and hopefully it will last a long time, but i was just wondering, thanks for you reply.

When mine started leaking, I was pretty concerned about the job myself, never doing it before. The biggest issue is separating the fan from the clutch. There is a tool for doing this, and the two are on there tight.

That really is the only slightly bad part of it. The pump is not too hard at all to get at, and change, once you get the above accomplished.

When mine started leaking, I was pretty concerned about the job myself, never doing it before. The biggest issue is separating the fan from the clutch. There is a tool for doing this, and the two are on there tight.

That really is the only slightly bad part of it. The pump is not too hard at all to get at, and change, once you get the above accomplished.

how did you separate them?

I have a monte carlo with 140k on it, but the transmission is blown
other than that, it runs fine.

Well, I only have 170,000 on my 94 blazer but the engine is still running strong...I have had to replace just about everything around the engine including rebuilding the trans, starter, fuel pump, altertnator, etc. The engine itself however is bulletproof...no problems with it whatsoever (still gets great gas mileage, no leaks, no tapping...)

I have 165K on my 99' and going strong...owned since new and drove it off the show-room floor.......mechanics tell me to expect the head gaskets and or intake gaskets to deteriorate after a while, but will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Burns no oil, no noise, runs smooth and great pickup.

I am gonna keep running mine to 250K or so....a quarter of a million miles is damn good if you ask me...

very true, maintanence is the key to these vehicles.

very true, maintanence is the key to these vehicles.
maintanence is the key to any vehical..... my cousins f/s 4.3 had 260k when he sold it, truck was rolled, moter still ran in the j yard, my 4.3 only has 110k, and the water pump was replaced at 105, other then that nothing has been needed

i have 160k on my 98 blazer ad my dad has 380k on his 94 silverado...and he just changed the radiator and water pump and it runs great still

very true, maintanence is the key to these vehicles.
yeah, change the oil and keep checking the egine periodicly and you'll run fine. That and replace your air filter. I know my dad and I have for the longest on our 99 Blazer, its got 128K miles, prolly 130K now, and she purrs like a kitten

Yeah I need to learn not to press the gas to the floor all the time.. But I keep all the maintance up. So I hope my 99 Blazer last a while..

yeah i have almost 150k on my blazer and i usually dont rag on my blazer too much. while accelerating for city driving i usually dont rev past 3500 rpms... only when getting on the expressway or when necessary so i think that would help the lasting of the engine and transmission over time dont you think? and what is the best air filter to replace with and how often does that need to be done? is k&n really the best?

thanks

The factory water pump on my 95 blazer lasted 148k mikes b4 I had to replace it. Wasn't that hard to replace either. Did it in the driveway at night with a flashlight.

138,000 on my '98. The only thing that has been changed other than plugs, filters, and fluids is the tensioner pulley, and it runs like a brand new engine. I and am admittedly not very easy on a vehicle.

Traded in the '89 I had before this one with just over 210,000 on the odometer.

My water pump took a shit today at 134,000 miles. It wasn't that bad to change:

1)Drain the coolant:

2)Remove the shroud:
5-10 mm bolts

3)Remove the fan and clutch:
There is no need to separate the fan from the clutch. The whole thing threads on to the end of the water pump. I don't know the size, because rather than break out all my wrenches, I just grabbed an 18 inch crescent wrench. Place the wrench on the nut and tap loose with a hammer. the tapping will break it loose. You have to tap it, if you just try to loosen it, the belt won't hold it and the whole thing will turn. After it breaks loose just spin it off.

4)Break loose the bolts holding the pulley on:
4- 13 mm or 1/2" bolts
Just break them loose, don't remove them

5) Remove the serpentine belt

6) Remove the pulley:
Finish removing the bolts holding the pulley and remove the pulley

7) Disconnect the hoses

8) Remove the old pump:
4-14 mm or 9/16" bolts

9) Clean the surface:
Remove all traces of the old gasket.

10) Install new pump:
Apply a bead of blue Permatex around the holes on both sides of the gaskets, put them on the pump and insert the bolts through the holes to hold the gaskets in place. Carefully lower the pump in to position. Thread the bolts into the block and snug them. Then remove the bolts one at a time, add the permatex to the threads, and then reinsert. (only do one at a time so that the pump doesn't shift and disturb the mating surfaces) Then tighten all the bolts.

11) Reinstall everything in reverse.

If somebody has done this before and sees something that I forgot to mention, please let me know.

I feel the same way as TonyMazz, a quarter of a million miles is a long drive. I will be very satisfied with my 4.3L if it gets me 250,000 miles. However, I honestly believe I can exceed that. The painter at our shop was telling me the other day that he bought his '87 pickup brand new, it turned over 400, 000 a few weeks ago he said. Original motor/trans. He has a 350 c.i. which as most of us know is exactly the same block the 262 c.i. motors came from. GM simply chopped the front 2 of the 350, making the 262 (aka 4.3L). Thus, same bore, same stroke, and for the most part, same part #'s found under the hoods. By the way, the painters truck (400,000 miles) shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Maintenance schedules that are followed ALWAYS, not slipping a little here or there, can do amazing things. It's kind of like maybe engineers really do what they are talking about. Who would have ever thunk??

on my 91 150k, i'm having problems, but i just bought last week. i think the freeze plug needs to be replaced and the head gaskets.

With the mileage thing, My dad has a 87 4.3 with almost 400k on it, and it would still be running smoothly if my brother hadn't rolled it over last year... He alwasys ends up sending cars to the grave. Needless to say, he hasn't driven mine yet. The 87 had the original transmission, and had never even had the valve covers taken off. the only thing ever done to it was just the regular maintenance.