5.3 Vortec - Everything You Need To Know
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2022
- In this video, Jake covers the specifications, background, common problems, and reliability of the Gen III & Gen IV 5.3L V8 Vortec engines. If you would like to read up on our blog covering this topic, here is our guide: chevytrucks.org/vortec-5300-c...
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00:29 - 5.3 Vortec Specs and Background
03:00 - LM7 vs LC9 Differences
04:52 - Gen 3 5.3 Vortec Common Engine Problems
07:15 - Gen 3 5.3 Vortec Reliability
07:51 - Gen 4 5.3 Vortec Common Engine Problems
09:59 - Gen 4 5.3 Vortec Reliability
10:35 - 5.3 Vortec Summary - Авто та транспорт
Thank you for this. I just got my first truck. 06 silverado with the 5.3 vortec and people are already calling it garbage. But hey, I worked my ass off for this and it gets me from point A to point B and also back to A.
Congrats on the truck, sounds like you deserve it! The 5.3 can be a great engine, just make sure to stay on top of maintenance. Don't worry what others have to say about your truck! If you love it, that's all that matters. Like you said, it gets you to where you need to be.
Congrats! I just sold my 02 Sierra with the 5.3 and it was absolutely bulletproof. I sold it with 276k and was running beautifully. I worked the shit out of it, too. Feed it top tier oil and it should be good to you.
Ignore the ignorant. Kudos to you. I have a 2002 Silverado 306,000+ miles engine still running great, though a minor lifter tick till it warms up. Just now started having transmission issues after 300,000 miles. Good luck to ya and happy smiles driving those miles.
Congrats to you, and screw whoever says otherwise. Been driving an '02 Suburban with 283k miles for almost 4 years now, with the original engine and transmission. I love it, it's reliable, and that's all that matters.
@@calebbryan8600 That's good. My 02 Silverado at 306,000 miles. I Had transmission servos 1st 4th replaced about 4/5 years ago had only 2nd and 3rd gear. It Did great for many more miles. The 5.3 Engine still runs strong. Transmission is now at a point were the clutches are slipping real bad. This the only major thing this truck has had. Time to refresh rebuid the originals and the rear end to have a complete revived power train to go another 300,000 plus.
If a vehicle doesn't ever get to the high mile class it hasn't earned its keep. They're just dusty rust collector garage queens. If it's got an engine and wheels it was meant to roll. 👍
5.3 is the best GM engine hands down
Loyal - It definitely is up there for GM engines!
4.8 & 6.0 are pretty dern good too.
@@realmiller7203I think the 5.3 is the same block as the 4.8 with a longer stroke. they are great engines without a doubt
Great video! I subscribed, looks like you have great material. Thank you!
Fourty - Thanks for the feedback!
I just flipped 250k on a 5.3 in an '03 tahoe, starts and runs great. The balance is amazing, hand to God I will forget it's running on occasion. This motor lives on the north end of that rpm line and still pulling strong!
Twitch - Love hearing a good 5.3! You've easily got 250k more.
Great no fluff information. Read up on how to identify the AFM mistake. Kinda wished actual pictures were given. Appreciate your expertise & the way information was presented. Really weird how some of the same engines are either a curse or a blessing even with AFM. Take care, Mike
Mike - Thanks for the valuable insight on how we can improve our videos! We’ll implement this to up our content for our audience.
Well done just purchased my first Chevy...2003 Avalanche no muffler trans struglles fron 1st to 2nd....But after that it goes into beast mode...216k...I love it
Denny - Thanks for sharing your experience. Hope the avalanche gives you another 200k!
If its hanging in gear flush your trans and add a bottle of lucas non slip. It will keep the shift solenoids from getting sticky.
My 5.7 has 350k and still running strong. Just changed out my plugs, no blowby, no corrosion, no knocks or taps.(spellchecker rewrote knock as coolant.. !! Love my Vortec
Island - Thanks for sharing your feedback! Love hearing a solid 5.7!
@@8020Media Best 700 bucks I ever spent...If the guy from Phoenix who sold it knew what he was letting go.....I.been driving it 5 years now, once a year I drive it from Florida to Tucson for the big gem show. Than I drive a few thousand miles digging up my own rocks, and by the time I get back to Florida, I got 1500 lbs of gems in the back..
Keep up the great videos!!!
no coolant?! might wanna get that looked at
@@myrusEW Spellcheck...
Lol..
My 2012 LC9 5.3L has been very reliable. I have disabled the AFM. I have 87,000 miles on my Silverado.
Todd - Thanks for sharing your experience! Hope you get another 87k from your LC9
I disabled mine as well. I have a 2011 5.3 Silverado. Turned it off at 117k. Now have 205k hard miles as well lol
Just got a 2012 5.3 , I love it so far. Glad to hear you like yours.
@@Josh-xj3fm how did you turn yours off?
Am so glad I found this.
Got a good deal off a close friend.
00 Chevy Silverado LS trim 2wd 5.3 third door.
379K miles. Yeah I thought big flag but I know this dude real well. He has the history of the truck down. It's all highway miles I'm told. And the engine and drivetrain it self. Starts up fine. Idles alright. No engine ticks nor knocks. Drives down the road straight and smooth. Shifts fine. Has some goodies. Some
Does leak oil as something as 20 years of age does usually. Not sure how about to go fixing it's common issues and making it more bulletproof. Hopefully see 400K or further! Some Steelie wheels and spacers. Nothing too monstrous. Lol. Has a subwoofer,amp and radio system. No check engine light or any error light. Gauges work and hold pressure. Tool box and bed liner.
Clean interior I'm talking like a 9/10 at least.
I know these motor will go for a long time but I've never had one myself till now. Always been ford 300I or bmw M52TUB28. (Both current engine projects I have 😅) (all hail the inline 6😂)
just unsure on what I should do first with a motor with these many miles. I'm thinking valve cover gaskets and intake gaskets. Maybe delete Ac(doesn't work anyway). Change the air box(cold air intake? Maybe.)
🤷♂️ Don't know how or where to start. 🤦♂️😅🤣.
Moving on. Any advice is welcome. Thanks for hearing my 2 cents worth of a story. Hope these truck sees a lot of miles and provides me with good stories to tell.
Silver - Sounds like a sweet pickup! We would imagine that since it has 379k miles, the previous owner took great care of it.
I would only take it if it was free I would pay no money for a truck pushing 400,000 miles
@@DustinKeating-yk3vq Update. Truck just passed 390,000 miles. Still running strong as the day I bought it. For the price of hauling a couple vehicles to the scrap yard, id say it's still a excellent deal. Gets me from point A to B to C to D and back without any issues. Yeah, it leaks oil, error code for O2 sensors, but. It fire up every time, engine runs great, Transmission shifts good, rear differential is holding up great, ride quality is solid(👍)going down the road at any speed under any load. This truck has not let me down yet...it might. But I will be able to repair it when that time comes. Sure, it also needs the front end rebuilt(ball joints,tire rods, control arm bushing, wheel hub bearing, rack and pinion steering,) but at least I can get all that off RockAuto for a good deal and install it myself, rather than to be stuck without a vehicle, waiting on the dealership to get the unavailable parts to fix my brand new car and get screwed royally on the repair bill
At least, when I go to do the Brakes on this truck. I'll be able to do it with a hand tools. Instead of a new vehicle being System locked and one would need a expensive scan tool to set the car system to maintenance mode to just change a brake rotor/pad/wheel bearing/suspension components.
To each their own opinion though. You are entitled to your opinion as I am my own. I'd rather have a tried and true, reliable, parts available, easily repairable, vehicle that's at least 20 years old. Over a new, overpriced, mansion on wheels, recall nightmare, unmaintainable, throwaway, non-repairable, plastic pieces of junk that rolls off today's Automotive assemble lines 🤷♂️
So, Mister. The next time your new vehicle is having issues, and you see an old pickup pushing 400k, running strong for cheap. I want you to consider the price it's gonna take to fix your new car vs the cost of that old pickup. Let that thought soak in for awhile. Good day to you Sir
I have a gen 3 5.3 with the phantom coolant loss, she has just about 325,000 miles on her and still runs great.
LD - Thanks for sharing your experience! Sounds like you've got a good one.
check your water pump gaskets they are known to seep
May want to do a leakdown on your cooling system to make sure your head gaskets are healthy
+1 on the water pump to block gaskets. Those deteriorate with age and weep down the front of the block. Coolant is rarely seen because it evaporates quickly there. You can see dry coolant trails with flashlight tho.
Thank you for making this video! Did you do a video on how you would recommend disabling the active fuel management on the Gen 4?
Jeremy - We don’t have one yet. However, we will be releasing a video for this in the near future!
That sounds good! Ill be watching for it!@@8020Media
i have a 2010 tahoe LTZ that my parents gave me years ago. just turned 165k. super reliable, has went on many roadtrips. no friends so the extra seats are wasted on me but it gives my cat plenty of space to run around between stops😸
A - Thanks for sharing your experience!
One of the best motors ever made no doubt
They certainly don't make 'em like they used to - the pre-AFM engines will always top the list for the best out of GM.
Its not the intake manifold that fails . Its the intake manifold gaskets and the upgrade is not to put factory OEM gaskets back on because they use a composite ( plastic) gaskets with rubber orings. They sell aluminum manifold gaskets with beefer orings which hold up much better.
Piney - Thanks for sharing this insight.
I’m so glad hearing the 5.3 is a workhorse engine. Coming from a workhorse 3.5 impala I’m happy to stay with gm
R - All depends on how it's maintained!
That GMT800 3.78 bore block is one hell of a block design, the 4.8 and 5.3 both sport the same block and they last well into the 400,000 mile mark and I've seen a couple 500,000 milers down south, the motor typically outlasts the frame up here in Wisconsin cause of rust and road salt. What I will say about the gen 4 vortec on the GMT900 frames is that it starts burning a lot of oil if you don't keep up on oil changes because of the aluminum block, it wears out easily if you have dirty ass oil in your motor.
The oil burning could also be related to the Active Fuel Management system
S - Thanks for taking the time to share these insights.
416k miles on my 5.3 starts up and runs with no problems, replacing the radiator because it has a hole, And putting an aluminum radiator just to increase the longevity of my engine.
Lobster - Thanks for sharing your experience! Hope you get 416k more out of it.
The L33 aluminum block from 05/06 trucks are great.
B - Thanks for sharing this insight.
My 5.3 vortex in my 2000 silverado is still running strong at 416000 miles. I bought a 5.3 with 125000 miles from a suburban and I’m probably going to replace the engine before it shits the bed…. Generally, a 400000 engine is normally not happy. The key is to regularly change the oil.
Fishy - Thanks for sharing your experience! We couldn't agree more about the oil changes.
Good to have a spare but many on the road with over 500k mi
I’m building a lemons racer…does anyone know what 5.3 would be best?
My 2012 Silverado with the 5.3 is amazing though It does have afm which I’m afraid of it causing problems but I’m thinking of deactivating that
R - We made an AFM disabler that will help with this! www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1T1FMJK?maas=maas_adg_2CDE464277A6404D470A623F0084F062_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas
We've also made an AFM video to assist in your research on whether or not you should disable it. ua-cam.com/video/eMFBwYjIyPY/v-deo.html
My 2002 GMC Yukon XL 1500 has the 5.3 Vortec. It only has 133K miles, and the only engine issue I had was needing to change the I take manifold gasket. This engine is super reliable if it's regularly maintained. Use high quality synthetic-mix or full synthetic oil. Every 40 or 50K miles add a half can of Seafoam cleaner to the oil at about 500 miles before an oil change is due.
That's the intake manifold.
M - We couldn't agree more! Thanks for sharing your experience.
being new to this 5.3 GM/Chevy world because As for a V8 swap; I was talked into installing a 2001 5.3 LS. So is Vortec same as LS?
Richard - This thread will assist with this question: ls1tech.com/forums/general-lsx-automobile-discussion/1281231-diference-between-ls-motors-vortec.html
Is a LY5 or a LM7 better ? Wanting to put a turbo and make 400-500 with stock internals on a budget for a c4 corvette which one would be cost effective but be reliable to keep
Chick - If you're looking to mod it, we would advise the LM7 because of its iron block.
@@8020Media yea I’ma go with the lm7 also if I’m checking to buy a donor car how would I know if it’s an lm7 and not any other LS? looked it up but haven’t found anything that helped me.
Is there like a code on the side of it or something on the vin number
Chick - There's a few things you can look for here:
VIN: If the 8th character in the VIN is a "T" or "Z", there's a high likelihood it's a LM7. This isn't a sure fire thing, so make sure to use the below for more assurance.
Engine Block Casting Number: This is on the engine block and it's a number that you can search online to see what type of engine it is.
Engine stickers: There should be some sort of sticker in the engine bay that will provide relevant info
Manual: Lastly, checking the vehicle manual should point you in the right direction.
Getting that many miles better keep it at low boost.
Enignes with power adders just dont have the longeity.If you have the power youre gonna use it...then want more lol
What is the common thing that will lock them up could it be the time chain
Timing chain could certainly seize one of these up. At higher mileage could also be overheating and warping internal components, low oil pressure, etc.
So what is chevrolet/ gm doing to fix current issues with the L59 AFM issues
Not sure if you mentioned the wrong engine but the L59 is a Gen 3 engine so it doesn't have AFM. But - with respect to what GM is doing in general to address AFM issues is in reality not much, at least very quickly. They have revised the system a number of times over the years and it has continually improved but even the new EcoTec3 engines are plagued with AFM-driven issues. It helps improve emissions and boosts their MPG stats so you won't see AFM going away anytime soon which is why we recommend using a disabler on any AFM vehicle.
Sell you a new electric pos. THey did nothing about all the LS7 issues. Talk about an abortion of an engine
The Vortec name and technology was shared from Honda to GM. 1996 was the first year of the vortec motors with a 305, 350, and 454 offered. It’s also the first year of the 3rd door option.
They actually used the "Vortec" name in marketing materials back in 1985 (I believe, or '86) with the 4.3L Vortec, albeit different design on the V6 vs the V8 Vortec's.
@@8020Media awesome. I didn’t know that. 👍🏻
Got any proof to that Honda claim? 🤨
@@Maverick09171 that’s a great question. I’ve been a gear head since I was a kid. While other boys were wasting their lives away on Nintendo or Sega, I was reading/memorizing magazines like; Chevy High Performance, Super Chevy, Motor Trend, Car and Driver, etc… my parents gave me mag subs for birthdays and Christmas rather than video game junk. I can’t pinpoint the proof but am certain I read it in one of those mags at one time in my life. Whether it’s 100% correct or not, I’m not sure. It’s from memory. Having said that, I’m happy to be corrected if I’m wrong. It seems like it had something to do with VVT as well.
@@dudestuff1557 GM and Honda have definitely collaborated over the years. But to my knowledge it’s been fuel cell and more recently EV content. It is my understanding all the LS based features and design were done in house.
I believe theL96 is their best modern V8
Derak - Very solid engine! Can't go wrong with a 6000.
Active Fuel Management was one of the dumbest things GM ever did. By deactivating half the cylinders , half are hot, half are cool. I’m stunned that GM engineers wouldn’t have known that there were going to be longevity problems.
Doyle - We agree unfortunately..
They know, but that decision likely came from a dumbass political official.
They knew...kinda had to in order to make epa happy but gm figures they will just sell you another one .
BEst 5.3 were the early non afm ones.
I have the LH8 and it came with the stuff for afm but it doesn’t use it.
GM left all of the oil passages and things like that for AFM but didn't use it on some models like that for whatever reason.
My 2008 5.3 has aluminum heads and an iron block. It is designated as LMG.
S - Thanks for sharing this insight.
What’s the difference between the 5.7 and the 5.3 my dad’s 97 has the 5.7 but after that they switched to 5.3
J - Is there any info you're looking for specifically here? There's quite a bit different.
Boost the volume up a bit.
Cecil - Thanks for the feedback. This was one of our first videos ever made so we were trying to work out the kinks. However, since then we feel we have dramatically upgraded our audio and video quality. We hope you have seen that increase :D
My mom's 07 subruban has 260k miles
T - Nice! We love our Suburban. Going on 200k+ as well!
I have a 04 silverado gen 3 baby wooo..and she only has 72000 on her
Billy - Nice! That thing will go for many more years.
300,000 original miles on my lm7 5.3
Nice! We're at 225,000 problem free miles on our Suburban with the LM7.
@@8020Mediahow hard was yours pushed because mine has had a very hard life and it is still going with the original 4l60e somehow and that is with only with fluid changes but anyways the 2005 tahoe I have has been used to pull 10,000 pounds its had a very hard life
Not very hard honestly, it used to tow a few waverunners from time to time but that was really it. Ton of cross country road trips but never much towing.
@@8020Medianice I plan to buy another one of these trucks since the frame got damaged during the winter I went of the road and hit a highway sign which bent the frame rail barely and the inspector took my keys and refused to give them back
Maybe without the stupid afm
Addison - We agree, but unfortunately, the AFM system was very popular on older trucks.
@@8020Media whats afm?
Get the 4.3l V6 way better then the 5.3l
Jason - Both great engines.
🙂☕👍
Ol - Thanks for the feedback!
Vortec=Linguistic marketing hype 🙄
Pretty much!
They might be the best GM engine, but they are underpowered.
A Toyota 5.7, a Ram 5.7, a Ford 5.0 and a Nissan 5.6 all overpower the GM 5.3
And it doesnt really last longer than any of the previously mentioned engines.
Haha you're kidding right?? The gm 5.3 ls is stupid amazing I'm a full time tech and have yet to see the models you mentioned outlast these beasts never goes through coil timing chains etc I see all 50 hours a week gm 5.3 reems those others a new asshole all day
@@badazz2969 you dint think the Toyota 5.7L outlasts a GM 5.3L? 😂😂😂 the Ford Coyote lasts just as long, while producing more power and more RPM. Im yet to see a coyote self destruct because of failing lifters and pushrods. Ive even seen the nissan 5.6L outlast the GM 5.3L.
You are a full time tech? Lol Im an ASE certified master tech with an L1 certification. With 25 years of experience.
I work on not just cars, I also work on heavy equipment, diesel engines from FPT, Cummins, Doosan, Kubota, Isuzu and perkins.
Trust me when I say, the 5.3L is ancient and it is overpowered by all other domestic and import V8s
The Hemi 5.7L is also ancient, but at least it compares a little better in the power department.
I’ll stick with a pushrod engine over a DOHC with a 3 mile long timing chain. Just my opinion
@@jibrilthegreat35 well good for you you want a cookie? Haha old school will see half a million miles I've yet to see any of these besides a 5.3 make it to that milestone but what the hell do I know certification doesn't mean shit to me I've seen non certified techs go twice as far but to each thier own
@@badazz2969 😂😂😂😂 you are the first clown Ive ever read or heard claim that a GM engine will outlast a toyota. If pushrod engines are so superior, why doesnt GM make all their engines pushrods?