Longevity Of A 5.3
 

If yall don't mind I want to slide in here and ask a rather newb question but bear with me please. Roughly how long will a good ole 5.3 run without major problems in just a daily driver Tahoe? I'm looking at one for my wife and personally had several 88-98 n 73-87 trucks but never a 99-up GM at all so stepping onto completely new ground for myself. I know the LS swap is extremely common and know all about that. Looking at a 01 Tahoe with 166k on the clock. Belongs to a friend and know its been taken care of but just wondering what usually goes wrong with these motors if anything and things to look at for when they get around these miles on it. Any other help info about the NBS to look out for or to avoid would be greatly appreciated. This will be for the boss lady....I get something I have to work on all the time or have problems I didn't know of then my a$$ will be grass and her the lawnmower:lol::lol:

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

if they have been taken care of i've seen them with 400k on them just a matter of matinace

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

Ask if the transmission has been rebuilt. 166K whouldnt scare me on the engine.

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

my 01 tahoe only has 88k on it. i hope it lasts 4 times longer. still seems strong.

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

If the transmission hasn't been rebuilt(which it hasn't)should I be worried about it going out in the near future? Me<--definitely not a auto trans man :lol: Gimme a manual trans and I can work on them half decent..autos blow my mind:lol: Thanks for the info guys

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

After 200K your on borrowed time with a 4L60E. Based on my experience 150K is the average life span. Not to scare you....but for a bargaining chip.

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

Thanks for all the info hoss! Sorry to keep asking the newb-ish questions BUT:lol: if the ole 4L60E decided to spit its guts would there be any 100% certain upgrades to make on em...or a rebuild kit that had certain stronger internals to keep at when pricing getting a rebuilt one. Reason for asking is because in my area I haven't found a transmission guy I'd trust to work on my bicycle let alone my truck or give me advise on my other projects though the years:rolleyes:

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

The best upgrade is a good rebuild by someone that takes pride in his work, not so much about buying upgraded parts. As far as upgrades on a stock truck....Hardened sunshell, 9 3-4 clutches, hardened separater plate, replace any plastic servo/accumulator pistons with cast aluminum ones, Transgo shift kit.

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

I'll agree with the 5.3 lasting a long time (3-400K) and anything over 150K on the 4L60E being borrowed time.

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

I put a trans in my truck at 150k, and have done alot of other trans at about 130-150 in the trucks. Motor wise Mine had 170k when I traded it in, olny thing I ever had to do was the waterpump at about 120k. My co-worker's brother has a 99 5.3 with over 200 and never has done any thing to the the truck but regulaer maintince.

Plus I am rather hard on my trucks. I tow my boat just about every weekend and do tow a car trailer alot.

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

my dad's 2000 5.3 had nearly 250k on it when he sold it. He said it ran better then when it was new, and it still didn't use oil between changes.

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

In 01 I rolled off the lot with a new Silverado ExtCab, SWB, 2WD and 5.3 Vortec. 4 years later I turned the company truck back in with around 365,000 miles on it. During that time I carried about 500-750 lbs of equipment and parts for my job. I never had any major issues with engine or tranny. Was routinely serviced at 4-5k miles. I ran synthetic fluids all the way around. More cost up front, but in the long haul paid off. To give you an Idea of wear and tear: replaced factory General tires at 73k, put on Dunlop tires and got 105k (tires after that were about the same wear), first brake job was at around 135k, Rotors replaced at 225k, rear U-Joint replaced at 265k along with altenator, fuel pump was not long after that around 280k. I cut this truck no slack running up and down the roads in VA, WV, KY, OH and MD. I even towed a couple of trailers of equipment and 2 small cargo vans on auto trailers.(Both from WV to NC). One day in Marlinton, WV I ran across some GM engineers doing a rode test on the new small blazer style suvs, 12 in all. I mentioned to one of the engineers about the increased mileage with no wear and tear I was achieving with this truck. He told me that they had received some 5.3 engines in about a month prior that had 500k plus on them. They tore them down and alot of the rolling parts where still within tolerable specs. So, as stated before, if these engines and tranny's are maintained properly, you can get pretty good mileage on these vehicles. :chevy:

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

to be honest.. The 4l60e lasts just as long or longer if you dont service it... Trust me.. it works.. as long as there are no leaks. I will never change the fluid in my 04 z71. And yes, I am and ASE master tech and work at a GM dealership.

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

My 4l60e has 139k on it and works perfectly....so I shouldn't change the fluid or the filter?

Re: Longevity Of A 5.3
 

that sir is up to you.