The TSB outlines the fact that the valve cover design on engines built before February 1st, , has a poorly designed PCV pullover that will draw oil out of the valve train and into the intake manifold and combustion chambers, exactly as the oil consumption lawsuit alleges.
Furthermore, the same TSB outlines issues with piston rings incorrectly sealing and allowing oil into the combustion chamber thanks to faults in the Active Fuel Management system, as the lawsuit also alleges. According to the TSB, these faults are found on engines built before October 1st, The vehicles specifically listed in the TSB are below:.
Gen-four Vortec s also face similar issues with intake manifold failures that the gen-three engines experience, as they too are equipped with plastic intake manifolds. In general, it is advisable to tread lightly when shopping in the range of to Vortec equipped vehicles. The Active Fuel Management system can be disabled. However, faulty PCV systems and fouling spark plugs are still an issue.
If you are looking to buy in this date range, be sure to ask for repair history to see if the TSB repairs have been done to prevent yourself from getting in hot water. The Vortec namesake was finally replaced with the fifth-gen smallblock family, starting with model year trucks and SUVs. The major difference between these engines and the Vortec engines is the fuel injection system. While Vortec engines use port injection at the intake manifold, Ecotec3 engines are directly injected.
This means the fuel is sprayed directly into the cylinder rather than into the intake manifold. Most new vehicles use direct injection as it is a more efficient and precise way to control fuel that allows better fuel economy. However, direct injection does have one major flaw, and the Ecotec3 engines are not exempt. Direct-injected engines tend to see carbon buildup on valves and the inside of the intake manifold. While there are cleaners that owners or mechanics can spray into the intake available to prevent excessive buildup, they will not prevent buildup entirely.
Many direct-injected engines need their valves and intakes cleaned via walnut blasting. This is a process that blasts the components with finely ground walnut shells via a high-pressure air system. Walnuts are used because they are biodegradable and are soft enough not to damage engine components while cleaning them. Excessive carbon buildup in the intake system can cause rough idling, stuttering, misfires, and decreased power.
These symptoms may become more noticeable over time as higher mileage engines accumulate more carbon buildup. Another issue Ecotec3 engine owners may run into is failing fuel injectors. Given the nature of direct injection wherein fuel injectors are spraying directly into the combustion chamber, these injectors are exposed to a lot of heat and pressure. Eventually, they may wind up failing.
This can result in either a case of too much or not enough fuel, as injectors tend to fail open or closed. In either case, your engine will run incorrectly and may cause misfires and check engine lights. Though injector failure is not a premature issue, it is certainly something to watch out for when looking at higher mileage Etoctec3 equipped vehicles.
As of now, this seems to be the only concern of the Ecotec3 5. While it does still use the GM Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation technology that caused a plethora of issues on the gen-four Vortec engines, it seems that GM has solved the issues related to excessive oil consumption. Given that the major issues with oil consumption started in , a or older model is a safe bet.
If you are searching for something newer with a 5. They offer the later Vortec engine benefits like variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation for increased fuel economy without excessive oil consumption or spark plug fouling PCV issues. Do keep in mind that you may eventually have to pay for intake cleaning due to the direct injection system, though. This can wind up saving you thousands in the long run.
Overall, a Chevy 5. Knowing what to look for before buying is half the battle and ultimately will land you in your perfect vehicle. Braden Carlson Updated: Aug 30, What should you look out for? Chevy 5. Generation-three Vortec Problems While the gen-three Vortec is the least complicated in terms of technology, it still has a few issues to watch out for when shopping. Generation-three Vortec Additional Problems Another issue you may run into with gen-three Vortec engines is the failure of intake manifolds and intake manifold gaskets.
Chevrolet 5. By Braden Carlson Aug 30, How long will a 5. A Chevrolet 5. These engines were first introduced in and they were used through the model year. They have been referred to as the Vortec when they were used in trucks. The Chevy 5. The main block of the engine is virtually indestructible, you would have to send a piston through the side of it to break the block. This is a key to making an extremely reliable engine. When you have a Chevrolet 5. How much HP can a 5.
Did he buy it used. In my opinion, most of the damage done to an engine is done at the beginning. It only shows up near the end. When I buy a used vehicle, I size up the owner just as much as the vehicle. Maybe, just maybe, that is why my still looks almost new from a slight distance and always starts, rides perfectly, and has been basically trouble free. Normal maintenance excepted. With my the original air conditioning still works after 18 years. As an example, I was told by an old time mechanic to always turn the air conditioning OFF before turning the key off.
And to never start the vehicle with the air conditioning ON. Well, either I got an exceptional air conditioning system or his adise was right on. I agree, I think these motors will get well over easy, I have on my at it doesn't feel any different than when new, you push the go pedal and it goes, of course I'm anal about maint.
I'll be the first to admit that this is exceptional mileage out of any engine. I was equally amazed and impressed by it. Thats alot of driving in the past few years. Running at highway speeds over long distances is far less stressful on the motor than short trips like you see in a daily commute. But I would make the oil changes more frequent; something on the order of 3 to 4K miles. Use a good quality oil and filter. Changing the other fluids is important too. At K, I would have flushed out the power steering fluid, the tranny fluid would have been done twice already, and the DexCool fluid flushed and replaced.
The oil in the diff would have been changed especially with trailer towing if the towed weight was over lbs. If it's 4WD truck, then the front diff and transfer case would have been serviced. My oldest service truck has miles and gets Mobil 1 when the OLM comes on have Blackstone labs check oil and no problems with oil or engine. Expect to see mi easily. There were also problems with the oil life monitoring systems in these engines. This relates to the sensors that let you know when you're running low on oil so that a warning light will come up on your dashboard to alert you to this fact and you can do something about it.
Unfortunately, in some of these engines that system doesn't work properly, and some drivers reported some serious engine problems because they weren't warned that they needed more oil. The result of this was their engine essentially running out of oil causing serious damage as a result. Normally if the low oil warning doesn't pop up you would still have a rough idea of what to expect because of the standard amount of time between oil changes.
Unfortunately, if you're experiencing excessive oil consumption, you're going to run out much sooner than you would think, and without this monitoring system in place then the risk of damage to the engine was severe. Chevy retired the Vortec engine in the year and it was instead replaced with an Ecotec3 5.
As will see however the Ecotec3 5. Ironically, the Ecotec3 engine did not really solve this problem with the AFM system. In fairness, it seemed to be reported less often than it did in the older 5. The same fix applied for the Ecotec engine as works for the Vortec engine where drivers had to shut off the AFM system. The 5. Since Ecotec engines don't use high pressure fuel flow they tended to get gunked up a little more easily. That buildup of oil and burnt fuel led to carbon buildup that ended up decreasing the volume of air through the intake in these engines.
This typically happens in engines manufactured from to Carbon build-up caused by the PCV valve and the valve cover could end up causing the spark plugs to fail. In general, this was caused by either the active fuel management system or a problem with the positive crankcase ventilation system.
Regardless of which one was the cause of it, one of them ended up spraying oil around the piston ring grooves that led to carbon buildup. Not only did this lead to that excessive oil consumption problem but the number 1 and number 7 spark plugs would fail prematurely.
What is considered high-mileage? With proper maintenance, cars can have a life expectancy of about , miles. With regular maintenance and conscientious use, a good model year of the Chevrolet Silverado can last between , to , miles or more. That means you can easily get 10 to 20 years of reliable service from a Silverado truck with proper maintenance.
Upgrading your air filter and intake is a quick way to improve horsepower, torque, and even gas mileage in a matter of hours. A Chevy 5. In comparison, I had several issued blue ovals that made it to well over 11, hours because they were idled 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, for over 10 years and only ever acquired 85k miles.
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