ah!!! a blast from my past. If I told you that I made the very first "96 truck intake manifolds" the year they introduced those... As seen in this video, well I did. I was a model maker - lead NX -CNC programmer and for 10 years at the Delphi R&D model shop in Rochester NY, all I did was machine development intake manifolds from billet. Most were machined on a Giddings and Lewis Orion 2200 horizontal machining center. It was the most fun time in my entire career. Yea, those poppet injectors also had HUGE issues with fuel additives locking the balls at the tip of the injectors. Weird thing was that the additives were only used in certain parts of the country and not in others, making the diagnosis really difficult. LOVE this entire series. Thanks Eric.
@@blue4980 just like asking why did they use plastic intake gaskets on them? All about the $$, engineer or tech above wanted to do it right, greedy MF at top told him to used $7 plastic garbage or else. And also greedy suit knew these would destroy many a vortec when the warantee was far gone. Davinci, would be interesting knowing the real reason they used those plastic intake gaskets if you are allowed to say? I'm assuming my hunch above is 35%+ correct.
@@I_Do_Cars Got loads of 'em runnin' around out here west of you on the Dry Plains. TBI motors are just about indestructible if cared for, and if the injectors are rebuilt every-so-often. Brother's got a '94 mid-year-change longbed (newer interior) with a TBI 305, and he's hammered the absolute dogp!$$ out of it - killed the 5-speed in it, working on the next one; trying to convince him to bump it up to a 700r4/4l60e, since these nv3500 5-speeds seem to be turning into unobtainium.
@@I_Do_Cars I used to have one of those, it was a 89' 1500 2wd, TBI 350 that I put a turbo 400 in after the 700R4 shit the bed, it was honestly one of the best trucks I've ever owned!!
I'm pretty sure this one had some help as it was probably done intentionally after it started to knock. That along with the cracked head and coolant in the cylinder likely sealed its fate. At least it looks like they had fun until the rod wedged itself into the block.
I have this 5.7 Vortec engine in my 2000 GMC Savana which I bought brand new from the dealer. Best vehicle I have ever owned; like a member of the family. The engine has 210K miles and still runs like it is new. When the engine oil got dirty enough that I could see its color on the dipstick, I changed it.
"Positively A Ventilated Crankcase" - oh, that's what PVC stands for! We get to see a short concise tear-down with sped up bolt removal, but there are hours worth of work behind the episode, thank you for being so thoughtful! PS would love to see a Honda S2000 engine. I'm sure nobody ever money shifts them...
Alot of folks have no clue how much work these tear downs require . And possibly are not aware that he pays for these engines out of his own pocket. Mad respect from a fellow business owner . He's a really amazing individual for his gifts to is viewers.
@Land_Raver jokes aside, my 5.7 Tahoe isn't fast. But stoplight drags and pulling onto the highway, that torque curve makes it feel pretty quick (for a 25 year old truck)
@aidantanny7230 I remember the Vortec days. Riding in Fords of the day and the older TBI Chevys, those things felt so fast. Trannies never worked in Dodges long enough to compare. But I'll always love a Vortec 350.
Idk about you guys but this video is heart breaking. Tearing down a 5.7 motor is honestly a loss for words. Idc how bad the engine is, it’s just a testament of the labor hours behind what broke what.. and what human being owned it. These motors are a piece of history in my eyes. 😩
Best engine GM ever built. They make for great engines in 4x4 pickups. I have a 1997 k1500 Z71 3 door crew cab, 171,000 miles and still starts on the first try. The best truck I ever bought, better than their new trucks.
2 engines with the exact same failures. Now that is unique and a first for the channel. Thank you for the video!!!!! I watched both. LOL. I mean I watched one twice. :) May have been the easiest dip stick in the history of the channel as well.
I'm embarrassed to say how many of these videos that I watched before I realized that the pew pew noises the air impact makes when you are speeding it up wasn't an edit trick, but the actual noise.
They did make a revised injector set up for these. It placed the injectors where the original factory nozzles where. I replaced mine with this setup about 10 years ago. So far at 335k miles my 97 k-1500 is still going strong. Its been in the family about 22 years. And as long as i can. I never plan to sell it.
I own a 99 GMC 3/4 ton with a 350 and 4L80E since new, just about to roll over 313,000 miles. It has been lacking power lately so we did a leak down test and found that two cylinders have broken (we suspect) valve springs. Instead of rebuilding the heads I ordered a new HD L31 crate engine from Gandrud Chevrolet. Looking forward to getting the new engine installed and having power again. Also, it will be interesting to see how many miles I will get out of the transmission. I've done a good job of changing the fluid every 50k mile, so we shall see if it survives the new engine or not.
My 99 suburban made it to 299,972 original miles before it quit compression was about 24lb across the board on all 8 cylinders. This is why I am looking for a 8.1 vortec for it to have fun with now and just a full drive train upgrade. She deserves it.
I used to work as a mechanic and the shop I worked at for most of the early 2000s serviced multiple fleets. Chevy Express vans were a fleet staple, and most of the vans had the L31. These vehicles had lots of issues, including things bolted to the engine (distributors, water pumps, intake gaskets, fuel injection, etc) but the engine itself is incredibly durable. Of course, when there are so many out there, you’ll see some failures, but keeping in mind that many of these L31s are in fleet vans and trucks that live at WOT (they have to, that’s what is necessary to get a loaded 1-ton van with 220hp to get up to speed), I found them to be incredibly reliable. Especially given how poorly most of the drivers took care of them. They would routinely get dropped off at the shop with 2qts of oil in the engine, a gallon low on coolant and 10k miles overdue for service, but they just kept running. I have one in my 97 Suburban and it’s been trouble-free as a backup vehicle for nearly a decade now. These are way, way more reliable than the current 5.3 or anything that Chrysler has put in a truck in the past 20 years. Most of the trucks and vans that had small-blocks in them died because they needed the entire front end replaced. Except for those with 4L60s…yeah…
Its amazing to me that there was still one of these engines that didn't get the update the GM did for the manifold...aftermarket you can get a replacement spider like this, but GM offered a replacement unit that upgraded to individual electronic injectors that eliminated many of the issues with these. Made my 4.3 equipped van and Blazer infinitely more driveable...
5.0L 1997 K1500 on this end looks like it has the separate injectors when I did the intake gaskets. 03' 4.3L S10 definitely has separate injectors since I had changed #3 years ago. The first/early ones had the spider which I cannot see being that bad, it is basically poor mans TPI, 1or 2 TBI injectors with pipes feeding the intake valves. I guess as usual like my Cousin who worked for GM dealers for years, they spend years perfecting something then ruin it, ie 700R4 to 4L60E or TBI to the spider contraption.
This one kind of hurt to watch, having a '97 Chevy 2500 that may not be very clean (no rust tho, Cali truck), but the 5.7 in it is still runnin strong. Edit: This is also a good video to have in case I need to take the motor apart for some reason and get stuck somewhere
The K2500 that was in the video didn’t look to bad from what we could see, probably had the passenger side removed. Those were pretty good trucks. The engine was trying to be a 4.3, was tired of being a 5.7. Thanks for the videos and comical commentary. Hope the family is doing well.
3:28 There is a factory Delphi MFI upgrade kit for that spider valve assembly - swaps straight in, replaces those spider tubes with actual pressurized fuel injectors into the intake manifold. For the cost of labor getting to and replacing one of those spiders, it's not much more to just bump up. 25:52 GM Universal Adjustment Tool, looks like a #8 🤣
I have the L31 PCM and engine in my car, sans that stupid injector assembly and manifold. Those god-awful poppet injector things are terrible. Had that in my Blazer and it was just one problem after another. Went with conventional high-impedance injectors for the car and modded the distributor so it would last forever. Its like they got 90% of the way there to a perfect EFI system, and just said nah fuck it, lets do it this way instead...
Took mine back to a carburetor when the injector assembly crapped out 😆 Could've just replaced with upgraded assembly but...the computer system sucks for any kind of tuning if hp is in your goals lol so carb it was, which in turn allowed me to a major top end upgrade including a bigger cam, new full roller valvetrain, aluminum heads, intake, carb etc... now she's right where she needs to be. I'll be going to Holley sniper next round and possibly a turbo if I feel like upgrading the bottom. We shall see
I had a 1998 Z-71 with a Vortec 350. It had some kind of pot metal quick disconnect coolant hose connector on the intake that corroded and I replaced it with an aftermarket standard type fitting. Other than that, It ran great and I had no other issues as long as I owned it. I ran into the guy I sold it to a few years ago and he had sold it to someone who worked for him. He said the engine lasted over 200k but was finally replaced.
is the quick connect on the back of the intake manifold? my 4.3tbi in my Safari van has the same type fitting and it sometimes sweats if i disturb it while doing work under the doghouse, I'll have to look into replacing it eitb something else like you did!
@@snoofayy6150 I think it was. It's been so long I can't remember exactly where it was on the intake. I had to get it out with a big ez-out extractor because it broke when I tried to unscrew it. But I was able to get the extractor and the replacement steel fitting at Autozone. It was so long ago that that's the only parts stores around besides NAPA! LOL
I have the very first year of that engine in my 1996 Express. 190k miles, runs great! However, I did do the MPFI spider upgrade, timing chain, new distributor (aluminum body, not the plastic crap), and the problem solver lower intake gasket. This engine didn't have the good gaskets...LOL
I love the OBS Chevys are an easy favorite of mine, I'm currently un-rednecking and rebuilding a '97 K1500 so I can have a reliable daily driver for work.
Don't forget even a very low idle of 600 RPM is still 10 revolutions per second so it can still do significant damage even at idle. Of course it's more fun at 6,000!
My first tow vehicle was my '99 suburban with the same 5.7L in it. Not all that powerful but it lasted 232k before a weird electronics issue caused the engine to be unreliable and i traded it in for an '08 Sierra 5.3L. Much better tow vehicle for my small camper. Then i graduated to a Silverado in 2018 with the 5.3L DI Engine. I still have it and love it. I have had no issues that most people whine about on those engines. Impressive highway mileage for a V8 too.
Thank you for another in-depth analysis of a failed engine. This engine is a great example for stressing the importance of regular oil changes every 20,000 miles.
Oooooo... pretty sparkly unicorn oil 😂 only the best. My brother and I may well have heard the demise of that very engine a few weeks back in Granite City. We were at a little ice cream stand and heard this screaming rev... and before we could look at each other and utter the words "dumb ass", there was a catastrophic noise that could best be described as ... supcalicatastrophicthowarodadocious... if you heard the sound of it, ''twas something quite atrocious... That sound then dead silence. We looked at each other and got up and walked around the corner and there was a sad old truck that just shat itself... I wonder...
Wow that one was excellent. I spotted the crack in the block at the start but it didn't look *that* bad from the outside. Holy melons. That thing was SMASHED. Great video.
The fact that I watched this video, then within a week needed to replace the spider FI harness on my 99 is insane. Your videos are awesome. After seeing this, I had zero hesitation about swapping it out on my own.
Looks like home. The very first engine I took apart looked like this (an older version anyway). And yes, I have seen the rods take the cam out with rest of the engine, I'm talking push rod out the valve cover. Anyway, thanks for the memories.
Good ole chevy tree-fiddy. Love mine, and its little brother the 4.3 (got one of them to!). The actual engines are fine. It's GMs kinda prowess for being cheap sometimes that causes issues (spider injectors (instead of the "LS/marine" style intake with injectors)), and their choice of intake gaskets.
IDC thanks for an informative and entertaining video Happy Holidays FWIW I put 140k miles on a '97 1500 Silverado Ext cab sb like you mentiined it had intake manifold coolant lesks but Felpro gskt fixed that and GM replaced the spider web on a recall went thru alot of rotors and brskes and 4l60E had to be rebuilt but I pulled a 24' camp trlr and usually had bed full of dirt bikes, fuel, and gear so probably over gvwr going up to 10k' in Sierras always made it back without drama and still retained it's resale for the '05 Silverado CCDA LLY that replaced it. Those were durable, reliable trucks in those days.
I'm not sure how old this show is but I just started watching your channel on my TV. But I can't get it to send comments or subscribe so I'm doing it on my phone. If this is one of your early shows and you have just 1000 subscribers don't worry I just watched the show that you had got your 200.000 subscribers so that makes me your 200.001 subscriber. Have watched a out 10 of your shows and I like seeing you pull them apart and seeing all the damage. Some of these are normal wear and tear on others you can tell that it blew apart at high rpm. Keep up the teardown and congratulations on 200.001 subscriber.
Glad you bypassed the crow bars and went straight to the light hammer to "gently" persuade the crank to turn. Also appreciate that you "carefully" pulled the cam so as to minimize damage to block or cam! LOL!
I had one to start with a small skip. Replace everything under the hood. I finally just drove it. After a few years it gotten really bad. Replaced everything under the hood again. Nothing helped. A close friend called me,i told him my problem. He told me these trucks was known for this issue. He said rebuilt or replace the engine. I ordered a long block soon as i fired up the new engine problem was gone. Looked in the old pan. Found bits of a ring in the pan and part of the piston skirt too. So i tell everyone I know about this problem when buying a truck of these years.
It is amazing how good your videos are. If i get a new car I watch your video of the teardown to learn about it. Very informative. You also seem very comfortable in front of the camera. I haven't got an engine yet that you didn't have a video on. Thanks for all of it! 🎉🚗
Yeah, it's very troubling when you're sitting there in the drive thru, waiting for that double quarter pounder meal, and your truck just massively blows up.... Those trucks are still sharp.... I had a 99 Tahoe with that engine.... I drove it a long long time, as the second owner, with no trouble..... Nice truck.
Holy crap!!!!?!? I am a huge fan!! The work you do is amazing, and so legendary! I've read your a high school drop out as well?? But you've managed to make millions! And now I've stumbled across this TH-cam channel of yours! To say your a man of many skills is an understatement. Who knew you were a car guy!! Wow! Happy Gilmore was some of your best work!! Keep up the great work!
your channel is very informative. Just read the part about being a high school dropout. I am also a high school dropout and I believe you can be as successful as you want to be. I was told I would be a ditch digger this was in the early 1980’s. I have proven that to be wrong. Mechanic field is very underrated in so many ways. When people hear of mechanic they think of a shade tree guy with tshirt one. Thanks for your knowledge
@@shadetree134 I used to be a shade tree guy, with a truck, a welder and oxy kit, just work on anything that came along. Well one day I met this lovely lady and the rest is history. Ted from Down Under.
255 hp. My 96 4x4 Tahoe went 300k miles before the heads cracked. I remove, rebuilt and install a hotter cam in my engine. I wish I had installed a cam with more lift.
My 96 5.7 just turned 334,000 but i change my oil every 3 to 5000 Im going to look at my block and see if it has an area that has a place for a old fuel pump
Oh btw, given that youtube *kept* suggesting the old video to me, I will say this about it, After refreshing the page once it *was* HD, I noticed a blurred square ontop of the engine for some dumb reason. Not sure why in the slightest. Anyways, genuinely, I have no idea if this was high or low rpm failure. Either way, regardless of that, it was catastrophic and sudden. No time for the engine to have any other problems beyond a punctured oil pan, cracked head and block, and 3 eviscerated rods which somehow left each of the pistons more or less intact besides the valves hitting them probably rather hard before the engine got stopped by itself with the broken crankshaft ends of the rods. Also I'm impressed with the one rod that had broken just short enough on the piston side for it to wedge itself in place within the engine. That was just cool and impressive to see.
Ah, the last of the ole Gen 1 SBC. Found in 96-200 GM trucks, and 95-2002 GM vans, the L31 has some of the best output for the Gen I and has the hot rodders favorite Vortec head. Edit: Thats some impressive destruction. Fun Fact, you can still buy this engine brand new as a crate motor.
Well Mr. Eric by my count this engine is # 1 !!!! You had no problem 😊 with removing the dipstick tube, it almost fell off. Thank you foe another great video. How is the new baby doing 🤔 😍 😩 😫 😳 ???? TMP from N.J.
I am here for the unscheduled calamity and pandemonium of mechanical failures, and boy howdy did you deliver today lol Thanks for being my new main source for vehicle related comedy
I had the older Throttle body injection 305. Had some annoying transmission problems. Decided to blow the engine for fun. Took Ten minutes full throttle without oil to break. I'm sure this engine had to be idling :)
When I get fasteners stuck in my sockets I use a push rod ( appropriate size screwdriver) as a drift punch thru the center of the socket from the ratchet side. Just a suggestion.
ah!!! a blast from my past. If I told you that I made the very first "96 truck intake manifolds" the year they introduced those... As seen in this video, well I did. I was a model maker - lead NX -CNC programmer and for 10 years at the Delphi R&D model shop in Rochester NY, all I did was machine development intake manifolds from billet. Most were machined on a Giddings and Lewis Orion 2200 horizontal machining center. It was the most fun time in my entire career. Yea, those poppet injectors also had HUGE issues with fuel additives locking the balls at the tip of the injectors. Weird thing was that the additives were only used in certain parts of the country and not in others, making the diagnosis really difficult. LOVE this entire series. Thanks Eric.
Very cool... I thank you for the work you did & my truck thanks you!
Why didn't you make the manifolds like the marine intakes would of been so much better
@@blue4980 just like asking why did they use plastic intake gaskets on them? All about the $$, engineer or tech above wanted to do it right, greedy MF at top told him to used $7 plastic garbage or else. And also greedy suit knew these would destroy many a vortec when the warantee was far gone. Davinci, would be interesting knowing the real reason they used those plastic intake gaskets if you are allowed to say? I'm assuming my hunch above is 35%+ correct.
I despise you
I currently work there now lol. Been here 20 years now, i saw those in the service dep, but no longer here
I have a very soft heart for this generation of Chevrolet/GMC trucks. The design has stood the test of time to this day and still looks good today.
My 1997 K3500 agrees!
I’m actually looking for an early 88-94 2wd truck for my fleet, once I get rid of a few. They’re such good looking trucks.
@@I_Do_Cars Got loads of 'em runnin' around out here west of you on the Dry Plains. TBI motors are just about indestructible if cared for, and if the injectors are rebuilt every-so-often. Brother's got a '94 mid-year-change longbed (newer interior) with a TBI 305, and he's hammered the absolute dogp!$$ out of it - killed the 5-speed in it, working on the next one; trying to convince him to bump it up to a 700r4/4l60e, since these nv3500 5-speeds seem to be turning into unobtainium.
I'm keeping my '99 Tahoe for as long as I can.
@@I_Do_Cars I used to have one of those, it was a 89' 1500 2wd, TBI 350 that I put a turbo 400 in after the 700R4 shit the bed, it was honestly one of the best trucks I've ever owned!!
The reason you didn't see the break in the block and actually. Was because it didn't have an arrow!
😉
😂
..right ..from now on ..I’ll arrow them when they happen too ..😂😂😂👍☕️😎
I never would have believed that people were so negligent with their engines until I started watching your channel.
I'm pretty sure this one had some help as it was probably done intentionally after it started to knock. That along with the cracked head and coolant in the cylinder likely sealed its fate. At least it looks like they had fun until the rod wedged itself into the block.
If you want to see people being negligent with their cars, check out the Just Rolled In channel. It takes negligence to a whole new level!
I grew up and have lived most of my life on Reservations. I believe it.
@@shrodingerschat2258 "Customer declined repairs and drove off"
I have this 5.7 Vortec engine in my 2000 GMC Savana which I bought brand new from the dealer. Best vehicle I have ever owned; like a member of the family. The engine has 210K miles and still runs like it is new. When the engine oil got dirty enough that I could see its color on the dipstick, I changed it.
"Positively A Ventilated Crankcase" - oh, that's what PVC stands for!
We get to see a short concise tear-down with sped up bolt removal, but there are hours worth of work behind the episode, thank you for being so thoughtful!
PS would love to see a Honda S2000 engine. I'm sure nobody ever money shifts them...
Alot of folks have no clue how much work these tear downs require . And possibly are not aware that he pays for these engines out of his own pocket. Mad respect from a fellow business owner . He's a really amazing individual for his gifts to is viewers.
Think you meant PCV- Positive Crankcase Ventilation. PVC is something completely different.
@@texasslingleadsomtingwong8751 If he paid for that engine except for maybe the cylinder heads being decent vortec's, he got ripped off big time.
I have to admit I am one of the people who finds the sound of the breaker bar very pleasing
The 1996 5.7 Vortec had 255hp. The 5.0 had 220hp.
God bless America 🇺🇸
@@aidantanny7230 And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.
@Land_Raver jokes aside, my 5.7 Tahoe isn't fast. But stoplight drags and pulling onto the highway, that torque curve makes it feel pretty quick (for a 25 year old truck)
@aidantanny7230 I remember the Vortec days. Riding in Fords of the day and the older TBI Chevys, those things felt so fast. Trannies never worked in Dodges long enough to compare. But I'll always love a Vortec 350.
Idk about you guys but this video is heart breaking. Tearing down a 5.7 motor is honestly a loss for words. Idc how bad the engine is, it’s just a testament of the labor hours behind what broke what.. and what human being owned it. These motors are a piece of history in my eyes. 😩
Well, you got that EGR pipe.
Currently have 275k miles on my original 5 7 vortec, just won't die. Still has 60psi oil pressure, but I did upgrade the spider injection at one point
Best engine GM ever built. They make for great engines in 4x4 pickups. I have a 1997 k1500 Z71 3 door crew cab, 171,000 miles and still starts on the first try. The best truck I ever bought, better than their new trucks.
GM Engineers specifically designated those as CrackerJack Pistons. They come with hidden prizes inside!!
Nicely done, special thanks to the owner of that 5.7 for such an imaginative use of pistons and rods. Eric, excellent video as always. Thank you, sir.
5.0
2 engines with the exact same failures. Now that is unique and a first for the channel. Thank you for the video!!!!! I watched both. LOL. I mean I watched one twice. :) May have been the easiest dip stick in the history of the channel as well.
And the same guy seems to have marked both oil pans......
Great V8 archaeology! If you ever decide to add an intro, you should use the clip of a sledgehammer smacking a crank shaft!! Awesome!
Super good engines dude. Even spider injectors, not flawless, but certainly durable and long-lasting!
I'm embarrassed to say how many of these videos that I watched before I realized that the pew pew noises the air impact makes when you are speeding it up wasn't an edit trick, but the actual noise.
Laser sounds are the best!!!
I’m embarrassed for you😂
Star Wars, Star Trek…. The whole lot of them…. Where do you think they got the noise from ? 😂
We’re all embarrassed
Its our little secret 😉
They did make a revised injector set up for these. It placed the injectors where the original factory nozzles where. I replaced mine with this setup about 10 years ago. So far at 335k miles my 97 k-1500 is still going strong. Its been in the family about 22 years. And as long as i can. I never plan to sell it.
22 years that's really a good thing I don't know any vehicle that would last this long except these vortec engines really a great design
I own a 99 GMC 3/4 ton with a 350 and 4L80E since new, just about to roll over 313,000 miles. It has been lacking power lately so we did a leak down test and found that two cylinders have broken (we suspect) valve springs. Instead of rebuilding the heads I ordered a new HD L31 crate engine from Gandrud Chevrolet. Looking forward to getting the new engine installed and having power again. Also, it will be interesting to see how many miles I will get out of the transmission. I've done a good job of changing the fluid every 50k mile, so we shall see if it survives the new engine or not.
My 99 suburban made it to 299,972 original miles before it quit compression was about 24lb across the board on all 8 cylinders. This is why I am looking for a 8.1 vortec for it to have fun with now and just a full drive train upgrade. She deserves it.
Hope you find a good one. The few i road tested after maintenance fixes were impressively kwik.
Our 1997 Suburban is up to 245k miles. Still running good. Although twice I had the lower intake manifold gaskets replaced.
I used to work as a mechanic and the shop I worked at for most of the early 2000s serviced multiple fleets. Chevy Express vans were a fleet staple, and most of the vans had the L31. These vehicles had lots of issues, including things bolted to the engine (distributors, water pumps, intake gaskets, fuel injection, etc) but the engine itself is incredibly durable. Of course, when there are so many out there, you’ll see some failures, but keeping in mind that many of these L31s are in fleet vans and trucks that live at WOT (they have to, that’s what is necessary to get a loaded 1-ton van with 220hp to get up to speed), I found them to be incredibly reliable. Especially given how poorly most of the drivers took care of them. They would routinely get dropped off at the shop with 2qts of oil in the engine, a gallon low on coolant and 10k miles overdue for service, but they just kept running. I have one in my 97 Suburban and it’s been trouble-free as a backup vehicle for nearly a decade now. These are way, way more reliable than the current 5.3 or anything that Chrysler has put in a truck in the past 20 years.
Most of the trucks and vans that had small-blocks in them died because they needed the entire front end replaced. Except for those with 4L60s…yeah…
Ni in cty yd tucci unknown.
@@jaygober2081 You bring up a great point. /s
Its amazing to me that there was still one of these engines that didn't get the update the GM did for the manifold...aftermarket you can get a replacement spider like this, but GM offered a replacement unit that upgraded to individual electronic injectors that eliminated many of the issues with these. Made my 4.3 equipped van and Blazer infinitely more driveable...
5.0L 1997 K1500 on this end looks like it has the separate injectors when I did the intake gaskets. 03' 4.3L S10 definitely has separate injectors since I had changed #3 years ago. The first/early ones had the spider which I cannot see being that bad, it is basically poor mans TPI, 1or 2 TBI injectors with pipes feeding the intake valves. I guess as usual like my Cousin who worked for GM dealers for years, they spend years perfecting something then ruin it, ie 700R4 to 4L60E or TBI to the spider contraption.
This one kind of hurt to watch, having a '97 Chevy 2500 that may not be very clean (no rust tho, Cali truck), but the 5.7 in it is still runnin strong.
Edit: This is also a good video to have in case I need to take the motor apart for some reason and get stuck somewhere
The K2500 that was in the video didn’t look to bad from what we could see, probably had the passenger side removed. Those were pretty good trucks. The engine was trying to be a 4.3, was tired of being a 5.7. Thanks for the videos and comical commentary. Hope the family is doing well.
Good thing you treat that EGR pipe well. Because it was 1/4 of the usable parts.
EGR pipe. Oil pump and distributor drive. Dipstick tube.
3:28 There is a factory Delphi MFI upgrade kit for that spider valve assembly - swaps straight in, replaces those spider tubes with actual pressurized fuel injectors into the intake manifold. For the cost of labor getting to and replacing one of those spiders, it's not much more to just bump up.
25:52 GM Universal Adjustment Tool, looks like a #8 🤣
I have the L31 PCM and engine in my car, sans that stupid injector assembly and manifold. Those god-awful poppet injector things are terrible. Had that in my Blazer and it was just one problem after another. Went with conventional high-impedance injectors for the car and modded the distributor so it would last forever. Its like they got 90% of the way there to a perfect EFI system, and just said nah fuck it, lets do it this way instead...
Took mine back to a carburetor when the injector assembly crapped out 😆 Could've just replaced with upgraded assembly but...the computer system sucks for any kind of tuning if hp is in your goals lol so carb it was, which in turn allowed me to a major top end upgrade including a bigger cam, new full roller valvetrain, aluminum heads, intake, carb etc... now she's right where she needs to be. I'll be going to Holley sniper next round and possibly a turbo if I feel like upgrading the bottom. We shall see
@@jjmccloudyou can run them with an LS ECM and they make a lot more power... The Vortec heads are easily capable of 450-475hp...
That first opening in the pan... For some strange reason I just can't stop staring it it.
That 5.7 did go 💥.. carnage goal achieved on this one. 👍👊
I had a 1998 Z-71 with a Vortec 350. It had some kind of pot metal quick disconnect coolant hose connector on the intake that corroded and I replaced it with an aftermarket standard type fitting. Other than that, It ran great and I had no other issues as long as I owned it. I ran into the guy I sold it to a few years ago and he had sold it to someone who worked for him. He said the engine lasted over 200k but was finally replaced.
is the quick connect on the back of the intake manifold? my 4.3tbi in my Safari van has the same type fitting and it sometimes sweats if i disturb it while doing work under the doghouse, I'll have to look into replacing it eitb something else like you did!
@@snoofayy6150 I think it was. It's been so long I can't remember exactly where it was on the intake. I had to get it out with a big ez-out extractor because it broke when I tried to unscrew it. But I was able to get the extractor and the replacement steel fitting at Autozone. It was so long ago that that's the only parts stores around besides NAPA! LOL
I have a 98 z71 with the 350. Original engine and transmission with 322,000 miles on it. Just put a new power steering pump on it today
I have a 98 z71 rcsb it's got about 250 thousand miles on it, though the flex plate just cracked 😢
I’m on my 3rd connection at 245k
I have the very first year of that engine in my 1996 Express. 190k miles, runs great! However, I did do the MPFI spider upgrade, timing chain, new distributor (aluminum body, not the plastic crap), and the problem solver lower intake gasket. This engine didn't have the good gaskets...LOL
I love the OBS Chevys are an easy favorite of mine, I'm currently un-rednecking and rebuilding a '97 K1500 so I can have a reliable daily driver for work.
Lol unrednecking is a specialty when it comes to Chevy, I've had to do it to both of mine
@@austinferguson2468that's always first on the list with these GMT400s. Depends where you are especially.
I watched the low res version last night but I'll still give a comment and thumbs up. I mean 2 large orders of Rod Mcnuggets in one day deserves it!
Don't forget even a very low idle of 600 RPM is still 10 revolutions per second so it can still do significant damage even at idle. Of course it's more fun at 6,000!
My first tow vehicle was my '99 suburban with the same 5.7L in it. Not all that powerful but it lasted 232k before a weird electronics issue caused the engine to be unreliable and i traded it in for an '08 Sierra 5.3L. Much better tow vehicle for my small camper. Then i graduated to a Silverado in 2018 with the 5.3L DI Engine. I still have it and love it. I have had no issues that most people whine about on those engines. Impressive highway mileage for a V8 too.
Thank you for another in-depth analysis of a failed engine. This engine is a great example for stressing the importance of regular oil changes every 20,000 miles.
Forget 20k I'm doing 5k
Nah..... an oil change every 50-75k is enough, maybe even once every 100,000k.
@@ryanbrochu3336 “oil changes are a thing?”
@@MrOiram46as a wise man once said, "You don't need to worry about changing the oil."
What car recommends that oil interval?@@ryanbrochu3336
I really love the way you present those videos with passion and in a very natural relaxed way, keep it up 🙂
Oooooo... pretty sparkly unicorn oil 😂 only the best.
My brother and I may well have heard the demise of that very engine a few weeks back in Granite City. We were at a little ice cream stand and heard this screaming rev... and before we could look at each other and utter the words "dumb ass", there was a catastrophic noise that could best be described as ... supcalicatastrophicthowarodadocious... if you heard the sound of it, ''twas something quite atrocious...
That sound then dead silence. We looked at each other and got up and walked around the corner and there was a sad old truck that just shat itself... I wonder...
Wow that one was excellent. I spotted the crack in the block at the start but it didn't look *that* bad from the outside. Holy melons. That thing was SMASHED. Great video.
thanks for fixing the resolution. I'll watch this this evening
The easier the dipstick comes out=the more "blowed-up" the engine is!🤣
Arrow pointing to the hole in oil pan. Thanks for the assist😏
I love the headbolt sound, sad this engine didn't have it
Like your work with the 'special service tool' for crank twisting - ha!
The fact that I watched this video, then within a week needed to replace the spider FI harness on my 99 is insane. Your videos are awesome. After seeing this, I had zero hesitation about swapping it out on my own.
In my best Billy May's voice "thats alot of damage "
Really enjoy the content and your commentary.... hope everything is going well with the new addition to your family
Looks like home. The very first engine I took apart looked like this (an older version anyway). And yes, I have seen the rods take the cam out with rest of the engine, I'm talking push rod out the valve cover. Anyway, thanks for the memories.
Like some others I came back to see it in HD!
BTW - I guess "Old Blue" has a new partner - "Part Red" the hammer???
The whole neighbourhood heard that engine blow up
I bet the sound this engine made was magical.
First vortec heads I've seen without the heart shaped cambers
Good ole chevy tree-fiddy. Love mine, and its little brother the 4.3 (got one of them to!).
The actual engines are fine. It's GMs kinda prowess for being cheap sometimes that causes issues (spider injectors (instead of the "LS/marine" style intake with injectors)), and their choice of intake gaskets.
I've owned several of these and they are such great engines once you replace the spider injection with the MPFI upgrade and FelPro intake gasket
Looks like someone dropped a frag grenadine the crank case. FIRE IN THE HOLE!
IDC thanks for an informative and entertaining video Happy Holidays FWIW I put 140k miles on a '97 1500 Silverado Ext cab sb like you mentiined it had intake manifold coolant lesks but Felpro gskt fixed that and GM replaced the spider web on a recall went thru alot of rotors and brskes and 4l60E had to be rebuilt but I pulled a 24' camp trlr and usually had bed full of dirt bikes, fuel, and gear so probably over gvwr going up to 10k' in Sierras always made it back without drama and still retained it's resale for the '05 Silverado CCDA LLY that replaced it. Those were durable, reliable trucks in those days.
A bed full of dirtbikes and fuel with a trailer sounds like back in the good days
Its funny how the small block 350 was so good it out lived the lt1 and almost out lived the ls1
good morning. nice to see you in crisp hd!
26:33 that ringtone cover was spot on
I'm not sure how old this show is but I just started watching your channel on my TV. But I can't get it to send comments or subscribe so I'm doing it on my phone. If this is one of your early shows and you have just 1000 subscribers don't worry I just watched the show that you had got your 200.000 subscribers so that makes me your 200.001 subscriber. Have watched a out 10 of your shows and I like seeing you pull them apart and seeing all the damage. Some of these are normal wear and tear on others you can tell that it blew apart at high rpm. Keep up the teardown and congratulations on 200.001 subscriber.
Glad you bypassed the crow bars and went straight to the light hammer to "gently" persuade the crank to turn. Also appreciate that you "carefully" pulled the cam so as to minimize damage to block or cam! LOL!
I had one to start with a small skip. Replace everything under the hood. I finally just drove it. After a few years it gotten really bad. Replaced everything under the hood again. Nothing helped. A close friend called me,i told him my problem. He told me these trucks was known for this issue. He said rebuilt or replace the engine. I ordered a long block soon as i fired up the new engine problem was gone. Looked in the old pan. Found bits of a ring in the pan and part of the piston skirt too. So i tell everyone I know about this problem when buying a truck of these years.
When you freed up the crank, that sound was me giving you a round of applause! 🖖
It is amazing how good your videos are. If i get a new car I watch your video of the teardown to learn about it. Very informative. You also seem very comfortable in front of the camera. I haven't got an engine yet that you didn't have a video on. Thanks for all of it! 🎉🚗
I can see why you like doing this that's a crazy teardown. I couldn't imagine what it sounded like before it stopped.
Yeah, it's very troubling when you're sitting there in the drive thru, waiting for that double quarter pounder meal, and your truck just massively blows up....
Those trucks are still sharp....
I had a 99 Tahoe with that engine.... I drove it a long long time, as the second owner, with no trouble..... Nice truck.
I had the exact motor at 102,000 miles the oil pressure pegged out then the pressure went to 0. Bombed the whole motor
Holy crap!!!!?!? I am a huge fan!! The work you do is amazing, and so legendary! I've read your a high school drop out as well?? But you've managed to make millions! And now I've stumbled across this TH-cam channel of yours! To say your a man of many skills is an understatement. Who knew you were a car guy!! Wow! Happy Gilmore was some of your best work!! Keep up the great work!
your channel is very informative. Just read the part about being a high school dropout. I am also a high school dropout and I believe you can be as successful as you want to be. I was told I would be a ditch digger this was in the early 1980’s. I have proven that to be wrong. Mechanic field is very underrated in so many ways. When people hear of mechanic they think of a shade tree guy with tshirt one. Thanks for your knowledge
@@shadetree134 I used to be a shade tree guy, with a truck, a welder and oxy kit, just work on anything that came along. Well one day I met this lovely lady and the rest is history. Ted from Down Under.
This ain't Adam Sandler 😆 Adam Sandler can only be in movies, he wouldn't have a TH-cam channel with this field of expertise.
255 hp. My 96 4x4 Tahoe went 300k miles before the heads cracked. I remove, rebuilt and install a hotter cam in my engine. I wish I had installed a cam with more lift.
Engine went KABOOM. Nice teardown Eric!
That one brought back memories complete with the smell!
I bet that made a hellaciously loud bang, then clank boom! Nice tear down, bud, I've seen craziness quite a bit too, and that ranks right up there.
Dang! I thought we just got really lucky with 2 catastrophic 5.7 teardowns in one day!
Same videos with different resolutions is seems 🤣
Why all the grunt and groan when love tapping the crank? Thank you for the coffee out the nose!
LOL My wife saw that spider injector and said "That would make a great Halloween deco". Cool vid. Mitsu 3cyl ;
Very gracious of you to hold your hand under the block so when the piston comes out, it won't be damaged......lol
My parents had this engine in their Yukon😅 it’s big basically the old block from the 70s With newer heads
these vortecs had really good flowing heads, different intake of manifold bolt pattern, and they came with hydraulic roller rocker cams!
Those trucks are so good looking in my opinion!
Spider fuel injection is a nightmare to replace especially in old Chevy Astro vans.
Good practice job for apprentice mechanic…
My 96 5.7 just turned 334,000 but i change my oil every 3 to 5000
Im going to look at my block and see if it has an area that has a place for a old fuel pump
255 horsepower, and probably under rated for the 5.7
Oh btw, given that youtube *kept* suggesting the old video to me, I will say this about it, After refreshing the page once it *was* HD, I noticed a blurred square ontop of the engine for some dumb reason. Not sure why in the slightest.
Anyways, genuinely, I have no idea if this was high or low rpm failure. Either way, regardless of that, it was catastrophic and sudden. No time for the engine to have any other problems beyond a punctured oil pan, cracked head and block, and 3 eviscerated rods which somehow left each of the pistons more or less intact besides the valves hitting them probably rather hard before the engine got stopped by itself with the broken crankshaft ends of the rods. Also I'm impressed with the one rod that had broken just short enough on the piston side for it to wedge itself in place within the engine. That was just cool and impressive to see.
Loved the Berserker war hammer attack on the crank at 25:55 ... Sometimes ya just gotta do what works!
Dude this is one of the best videos ever
I'm picturing this glorious moment of you at the local Hobo Freight, "Do these come with a bulk discount?"
I'd try and arrange a for a fleet discount and get them for all my mechanic/car guy wrenchin friends too at that point lol
Ah, the last of the ole Gen 1 SBC. Found in 96-200 GM trucks, and 95-2002 GM vans, the L31 has some of the best output for the Gen I and has the hot rodders favorite Vortec head.
Edit: Thats some impressive destruction. Fun Fact, you can still buy this engine brand new as a crate motor.
G.M JUNK 👎
Its really a great engine especially if babied and took care of
Well Mr. Eric by my count this engine is # 1 !!!! You had no problem 😊 with removing the dipstick tube, it almost fell off. Thank you foe another great video. How is the new baby doing 🤔 😍 😩 😫 😳 ???? TMP from N.J.
They were probably in downtown St Louis on 70 in the left hand lane, thought "well, I aint stopping here" and just kept going until St Charles
Obviously from (what's left of) the one connecting rod, they tried to turn it into a boxer engine. Got a couple good punches in before getting KO'd.
Thanks for the re-upload. Love the video dude. Can ya do a AMC 258 when you find one (blown up of course)
How would one of those ever blow up? Without oil they just stop.
Every episode, just waiting for the "oh BLUUUUUUE!" callout LOL.
enjoy these vids, thanks from Carbondale, Illinois
Love your channel, Eric! It's super educational AND fun to watch. I've been asking...can you ever do a Northstar V8???
It’s certainly on the list! If I run across one you’ll see it here
38:01
At my age it's hard to tell if it's the bolt creaking or my joints
I am here for the unscheduled calamity and pandemonium of mechanical failures, and boy howdy did you deliver today lol
Thanks for being my new main source for vehicle related comedy
I had the older Throttle body injection 305. Had some annoying transmission problems. Decided to blow the engine for fun. Took Ten minutes full throttle without oil to break. I'm sure this engine had to be idling :)
Uncle Rodney is always fun at parties. Especially when his twin also named Rodney comes with him 🤣🤣🤣
Great video and love the commentary as always.
When I get fasteners stuck in my sockets I use a push rod ( appropriate size screwdriver) as a drift punch thru the center of the socket from the ratchet side.
Just a suggestion.
Yup I watched it twice, and enjoyed it just as much the second time lol
Great videos, good sense of humor and interesting to see what fails on these engines. Thanks. I watch your channel via Amazon/TH-cam.