04 Vortec Engine Manual
Information about GM's 6.0L V8 Vortec engine used in the Chevy Express, Silverado HD, and Suburban, as well as the GMC Savana. GM 6.0 Liter V8 Vortec L96 Engine. The Vortec 4.3L V-6 engine features overall size and weight advantages with superior power-to-weight ratios and proven durability. (10.04) 283.09 (11.15).
The 4.3 Liter Vortec engine is built by General Motors. This is a V6 engine that has had a long history, although much has changed along the way. The 4.3L Vortec built today is certainly significantly different from the original Vortec first offered in the mid-1980s. The list of cars that have used the is a long one.
This engine has been in offered and most of the truck and van applications from the mid-80s to present day. It was also offered in a line of cars in the mid to late 80s, including the Impala, Caprice, El Camino, and Monte Carlo, just to name a few. 4.3L Vortec V6 Engine Specs LU3 EcoTec3 LV3 Displacement (cu in / cc): 262 / 4300 262 / 4300 Horsepower: 195 hp @ 4600 RPM 285 hp @ 5300 RPM Torque: 260 lb.-ft. @ 2800 RPM 305 lb.-ft. During this time range it was offered in cars in Chevrolet Impala, Caprice, El Camino, and Monte Carlo.
It was also offered in Pontiac Parisienne and Grand Prix, with an additional application in the GMC Caballero. After a major change to air flow performance in the mid-90s, the newly designed V6 Vortec went into many of the same truck and van applications as the previous 4.3L Vortec but was then also added to the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. The early 2000s saw another major modification to this engine, with multipoint fuel injection being added. This resulted in 6 fuel injectors on the engine, one for each intake port. This engine also replaced the previous generation engine in the aforementioned truck and van applications. The most recent change to the 4.3L Vortec came in 2014, called the Gen V of the V6 engines, and this is now available as the base model for Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks.
The 4.3L is a good compromise between power and fuel economy, especially in smaller truck applications. It also has the added advantage of costing less than the V8 option. 4.3L Vortec Performance Specs When talking about engine design, power and displacement, this engine must be broken into 2 separate groups, the engine from 1985-2009, and the latest offering introduced in 2014. The initial launch of the engine came with a horsepower rating of 155 at 4000 RPM and peak torque of 230 lb-ft at 2400 RPM, achieved with an engine designed with a bore of 4.00 inches and a stroke of 3.48 inches. By the time this version of the engine was phased out, it was able to achieve 195 horsepower at 4600 RPM and 260 lb-ft of torque at 2800 RPM.
This is not an overwhelming amount of power, but is in line for a 4.3 liter, 262 cubic inch engine. The newly introduced 4.3L Vortec, also 262 cubic inches, has a different layout with a bore of 3.92 inches and a stroke of 3.6 inches. The engine has a peak horsepower of 285 at 5300 RPM and peak torque of 305 lb-ft at 3900 RPM. Head and Block Construction The original 4.3L is constructed of cast iron block and head. The valve train for this engine is conventional pushrod overhead valve (OHV) with 2 valves per cylinder. Many of the other materials used varied considerably during this long span.
The recently released 4.3L is made of aluminum alloy head and block, although it continues to use the conventional OHV design with 2 cylinders per head. Conclusion The 4.3 L Vortec is a traditional engine that General Motors has been producing since the mid-1980s. Much of the same base design was kept until the late 2000s.
Anytime this type of base design and family can be carried on for more than 20 years, it is certainly impressive. The latest version of the re-designed 4.3 engine certainly offers more power than the traditional 4.3L, and may be more enticing now that it has more power to do various jobs, but still offers fuel economy improvements in comparison with its V8 counterpart. Waters empower guide. Engines For Sale: Live Auction Listings.
Currently i have a 4.3L in my truck and needless to say its not exactly a powerhouse. This summer when i am home from college and working, i am hoping to swap my 4.3 out with a 5.3L.
Vortec Crate Engine
I plan on hopefully buying a donor truck with the engine i want (if i can find one that was wrecked in the rear so the engine is still intact). I have done some research but still a little confused, i get that the wire harness needs to be changed, but is it the whole wire harness or just a small portion in the engine compartment?
Where would i get my computer reprogrammed? Do i need to change fuel line, from what i have been reading the 5.3L uses a bigger fuel line? Will my transmission work or would i have to put in a different one, if the website i read was correct the 5 speed manual is the same with the 4.3 to the 5.3L, but i'm not 100% sure on that. I know i need to change the engine mounts, but from what i read there just bolted in. Any other advice would be appreciated, and thank you for your responses.
Original Poster Combustion on 1 piston L2 Posts: Topics: Images: 8 Joined: Nov 11 2011, 7:17pm Years of membership: Location: western new york Year: 2003 Make/Model: Chevrolet Silverado Group Membership:. I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but, I'm not sure you have the level of expeirince to complete this swap. It can be done, but it is a very in depth procedure. There is (as you know) a lot more to it than just swapping the engine out. To answer your questions I believe the only part of the fuel lines that need to be changed are the ones actually going to the engine (they are bent different). I believe the wiring harness for the engine bay is all that will need changed. The thing is, the 5.3 never came with a 5 speed, although it will bolt up, the donor truck will not have the correct wiring harness due to it will be an automatic truck.
350 Chevy Vortec Engine
An easier option would be to go with an old small block 350 and make it a carburated or aftermarket fuel injected one with the old non-computer controlled HEI ignition. I believe all your brackets from the front of the engine will work on the 350. Then you do not have to worry about the computer wiring harness. Really, the best thing would be to get a truck with a v-8 already in it from the factory. A turbo was a thought that crossed my mind, and that should get the power i want but they seem kinda expensive but should be worth it.lol but i have no idea about a supercharger, i have no idea how they work or what they do other then add power. If someone could explain a supercharger it would be greatly appreciated. As of now im looking at cold air intake, custom exhaust, and a custom tune.
Original Poster Combustion on 1 piston L2 Posts: Topics: Images: 8 Joined: Nov 11 2011, 7:17pm Years of membership: Location: western new york Year: 2003 Make/Model: Chevrolet Silverado Group Membership:. Ok differences in turbo and superchargers.
The goal is the same with both, to over come atmospheric pressure in result adding more air and fuel making more power. A turbo does this by the exhaust driving a turbine wheel that spins the compressor wheel to over come atmospheric pressure. A super charger is either a cenntrifigual or a roots style.
Both are driven by a belt off of the crankshaft. The cenntrifigual is basically the compressor half of a turbo being driven by cranshaft instead of by exhaust.
A cenntrifigual can be intercooled very easly just as a turbo can be. The roots style is like the big chrome superchargers that you see sticking out of the hood with the big scoop on top of it. These have two rotors that compress the air. These are a little harder to have intercooled but alot of the kits now include an intercooled manifold.
The only thing with a supercharger is they rob a small amount of hp to turn them. But an up side is no turbo lag due to having to wait for the turbo to spool up.
The easiest one to install in my book is a cenntrifigual type super charger over a roots and a turbo. With the cenntrifigual kit all you have to do is bolt on brackets, plump the duct work to the throttle body, pretty simple and straight foward. The roots style requires swapping the intake manifold out for one that come with the supercharger. And turbos will require changing atleast one exhaust manifold if you do a single turbo kit then plumbing the intake piping on it also. Most kits will have some way of retuning your factory computer, either a handlheld programmer or overnight your computer to them they reflash it and overnight it back to you. Anything else you need help on understanding turbos and superchargers just ask and ill try to explain more.
Thank you for the explanation on the turbos and superchargers. It was very helpful. Would i have to change anything else, like high flow cats, or anything in the engine?
They seem to produce a lot more power and i don't know if the stock engine can handle it. I was just surfing the web for super chargers and came across this, its $400 with all the additional items, looks basically like a small electric supercharger that you hook up to the intake pipe. This is the website only thing i can see is they don't offer different engine sizes, but it also says it only works in engine up to 5.0L.
Original Poster Combustion on 1 piston L2 Posts: Topics: Images: 8 Joined: Nov 11 2011, 7:17pm Years of membership: Location: western new york Year: 2003 Make/Model: Chevrolet Silverado Group Membership:. Zackattack wrote:Thank you for the explanation on the turbos and superchargers. It was very helpful. Would i have to change anything else, like high flow cats, or anything in the engine? They seem to produce a lot more power and i don't know if the stock engine can handle it. I was just surfing the web for super chargers and came across this, its $400 with all the additional items, looks basically like a small electric supercharger that you hook up to the intake pipe. This is the website only thing i can see is they don't offer different engine sizes, but it also says it only works in engine up to 5.0L.
I have never seen or heard of these electric turbo's. They don't give any exact power increase numbers, so not sure what to expect. It does say it provides 3 psi of boost though. But, for less than $200, it might be interesting to buy one and see what it does. Probably can return it if it does not perform worth a darn.