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Anyone here have the vortec 454 in thier rig?

COCHEV

COCHEV

1/2 ton status
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If so, tell me how you like it, don't like it, miles on it, what you use it for etc...

I have one in my 97 GMC 2500 and I'm trying to deturmine how long i want to keep this rig. I like it plenty, but has some quirks.

post up what you got :thumb:
 
I HAD a 96...C3500 w/ 4L80 and 4.10's....good tow rig I thought, give me 9mpg w/ 14K GCW on a pretty flat route. usually 12 everyday, and 13.5 hwy empty. No quirks to mine w/150K on the clock when I got rid of it.
 
Did yours run on the warm side? Mine seems to run in the 215-220 range. I like the power and torque over the carbed 454 I had. I get about the same mileage you did. Real bad when towing in stop and go traffic, but that's to be expected.

Mine has 3.73s and hydroboost brakes, cloth seats with lumbar support. All i've really had to do to it so far is brakes and a new headlight switch

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL
 
Oh, and its going to need some steering help soon which I hear is expesive...

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I have a 98 excab/sb K2500, 454, 4L80E, 3.73s and 59,000 original miles. I love the truck! It has never gotten less than 10mpg towing my 7500lb boat, usually gets around 12mpg unloaded around town.

As long as they are maintained, oil changes etc you shouldn't see any problems. The temp seems a little high, I think mine runs around 200 but not more even in 90deg+ with a/c on.

One thing I would never do again to one of these trucks is lift it...in my mind it ruins them...drives crappy, can't keep it aligned. My truck has HD polished wheels and 265 BFG's.
 
86454K30 said:
I have a 98 excab/sb K2500, 454, 4L80E, 3.73s and 59,000 original miles. I love the truck! It has never gotten less than 10mpg towing my 7500lb boat, usually gets around 12mpg unloaded around town.

As long as they are maintained, oil changes etc you shouldn't see any problems. The temp seems a little high, I think mine runs around 200 but not more even in 90deg+ with a/c on.

One thing I would never do again to one of these trucks is lift it...in my mind it ruins them...drives crappy, can't keep it aligned. My truck has HD polished wheels and 265 BFG's.
Click to expand...

I don't plan to lift mine either. It rides sooo nice.

Any maintenance issues? I've heard they go through cap and rotors (which is also a bitch to get to) and intake gaskets like to fail.



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A good quality acdelco cap and rotor helps that. Felpro makes a gasket that helps this problem. The 454's don't have as much problems with intake gaskets as the 350's do.
 
Just bought one wiht 165k on it, will be driving back from LA on highway 5 going too fast on Saturday, will report back what type of mileage i get.

99 K2500 burb, 3.73's, slightly taller street tires.
 
Right on. The week I bought mine I hooked up my trailer to it and drove it from portland to san jose.

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I had no heating issues with mine, I replaced the cap/rotor/plugs at 125K (when I got it home, after I bought it, 700mi drive) looked like the original AC Platinums in it along with cap/rotor. It ran smoother after that, but mileage didn't improve to notice. No intake issues with it either. I know a few other guys that have these engines and the only real complaint is oil consumption...1qt/1000-1500mi. Mine was the same way.
 
Yeah, I need peek in at my cap and rotor. Just been procrastinating cause its so fricken buried back there.

Mine drinks oil between changes as well. As has every big bock i've owned new and old

Sent from one a dem der smart phones
 
dhcomp said:
The 8.1L 496 is famous for oil consumption.
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The 8.1 is not the same as a 7.4. The 8.1's generally consumed oil from day one on some of them. The 7.4's usually don't until they have miles on them or you are working them. My 98 7.4 uses no oil between 3000 mile oil changes.
 
86454K30 said:
The 8.1 is not the same as a 7.4. The 8.1's generally consumed oil from day one on some of them. The 7.4's usually don't until they have miles on them or you are working them. My 98 7.4 uses no oil between 3000 mile oil changes.
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Yep, i'm aware, thats why i specifically named the 8.1.

Just a comment in response to "all big blocks use oil", cause as you said, most of the 454's don't until later in life.
 
got a 96 burb with 4l80 239k still pulls 32 ft terry tt and 28 ft pontoon like a champ 9 mpg pulling 11.5 empty in town 12.5 hwy runs around 190 gets up to 220 when pulling uses about a qt between changes :whistle:
 
fourxpete said:
got a 96 burb with 4l80 239k still pulls 32 ft terry tt and 28 ft pontoon like a champ 9 mpg pulling 11.5 empty in town 12.5 hwy runs around 190 gets up to 220 when pulling uses about a qt between changes :whistle:
Click to expand...

Now I like hearing things like that. What have you had to repair or replace along the way?

Sent from one a dem der smart phones
 
Got about 11.7mpg out of mine today, 80mph freeway.

265's, 4.10s.
 
replaced transfercase at 160k new unit from gm couldnt rebuild rebuilt tranny at 203k new radiator just put new cats on it only thing ive dont to engine other than tune up at 200k and oil changes was bolt the water pump back on after it fell of driving down road?! :eek1: been good burb road hard was wifes dd till she decided to play chicken with telephone pole she lost! now to pull engine tranny and put in 90 burb
 
I just bought a 2000 GMC crew cab short bed K2500 I am about to take it on a trip to pick up a car about 350 miles away from me its 454 4:10s and a locker. I will let ya know how it does on gas and temp Its supposed to be over 100 degrees this weekend so we will se how it goes
 
I don't have one but my good friend does its a great truck. Most of the complaints are the same as a similar year gm radio quits working seats start cracking ( leather or vinyl) the seats collapse some.

Good truck we actually got 14 mpg once towing a car on a pretty lightweight trailer. Don't know how we got it he usually gets 12-13 empty but we got 14 on that one trip.

Truck has gotten a worst of 9 mpg towing 2 rigs on a gooseneck.

Thats pretty good for that much weight
 
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