Possible new wheels

[Ballenxj]

If that were true then my 91 Chevy Corsica with the 4.3 wouldn't have had the gaskets changed out every 4 years.  Neither would my 91 Chevy van with a 4.3.  Neither would my friends pickup trucks.  Mine also never leaked coolant, they leaked oil.  It was a common problem for the 4.3 in the 90's so no, it wasn't just the 3.4.  Look it up.

I have looked it up, in fact, I have done extensive research on the subject. OTOH, I once thought about buying a particular mini van with the 3.4 in it, so I researched it and got lots of hits about the well documented intake gasket problem. They did say once that was taken care of with an upgraded gasket it turned out to be an OK engine.
The 4.3 on the other hand is well documented as a great engine. Can it have problems? Sure, it's a mechanical device that can succumb to all sorts of abuse or neglect just like most others.
Injectors on any of those engines can fail as well, refer to my previous sentence.
All in all, the 4.3 is a pretty good engine, and that is according to a lot of research in general about it.
This is my story, and I'm sticking to it!

 

[Canine]

"I have looked it up, in fact, I have done extensive research on the subject. OTOH, I once thought about buying a particular mini van with the 3.4 in it, so I researched it and got lots of hits about the well documented intake gasket problem. They did say once that was taken care of with an upgraded gasket it turned out to be an OK engine."


I would agree that the 3.4 is problematic. I thought of getting a late 90's to early/mid 2000's Pontiac Montana or Chevy Venture minivan (instead of my present G20 with the 350) but there were a lot of complaints on their respective forums about the gasket failures. I even saw Craigslist or Autotrader ads that said "intake gaskets replaced".

You can either write off a whole list of engines and only buy a vehicle with something like a 350 TBI, 318/360 Dodge or before 1996 Ford 351 but then you have other things, like transmissions, to wonder about. In short, its a crapshoot. If you dont have the funds to re and re the offending part then you are likely screwed. You might be ok, then again, my 2 Buicks cost me almost $2K in repairs in just a couple years. Whose to know? I will say the 350 has been quite solid, now, with my luck, I'll spin a bearing tomorrow... :s

 

[Theadyn]

Well dad took it for a spin. Definitely running rough he said, but also, a knock. No-go. Boo. Well, the hunt continues....

 

[jimindenver]

Sorry to hear that but at least you found out before you bought it.

 

[Canine]

Yes, sorry about that. Good thing you had dear ol' dad drive it.
Generally a used car dealer knows a bit about what they have... private party sale less so, some are real deals. I dont think I've ever gotten a real deal off a lot. They wouldn't be in business very long if they gave people "good deals".

Dont give up, just write down the basic info, condition, price etc so you can form your own little valuation book.

 

[cyndi]

Rats, Pam! Keep looking! Your van is out there!

 

[ArtW]

Oh well, dodged a bullet there, better next time

 

[Canine]

Don't know where you be at the present but here's a couple inexpensive mid top conversion vans with claims of rebuilt drive trains:

Wichita craigslist - 1992 Ford Econoline Van UPDATE - $2400 (Ark City KS) mid top conversion, claims a recently rebuilt 351. Posted Feb 23

Fayar.craigslist.org - 1993 GMC mid top conversion, claims rebuilt engine and transmission, GMC 2500 Vandura - $1850 (Garfield) must be in Texas, that's Garfield. The craigslist is Fayetteville Arkansas. Posted Feb 5

Hope that helps.