I own a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT 8 cylinder. One owner always changes oil. Never plowed. New engine or rebuild?

10

Asked by Rick Aug 30, 2015 at 11:42 AM about the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Extended Cab 4WD

Question type: General

Do I have to put the same engine in?
What will be the most cost effective
way of fixing? I love the truck

4 Answers

7,715

no you dont have to put the same engine in it . I just got done putting a 2003 5.3L vortec ls2 motor into a 1989 chevy pickup truck. here is the thing the best way to do it is just replace the motor with what you have in it doing different swaps into you truck for example like putting a new camaro motor in your truck can get spendy with different wiring, different trannys, different computers, different mounting, there are many things to lookat. if you go older motor there is still different mounting and different trannys but cheaper in the long run because there are more of them available. if it was me I would contact some wrecking yards in your area and check prices on motors. why are you replacing it in the first place?

2 people found this helpful.
10

I appreciate the response. When I purchased the truck off my neighbor he told me it needed some "top end" work. I was rushing to work one am and then I got the "oil pressure low" indicator going off and it was stalling out. The truck hasn't been the same since. It's getting the oil pressure so what I did was bought sensor gauge $50 and installed it and I could see the oil pressure indicator trying to move but it looked like the spring maybe off. So I disconnected it and the chime went away. Now it runs but the engine is loud. It may just need new lifters but I've been told purchasing a used engine would be my best bet. I have the Lucas Oil treatment and 5W10 oil. I'm just praying it last. People say you never know with a Chevy. Could last could die tomorrow. Sent from my iPhone On Aug 30, 2015, at 12:00 PM, CarGurus wrote: Hello Rick, A CarGurus user (PrideAuto) answered your question: "I own a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT 8 cylinder. One Hi appreciate the response. When I purchased the truck off my neighbor he told me it needed some "top end" work. I was rushing to work one am and then I got the "oil pressure low" indicator going off and it was stalling out. The truck hasn't been the same since. It's getting the oil pressure so what I did was bought sensor gauge $50 and installed it and I could see the oil pressure indicator trying to move but it looked like the spring maybe off. So I disconnected it and the chime went away. Now it runs but the engine is loud. It may just need new lifters but I've been told purchasing a used engine would be my best bet. I have the Lucas Oil treatment and 5W10 oil. I'm just praying it last. People say you never know with a Chevy. Could last could die tomorrow. Sent from my iPhone On Aug 30, 2015, at 12:00 PM, CarGurus wrote: Hello Rick, A CarGurus user (PrideAuto) answered your question: "I own a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT 8 cylinder. One owner always changes oil. Never plowed. New engine or rebuild? ". They wrote: "no you dont have to put the same engine in it . I just got done putting a 2003 5.3L vortec ls2 motor into a 1989 chevy pickup truck. here is the thing the best way to do it is just replace the motor with what you have in it doing different swaps into you truck for example like putting a new camaro motor in your truck can get spendy with different wiring, different trannys, different computers, different mounting, there are many things to lookat. if you go older motor there is still different mounting and different trannys but cheaper in the long run because there are more of them available. if it was me I would contact some wrecking yards in your area and check prices on motors. why are you replacing it in the first place?" View answer | Mark answer as helpful | Mark as best answer | Stop following this question Take care, The CarGurus Team About CarGurus: CarGurus, Inc. is an online automotive community that strives to connect those "in the know" with those on the hunt for new and used automotive information. CarGurus - Where anyone can find and share automotive knowledge. Go to CarGurus | Unsubscribe | Change Settings | Contact us CarGurus, Inc., 2 Canal Park, 4th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02141 Copyright © 2006-2015 CarGurus ®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All Rights Reserved.

7,715

it will be the cheapest way to go if you have loud lower end or upper end noises coming from the truck. a used motor if it is a low mile motor will do the trick here is the thing rick I my self love lucas but the oil 5W10 on hot days runs like water through you motor I would even say that it might not be enough for the motor to build the pressure that you need to pump the lifters. depending on the mileage I would step it up to a 10w30 and a bottle of lucas. 5w10 might be the problem in this situation.

60

GM crate motor, 350/ 350 HP, shift kit for a solid shift, you will feel the difference. and GM crate motors are the best out there.

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