Expected engine life of a 350 vortec engine?

Answer 1

How long ANY engine lasts depends a lot on how well you plan to take care of it.

If you change the oil and ALL filters regularly using a high grade full synthetic motor oil, never let it overheat, take good care of the coolant, water pump and thermostat... you can REASONABLY expect well over 200,000 miles.

My previous Chev pickup was one mile short of 200,000 miles when some dipstick ran into it. The engine was perfect, no oil loss between oil changes, perfect compression on the last tune-up, no blow-by and it always started on the first try... but then, it had been fed a regular diet of a good quality REGULAR fuel, the oil was always changed on schedule using a full synthetic and other maintenance was performed appropriately...

It made me sick when the insurance company told me that it was "totaled" in the wreck.

The 350 is an excellent engine if cared for properly and you can expect a lot of miles from your vehicle.

Don't use premium fuel, just a good quality regular. It's not a high compression engine so you don't need high octane. Just buy fuel from a place that moves a lot of it, keeping the fuel in THEIR tanks "fresh".

Don't over-rev it, especially when cold. In fact, don't put it under much load until it warms up but that's good advice for any engine.

I'd sure like to find out how far that engine would have gone if the truck hadn't been smashed by someone who shouldn't be driving.