GM V6 Engine Warning - True Sad Story (Long)

I think though what they are saying is that making something such as a

3.4L V6 (or any other originally designed gasoline engine) and trying to make a diesel out of it would probably be disastrous. I had a friend once that had an old Chevy Caprice that was diesel and it ALWAYS ran like complete crap. After researching we found it was originally gasoline. Although the engine was a different one, the computer wasn't. :) I'm quite sure yours is original. I like diesels for some purposes myself. But things that would drive me nuts is noise and smell. That's one of many reasons I hate those Dodge trucks with diesels. To me they are WAAAAAY too loud, even by Diesel standards. I heard one of the new Chevys, wasn't too bad. I was impressed.

Tony

One thing I overlooked in your post. Yours is a 5.7L. :) Which also comes in gasoline form.

Ooops.

Tony

My Blazer's 4.3 V6 was once (historically) a 350 V8, I heard it took GM a little while to figure out the "balance shaft" needed to smooth-out a V-6 that was once a V-8 though. GW

Nick Trouns> God bless GM! They *can* actually build an engine with cylinders cut off

You're talking about the 3.8 V6, aren't you? AFAIK, the 4.3 V6 has a

60° block while the 3.8, as most V8s, has a 90° one.

What took a while to "figure out" was the crankshaft to make it even-fired. Oh, well, that's what it takes to be a pioneer.

As for the balance shaft, introduced in the '80s, IIRC, is indeed to smooth out vibrations inherent to such designs. FWIW, Audi announced as a major milestone the adoption of such balance shafts in its 90° V6 engines just 3 or 4 years ago. Hype is hype is hype... ;-)

Yeah I think Briggs & Stratton makes the balance shafts.=20

The 4.3 v6 is a 90 deg motor as well. It is based off the 5.7 (350ci).=20 Basically the only reason 60 deg motors came about is because of compact=20 front wheel drive vehicles trying to make room. Theres no reason they=20 would of stuck a 60 deg motor in a blazer, the most common thing they=20 stuck them in.=20

For several years both engines were options in the Blazer. I can't imagine how underpowered those 2.8s were. That's probably why they stopped the option. GW

B> The 4.3 v6 is a 90 deg motor as well. It is based off the 5.7 (350ci).

The Iron Duke, 2.5l was half a Pontiac 301. It wasn't the first time Pontiac took such a step. The 61 Tempests featured half a 389, and in that case the engine actually looked like it. It had a V-block with half the V sawed off.

I guess that'd be termed a 'slant four'? heh!

Nick.

"Self-destruct

Yes; wierdest looking engine I ever saw.