2002 Chevy Silverado 5.3L 350k

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We reached 350k miles this past week on our 2002 Silverado.
Wife bought the truck brand new back in 2002.

I've maintained the truck since 60k miles and with the help of BITOG I've been able to trouble shoot and repair minor issues

I have a few questions.
Would it be wise to open up the engine and replace some parts such as rings, valves seals etc.?
This is one job that I won't dare tackle so I would be taking it in to a competent mechanic.

Other option is to drive it until it can't go anymore but many advise me that its better to get some work done on the truck now before I have major engine problems.
Not sure exactly what would be replaced when opening it up.

Any advice is greatly appreciated
 
Don't mess with it till it absolutely needs it.

As Dierks Bentley so succinctly put it,
"Its just an old beat up truck
Some say that I should trade up
Now that I got some jangle in my pocket
But what they don’t understand
Is it's the miles that make a man
I wouldn’t trade that thing in for a rocket"
 
You got your money's worth out of it. Keep driving it. Rings and valves don't suddenly (usually) leave you stranded on the side of the road. They go gradually and you'll start to burn oil and see smoke and whatnot. Replacing rings or valves would be the expensive. You really love that truck (or you've seen the price of new trucks). That's a lot of money to spend on a truck with that many miles. How is the body and interior looking?
 
Valve Springs & Valve Guide seals would be a good investment. A broken valve spring or a oiling issue is what usually takes out a LS engine.

What about a LQ9/LQ4 6.0L swap? It will bolt right in!
 
For me, you are already past my ultimate goal of 300,000 miles. Can you tell us anything about the oil such as the weight, was it synthetic and did you have a favorite brand? As you probably know fewer than 5% of trucks make it past 200,000 miles. If it was me, I’d sell it and buy another with less than 100,000 miles. If selling is not an option I’d run it until it needs repairs. No way would I bother to rebuild it until it absolutely needed it. The biggest problem is a 16 year old truck is just not worth much money. Just make sure it’s safe and the brakes and font end are good. Tell us more on what you did for maintenance. Thanks.
 
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Keep driving and maintaining it. If it hasn't had catastrophic failure yet i doubt it will in the next 50k miles.

My boss has an 03 4.8 with 335k on it. Dealer serviced and it still runs perfectly. Im betting it lasts another 100k.
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
Originally Posted By: tig1
If it ain't broke don't fix it.


This x 100,000.



This
 
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
As you probably know fewer than 5% of trucks make it past 200,000 miles. .


I was not aware of that! My daughters 2000 Silverado has 265K right now, and my 2005 Silverado has 165 and you would think its still new...

Maybe its regional?
 
Originally Posted By: Gito


I have a few questions.
Would it be wise to open up the engine and replace some parts such as rings, valves seals etc.?

Any advice is greatly appreciated



I would use Restore at 5K intervals. It literally increases compression in worn but well functioning engines. Other than that just let it be and drive on happily!
 
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
For me, you are already past my ultimate goal of 300,000 miles. Can you tell us anything about the oil such as the weight, was it synthetic and did you have a favorite brand? As you probably know fewer than 5% of trucks make it past 200,000 miles. If it was me, I’d sell it and buy another with less than 100,000 miles. If selling is not an option I’d run it until it needs repairs. No way would I bother to rebuild it until it absolutely needed it. The biggest problem is a 16 year old truck is just not worth much money. Just make sure it’s safe and the brakes and font end are good. Tell us more on what you did for maintenance. Thanks.


Source of this data?
 
Raised and killed a bunch of these here. They get whatever syn oil is on sale, mostly M1 plus a cheap filter. Changed by OLM. Have had one go 500k miles still running well, but more typical is 250 or so.

Frankly I would leave it alone if it runs well. Having someone upset that delicate balance that an old engine achieves is not without risk...
 
Leje0306 Re: Source of Data.

Try googling “trucks over 200,000 miles Chicago tribune” Articles tend to reference IHS Markit, the analytical company, or Iseecars.com.

Various articles but most boil down to 5% on average. The reason for not making it past varies 200 K varies. It’s not just the engine.
Trucks get wrecked, stolen and chopped, or taken to the wreckers due to rust, bad trannies, etc, etc.

You’ll notice I did not say “ Fewer than 5% of trucks owned by Bitoggers get past 200,000 miles” We are the exception.

If you see something different, let us know.
smile.gif
 
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I envy you guys that can get that kind of miles on a truck and not have it rot away.
Around here 15 years/150,00 miles or so it's body and undercarriage rust city.
 
The furthest I'd dare go into the engine is seals and gaskets, not including the head gaskets unless necessary. To get really comprehensive I'd do timing chain and valve springs. But then again, if it's not leaking such that it really needs gaskets and seals, don't mess with it at all. Just keep replacing things as it needs it. Some vehicles are in better shape at 350K than others are at 150K - if that's your case, keep on using and maintaining it until it proves no longer reliable.

Rings and valves as preventative maintainence is a really bad idea - just asking for the engine never to be the same.
 
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