Vortec Reliability after MPFI conversion and intake gaskets

[Jrgunn5150]

Huh? Most don't and those that do its easily deleted.

Its easily deleted if you have a tuner. I do have a tuner, and it is deleted. And now I don't go through a quart every 1,000 miles. But it's basically the only reason I bought the tuner lol. It's nice to have my speedo corrected also though

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[thz71]

Its easily deleted if you have a tuner. I do have a tuner, and it is deleted. And now I don't go through a quart every 1,000 miles. But it's basically the only reason I bought the tuner lol. It's nice to have my speedo corrected also though

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Yes and anyone who ls swaps a 400 HAS to have a tuner.

 

[someotherguy]

I have both and have cursed them both.

My 1990 5.7 with TBI I've had to do intake gaskets, injectors and distributor.

My 1999 5.7 vortec had the intake gaskets changed with 100,000KM less. Quit because the Crank position sensor failed. And simply would not start in extreme cold ...did the MPFI upgrade now it starts if it'll crank over. Block heater helps with the extreme cold starts.

Really curious about your TBI needing injectors. I've pretty much never seen a TBI injector that didn't last the life of the truck. Only time I've ever seen problems is when they were run with really old, bad gas and got gummed up, which a cleaning would solve, or at worst a rebuild kit which includes new screens.

One common thread I've seen on intake gaskets TBI vs. Vortec - the TBI's tend to always leak outside the engine, generally down the front/rear of the heads. Due to a totally different composition and failure mode, the Vortec's will very often leak right into the lifter valley, dumping the coolant right into the oil - a much more serious problem.

Richard

 

[Nathaniel2g]

Whats the cost of doing MPFI on a Vortec? My trucks got 140000km on it and im doing intake gaskets when i get home in the middle of January. If the price is right id like to do MPFI while ive got everything apart.

 

[someotherguy]

Whats the cost of doing MPFI on a Vortec? My trucks got 140000km on it and im doing intake gaskets when i get home in the middle of January. If the price is right id like to do MPFI while ive got everything apart.

About $300-$400 depending on which brand you buy. Strongly suggest AC Delco or Delphi. You'll spend more, but likely get better stuff. They farm it out just like anybody else these days but it's a half-decent bet they are more demanding on the quality control side of things.

Richard

 

[Nathaniel2g]

About $300-$400 depending on which brand you buy. Strongly suggest AC Delco or Delphi. You'll spend more, but likely get better stuff. They farm it out just like anybody else these days but it's a half-decent bet they are more demanding on the quality control side of things.

Richard

Is it possible to buy the parts from a GM dealer directly?

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Is it possible to buy the parts from a GM dealer directly?

It is, but you'll pay through the nose. I got mine from rockauto.com

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[Nathaniel2g]

It is, but you'll pay through the nose. I got mine from rockauto.com

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It's been a while since I've posted on this thread..- I work for a GM dealer. It really is amazing what the mark up is on some items, compared to what I pay...

 

[slowburb]

Wow, this is crazy. Is the OP going back in time to '95 or '96 to buy a 350? Did all of these posters who bought 10 or 15 year old L31 trucks not know that the OEM coolant and intake gaskets didn't play well together? It has been known for YEARS that with new intake gaskets, an MPFI spider, and a new distributor gear, the L31 is the most dependable 350 ever made.

Tell me what engine isn't going to crack a head with a major overheat situation. Tell me, in the overall scheme of engine repairs how intrusive of a job it is to change a set of intake manifold gaskets. We all know there are improved intake gasket design/material solutions. We all know the raised runner and heart-shaped combustion chamber of the vortec head is the best design GM ever used for the old school SBC.


Back to the OP. Would he run a complete L31 bottom to top in a 1995 TBI truck anyways? No, he'd run an 880 roller shortblock, with vortec heads, a carb flanged intake, an adapter plate, and a TBI unit. Tell me how the OEM gaskets are even going to be involved as a failure point here. See what I'm saying here? Answers are being given to the OP's question that are immaterial or irrelevant. A TBI topped vortec shortblock may just be, or quite possibly is the best solution for the OP; roller cam/lifters, great heads, a good dual plane intake, and a TBI that will work with the computer already in the truck.

 

[someotherguy]

Seems to me like OP already owns a TBI truck but is wanting to buy one with a Vortec. Not that a "K5" would come with either but one has to try to decipher what the real question is.

So in that sense, the original intake gaskets, distributor gear, injector setup, etc. all are material, unless we know for 100% provable fact that whatever truck he might buy with a Vortec has already been rebuilt (to rule out possible damage from running w/contaminated oil), and the gear and injectors have also already been replaced. As well as the whole crappy plastic distributor, too.

Welcome to the party. You also might note OP is a newb with 2 posts and hasn't been back in almost 2 months after signing up...

Richard