Posted on 04/24/2009 5:17:17 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952
My '94 S-10 took a [series] beating in the [hugh] hail storm we had here about one month ago, and I am looking at a used 2007 Chevrolet Colorado pickup as a replacement.
My S-10 has a 4.3 liter V-6 that gets about 22 MPG in stop & go driving and 25 MPG on the highway without a load.
Now, I am looking for some advice on the 5 cylinder engine Chevrolet uses in their Colorado pickups. I've seen many engines, but never a V-5. Is anyone familiar with this engine and have either good or bad comments about it?
Does anyone have an idea of the fuel mileage it gets / power for passing / driving in hilly areas, etc.?
I am not worried about a lot of power, as the most I will pull is probably a fishing boat and an occasional load of wood.
I trust FReepers for advice much more than I do asking a garage mechanic at some fly-by-night / here today and gone tomorrow shop.
Thanks in advance for any comment either for or against this as an engine choice.
Whatever you do, don't do this
or this.
Shower thread - now locked
I have a Mercedes 5 cylinder diesel in a Dodge Sprinter that does quite well. It gets 23-25 mpg. If it is pertinent, 5 cylinders doesn’t seem to be a problem
You do realize this is FR not Motorhead right?
I love the links... I take back my comment
I have had no problems with it other than a recall on brake lights and a fans switch replacement under warranty.
I also regularly pull a 16 foot bass boat on hilly, two lane roads and often forget it is back there.
My wife enjoys driving it so much she has dumped her minivan on me and we a often take trips from our home in the mid-south to the East Coast without back fatigue.
It came with cheap General tires that did not ride well which I later changed out. Maybe make up front arrangements if you go through a dealer and have some good quality tires put on.
A V-5 is inherently unbalanced, as were the engineers who designed it! ;)
Sorry, that’s “Atlas” line, not “Titan”. Getting my mythology scrambled again...
In 2005, I traded a 2002 S-10 with the 4.3 V6 for a 2005 Colorado with the 5 cylinder.
The Colorado was a huge disappointment compared to the S-10, including 0-60 accelleration, 40-70 accelleration, towing, comfort.
The bed was larger, so I could haul more stuff but the engine wasn’t happy with a half ton of sod in the back. The 4.3 was MUCH better when carrying any load larger than a bag of groceries.
Then, to completely end my 25 year string of GM vehicles, it developed a valve spring problem shortly after the warranty expired and starting running rough when it was warm. I waited for a cool day, drove it to the nearest Dodge dealer and got a new truck.
That's what I figured. Having been around engines and vehicles most of my life, engines with an odd number of cylinders are not balanced as well as the V-6 or V-8 or even inline engines.
I have a neighbor who works for a Dodge dealer and he said the same about Dodge's two biggest mistakes.
#1. Rushing to be the first with a V-10
#2. The PT Cruiser
Sorry to hear about your S10. I had a -95 with that same engine. Great truck. Great engine. At least till the tree fell on it.
Thanks. I really like the 4.3 I have in my S-10 and think I'll try to find another with that engine.
It has more HP, but less torque than your 4.3L V6.
Thanks for the help. With the previous replies that reference valve problems, I think I'll try to find another PU with a 4.3, rather than the 5 cyl. I remember working on the in line 250 and 292 CU IN engines and we called those "hot water sixes" back in the 70's.
Why not keep your S10 and fix the hail damage?
Your truck should be paid for by now, and the 4.3 is about as bullet proof an engin as any Chevy put out.
Your newer truck will be more expensive to operate than what you have now, and more difficult to get parts for especially this summer when GM shuts down production AND parts distribution for 9 weeks. Just about any part you may need for the S10 is available aftermarket now.
Actually engines with odd numbers of cylinders can be dynamically balanced better that even numbers of cylinders.
Inline 4's have an inherent dynamic imbalance (I think they call it a "secondary rocking couple"). I've seem both Kawasaki and Mitsubishi use a counter-weight shaft to counteract this.
I thought about fixing it too, but the [up to tennis ball size] hail basically totalled my PU. It has several thousand dollars of damage. The daughter’s car has $6800.00 damage, but insurance will repair it for her.
The mirrors are broken, the plastic around the WS and wipers is gone. No glass is broken, but the right door is dented into the body. I will keep looking for another PU and may have to go with another make. I really like the 4.3 engines.
This was also an objection to the first 90 degree V6 engines back in the early 60s. As it turned out, IIRC, the movement generated in any one direction by the unbalanced condition was so small and so brief at operating rpms that the vibrating parts 'floated' inside the crankshaft bearing clearances without ever transferring the vibration to the rest of the engine. Or so I heard.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.