I'm looking at purchasing a '97 S10 Blazer with a 4.3 liter "non-running" motor. I have a 4.3 liter already in my current '91 S10 blazer. They're both TBI and auto trans. What sort of issues am I going to run into if I have to put the '91 motor into the '97 vehicle?

The guy says who's selling the '97 says it over-heated and that his mechanic said that the rings went bad and the only way to repair it is to rebuild the motor. I'm going to go look at it today, but the motor diagnosis sounds like a money-making scheme to me. Anything I should look for on the motor when looking at it? The price is unbelievably low so I may purchase it regardless of the motor outcome.

 

Not going to work, for a host of reasons. 91 TBI, ("Z" VIN code) runs on ~13psi of fuel pressure. 97 is CSFI, ("W" VIN code) and runs on ~63psi. Totally different computer controls, sensors and wiring harnesses throughout the vehicle. The 91 gets spark reference from inside the distributor, 97 gets spark reference from a pulse ring mounted to the crankshaft. To make your swap more "user friendly" you'll need a 1996 (CSFI) or newer 4.3L engine.

 

Not only that but there are so many changes to the wiring harness its not going to work.I learned the hard way.I want to put a 95 cfi in my 96 with sPI.Ended up having to pull the engine and switch the top end back to the 96 SPI.Im hoping someday since I have all this $ wrapped in my CFI manifold I can use it on something else.