How many miles does your original Vortec V6 have?
 

I have a 2001 4DR 2WD that has had just about all of the common issues associated with these Blazers. I have spent much $ and time on the things I can repair myself( intake manifold gaskets(twice), fuel pump/sending unit,radiator, water pump,door hinges, etc. etc etc). The transmission was rebuilt 2 years ago by a transmission shop. The truck has 172K miles. I keep the oil changed regularly. My question is, how many miles can I expect to get on this original motor before I am going to have to spend a great deal on it?
I am at a crossroads on whether to sell the vehicle, which is worth less than the money I have spent on it, or keep it and hope for the best.
Any advice or info with your experience is greatly appreciated.

I am currently just under 208K and still running strong. Just keep up on the maintainence and don't abuse it and you should be able to a few more miles out of it.

That being said, I will likely be rebuilding/replacing the engine BEFORE I have it break down on me. I will also be rebuilding the tranny soon. Just need to get out to west Texas one of these days.

The fact you ask says to me you really may not want to keep it. And it's a little late when it comes to the miles you've put on it.
I'm posting from general automotive knowledge concerning my other cars all of which tend to go high-miles because I get the most value per dollar spent. Recently retired a TBird at 300K, and a taurus at 220 K {because wife hit something AGAIN resulting in 3rd loss of trans fluid}

First: Those miles tell me you do a fair amount of distance driving. For engine longevity I would have recommended Mobil 1 and screw the 3000 mi schedule. Up to 10000 is fine for a long commute car.
If almost all driving is grocery getter, then I'd say Valvoline and every three months. NEVER that highly advertised geographic reference oil but if you ARE using that brand and switch to Mobil 1, Change filter at 1000 then oil and filter at 3000 first pass.

Second: You had your trans rebuilt already. Key is WHERE you had it done. Sorry to say that some well known shops have that down to a science and if done there look for another at about 45,000.
- That is on hearsay from others. I've never had a 'normal' trans failure on a car I drove for any period of time. But I quit trusting 'rebuilt' long ago when seeing others' experiences.
Tell you what.. I NEVER will have a trans flush on any trans older than 50,000 mi. And if I change the filter, I'll do it myself so I dont get a surprise in about two weeks. Increasing size of trans cooler is best bet.

Third: What about suspension? Ball Joints Bushings Bearings etc.

My blazer is a 1992 s10 i got it with 122k now it has 137 and im loving it =)

Thank you both, AJBert and pettyfog.
The vehicle has been driven 99% of the time by my wife, who is very conscientious of the maintenance schedule, and has never abused the truck. Most of the 172K miles have been daily commutes of about 50 miles round trip. We recently purchased a new vehicle for her to drive daily, but she is very attached to the Blazer and doesn't want us to sell it, but I feel it has been a "money pit" and will continue to be so. Don't get me wrong, I have always been a "Chevy/GM Man", having owned several. I'm afraid we just got a lemon on this one.
Again, thank you both for the info and advice.

Got nothing to do with brand loyalty. I can see just by activity on here that the engine itself is a good one {fuel system's another matter}.
Thing is every vehicle has its quirks and weak points.. staying on top of them is the key.
I happen to love MN12 3.8L Tbirds..had three in a row, but only bought them at over 120K because the head gaskets go on every one of them.. and usually first gear shift piston does too.
In fact I got screwed on my first one, crankcase was filled with 90W oil because the bearings were shot. Used Mobil1 10w 50 and drove the car 70,000 miles without opening the engine.
Second one.. bought for 800 bucks because it had trans slip probs in hot weather. Put on trans cooler and dumped in Lucas and drove it 150,000 more miles and never opened the trans.. and only added maybe 2 quarts in all that time.

i have 141k on mine, but ik ppl with over 225, one of my friends rolled over 250k the other week, and my grandpa had a 91 s15 with over 350k on the original motor and trans

my s10 blazer has 274k on original motor still running strong!!!

283,000 on mine and still going strong also

143,755 at the end of today....cold air intake, and glasspack exhaust...plenty of pep

My dads 92 vortec has 138k on it.


My 91 non vortec has over 300k and holds 40psi at idle. :)

valve stems are shot though lol

your dads vortec got the same as me i got 137k

He never drives his. It had 132k last year when i bought it for him. He drives it 10 miles to work 2 times a week. He wont sell it back to me though.pshhh

haha dont you wish you gave the 91 to him =X

below says it........

my 97 blazer has about 205k i switched to mobil 1 full synthetic at about 190k, last changed my oil at 198k because i missed my 5000 mark

all original tranny/motor still going strong

My original motor is at 217,xxx and still running strong with no serious repairs having been done. The only thing that was done before i bought it was the injectors. Ive got a cold air on it now and running synthetic blend oil. Was gunna switch the full synthetic but dont know how the engine would react to that.

Thank you all for the info and advice.
I am currently in the middle of replacing the LIM gaskets again, this time with the Fel-Pro MS98002T set. Gonna try to ride this Blazer for a while longer to get $ worth that I have had to invest over the last couple of years.

mine has 173k also on a 98 model. i replaced the trans but the motor is original and still strong as the day i bought it. then it only had 135k miles.

i got 195K deff. running strong. just electrical issues but its all good. bought it with 182K about 2 months ago

My 99 S-10 Vortec, had 212,XXX when I sold it two years ago, original engine and trans (just seen it going down the road last week too :)

Current Blazer 02 LS Vortec, 156,XXX original engine and trans.

My buddys 96, just turned 260,XXX

My 2000 4WD has 104,000 on the clock. Just gave it the first tune up, #3 plug is a pain in the butt, fuel filter and serpentine belt change. Transmission was rebuilt about 5 years ago because of the plastic overdrive ring they put in them, guy replaced it with metal. New radiator recently, soon need to put new pins and bushings in the door hinges the second time, other than normal maintenance, thats all that was done to mine. Need to replace the fuel pump someday but I'm not looking forward to that.

my 97 4.3 v6 vortec and my trans have about 151-153xxx original on it. Neither been replaced and im hoping to keep it that way for at least another 100-150xxx miles.

2000
BLAZER LS 4x4 2 DOOR

107,457 miles

lookin forward to postin the build on here!!!

2000 ZR2
74k
Original plugs, wires, & cap.
Never had a tune up.
Still gets 18 mpg highway, on 35" tires with 4.56 gears.

My origional engine in my 2001 4door 4x4 had 125,000 on it when it blew last november....I had bought it with 119,000 on it. No clue how many miles the junkyard motor in it now has on it.

2005 4X4

I have 86,000 Kilometers so about 53,000 Miles.
No real problems yet just wheel bearings and U joints.
Oh, and yeah lots and lots of rusty disc break issues.

1996 4dr 4x4 LT

80k Miles =) so much more time and money to spend!!

the '97 has about 183,000 on it now. when i did a tune-up last year i checked the compression and it showed 180 on all 6! its only down a qt of oil in 4,000 miles (which is when i change it anyhow) and will get 23 highway mpg. gets about 17 combined. it does need shocks, but im amazed overall with this S-blazer.

i have a 95 with 210xxx it still running strong

I'm at 308,734kms right at the moment on my 2003 4x4

140,000 on the Blazer Vortec
196,000 on the 1500 W/T

145k on my 98

The Vortec V6 is one of the best engines GM ever made. My second (M series mini van) went 330K plus with minimal problems. My third went 230K before the rings in #1 cylinder blew. That engine used oil from the beginning....they made change in '98 - 01 that resulted in problems.

wow
 

alls i can say is wow those milages are incredible i wish i gave up on my blazer a while ago but didnt. got it 2years ago my second blazer with 111061 test drove it lookd a evthing again n again thought i was getting a steal st 1200bux...... not a steal i got robbed 4wd didnt work a week later evrything sarted leaking i washed it n paint started peeling ectect. i put quite a bit of money into it gas tank fuel pump interior windshield pads shoes wheel cylinders calipers rotors window motors oil lines radiator water pump thermostat battery(duralast gold) k&n filter and the list goes on i took a fw months to decide n save and chose to buy a new motor instead of buying new truck. i have 132000 on it now n it runs like uh a dog its horrible so taking care of a motor obviously makes a diff my motor wasnt taken care of until i got it. again wow lets see how long i can get my motor to last

mine has 222,000 still runs like new

108k i would guess its org. motor

Welp ... my '89 Blazer has 83,XXX and it's engine has 145,7xx. Engine is out of a '00 Jimmy SLE.

We bought the blazer with only 76k on the clock, but one cylinder burned oil so bad I had to clean the #2 plug every 2-3 days. Went up on the heat range as high as possible, then it was once a week. Finally installed a defouler, which fixed that issue. Burned a quart of 20W-50 in the dead of winter every 50 miles.

Bought it in a town not far from NYC, so it's been city driven presumably it's whole life .... or the mileage was rewound. Either way, it runs great now with the newer engine minus the electronics. :icon_beerchug:

About to hit 130,000

89 S15 Jimmy with about 430,000 on the vehical but close to 80K on a not so new GM Factory rebuilt longblock.