OK.....I'm a new burb owner....okok I bought it used but it's still my first burb.....it's a 94 2500....clean vehicle.....no leaks....oil change every 1500 miles(bought from a friend and insists on it being changed every 1500 miles and with valvoline synthetic nontheless)......and power flush done with the transmission system every 50 thousand miles.....all miles are highway with not much mountains or hills(he's that boring considering it's a 4X4 and he lives in Utah).....the 4X4 was just a image thing for him.....he even washed the under side everyday during winter to get the salt off from the road......LOL....anyway with all that being said, how long would I expect the engine to go if it has 135,000 miles on it? It's a 7.4 Liter 454. Someone told me it should go at least 250,000 miles before it even begines to get tired if it's kept in good condition. If that's the case, then I'm stoked!!!.....I only paid $3,800 for it. Only 3 things seem to be wrong with it and they are not engine or drive train issues. One is the brake light is still lit even though I released the ebrake, dome lights dont come on when the door is opened.....the indicatoer linkage is not working but I know which gear I'm shifted into anyway. But that's it. I will be using this beast in 3 onths to bring back my 72 GMC from Cali......So I want to get it in shape for that. Should I do the K&N filter thing as well as Lucas for the trans mission and engine? Any advice for a high milage engine like this is usefull to me. Thanks.

It should be in great shape! I have owned several gm cars and trucks with over 100k! some with over 200k!

My neighbor had 160k on the original 350 in his 94 1500 burb when he traded it in. The tranny went out at 145k but the motor was still strong to the day he got rid of it. No doubt it would have made it to 200k with all the maintenance done.

Mike

I have 200,000+ on my 91 silverado and the motor runs fine. I am looking at a motor change, just to get more horsepower, but the original does not use a lot of oil and it has great acceleration, still. The replacement motor will be a TPI, vortec motor with an aftermarket computer.

Vehichle life is similar to relationship life, it depends how you treat them. At work we drive cargo vans, I drive 90,000 klicks a year. Mostly highway. I change my synthetic oil once a month, like clockwork. Other maintanece intervals are observed too. Figure my van should be good for about 500,000 klicks (300,000 miles? ) before we sell it. If the next owner maintains it it could last a lot longer still. But I treat it like my lifeboat, which with our winters it is. With regular maintenence, timely repair, and a little respect other than rust a car/ truck should last almost indefinatly. But if you treat them bad and neglect them they can let you down. But things do wear out.

My 93 dually with the 7.4L in it had about 190,000 on it when the engine was rebuilt. But this truck pulled a 5th wheel camper for most of its life. The truck now has almost 220,000 on it. Transmission went out about 209,000 or so.

In my opinion, American vehicles it is rare to see 200,000 without major engine or transmission. 150,000 is about the stage where things start to fall apart. By 200,000 rebuilds are usually in order.

Like I said, just my opinion. I know that there are exceptions out there all over. Just my experience with GM.

I have 280 on mine, and my buddy is over a half million and just last year replaced the tranny. You've got a great truck Treat her well!

anyway with all that being said, how long would I expect the engine to go if it has 135,000 miles on it? It's a 7.4 Liter 454. Someone told me it should go at least 250,000 miles before it even begines to get tired if it's kept in good condition. If that's the case, then I'm stoked!!!.....I only paid $3,800 for it.

If you keep up doing what has been done to it, there is no reason not to double the mileage that is already on there. And with those being highway miles is another plus. Sounds like you got a great deal. Now for your problems:

One is the brake light is still lit even though I released the ebrake,

On the brake box...the long thin box underneath the master cylinder under the hood....unplug this box, turn the key on for a few seconds, shut the key back off, plug the box back in. This should reset it and take care of the problem. This I was told by a GM mechanic as to how they remedy the problem at the dealers.

dome lights dont come on when the door is opened

Check all of the fuses. Don't go by looks alone on the fuse. Either check it with a cheap ohm meter or replace it if in doubt. See what else that fuse works in conjunction with and see it everything else operates as should. If the fuse does not do the trick, then start tracing back from a domelight to the fuse box, checking wiores with an ohm meter. BTW...if you do not have an ohm meter, you can pick up one for around $10 at any hardware store or even WallyWorld. An ohm meter is a very valuable, inexpensive necessity for the toolbox.

the indicatoer linkage is not working but I know which gear I'm shifted into anyway.

The indicator needle runs off of a string. Pull the gauge cluster out of the dash and see if the string is broken or just come unhooked. If it is unhooked you will have to reconnect it. If it is broken then you will have to get another.

Hope this helps fix some of your problems.

Kevin

Engine life is determined by care and use. Change the oil on a regular basis, many choose 2 to 3 thousnad miles as a point of reference. Use a quality oil and filters. Many people use "Snake Oils", I happen to be one of them. I use a friction reducer additive in my engines. I had an engine crankshaft break a few years ago (the crank had a flaw in the shaft (right behind the timing chain gear) and when I broke the motor down, there was very little wear on the timing chain, timing chain gears (no wear hooks on the teeth), cylinder walls (no ring edge to speak of), and the valve guides and seal were in really good shape. This engine had around 150,000 miles on it, and I attribute the mileage conditions on the "Energy Release" brand of friction reducer that I use. I have seen this stuff used in a manufacturing arena and it is phenominal in it's function. The "Lucas" oil has a great reputation and is a good idea to use.

Things to consider on an engine with 100,00 miles plus on it. You can see some change in acceleration, due to a drop in compression (it WILL happen as time goes on), oil consumption will go up slowly, the valve seal will harden inside the motor (heat will do this in time, there is no getting around it) The main seal will leak sooner or later. We all expecct to change the required items (alternators, water pumps, and starters), but we hate to change anything else. If one changes the valve guide seals, then the top end is tight and the rings can get a little leakby due to the valve guides being tight.

The engines in the late-eighties and early nineties trucks are of a lower horsepower and this seems to be the one thing that is giving a longer lifetime to them. They all stand up well, and the only item in them that is really prone to failure is the camshaft.

my 93 k-1500 just rolled over 337,000 miles. The tranny finally died (can't blame it one bit), but the engine is still running strong. as long as you take care of it, these motors can run forever.