6 photos — tap any to enlarge
Remanufactured Chevrolet 4.3L V6 Engine - Blazer (Full-Size), C, K Series Trucks, Express Vans, P Series, S, T Series (Pickup, Blazer); GMC C, K Series Trucks, Jimmy (Full-Size), P Series, S, T Series (Pickup, Jimmy, Sonoma), Savana Vans
4.3L · V6 · Part VCK92WD
Request a quote
We'll confirm availability and your price on this remanufactured engine — warrantied, with a refundable core.
Call for availability
4-year no-fault nationwide warranty — includedOn gas engines in non-commercial use, at no extra charge. The builder’s standard cover is 3 years, parts only. Every gas engine we sell includes the 4-year no-fault warranty with labour, at no extra charge.
- “No fault” means we do not investigate why it failed — if a covered engine fails inside the term, it is covered.
- Labour is paid up to CAD $95.00 per hour — a cap on the rate, not a flat payout — and only for the remove-and-replace hours in the Mitchell labour guide. Diagnostic time is covered up to 2 hours, and fluids up to CAD $200.00. Towing and a rental car are not covered. Anything not listed here needs to be agreed with us before the work starts.
- The 4 years start the day the engine is installed, and a claim needs proof that a professional shop installed it.
- Unlimited kilometres, and no deductible.
- Call us before any warranty work starts, so we can authorise it. Labour paid on a repair we were not asked about first is not covered.
- A claim starts with a call to us. We file it with the manufacturer, and the manufacturer pays it.
Diesel engines, and engines put into commercial service, are not covered by this 4-year warranty — the terms vary by engine, so call us for the terms on the unit you’re pricing.
Fits
- Chevrolet Blazer (Full-Size), C, K Series Trucks, Express Vans, P Series, S, T Series (Pickup, Blazer) 1996–1999 · 4.3L V6
Not sure it fits? Call (780) 473-2424 with your VIN and we'll confirm.
4-year warranty included
Refundable core
Ships Canada-wide
Engine guide
GM Vortec 4300 (4.3L V6)
Also known as: Chevy 4.3 V6, Vortec 4300, 262 V6, Chevrolet 90-degree V6
Overview & history
The Vortec 4300 is GM's 4.3-liter, 90-degree V6 — essentially a Chevrolet 350 small-block V8 with the number three and six cylinders removed. Introduced for 1985 to replace the 229 cubic-inch V6, it shares the 350's 4.00-inch bore and 3.48-inch stroke along with pistons, bearings, and much of the gasket set, which is a big reason it became the default workhorse V6 in GM trucks and vans for three decades. It was also the first GM engine to wear the Vortec name, coined from the 'vortex' swirl its combustion chambers create for better air-fuel mixing. Built in Romulus, Michigan, the 4300 evolved steadily: carburetors gave way to throttle-body injection in the mid-1980s, central port injection and a vibration-quelling balance shaft arrived in 1992, higher-flow Vortec heads appeared for 1996, and a final multi-port-injected version (LU3/LG3) carried the family until the last engines were built in 2014. Nearly every compact and full-size GM truck, SUV, and van of the era offered one, so parts support is excellent and the platform is thoroughly understood. Our remanufactured 4.3 line covers applications from 1985 through 2014, including the L35 and LU3 versions found in most of these trucks.
Specs & engineering
- •Cast-iron block and cylinder heads; 262 cu in (4.3 L) 90-degree V6 with a single in-block camshaft, pushrods, and two valves per cylinder
- •Direct small-block V8 derivative: same 4.00-in bore and 3.48-in stroke as the 350, sharing main bearings, cam bearings, pistons, and many gaskets
- •Counter-rotating balance shaft added in 1992 to tame the shake inherent to a 90-degree V6
- •1985 engines used a two-piece rear main seal and flat-tappet cam; 1986 switched to a one-piece rear main seal — a key interchange point when matching a replacement block
- •Fuel system evolution: carburetor (LB1), then throttle-body injection (LB4), central port injection (L35, 1992), central sequential 'spider' injection with Vortec heads (1996), and finally true multi-port injection (LU3/LG3)
- •1996 Vortec heads brought larger ports and deleted the exhaust crossover for noticeably better breathing
- •Output ranged from about 130 hp in early TBI trim to roughly 190-200 hp and 250-260 lb-ft in CPI and later multi-port versions
- •Distributor ignition through the entire run keeps tune-up parts cheap and service straightforward
Generations & variants
- •LB1 (1985-1986) — carbureted launch version, 155 hp, full-size trucks and vans
- •LB4 (1985-1995) — throttle-body-injected base engine, 130-160 hp, in compact and full-size trucks, vans, and mid-1980s cars (Caprice, Monte Carlo, El Camino)
- •L35 'W-code' (1992-1995) — central port injection (CPI) plus the new balance shaft, about 200 hp
- •LF6 and Vortec L35 (1996-2002) — central sequential 'spider' injection (CSFI) with higher-flow Vortec heads, 180-200 hp
- •LU3 / LG3 (2002-2014) — final multi-port-injected version; base engine in Silverado/Sierra through 2013 and Express/Savana vans through 2014
- •Turbocharged 4.3 (1991-1993) — 280 hp intercooled turbo built for the GMC Syclone and Typhoon
- •Marine 4.3 — MerCruiser and Volvo Penta sterndrive versions sold for decades alongside the truck engine
- •Not this family: the 2014+ EcoTec3 4.3 (LV3/LV1) is an all-new aluminum Gen V design that only shares the displacement
Vehicles it powered
- •Chevrolet S-10 / GMC S-15 & Sonoma (1988-2004)
- •Chevrolet S-10 Blazer / GMC Jimmy (1988-2005)
- •Chevrolet Astro / GMC Safari (1985-2005)
- •Chevrolet C/K 1500-3500 (1985-1998)
- •Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra 1500 (1999-2013)
- •Chevrolet Express / GMC Savana (1996-2014)
- •GMC Syclone (1991)
- •GMC Typhoon (1992-1993)
- •Oldsmobile Bravada (1991-2001)
- •Chevrolet Caprice (1985-1993)
- •Chevrolet El Camino / GMC Caballero (1985-1987)
- •Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1985-1988)
- •Isuzu Hombre (1996-2000)
Casting numbers
| 14071177 | 1985 block — two-piece rear main seal, flat-tappet cam |
| 14088553 | 1986 block — first one-piece rear main seal design |
| 10105867 | 1987-1994 non-balance-shaft block (also seen as 10172756, 14099073) |
| 10224534 | 1993-1994 balance-shaft block (companion casting 10224535) |
| 14099090 | 1996-1998 block with added structural reinforcing ribs |
| 14079248 | 1985-1986 cylinder head |
| 10235772 | 1996-1998 Vortec cylinder head ('772') — larger ports, no exhaust crossover |
Known issues & fixes
Intake manifold gasket coolant leaks
What to watch for: Slow coolant loss with no visible puddles, a faint sweet smell after shutdown, or tan sludge on the oil cap.
The fix: Replace with the updated metal-framed gaskets and follow the factory torque sequence — an afternoon job and cheap insurance on any high-mileage 4.3.
CPI/CSFI 'spider' fuel injector failure (1992-2002)
What to watch for: Long cranking, hard hot starts, rough running, fuel odor, or fuel pressure that bleeds down quickly with the key off.
The fix: GM's updated multi-port (MPFI) spider kit drops in under the upper intake and replaces the troublesome poppet design outright — the standard fix, and worth doing any time the upper intake is off.
Fuel pressure regulator leaking inside the plenum
What to watch for: Rich running, black exhaust smoke, poor fuel economy, and hard starts with no external fuel leak visible.
The fix: The regulator sits on the spider assembly inside the intake; replace it together with the spider since you're already in there.
Distributor cap and rotor corrosion
What to watch for: Damp-morning misfires, stumbling under load, or a crank-no-start after a rainy night.
The fix: Cap and rotor are inexpensive and take minutes to change — make them part of routine tune-ups, especially in wet climates.
Did you know?
- ★The turbocharged 4.3 made the 1991 GMC Syclone the quickest truck of its day — in a famous 1991 Car and Driver test it out-dragged a Ferrari 348 through the quarter-mile, 14.1 seconds to 14.5.
- ★It was the first GM engine ever badged 'Vortec,' a name coined from the vortex swirl in its combustion chambers that later spread across GM's entire truck-engine lineup.
- ★Boaters know this engine as well as truck owners do — the 4.3 powered MerCruiser and Volvo Penta sterndrives for decades, making it one of the most common sterndrive marine engines ever built.
- ★Because it's three-quarters of a 350, plenty of small-block speed parts carry over, giving the 4.3 a loyal following in circle-track and mud racing.