I'm trying to help my dad find a used 3/4 ton pickup. He doesn't want a diesel. And its not his daily driver. Maybe 1/2 time use. He's retired and does alot of home projects and needs something to haul decent loads from the lumber yard. His daily driver is a 2008 Accord. :(

Anyhow I found him a superb, near top condition, 1998 GMC 2500 heavy duty extended cab long bed 4x4. Its a 5.7L auto. 4L80E I'm assuming.

Is the 5.7L of that year a solid and reliable engine? I know its not a towing powerhouse. But he doesn't tow and just wants a reliable platform thats going to last. It has 107,000 miles...but you simply can't tell. I looks new. Even the seats look like they've never been sat in and the bed has 1 tiny dent. The bed paint shines with no real scratches. Its a real gem but he's worried about the miles on the 350.

That will work just fine for what he needs. The 5.7L is the classic 350 small block that is fuel injected and has the vortec heads after 1996 IIRC. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Anyway I don't see the mileage as a big deal for all he will ever use it for.

Don't worry about the engine in that truck, they are very good and have allot of low end torque. My uncle has a 97 1500Hd with over 270,000 miles on it. It still gets 18mpg and he changes the Amsoil out every 18,000-20,000 miles since new. He just put a plow on it last winter, LOL!

Good solid engine and a solid truck for what you describe. They have just a few issues with them, but no more than any others. The fuel injection unit that came on it stock was pretty piss poor and would give issues, but it is upgradeable. Also fuel pumps can be a weak point if you run the ones from AUTOZONE or ADVANCED. And the idler and pitman arms in the front end tend to go out at about 125K miles. Other than that great trucks, and all things considered they are pretty trouble free.

Solid truck/engine. Currently, I have 9 of those (97-99) in my fleet, 2 over 150k, 6 over the 200 mark and one with over 320k. :eek: ALL worked at 100% load from the get go, non with engine problems or tranny rebuilds. :)

I used to have one and I know of at least 5 around here that have almost 300,000 on the engine. Your probably going to be putting a fuel pump in it down the road. The most common problem they had was intake gaskets leaking coolant. Other than that very reliable long lasting trucks.

I will vouch for those being reliable trucks also. I used to have a '96 Z71 with the 5.7L with 160K miles on it.

Still towed 4 quads on a 20ft. flatbed trailer to the desert until I sold it. Wouldn't even hesitate driving it across country. Sounds like a good find, and I am sure it will be a reliable truck for your dad.

If it was maintained it still has a lot of life left in it.

Great engine/truck. Our 97 Suburban has 170,000 and never has had the valve covers off. My dad had an 89 with the 350 and it made it to 269,000 miles until the tranny messed up and it wasn't worth it to fix it. It never had the valve covers off and was still running strong. GO FOR IT!!!!!

Intake gasket. You will smell the antifreeze when leaking.
I have 3 in my fleet with 150 to 200k thats about the only problem.

Would this automatic truck have a 4L80E trans behind the 350? Or was there the possibility of a weaker trans?

Its got the 4l80.

We've got a 98 1500 w/ 5.7, it's got 162k on it and it's still runnin strong. On the last trip I took it on was from a motocross race last summer by Duluth, MN to my house which was 160 miles and ran 70-75 mph with the AC on and off every once in a while and got 16 mpg, just my bike in the back, no trailer.

Good rigs, get the DEXCOOL out if applicable. I've replaced lots of coolant fittings and water pumps on DEXCOOL equipped 350s, with under 75K on the clock. Other than that, they are fairly bulletproof. C'mon, it's a 350;)

I love mine and just rolled over 213k miles. 5.7L with a 4L80E, bulletproof combo. Biggest issues are the intake gaskets, poppet injectors clogging, and worn distributor gears. You can upgrade from the poppet style injectors for about $320 and a couple hours of your time (just did this to mine).

My family had two '97 5.7L. One in a 1500 and one in a Tahoe. Both were great engines. The half-ton went 120,000 with nothing but a bad alternator before we sold it. Nothing wrong with the Tahoe either before we moved up to an '02 with the 5.3L. We missed the 5.7L in the new Tahoe.