Opinions on the 2.8 V6 please

[snyder66]

I posted an S/10 on an earlier post. I'm just trying to get an idea of the the above engine and how much power it has, is it a dog? etc. Thanks

[geezer#99]

Yup. Woof! woof!!!
WAy underpowered. Good for mileage in flat country. Or as a DD. Not good for hilly country unless you enjoy shifting.
We had an 86 blazer new. Traded it for a 90 with 4.3. Way more power.

[powerdriver 1958]

Had one in an X11 citation . No fireball but run it to 226,000 before the drivers door fell off .

[Warrens69GMC]

Even GM figured out they underpowered the 2.8L V6, as they made a 3.4L "replacement engine" available for the 2.8L

http://paceperformance.com/i-6255050...te-engine.html

[OJ1988]

Yeah, swap a 3.4 in its place, and you'll be ok.

[Myself]

Good little engine when built properly. A dog in stock form. Many upgrade parts available. 3.4 stroker swap is very poipular. MPI from a third gen F-body is also a great way to gain more power. Most last about 150-200,000 miles before a rod bearing failure. You can add flat-top pistons, port the heads, a good cam, an edelbrock intake, an aftermarket carb (I had an Edelbrock 600 4 barrel on the one I had), a hot ignition, and decent exhaust, and you"" STILL get better MPG than stock & have WAY more power. There use to be a little '96 S10 SS with Vortec 4.3 and 5 speed that would try and race me every now and then and I would take him by about 1/2 car every time. Mine was an '84 S10 Blazer 4x4 with 700r4. The built little 2.8 went through 2 transmissions while I owned it lol!

[streetstar]

I think they were rated for 130hp stock for an S-10 with TBI.

Yes, they are not fast ---- but it really depends on your expectations -- they are fine if you want a mellow daily driver with decent fuel economy -- but if you want something snappy, look elsewhere. I agree with "Myself" that you can hop them up -- but with the availability of 4.3 V6's all over the place - or even a V-8, why mess with it?

My wife had one for years and never complained. She wrecked the truck so i got her another '91 with a 4.3 -- she likes it better