93 crew cab 454

blatzcmac · February 20, 2004

I am looking at a 93 crew cab 4x4 auto with the 454. It has about 135,000 miles on it. What kind of gas mileage would I get from this? How well do the pre vortec engines last? The only thing that I could tell that was replaced was the water pump and maybe the vavle covers unless it came stock with writing on it saying 454. The thing runs real good, there is no mufflers on it, it is just staright dual pipes. What are the main things I should look at on this truck before buying it, if I think it is good enough, I will have it inspected. Thanks

R Dogg 56 · February 20, 2004

First off, Welcome! Stick around, you may learn something.

Second, good luck with the truck should you get it. Those trucks will last a long time if properly taken care of. Of course the same can be said of almost all vehicles.

Third, 1993 Chevy K3500 CC 454/4L80 (I think)=a great truck to work with (of course, some may say to dump it for the NV3500, but that's them ).

Let's see.... you have the pre-Vortec V8, right? The Tonawanda 454 if I'm not mistaken. I think the valve covers on all 454's had "454" on them, so they are most likely stock. As far as gas milage goes, well..... there isn't much , especially under load. You'll probably see around 7-11 MPG empty, and possibly 5-10 loaded, although it may be higher than that. As far as other things to check, I'm not sure on anything specific to look for, but i would definetly give it a careful inspection, especially the drivetrain for leaks or cracks in the manifold, trans, the diffs, and the exhaust. If you're uncertain about what else to look for then yes, take it to a certified vehicle inspector (aka Mechanic ) and have them give a better check. And of course, if there's anything else you want to know, use the "Search" function on the board, or post a question to the board, and youll find an answer real soon.

Hope that helps. And Welcome once again!

blatzcmac · February 20, 2004

is there any good way to get more mpg out of the 454's?

LikeaRock14 · February 20, 2004

I know this may be hard to believe, but I actually gained mileage with my 454. I've got a 2000 Crew cab long bed (old body style of course), 3500. It ain't a dually but thank god, I'd have knocked down every pole in town by now with my luck! .

Anyways, I actually gained mileage of of mine. 2 yrs ago I installed 70 series Flowmasters on it (3" si/so), and I noticed closed to a full mpg difference while towing amazingly. Later that year came a K&N intake. Right after that, I made about a 200 mile trip, and when I calculated the mileage, I WAS RIGHT THERE AT 15 MPG!!!!! I couldn;t believe it!!!! Out of that truck w/ that mototr? No one believed me at first, but d**n it made a difference! Following spring finally came the ecu chip to finish the whole shebang off for now. I didn't notice a big increase while daily driving or freeway speeds, but towing I gained about 1.4 mpg overall. That mpg makes a hell of a difference though. Even before I had these few mods done to my truck, I averaged around 12-13 freeway, 10 towing. Town, eh about 11 mpg. I don't know if it's because the newer 454 Vortec's breath better or are more efficient or what, but I noticed an improvement right away. A friend of mine has a 99 2500, reg. cab 454, he had 50 series Flows installed on his, he noticed about a 1.5 mpg increase overall. I was honestly amazed that I could gain that much off of exhaust and such, since I was mainly looking for more power and that awesome sound. But the way I drive it around town on some days, we all know where gas goes then

R Dogg 56 · February 21, 2004

I know this may be hard to believe, but I actually gained mileage with my 454. Anyways, I actually gained mileage of of mine. 2 yrs ago I installed 70 series Flowmasters on it (3" si/so), and I noticed closed to a full mpg difference while towing amazingly. Later that year came a K&N intake. Right after that, I made about a 200 mile trip, and when I calculated the mileage, I WAS RIGHT THERE AT 15 MPG!!!!! Following spring finally came the ecu chip to finish the whole shebang off for now. I didn't notice a big increase while daily driving or freeway speeds, but towing I gained about 1.4 mpg overall. That mpg makes a hell of a difference though. Even before I had these few mods done to my truck, I averaged around 12-13 freeway, 10 towing. Town, eh about 11 mpg. I don't know if it's because the newer 454 Vortec's breath better or are more efficient or what, but I noticed an improvement right away. A friend of mine has a 99 2500, reg. cab 454, he had 50 series Flows installed on his, he noticed about a 1.5 mpg increase overall.

Yes, with mods like those it is possible to raise MPG and not lose low-end power. I'm not sure if the numbers I quoted are right, but they may be a little higher for the 93's. The newer Vortec 454s do get an increase in MPG later on, but it's not extreme by any means. Still, if you can get those 7.4's to crank out the power and torque and sip the fuel like those goofy hybrid cars, then more power to you.