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how to identify a 5.3

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Old Feb 6, 2008 | 09:54 PM
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Default how to identify a 5.3

I am trying to make sure the motor I am looking at is definitley a 5.3. it is from a wrecked 2006 Tahoe and the number on the motor is 515SX6380776
is there a sure way to tell if it is a 5.3 and not a 4.8?
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 01:14 AM
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Short of tearing it down, no real way to tell. Can you see the top of a piston? Flat top=4.8, dished=5.3. Do you know what vehicle it came out of? Run the VIN

Jack
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 01:15 AM
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pull the oil pan and check the clearance from the crank to the windage tray, thats about the quickest way.
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 05:23 AM
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I think 5.3's say 5.3 on the block toward the rear, not sure, I read that, I can look at my 5.3 later,
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 06:15 AM
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Originally Posted by babydeuce
Short of tearing it down, no real way to tell. Can you see the top of a piston? Flat top=4.8, dished=5.3. Do you know what vehicle it came out of? Run the VIN

Jack
no sure way to telll what it came out of, it is suppose to come from a 2006 tahoe. the person selling it bought it from a salvage company and never used it so all i have is the motor and trans sitting on the ground. it does have the harness and ECM any clues there. if i run the ECM part number would that tell me? the motor/trans looks nice with only 50 miles on it but I want to make sure I am buying a 5.3 and not a 4.8
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 06:16 AM
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Originally Posted by spikely23
pull the oil pan and check the clearance from the crank to the windage tray, thats about the quickest way.
what are the measurements? 5.3 vs 4.8 ? thanks
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 06:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Steve68
I think 5.3's say 5.3 on the block toward the rear, not sure, I read that, I can look at my 5.3 later,
please do and let me know, someone also said the VIN is lasered on the head somewhere, is this true? that would confirm for sure
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 08:44 AM
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It actually says 4.8L/5.3L on both the front and the back. The only ways to tell are to:
Look at the tops of the pistons, as already mentioned, and
Measure the stroke of the crank, as already mentioned.
A 4.8L has a 3.268" stroke, 5.3L is a 3.622" stroke.
The difference is made up in the rod. The 5.3L has a 6.100" rod and the 4.8L has a 6.267".
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 08:51 AM
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As Schwanke said, the block is stamped 4.8/5.3 on the front and the back. GM identified them with a paint splotch on the corrosponding number, but if the motor is old/nasty/greasy, it may be hard to see.

If your certain the PCM is the original PCM with the motor, it could be read to see if it has a 4.8 or 5.3 cal inside of it, otherwise the hardware for the pcm is the same for both.
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 09:37 AM
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Originally Posted by Schwanke Engines
It actually says 4.8L/5.3L on both the front and the back. The only ways to tell are to:
Look at the tops of the pistons, as already mentioned, and
Measure the stroke of the crank, as already mentioned.
A 4.8L has a 3.268" stroke, 5.3L is a 3.622" stroke.
The difference is made up in the rod. The 5.3L has a 6.100" rod and the 4.8L has a 6.267".
thanks for the input, but please tell me where to look for 5.3 stamped on the engine. on the block or heads ?
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 10:21 AM
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It is actually cast into the block on the drivers front and the passengers rear.
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Schwanke Engines
It is actually cast into the block on the drivers front and the passengers rear.
thanks for all your info. one more question how big are the numbers cast in the block? and would I have to remove anything to see them? I have a 5.3 in a truck at work and was going to see if I could locate the marks
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 01:19 PM
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You would not be able to see them unless you take the alt/ps bracket off, or removed the trans from the back.
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 01:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Schwanke Engines
You would not be able to see them unless you take the alt/ps bracket off, or removed the trans from the back.
thanks again, it sould not be to hard to remove the alt/ps bracket considering it is out of the vehicle. would you happen to have a pic of the casting marks? I know I am asking alot.
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 02:12 PM
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Trust me, you won't miss them when you see them.
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 08:55 PM
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Default picture of casting

for those that know here is a picture of the block driverside behind the alt/ps bracket . 5.3 or 4.8 ?
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Old Feb 7, 2008 | 11:28 PM
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ive seen a few 4.8 and 5.3 engines the paint always seems to be wishy washy as to which motor it is, if u pull the pan the crank is pretty close to the windage tray on the 5.3 while the 4.8 has almost a half inch more clearance
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Old Apr 22, 2008 | 02:43 AM
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i did a little home work and found that on the 17 digit vin# (found on dash visible from windsheild) the 8th digit is the engine code, in the 1500 2wd the letter V=4.8, T=5.3 and U=6.0
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