# GM 5.3 Rebuild, Reman or New?



## awstapp (Apr 15, 2020)

Id like to get some opinions, advice or pros/cons....I’ve got an 06 GMC C/C Z71 290k miles. Engine still runs decent for its mileage and age, but will need to be rebuilt/replaced before too long.  I’m trying to decide which route to go. Anyone replaced or rebuilt one of the 5.3’s?


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## gma1320 (Apr 16, 2020)

awstapp said:


> Id like to get some opinions, advice or pros/cons....I’ve got an 06 GMC C/C Z71 290k miles. Engine still runs decent for its mileage and age, but will need to be rebuilt/replaced before too long.  I’m trying to decide which route to go. Anyone replaced or rebuilt one of the 5.3’s?


If you have a good machine shop to use, rebuild it. Sometimes the quality control on the remanufactured stuff is questionable.  If you go the remanufactured route try to get a jasper engine.


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## Redbow (Apr 16, 2020)

A salvage yard might have a good used 5.3 with pretty low mileage...


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## K80Shooter (Apr 16, 2020)

I'm fixing to order one for a 2008 5.3. It will be a GM Goodwrench reman. Mine is a LY5 and I cant seem to find a decent one at a salvage yard, they are all high mileage. I think they carry a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty. The price I got is better than the jasper engines.


Make sure to get the right engine. Just any 5.3 will not work. Look it up by vin. number to get the correct one.

If I still had access to everything that I used to I'd just rebuild it myself.


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## awstapp (Apr 16, 2020)

K80Shooter said:


> I'm fixing to order one for a 2008 5.3. It will be a GM Goodwrench reman. Mine is a LY5 and I cant seem to find a decent one at a salvage yard, they are all high mileage. I think they carry a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty. The price I got is better than the jasper engines.
> 
> 
> Make sure to get the right engine. Just any 5.3 will not work. Look it up by vin. number to get the correct one.
> ...




Are you ordering from a local dealer? Does your price that you've been quoted differ from whats posted GM's website??


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## transfixer (Apr 17, 2020)

If there is a "good" machine shop in your area , and you're going to do the work yourself,  then I'd say rebuild it,   if you buy an engine I'd stay away from Jasper,  as someone else said,  a GM engine will probably be cheaper anyway,  Jasper does not have a good reputation in the real world,  with shops that have tried using them in the past.


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## K80Shooter (Apr 17, 2020)

I will not be ordering from a local dealer unless they will match the price I got from another dealer which includes free shipping. I did get a quote from a local dealer and his price was not even close. You do need to be aware that there is a 2,500.00 core charge but it will be refunded once the core is returned. Your old core must not be locked down and be rebuildable. You stated it is running so you should be good to go.

I'll shoot you a pm with the dealer info.

Call with your serial # to get an exact quote, confirm the free shipping as it may only apply to certain engines. I was told when I had the old engine ready to return to call them and they would send a truck for return shipping.


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## Redbow (Apr 17, 2020)

See what Jegs has to offer they don't usually need a core for rebuild and often have free shipping..


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## Raylander (Apr 17, 2020)

Might check out Pace Performance. I bought a 5.7L there 2 years back


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## transfixer (Apr 17, 2020)

If you aren't going to do the work yourself,  you might check with a reputable shop in your area, most established shops can buy an engine or transmission from GM much cheaper than an individual can, and if something goes wrong under warranty GM usually has no problem honoring the warranty if a shop does the work,  not so much if an individual does it,,  unless they are a professional tech. 

   Jasper by the way ,  looks for any way possible to get out of warrantying their stuff,   they will make shops jump through hoops proving everything was done correctly,   most professional techs do not like Jasper.


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## Redbow (Apr 19, 2020)

Never would I even consider a Jasper engine. A neighbor bought a Jasper for his Ford pickup about 3 years ago,nothing but junk and they would not stand behind their warranty. Jasper kept telling my neighbor that O'Riley's Auto Parts was responsible for the warranty not them. O'Riley's told my neighbor they were not responsible for the warranty Jasper was. Anyway he never got the issue settled his money gone and no replacement engine just left with the junk Jasper motor that came apart on him...


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## awstapp (Apr 19, 2020)

Redbow said:


> Never would I even consider a Jasper engine. A neighbor bought a Jasper for his Ford pickup about 3 years ago,nothing but junk and they would not stand behind their warranty. Jasper kept telling my neighbor that O'Riley's Auto Parts was responsible for the warranty not them. O'Riley's told my neighbor they were not responsible for the warranty Jasper was. Anyway he never got the issue settled his money gone and no replacement engine just left with the junk Jasper motor that came apart on him...


Wow. Good info


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## DAVE (Apr 19, 2020)

I have been installing Jasper products for a long time. I have installed approx. 30 Jasper engines and around 70 transmissions and a few rear differentials. Out of all those jobs I had 1 engine with a front crankshaft seal leak, I replaced seal and Jasper paid me with no questions asked, 1 transmission with a front pump seal leak which Jasper sent me another transmission and paid me to install with no questions asked, another transmission which lost reverse after 40,000 miles, they sent me a new transmission and paid me to install, 1 rear differential which pinion bearing went out at 20,000 miles, they sent me a complete rear axle assembly and paid me to install, again no questions asked, 1 Toyota engine in 4X4 with young driver who I believe drove into high water which broke a rod after about 8000 miles, I called Jasper and told them I suspected driver abuse, they sent me a new engine and paid me to install,no questions asked. I am just one installer who has seen Jasper provide excellent service and warranties without hassle.


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## DAVE (Apr 19, 2020)

Redbow,  From what I understand Jasper's warranty applies to professional ASE installers and that is who they sell to, of course I know nothing about the transaction but I suspect your friend had a friend at O'reillys that ordered it for him trying to save a few bucks and had it delivered to an O'reillys location because Jasper won't deliver to a residential address. O'reillys sells their own reman transmissions from different builders and it does not make any sense that a corporation with it's own suppliers would buy from outside vendors. I don't claim to have any knowledge about your friends transaction but I suspect there was some deception going on with the purchase for Jasper not to honor their warranty. How did O'reillys get dragged into a transaction with Jasper, who deals with installers only? Jasper's warranty cards have the name and phone # of installer, any ASE shop can handle the warranty as long as it was installed by professional ASE shop. Jasper has on file installer who bought it, miles when installed and date.


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## transfixer (Apr 20, 2020)

DAVE said:


> I have been installing Jasper products for a long time. I have installed approx. 30 Jasper engines and around 70 transmissions and a few rear differentials. Out of all those jobs I had 1 engine with a front crankshaft seal leak, I replaced seal and Jasper paid me with no questions asked, 1 transmission with a front pump seal leak which Jasper sent me another transmission and paid me to install with no questions asked, another transmission which lost reverse after 40,000 miles, they sent me a new transmission and paid me to install, 1 rear differential which pinion bearing went out at 20,000 miles, they sent me a complete rear axle assembly and paid me to install, again no questions asked, 1 Toyota engine in 4X4 with young driver who I believe drove into high water which broke a rod after about 8000 miles, I called Jasper and told them I suspected driver abuse, they sent me a new engine and paid me to install,no questions asked. I am just one installer who has seen Jasper provide excellent service and warranties without hassle.



   Consider yourself fortunate,  I do piece meal transmission building for a number of ASE shops around my area,   one in particular does fleet work for a company whose trucks run all around the southeast,  they want a warranty good in other states,  so the shop owner tried buying 6L80e units from Jasper because their warranty is good in other states,    over a period of 6months he installed 3 different transmssions from Jasper in one vehicle,   only to have each one fail, Jasper did pay him to RnR the first two, but they only pay a reduced labor rate,  the third they balked, they finally did send another unit,  which didn't leave the rack, due to a faulty TECHM  (computer)  in the transmission,  the shop owner was by now obviously fed up,  and purchased a GM transmission from the dealer,  which by the way was only $2300 and change,    Jasper was charging him over $2700 for a 6L80e,     it took him 3 or 4 months to get reimbursed for the last RnR .  

   I've personally torn down and inspected failed Jasper transmissions,   they reuse hard parts that I personally would never use,  not to mention their units are NOT assembled by skilled personnel,  only by $10 an hour workers they trained to put this piece in there and then this piece next.  

   I wouldn't trust a Jasper transmission to go out of town,   and for the prices they charge you might as well buy one from a Dealership parts dept,  many times they are cheaper than Jasper.


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## Redbow (Apr 20, 2020)

My neighbor who had his Jasper Ford engine to fail tore it down and the head on the left side of the engine had been welded where it cracked probably on a previous engine..Jasper installed the faulty head anyway and that's where the damage was done. The weld failed and the engine dropped a valve or so after about 3 thousand miles of usage. I'm surprised it held together for that long. That's why I said I would never buy a Jasper engine and after being promised a warranty none was honored either by Jasper or O'Reilly's Auto Parts..


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## nc dawg (Apr 21, 2020)

I bought a 01 1500hd Chev in 02, drove it like I stole it,pulled camper all over the place. When it got around 240k it developed a cam bearing issue nocking/smoking caring on so I knew he rest of the trk was good so we decided to keep it. Had a ASE shop do a turn key job on a Jasper 6.2 for 5k,two days later back rolling.traded it in sept of 17 with 305k on it..not one issue whatsoever. Good luck with whatever decision you make.


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## Redbow (Apr 21, 2020)

I bought a 5.7 GM crate motor  in 1999 from a local dealer its a 350 engine and installed it myself in my '86 Chevrolet c-10. Its still humming today after 19 years of use..GM gave me in writing a 50,000 mile warranty or 3 years whichever came first they did not care who did the work installing the new engine. I paid $1360 for the new 350...A local rebuilt one was right at $1200 bucks. You can still buy the 350 crate engines from GM and they are not really that high. Saw one from Jegs last year for $1499, not too bad an increase after almost 20 years, and that's a long block like the one I bought in '99..


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## transfixer (Apr 21, 2020)

Redbow said:


> I bought a 5.7 GM crate motor  in 1999 from a local dealer its a 350 engine and installed it myself in my '86 Chevrolet c-10. Its still humming today after 19 years of use..GM gave me in writing a 50,000 mile warranty or 3 years whichever came first they did not care who did the work installing the new engine. I paid $1360 for the new 350...A local rebuilt one was right at $1200 bucks. You can still buy the 350 crate engines from GM and they are not really that high. Saw one from Jegs last year for $1499, not too bad an increase after almost 20 years, and that's a long block like the one I bought in '99..



  I believe the 5.3's and 6.0's are more expensive than the 350's are,   but still a much better deal than any reman out there,   Better quality components,  better warranty,  GM doesn't have to pay salesmen to go around to repair shops trying to talk them into using their reman engines,   they sell themselves,   I've seen Jasper sales guys go around for years in different shops I've worked at,  trying to talk the owner into using them,


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## K80Shooter (Apr 21, 2020)

Yeah, the 5.3's are a good bit higher. The one I'm getting has the oil pan and valve covers installed and it's over 3,000.00


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