From: johnc@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU (John Cooley)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: '92 Suburban - initial impressions
Summary: Something wrong with engine or transmission?
Keywords: Suburban Chevy/GMC CK
Date: 6 Apr 92 15:12:22 GMT
Followup-To: rec.autos
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

In article <1992Apr3.200201.2851@wuecl.wustl.edu> dbr2@cec2.wustl.edu (Dhruva Bollam Reddy) writes:
>A test drive left me very impressed with this truck, except for the engine.
>What the hell were they smoking when they decided to use the same Neanderthal
>engine in an otherwise all-new vehicle?!  My parents were considering trading
>in their 1987 Suburban with the TBI 350cid engine until I told them that
>engine upgrades included nothing more than a slight power increase.  Needless
>to say, it wasn't long before they decided to hang on to the one they have
>a little longer.  Both the '87 and the '92 they had in mind are 4x4's.  BTW,
>does anyone with the same type of vehicle (or even a 2WD 'Burb) have any 
>trouble with getting the truck to stay at speed with the cruise control on?
>Where I'm from, (Northwestern Kansas), unless the transmission is kicked 
>down, I have observed the speed dropping from 65 to 47!! (Mind you, that's 
>with the cruise control activated)

It sounds as if the 4-speed automatic transmission is not dropping out of
overdrive when required.  It should be able to do this, even with the cruise
control on, since the control should be able to open the throttle sufficiently
to cause a downshift.  My Suburban lacks cruise control, but my wife's old
Eagle is perfectly capable of shifting down to 2nd gear (3-speed auto) while
the cruise is engaged.  It maintains 65 mph on the eastern plains of Colorado
without difficulty.

My Suburban is not a very good data point, since both its engine and
transmission are significantly different from those sold today.  It has a
3-speed automatic and a carbureted 350 with 4-bolt main bearings.  It will
pull a load of 6 people and sufficient gear, food and ski equipment for a
weekend up I-70 west of Denver at 60 mph.  This thing has 4WD and weighs nearly
6,000 lbs empty.

The Chevrolet 350 has a reputation as one of the best gasoline utility engines
ever made, although the 2-bolt engines of the last decade don't enjoy the
bombproof reputation of the 4-bolt engines of the 70's.  I don't want to
debate whether it actually *is* one of the best, but it seems to have done
well over the years.  It usually (there are counterexamples) lasts a long time,
and aftermarket modifications are cheap and easy to come by.  Note that the
4-bolt engines were and are different in several ways from the 2-bolt engines.
I don't know if the 4-bolt engines ever suffered from the camshaft lubrication
problems experienced by some of the 350s installed in automobiles.  We also
note that a current version of this Neanderthal engine available in the
Corvette produces 300 SAE _net_ horsepower while meeting today's emission
regulations.  Yes, it's an old design; I think it's aging well.  As installed
in the Suburban, it's rated at 210 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque.  The Magnum
318 available in Chrysler (Dodge) products is rated at 230 hp but it's a
pound or 30 short on torque, and it takes more rpms to do what it does. The 350
may be a bit small for the Suburban.  If that's important to you, go for
the 3/4 ton model and install a 454.  Still only 230 hp, but bags of torque
right off idle.  Since 65 mph with an overdrive automatic usually amounts to
about twice idle speed, this could be perfect.  And in a truck, torque is
everything.  That's why the Dodge/Cummins is so popular with the Real Truck (TM)
crowd.

The main improvement in the '92 Suburban is not the engine, in any case.  As
pointed out above, the '92 350 is the same as the '91 350 is the same as the
 '90 350 is the same as ...  The big improvements, especially for those of us
with 4WD models, are ride, wind noise, ride, interior volume,  and ride.  Oh,
and did I mention, the new 4wd model rides better?  The old ones are bouncy and
noisy.  If you buy one, it's not to go faster, it's to be more comfortable.
If you think you're going to get more power, buy a 3/4 ton 454 or save your
money for modifications to your current one.

    John Cooley
    3 miles from the nearest public road, but things are beginning to dry out -
    until the next snow storm.
Newsgroups: rec.autos