1990-1998 Chevrolet C/K Pickup: Technical Specifications

At introduction, base engine for the C/K 1500 and 2500 was a 160-horsepower, 4.3-liter V6. A heavy-duty version with five fewer horsepower went into C/K 2500 models rated at 8600 pounds GVW. Options included 5.0- and 5.7-liter gasoline V8s, rated 175 and 210 horsepower, respectively, plus a 6.2-liter diesel V8 that developed 140-150 horsepower. Also optional was the big 7.4-liter gas V8, making 230 horsepower. A more potent variant of the 7.4 went into the 454 SS muscle truck, which was discontinued in 1994. Each engine was available with either manual shift or an automatic transmission. Gas engines had a 5-speed manual, except the H.D. 4.3-liter, which got a 4-speed. So did diesel trucks. By 1991, 3-speed automatics were gone; all were 4-speed. All 4-wheel-drive models used Insta-Trac, an on-demand, part-time 4WD system. 4WD trucks had shift-on-the-fly capability and automatic-locking hubs. Four-speed manual gearboxes departed in 1992, when a 190-horsepower turbodiesel V8 debuted for heavy-duty use. A 155-horsepower, 6.5-liter diesel replaced the 6.2-liter in 1994. Two years later the normally aspirated engine was replaced with a new 6.5 turbodiesel with 180 horsepower. In fact, engine outputs for all C/K engines rose sharply in 1996. The 4.3-liter V6 now made 200 horsepower (up 40), helped by sequential fuel injection. The 5.0-liter V8 added 45 horsepower (now 220). The 5.7-liter V8 gained 50 (rated at 250), while the heavy-duty 5.7 rose to 245 horsepower (up 65). A compression boost helped add 60 horses to the 7.4 V8 (now 290 bhp). For 1997, power outputs for the smaller V8s were bumped again--to 230 horsepower for the 5.0-liter and 255 horsepower for 5.7-liter--resulting in slightly lower fuel economy.