Chevrolet Express (2000-2023) firing order — diagram & guide
If you own a large US-made utility van, chances are it’s the good old Chevy Express. It’s one of the most recognizable options in this vehicle class, and it’s been in production ever since the early 2000s without changing the vehicle’s appearance too much.
However, even though it was only produced in a single generation, the Express still featured a lot of different engine options. So, this guide on the Chevy Express (2000-2023) firing order should help you get started with DIY repairs and preventing misfires and we’ll get going right away.
| EXPRESS YEARS | ENGINE | FIRING ORDER |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Gen (2000-2023) | 4.3L V6 | 1-6-5-4-3-2 |
| 5.3L V8 | 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 | |
| 2.8L diesel | 1-3-2-4 | |
| 4.8L V8 | 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 | |
| 6.0L V8 | 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 | |
| 6.6L Duramax Diesel | 1-2-7-8-4-5-6-3 |
First-generation Chevy Express (2000-2023) firing order
The fact that Chevy Express has only been produced in a single generation didn’t affect the engine options or its diversity in a bad way. Instead, drivers have quite a few different options out of which we can’t decide which one is better.
Especially in terms of reliability, almost every engine turned out to be fine, but we’ll discuss their respective firing orders to ensure you’ll maintain yours the right way.
Chevy Express 4.3L firing order
As the only optional V6 offered among the Chevy Express engines, the 4.3-liter powertrain has been available throughout the years of production. It’s one of those engines that provides the best relation between gas mileage and power, and the Chevy Express 4.3L firing order is 1-6-5-4-3-2.
The cylinder arrangement is 1, 3, and 5 on the driver’s side from front to rear, and 2, 4, and 6 on the passenger’s side from front to rear.
Chevy Express 5.3L firing order
Among the available V8 engine options, the Chevy Express features a 5.3-liter engine that proved to be one of the most reliable options. So, the Chevy Express 5.3L firing order is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 and this engine has a rather simple cylinder layout.
Like most of the Chevy V8s of that time, it has two cylinder banks, but the transverse placement means there’s one upper and one lower bank. The upper bank includes cylinders 1, 3, 5, and 7 from right to left, and the lower cylinder bank houses cylinders 2, 4, 6, and 8 from right to left as well.
Chevy Express 2.8L firing order
Up next, we have one of the most convenient engine options for utility purposes as it’s an economical 2.8-liter straight-four diesel powertrain. The Chevy Express 2.8L firing order is 1-3-2-4 and this engine is also unique for its cylinder layout.
The straight-four placement in this engine means the first cylinder is right up at the front side of the engine, and the cylinders go from 1 to 4 toward the rear.
Chevy Express 4.8L firing order
Besides the 5.3-liter V8, Chevy Express also features a 4.8-liter engine and this one has the same 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 firing order. However, the 4.8-liter engine is a longitudinal V8 so there’s a driver’s side bank with cylinders 1, 3, 5, and 7 and a passenger’s side bank with cylinders 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Chevy Express 6.0L firing order
The highest-performing engine option among Chevy Express engines is the 6.0-liter V8 and this one was used for high-towing capacity options. The Chevy Express 6.0L firing order is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 and the cylinders are arranged in the same way as for the 4.8-liter engine.
So, the driver’s side bank has cylinders 1, 3, 5, and 7, while the passenger’s side cylinders are 2, 4, 6, and 8, looking at the engine front to rear.
Chevy Express 6.6L firing order
As the final engine option that we’ll discuss in this guide, there’s the 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine. When it comes to this one, the Chevy Express 6.6L firing order is 1-2-7-8-4-5-6-3 and the cylinders are laid out in the left and the right cylinder bank.
This time, however, the first cylinder is located in the passenger’s side cylinder bank along with cylinders 3, 5, and 7. Unlike petrol engines, the driver’s side cylinder bank houses cylinders 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Our take
When it comes to Chevy Express engines, there’s no discussion as to which engine is more reliable than the other. However, even such dependable engine options require timely maintenance and proper care, so we hope you’ll be able to provide just that with this guide.
Make sure to always pay attention to the cylinder arrangement to properly use the firing order and we have no doubts you’ll be able to get what’s best for your engine this way.
