The GMC Savana is the same full-size van as the Chevrolet Express under a different badge, and it shares the engine range. Of the 290 Savana engines we list, covering model years 1996 to 2018, 49 are CNG and 26 are LPG - 75 units, 26% of the group, that were never built to run on petrol. That is the number worth knowing before you order, because a gaseous-fuel engine and a petrol engine of the same displacement are different parts, and a van that spent its first life in a fleet is a realistic candidate for one.
Why fuel matters more than displacement on this van
A CNG or LPG engine is not a petrol engine with different plumbing. Gaseous fuel burns dry - there is no liquid petrol wetting the valve seats and carrying heat out of them - so these engines were built with hardened valves and hardened valve seats to survive it. The fuel system has nothing in common with a petrol rail either: no liquid injectors, no returnless rail, and induction hardware specific to the fuel. Putting a petrol 6.0L where a gaseous-fuel 6.0L came out is not a fuel-line job. On the GM 6.0L the eighth character of the VIN separates them - B is the gaseous-fuel LC8 unit. The GM 6.0L V8 engine guide covers that identification in full.
GMC Savana used engines - the six largest displacement groups
| Displacement |
Listings |
Where it sits in the range |
| 6.0L V8 |
107 |
The volume engine, and where the CNG and LPG units are concentrated |
| 4.3L V6 |
47 |
The base engine on the lighter vans |
| 4.8L V8 |
30 |
The smaller of the modern V8 pair |
| 5.7L V8 |
28 |
The older small-block, earlier model years |
| 6.6L V8 |
26 |
Duramax diesel displacement |
| 5.3L V8 |
16 |
Less common in the van than in the pickups |
Those are the six largest groups rather than the whole range. The rest of the 290 sits outside them: the 5.0L and 7.4L listings from the earlier years, the 8.1L of 2001 and 2002, the 6.5L turbo diesel, and the 2.8L Duramax four of 2017 and 2018.
Fuel split across the 290 listings
-
CNG - 49, compressed natural gas
-
LPG - 26, propane
-
The remaining 215 are petrol or diesel
26% of this collection is gaseous-fuel - a slightly smaller share than the Express side, on a slightly smaller group. Either way it is a live possibility rather than an edge case, and it is the reason the Savana needs its own page rather than sitting inside a general GM listing.
One caution on the diesels. The fuel designation carried in the catalogue marks 7 of the 290 as turbo diesel, which is the same count as the 6.5L turbo diesel listings from 1996 to 2002. The 6.6L Duramax rows - 26 of them - and the 2.8L Duramax listings from 2017 and 2018 are diesel engines that the designation does not pick out, so match a diesel on displacement rather than on the fuel line.
What these cost
Savana engine listings start at $1,278, and the median across all 290 is $2,630. The spread is wide because the group runs from 1996 to 2018 across six displacements, and because diesel and gaseous-fuel units price differently from petrol.
How to narrow it down
Work in this order: model year, then displacement, then fuel. Year and displacement get you to a family; fuel decides whether a listing is the right part at all. If the eighth character of your VIN is B, you are shopping the gaseous-fuel LC8 and the petrol 6.0L listings are not substitutes for it. Send us the VIN with your enquiry and quote the engine code you read from it.
Related: GM 6.0L V8 engine guide, Chevrolet Express used engines - the Chevrolet-badged listings for the same van, all engine guides.
GMC Savana used engines - frequently asked questions
Which engines did the GMC Savana use?
The six largest displacement groups in this collection are the 6.0L V8, 4.3L V6, 4.8L V8, 5.7L V8, 6.6L Duramax diesel and 5.3L V8, across model years 1996 to 2018. The table above gives the count behind each one, and the 5.0L, 7.4L, 8.1L, 6.5L diesel and 2.8L Duramax listings sit outside those six.
How many GMC Savana engines are CNG or LPG?
Of the 290 Savana engines in this collection, 49 are CNG and 26 are LPG - 75 units, or 26%. The remaining 215 are petrol or diesel.
Is a CNG engine the same as a petrol engine?
No. Gaseous fuel burns dry, so a CNG or LPG engine was built with hardened valves and hardened valve seats that a petrol engine does not need, and its fuel system shares nothing with a petrol rail - no liquid injectors and induction hardware specific to the fuel. The two are different parts and one does not stand in for the other.
How do I tell a gaseous-fuel 6.0L from a petrol one?
On the GM 6.0L the eighth character of the VIN separates them, and B is the gaseous-fuel LC8 unit. The GM 6.0L V8 engine guide on this site covers the identification in full.
Is the GMC Savana the same as the Chevrolet Express?
They are the same full-size van sold under two badges, and the engine range is shared. The Chevrolet Express engine collection on this site is the matching listing on the Chevrolet side.
What do used GMC Savana engines cost?
Listings in this collection start at $1,278 and the median is $2,630. Diesel and gaseous-fuel units price differently from petrol, which is part of why the spread is wide.
