In a break from the single engine offering of the first generation Kodiak/TopKick, GMT530 adopted the powertrain line of the 1973-1989 medium-duty C/K trucks. Gasoline engines were offered as standard equipment, with diesel engines as an option. The standard gasoline engine was a 6.0L fuel-injected V8, with an optional carbureted 7.0L V8 (replaced by a 7.4L V8 in 1991); in the mid-1990s, the 7.4 L became the standard gasoline engine. In 2002, the 7.4-litre V8 was replaced by the 8.1-litre Vortec V8 (the highest-displacement V8 ever built by Chevrolet). In place of the Caterpillar 3208 V8 diesel used in the first generation Kodiak/TopKick, the GMT530 trucks offered the Caterpillar 3116 inline-six with . This was upgraded to produce beginning with the 1991 model year. The Caterpillar 3126 inline-six was introduced as an optional diesel engine in 1997.