Xymos

Hi there,

I bought a tracked-out z06 back in 2011 and the first weekend at the track it grenaded. Now we assumed at the time that we just got unlucky and maybe the past owner had done a poor job with the motor. We then bought all new forged LS3 parts (whole new engine) ment for track use. Within 2 track weekends we lost an oil line(mechanic admitted to the mistake) and we had to redo the motor.

This past weekend that redone LS3X blew up with less than 2 weekends on it (actual cause yet to be determined). Has anyone else seen such **** luck with built road race LSX motors? Id like to hear stories (either of bad or good luck) with yours.

C5inWV

I ran an LS1 race motor in an F-body in AIX & AS. Pulled it after 28,000 track miles to be rebuilt (is now for sale in the classifieds.) Put a cammed LS6 in it while the LS1 was being refreshed. I beat it hard for 2-3 years and it would not give up. It was in the car when I sold it. I serviced it regularly but wasn't worried about blowing it up b/c I had the LS1 spare that actually made more HP.
I used a '97 Corvette for track days for 5 years or so and it did all that I asked of it w/o any problems. Don't know if I'm just lucky, but I've had good results w/ the LS motors.

jasonberkeley

Do you have a real dry sump in it?

Black89Z51

Most of the blown up engines I've read about were cars without an Accusump or Dry Sump, and LS2, 3, etc or owned by TRACKMAN. LS6 and 1 seem to hold up really well.

Xymos

My car is a wetsump but has an Accusump. It was on during the blow-up (lots of smoke from the motor, exhaust). Dipstip oil looks fine but the overflow has white stuff in it (No physical outside damage to the motor that we can see, there was a breather value that was popped out). Anyways thanks for the stories and I hope more people post.

jasonberkeley

LS2s and LS3s need real dry sumps or they will blow-up.

Well documented. Accusumps wont cut it.

LS6 and 1s seem to have much better oiling capability.

GettReal

I had a LS1 with heads and Cam that lasted a couple years putting out good power, but spun a bearing on it... replaced the bearings and drove it again for another year and then at the track i started to hear some loud ticking so I shut it down and got towed off the track.. I figured it was gone so I bought a "supposedly 383 race motor" off a forum member here and once installed wouldn't make oil pressure.. that piece of crap motor never worked right so finally had to pull it out and have the entire thing looked over, they had the wrong rods in the car, clearances were all way off so had to basically rebuild the new motor.. I had a shop do a ground up rebuild and as of now this thing is a powerhouse that I BEAT on last season.. all of these motors have been running with an accusump but for 2 years I have been chasing an oiling issue.. so I FINALLY decided to the the right thing and put in a ARE/Aviaid Dry sump.. lets hope this finally solves my issue and gives me something reliable.

Xymos

When you say well documented who/what/where do you mean?

Painrace

Katech LS7 with ARE stage 3dry sump. No issues.

Jim

AU N EGL

2 in one week at the SCCA run offs a few years ago. Same driver did one other in the spring prior.

Few others too.

LS3s not only need a dry sump, but the heads are a challenge too. oil gallies do not let the oil drain fast enough out of the heads.

change out the LS3 heads for some good aftermarket heads. AFR or TFs

Paul Schmidt

I just bought a crate LS3 for my C5 track car. I would say race car but I'm to scared to race because I have so much money dumped into it. Anyway I went nuts and went with a Dailey system with a 3 gallon ARE tank. The motor is at the shop getting fitted for the drysump. I can't afford to not got this route. I could have went cheaper, but the Dailey dry sump is just plain "awesome". I have to get special motor mounts fabbed up to make clearance for the massive 5 stage pump.

jasonberkeley

Many T1 SCCA race LS3s (stock motors) that I know first hand. Tracks all over the country. sebring, Road America, etc...

db2xpert

Ran a C5R block and LS6 heads on my '01 for about 7 yrs.
Rebuilt it 3 times.
Then swapped to a built LS7 with wet sump and accusump around '08.
Still running this engine.

Running my '07 Z for several yrs.
Lingenfelter 9 qt sump witj Avaid insert.

Never blew anything. Knock on wood...

waddisme

I have been running a forged LS2 for the past 4 1/2 yrs with TFS heads and accusump. Only issue is broken valve spring, but that is due more to ignorance and bad cam selection than anything else.

John B

Never had a failure.

JerryTX

My dry sumped LS2 blew up but it probably had 6+ years of racing on it, I bought it used. It was bone stock minus the ARE dry sump. No oil issue, it pulled the wrist pin out of the piston and chucked it (and the rod attached to it) through a creative vent in the pan. I can get my car to make weight/power in NASA ST2 (8.0/1) or ST3 easy, and even ST1 power levels (5.5/1) with nothing more than a mild cam, stock massaged intake, long tubes, dry sump, and light clutch. With the mods I just mentioned I'm certain you will see 500 rwhp in an LS3. Point is, unless your running heavy or STU, the extra power needed is attainable in near stock form. For me, I'll craigslist LS3 longblocks every day ($3700 for the last one) and keep blowing them up rather than pay for a built LSx to blow up.

Bill Dearborn

wtknght1 (Chris Ingle) has posted a number of times of the woes he had with his LS3 T1 car. Even with GM's support he had engines make it as far as two laps. Then he went to the dry sump and the problems went away. You can do a search on his posts in this forum.

Bill

fatbillybob

I'm one of the socal T1 racers. LS3=grenade without drysump. LS2 just like LS6 no problem. Acusumps are a waste of time. Early drysumps did not work great on LS3 until people worked the bugs out. Now motora re bullitproof but the DS is still a bandaid on a crappy design or an engineering oversight by GM either way it was a clusterf*&k. In T1 racing in the earlier days the C6 was a better package but the C5 was more durable. C5 guys found you could push a C6 in to blowing up or eating their tires. I witnessed two such pushings until engine failure. Now that does not seem to happen.

bosco022

In our SCCA GTA cars we have used the single stage scavenge system with stock pump for pressure since 2006. It seems to have worked fairly well on motors below the 500 FWHP range and rpm below 7000. We have also used it on the LS6 in our tube frame Corvette. However, we believe we have identified a problem with this system "getting behind" on the scavenging, possibly due to some slippage at higher rpm of the serpentine belt system that drives the scavenge pump. After one twenty minute race recently in the Vette, we found that about half of the oil was in the pan, rather than the dry sump tank. Fortunately, no apparent damage.

We had a nearly 600 HP LS motor expire due to oil starvation using the same single stage system. We believe it was not scavenging efficiently.

My next LS motor (an LS1, carbureted for a GTA car) will be a three stage full dry sump type with a block mounted AVIAID pump. When the Vette gets re-built it will also go to this 3 stage system.

racerwannabe

all these years I thought it was just my karma..other guys have trouble too...rebuilding my LS7 with good parts and upgraded dry sump system.......these motors need some kinda better internal oiling I think

10 years 9 engines

Johnny