I was talking to my buddy in CT last night, and he relayed some sad news.
Back in October he had asked me to keep an eye out for a clean Z-28 for his son. Well, as luck would have it I found a MINT '98 Z in white, loaded with a ton of options, polished wheels, factory ground effects, 6 spd, t-tops etc. I sent him pictures, it was owned originally by a 50 year old, then sold to his 30 year old son, who happens to have been my son's driver ed teacher and track coach. Anyrate, my buddy, his wife and son came down to VA and bought the car. It had 45,000 on the clock, and was purchased for $9500. (I thought a pretty damn good deal)

It turns out his son blew the motor this week. It has serious rod knock and no oil in it. Now when my buddy got the car, he changed the oil with Mobil one as I suggested, and gave it to his kid. Steve heard the noise and checked the oil, it was so low it wasn't registering on the stick.

What would cause the engine to use that much oil? LS1's are good, bulletproof engines, (being a Ford guy, even I respect that) why would it use enough oil to cause engine damage? Yeah I know, the kid should have checked it weekly. Do you think he was revving the **** out of it on a regular basis? Could it have sucked enough oil into the intake from over revving to do this? Or perhaps a broken ring, the car never smoked though. Funny thing, I found him a '94 Z-28 for his wife with a very potent LT1, (the car was cammed and drag raced, and it's still going strong)

Anyrate, whats the best course of action? Should he just get a new short block from Chevy? A new engine would be big $$$$$. Anybody up in CT have knowledge of a decent LS1 for sale? Steve is ONE HELL OF BODY MAN and painter (he did my Mustang stripes) and is a good guy to know if you need **** paint and bodywork (and, he's reasonable). (a '62 'vette he painted took the Bloomington gold) So if anyone here can help us out with advice or an engine, give me a PM. Looks like I'll be wrenching in an LS1 when I get out of school for summer vacation up in CT! Thanks ahead!

John

 

I would post this over at LS1.com, that's were all the Camero guys hang out. They would be more helpful

 

Thanks, I'll do that!

John

 

Actually, you're better off posting it at LS1Tech.com, where the more technical people hang out. If you post it at LS1.com, that place is full of kids that just want to talk about Britney Spears and other such nonsense. There are no technical experts on LS1.com whatsoever.

 

Surprisingly, F-body LS1's did not require Mobile1 from the factory, nor do they specifically recommend it. Even though the corvette LS1 is identical. Technically, (somebody correct me if I'm wrong), synthetic is not required for either, as long as it meets GM spec XXXXX.

As to why the motor would be dry is another matter. Synthetic should never be used in some older engines since the sythetic can attack some types of gaskets, causing leaks. That, almost certainly, isn't the case here, but here's what I would do.

Check for leaks. No offense intended, but was the oil change done properly? Drain plug put back in? I know this sounds stupid and insulting like "My TV's not working.......is it plugged in" type of stuff, but stranger things have happened, and I have seen that before. Did any lights come on? Computer throw any codes?

Lastly, before investing in a new engine (GMPP crate LS1 list $6500, I believe), have a qualified mechanic diagnose it and see if it is really toast.

Finally, you'd probably get better responses in the tech section. LS1tech.com is also a good forum, as suggested.

 

The GM spec is 4718M and so far the only oils meeting this spec are also synthetic. Here is GM's 4718M registered list:

 

I would drain whatever oil IS left and see what it shows. Most likely it spun a bearing or two. Doesn't those cars have low oil warning lights? Something should have warned him that the oil was low(light, gauge). I know there were some longblocks for sale in the parts forum. Not sure where they are located though. I agree checking with the LS1 forums too.

V.

 

here is a ls1 for sale in the c4 section



http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1676660

 

Hopefully it's not to the point where the whole engine needs to be replaced.

 

Hi, thanks for the interest. The engine had it's oil changed a couple of months ago, my buddy is an experienced "wrench" he's built quite a few street rods in his day, so I know a gaff on his part is not likely the culprit. The engine is completely dry on the outside, no signs of external leaks. Could it have ingested THAT MUCH OIL through the PCV vent over time?

I also found out On LS1Tech, that 98's and '99 had rod bolts that stretched with hard use, causing spun rod bearings. That coupled with LOW OIL sounds like the likely culprit. I'm sure a 19 year old wasn't easy on the car. I'll tell you this, this was a strong running car, it impressed me so much, it's one of the reasons I bought my Corvette, I will keep y'all informed on what we find.

Thanks again,
John