C5 Tech Corvette Tech/Performance: LS1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Big cubes guys get in here

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 25, 2006 | 09:02 PM
  #1  
402Sam's Avatar
402Sam
Thread Starter
Drifting
 
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,472
Likes: 1
From: Reynoldsburg oh
Default Big cubes guys get in here

What problems have you had since you went with bigger cubes. Here are mine.
Motor has smoked since it was installed. White smoke not black. It did it on start up mostly. Did a leak down test and it read good. It was 190 all around. So that leads me to believe it is the valve seal. So goin to replace those.
Then crank bolt has backed itself out 2x already in 2 weeks. I have applied red lock tight to the threads both times. This is a arp bolt.
Next I pulled the intake to find a ton of oil dripping out of it. Also there was oil in the throttle body and air bridge. Now I am doin a catch can. Seems like since I went with a bgger cube motor, the money never stops getting tossed at it to try to get it run correctly..

I have talked to acouple of the other big cube motor vettes here, 2 427's and 1 402, all of them are also experiencing problems. One has all the same problems I am having.

Anyone else having issues with their motors...

Rant off///
Reply
Old Jul 25, 2006 | 09:45 PM
  #2  
mdhmi's Avatar
mdhmi
Team Owner
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 20,474
Likes: 2
From: Detroit
Default

Who built your motor?
Reply
Old Jul 25, 2006 | 09:50 PM
  #3  
Mr. Lucky's Avatar
Mr. Lucky
Melting Slicks
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,439
Likes: 6
From: Newark, DE
St. Jude Donor '06
Default

I'm not sure if you are looking for someone to commiserate with or to tell you that big cubes are not a problem. FWIW, I've had my share of issues, but none of them have been attributable to my stroker motor.

When you say "smoking" do you mean off the block or out the tailpipe?
Reply
Old Jul 25, 2006 | 10:57 PM
  #4  
tiojames's Avatar
tiojames
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime Gold
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 23,682
Likes: 9
From: Flagstaff Az.
Default smoke

Since you found a lot of oil in the intake, I would hold off on the valve seals until I got the intake problem solved. I have not run a large ls1 but have had a lot of big cube small blocks in the last 50 years and have not had any trouble with them that didn't occur in the small cube motors.
Reply
Old Jul 26, 2006 | 12:24 AM
  #5  
Varmit's Avatar
Varmit
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 20,800
Likes: 59
From: Tellico Village, Tn
St. Jude Donor '08
Default

Mine's been running about a month now with 500 miles no problems...knock on wood.
Reply
Old Jul 26, 2006 | 01:26 AM
  #6  
frank dupuy's Avatar
frank dupuy
Melting Slicks
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,507
Likes: 0
From: Wilmington Ca.
Default

Originally Posted by RamonaC5
Mine's been running about a month now with 500 miles no problems...knock on wood.
It will. Just kidding

Last edited by frank dupuy; Jul 26, 2006 at 01:30 AM.
Reply
Old Jul 26, 2006 | 09:16 AM
  #7  
see5's Avatar
see5
Safety Car
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 3,879
Likes: 3
From: Hobart, WI
Default

True white smoke is coolant but check your rocker bolts. With ported heads you need to put sealant on those bolts.

The ARP crank bolts require moly lube and 197 lbs of torque- no Locktite.

I would try updating the PCV system to 05 which means no vents in valve covers except front pass cover to TB and LS2 valley. This is the toughest issue.
Reply
Old Jul 26, 2006 | 05:24 PM
  #8  
402Sam's Avatar
402Sam
Thread Starter
Drifting
 
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,472
Likes: 1
From: Reynoldsburg oh
Default

Originally Posted by see5
True white smoke is coolant but check your rocker bolts. With ported heads you need to put sealant on those bolts.

The ARP crank bolts require moly lube and 197 lbs of torque- no Locktite.

I would try updating the PCV system to 05 which means no vents in valve covers except front pass cover to TB and LS2 valley. This is the toughest issue.
I did the sealant on the bolts. Goin to try another crank bolt and see if that fixes it. Also goin with a catch can to fix the oil in the intake problem. See5, I am assuming you are the same See5 on ls1tech.com. I post under the name linn.35. Although it is not my screen name, it is a friends that lets me use it. You problaly read this same post over there.

Anyways this was just a rant post, carry on with your day...
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-9

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
Old Jul 26, 2006 | 07:40 PM
  #9  
MrPickles's Avatar
0MrPickles
Former Vendor
 
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 415
Likes: 0
From: Denver CO
Default

I have a 402 motor in my car and no problems what so ever ... I did have some "reduced engine power Issues" but this was old grounds as well as bad wiring from the small flash fire I had when my original motor went BOOM!

Good luck
Reply
Old Jul 27, 2006 | 09:48 AM
  #10  
gorillavet's Avatar
gorillavet
Drifting
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,713
Likes: 2
Default

I have a blueprinted 427 built by MTI Racing in Atlanta. I have had not a single problem after 6000+ miles as a daily driver. Your builder is soooo important.
Reply
Old Jul 27, 2006 | 11:03 AM
  #11  
Varmit's Avatar
Varmit
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 20,800
Likes: 59
From: Tellico Village, Tn
St. Jude Donor '08
Default

Originally Posted by frank dupuy
It will. Just kidding

Frank You're killing me. Are you going to make it to our SCMR on Aug 5??
Reply
Old Jul 27, 2006 | 12:41 PM
  #12  
frank dupuy's Avatar
frank dupuy
Melting Slicks
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,507
Likes: 0
From: Wilmington Ca.
Default

Originally Posted by RamonaC5
Frank You're killing me. Are you going to make it to our SCMR on Aug 5??
If the sun comes up and the car will run I will be there. Did the last two and had a blast.

Last edited by frank dupuy; Jul 27, 2006 at 12:45 PM.
Reply
Old Jul 27, 2006 | 12:58 PM
  #13  
FRCTony's Avatar
FRCTony
Drifting
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,737
Likes: 0
From: Northern VA
Default

Originally Posted by sprayedc5
Motor has smoked since it was installed. White smoke not black. It did it on start up mostly. Did a leak down test and it read good. It was 190 all around. So that leads me to believe it is the valve seal. So goin to replace those.
Then crank bolt has backed itself out 2x already in 2 weeks. I have applied red lock tight to the threads both times. This is a arp bolt.
Next I pulled the intake to find a ton of oil dripping out of it. Also there was oil in the throttle body and air bridge. Now I am doin a catch can. Seems like since I went with a bgger cube motor, the money never stops getting tossed at it to try to get it run correctly..
Rant off///
Two things come to mind...

You need to get a cylinder leak down test performed (ring seal).

Did you pin your crank?
Reply
Old Jul 27, 2006 | 05:27 PM
  #14  
Boob's Avatar
Boob
Pro
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 734
Likes: 0
From: Austin TX
Default

If you're seeing smoke on startup and you have oil in your intake why would you replace valve seal. If oil is going from you intake into your combustion chamber...that'll cause smoke. I'd put a catch can in there and run some seafoam to get as much as the carbon/oil out....if you stil l have the smoking issue then I'd look to valve seals.

As for the crank bolt...try a new one and follow the instillation instructions exactly.

I have a 383 LS1 and I experience the "smoking" issue along with oil consumption. I built a catch can last night. I'm installing it in 2 hours so I'll post tomorrow if this fixed my issue.
Reply
Old Jul 27, 2006 | 05:54 PM
  #15  
402Sam's Avatar
402Sam
Thread Starter
Drifting
 
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,472
Likes: 1
From: Reynoldsburg oh
Default

Originally Posted by Boob
If you're seeing smoke on startup and you have oil in your intake why would you replace valve seal. If oil is going from you intake into your combustion chamber...that'll cause smoke. I'd put a catch can in there and run some seafoam to get as much as the carbon/oil out....if you stil l have the smoking issue then I'd look to valve seals.

As for the crank bolt...try a new one and follow the instillation instructions exactly.

I have a 383 LS1 and I experience the "smoking" issue along with oil consumption. I built a catch can last night. I'm installing it in 2 hours so I'll post tomorrow if this fixed my issue.

Well the car has smoked on start up then it would be ok, so I was always told it was the stem seals. Since the car is apart anyways I am goin to go ahead and replace them now then do it later.
I did a leak down test on the shortblock and it was 190 all around.
Reply
Old Jul 27, 2006 | 06:10 PM
  #16  
FRCTony's Avatar
FRCTony
Drifting
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,737
Likes: 0
From: Northern VA
Default

Originally Posted by sprayedc5
Well the car has smoked on start up then it would be ok, so I was always told it was the stem seals. Since the car is apart anyways I am goin to go ahead and replace them now then do it later.
I did a leak down test on the shortblock and it was 190 all around.
You did a compression test, not a leak down test... you need to do this instead of guessing.

Did you pin the crank or not?
Reply
Old Jul 27, 2006 | 08:29 PM
  #17  
402Sam's Avatar
402Sam
Thread Starter
Drifting
 
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,472
Likes: 1
From: Reynoldsburg oh
Default

Originally Posted by FRCTony
You did a compression test, not a leak down test... you need to do this instead of guessing.

Did you pin the crank or not?

Have not pinned the crank yet. I am waiting for a few things then I will be pinning it as well.
Reply
Old Jul 27, 2006 | 09:19 PM
  #18  
Ferretts's Avatar
Ferretts
Racer
 
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 381
Likes: 0
From: North NJ
Default

Try a breather
Reply
Old Jul 28, 2006 | 08:37 AM
  #19  
supercoupe01's Avatar
supercoupe01
Drifting
 
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,361
Likes: 0
From: Forest Hill MD
Default

Originally Posted by sprayedc5
What problems have you had since you went with bigger cubes. Here are mine.
Motor has smoked since it was installed. White smoke not black. It did it on start up mostly. Did a leak down test and it read good. It was 190 all around. So that leads me to believe it is the valve seal. So goin to replace those.
Then crank bolt has backed itself out 2x already in 2 weeks. I have applied red lock tight to the threads both times. This is a arp bolt.
Next I pulled the intake to find a ton of oil dripping out of it. Also there was oil in the throttle body and air bridge. Now I am doin a catch can. Seems like since I went with a bgger cube motor, the money never stops getting tossed at it to try to get it run correctly..

I have talked to acouple of the other big cube motor vettes here, 2 427's and 1 402, all of them are also experiencing problems. One has all the same problems I am having.

Anyone else having issues with their motors...

Rant off///

No issues here after two years of running my 447. My catch can acquires some oil in it, but none in the intake. I cleaned my filter in my vararam last weekend and had the intake off and everything was dry. There are some tricks the better tuners are using in regards to breathers and catch cans that might help your problem. I think big cube motors if set-up right are very reliable set-ups.

Good luck.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Big cubes guys get in here





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:34 PM.

story-0
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

Slideshow: 10 reasons why the C6 Z06 is still a performance benchmark after 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 17:20:09


VIEW MORE
story-1
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

Slideshow: How much horsepower every Corvette engine lost in 1972.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:54:53


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-4
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-5
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-7
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-8
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-9
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE