Running engine with valve cover off?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 931
Likes: 35
From: Rowlett, Texas
Running engine with valve cover off?
Can the LS1 engine be started and idled with the valve cover off - without slinging oil everywhere?
I've seen some older small blocks that squirted oil 3 feet, and some that just oozed it out of the rocker arms at idle.
I have a little lifter tap, and wanted to check the oiling of all the lifters and rockers. But I don't want to oil down my purty engin'.
tks,
DG
I've seen some older small blocks that squirted oil 3 feet, and some that just oozed it out of the rocker arms at idle.
I have a little lifter tap, and wanted to check the oiling of all the lifters and rockers. But I don't want to oil down my purty engin'.
tks,
DG
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 810
Likes: 0
From: Coulmbia New Jersey
I just had a 5.3 in a truck apart with the same style engine. I ran it on 4 cylinders with the left valve cover removed. It did have a little oil go onto the exhaust manifold. I found a bad camshaft lobe on cylinder numbers 1 and 6 I replaced the cam and lifters. You have to remove the heads to remove the lifters. Ugh! I backed off the rocker nuts until I thought the noise changed then went directly after that cylinder.
Dave
Dave
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,366
Likes: 249
From: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Before you do anything foolish, are you sure you have a lifter tap. The valve train on LS engines seems a little noisier in C5's, partly because of the way the cowl ends forward over the top of the engine. Tapping noise complaints are fairly common but typically there is nothing wrong.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 931
Likes: 35
From: Rowlett, Texas
Thanks, guys. Seems it may be messy.
I have a cam, so there's lots of sewing machine tapping going on.
But there seems to be one tap, at cam speed, that is discernable over all the others, and it kinda bugs me.
It's not very loud, only taps when warm, and kinda comes and goes.
Can't pick it out with the stethescope on the valve covers or injectors, it seeems to come from deep in the front, like near the chain.
So, I thought maybe I could soothe my worry if I saw all the lifters oiling properly.
Tks,
DG
I have a cam, so there's lots of sewing machine tapping going on.
But there seems to be one tap, at cam speed, that is discernable over all the others, and it kinda bugs me.
It's not very loud, only taps when warm, and kinda comes and goes.
Can't pick it out with the stethescope on the valve covers or injectors, it seeems to come from deep in the front, like near the chain.
So, I thought maybe I could soothe my worry if I saw all the lifters oiling properly.
Tks,
DG
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 5,786
Likes: 6
From: Lafayette Colorado
Originally Posted by Bob Chapman
I think that it will sling.
Keith
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
Likes: 33
From: Not on either liberal coast.
LSx oem valve covers are becoming more common on EBAY. We used to take an old pair of sheet metal sbc valve covers and just cut out the center section allowing access to the rockers. It eliminated most of the mess during adjustments.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,900
Likes: 2
From: Green Cove Springs FL
I ran my '81 vette like this to adjust the lifters, and it slung some oil. I'm not sure how much oil the LS1 will sling, but it really wasn't anything to worry about with the engine in my old '81.
