Any news on this one today Tim?

 

This is also another good insite.... Do you have the proof?

Have you pulled the valvecovers to check the top of the motor?

 

Hey man, I'm like you. That **** don't affect me.

I tore it down to this on the first day.







It looks like this now.







Me too. I'll post up what I find.

I knew I should have put the breather on before I took off.

Well....
- the motor has been painted black
- part of the wiring harness was routed around the motor mount wrong.
- motor leaked oil at the front of the oil pan where they either didn't line up the front cover correctly or they didn't put the dab of silicone in the corners where the block and the front cover meet.
-the pistons look to be brand new, but the car only had 65 miles on it before it went swimming.
- the harmonic balancer looked like they used a big pipe wrench to hold it from turning while the took the bolt off.



Nope, I helped a buddy put an alternator on his daughters car.

 

I got the fortune to work on a Kia Sedona this evening for an out of town Aunt. Wheeeee!!! CEL on. I disconnected the battery and cleaned the gasket on the gas cap. Lights out for now. I told her to expect it to come back on. Its a rental car.

 

Ahh.... flood car! I used to be a GEICO adjuster. Flood car estimates were easy one-liners. You just write FLOOD TO DASH - TOTAL LOSS. Good on you for fixing it

 

I pulled the valve cover the first time I started it to make sure the oil was getting to there. It was clean as a whistle...and quiet (as quiet as LS motors can be).

 

Have you confirmed the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge?

 

Did you get a chance to look at any of the bearings? Or the oil pump again?

 

Well, I got the back into the engine today and found more of the same thing. It's been a while since I have torn a motor apart, but to me it doesn't look like what is in the oil pan all came from the bearings. I mean, they look worn, but not all that. What the hell.


I only drove the car about 30 miles with this oil in it. There is more of the fiber stuff in the pick up screen and what looks like some kind of gel.








Close up.







This is what was left in the oil pan after draining the oil.







Rod bearings, piston #7.







Piston #8. They don't look nearly as bad as what the oil pan shows.







I hope the crank is ok. What do you all think?






Somebody please tell me that any of this is normal.

 

Crank doesnt look too bad considering what its been through. Throw some new bearings in it and call it a day. Check the cam bearings.

BC

 

Can you feel any grooves or scratches in the crank? Run your fingernail across the bearing surface of the crank. If it is smooth I would say your are good to go on the crank.

 

It looks like a lot of moisture had been in the engine by the corrosion at the fillets of the crank journals. I also wonder if iron oxide is the bulk of what is in the oil pan. If it was my engine I want to take a look at all the mains as well. I still have no idea what the stuff is on your oil screen. Thanks for sharing all the photos. I hope it all works out for ya..

Eric D

 

I almost forgot to mention that the pressure valve was not open this time.

 

Does anyone have recommendations for bearings or a bearing set for this car? It is an '05 LS2.

Remember, this is my wifes car, so drag racing, high rpms, etc., will not be in it's immediate future.
Something equivalent to stock will be fine.

 

Correct me if I have this wrong, but I seem to remember you saying the engine had been rebuilt after the water damage. Was the crankshaft turned down for new bearings? If yes, you will need other then stock bearings. If it were mine, I would be pulling the engine to change bearings, though I know some have done it in vehicle.

Eric D

 

The guy that I bought it from was very honest about it. I found out through the grapevine that it had been rebuilt. When I asked him, he said he didn't know for sure and he didn't want to say it had if maybe it hadn't. After some prying, he told me that when he bought it at an auction, a guy there told him that the motor had been rebuilt. Then, when he had it on eBay, someone from a different state e-mailed him and told him that he knew the car and that the motor had been rebuilt in it. In other words, I don't have it from the source, so I don't know exactly what was done. It does look like the pistons are new, but that could be all they did.

The bearings that came out are GM bearings. Are there any markings on them that would tell you if it was an oversize bearing? Does GM even sell "other than stock" bearings?

 

There is normally a + number on the back of the bearing shell if it is something other then standard. Looking at what GM offers I see only standard bearing kits part number 89017571 and 89017572 for 1997 through 2003. They are Federal Mogul's and this link shows the over size bearings they offer. http://www.thunderracing.com/catalog...id=115&sid=134

If you have the crank out of the engine I like to mic it to find the proper shell size to use. I also like to use Plastigage while putting it back together. Plastigage, though not as good as micrometer check will still give you useful information. Here is a link on how to use it: http://www.tpub.com/content/construc...383-24_433.htm

Eric D

 

Whats the latest on the oil pressure Tim?

 

I thought I would update my thread for those that may be curious how this turned out.

I decided that I didn't want to take the motor apart for a third time, so I took some peoples advice and pulled it and tore it down to nothing. I even took the rings off of the pistons. I took the bare block out in the driveway and stuck a garden hose into every orifice on it. It is enema clean now.

Cool story on the crank. I decided I better have someone look at it, but I had no idea who to call in my area. I opened the phone book and saw a listing for Blah, Blah Race Services (I don't remember the real name). I figured they were a good place to start. I called and they said that they outsourced all their crank work. I asked for that name and number. They told me to call Hitch Repair. Now, I'm thinking, I don't need a trailer hitch on my vette. The owners name is David Hitch in Maryville, TN. When I called, I told him I had a crank that I needed someone to look at. He asked what is came out of. I said it came out of an LS2. He said oh yeah, LS1, LS2, LS6, LS7, we do them all the time.

The knowledge of the lingo did make me feel somewhat comfortable. When I got down there, he said that it definitely needed to be turned and then, when we got to talking and he said that he had built 10-12, twin turbo LS7 motors this year, along with many more, less radical LS motors. It turns out that he builds all of Nick Steffens (supporting tuner BLOWNZ06) motors. Needless to say, I was not the least bit worried about the kind of job that was going to be done on my crank anymore.

David did a great job and the crank came back with a mirror finish. He had to go .020 on the crank and .010 on the rods. Everything mic'ed out perfect and it is running like a champ with 60+ psi of oil pressure cold and 35 psi hot, at idle. I have still never figured out what the "hair" is.

Thanks again for everyones help and advice.

 

Wow, thats a crazy story! Glad to see it all worked out in the end