well guys i think that my rings finally let go on my 01 z06. i have leaking oil on the bottom of my header flange and it runs almost all the way down to my collectors. Pretty bad i know. also found alot of metal on oil plug last time i changed my oil.

i think the problem is either major ring blowby,90% chance of that OR major valve seal(s) leaking.10% chance of that i think.

anyways im tearing the motor down to check it out and to possibly just rebuild or motor swap.

whatever i do, i will NOT put it back together with the same configuration.

I WAS THINKING.....

scoggin dicky 408 forged rotating assembly $2,000K + junkyard lq9-4 600$ + rebuild and bottom end assembly ( ???) . I want to go forged bc i have been eyeing a couple of my friends FI set ups and would like to keep that option open in the future. i think that my preformance goals would be shooting for low 5xx maybe ?? not sure if thats realistic or not. I will be swapping old stuff onto new motor even the stud kit

BACK GROUND OF OLD MOTOR::::::

i have 243 TEA stage 2 heads and a ultradyn cam now that i will be replacing with something else ( not sure what yet).The motor i have now was build by Los Angeles Preformance Division and was said to dyno @ 448. head studs but not sure if the bottom end is studded. it also has stock intake, tb but halltech filter kit and full exhasut boltons. meizer water pump( no stat)

whats your thoughts or comments, ??? am i being realistic with prices and hp numbers?

thanks in advance
pics cuz eveybody loves picssss



leaking oil on header tub

 

btw, i should be able to pull the heads off tomorrow. i am having to borrow a friends 12 sockets for the head stud nuts.

 

If you think you are planning a FI setup later, I wouldn't get to crazy with the compression. I would try to keep it around 10 to 10.5 to 1 with a 64cc head (I think that's what the 243 is).

You can always drop the compression down a bit with a bigger 72cc head if needed.

 

ya thats sounds like a good idea. maybe when i finally go FI, ill sell my heads and pick up some 317s from a junkyard

 

where on earth did you find a 408 forged rotating assembly for $2000? The on on SDPP is 4500... http://sdparts.com/category/sdpc-402...block-assembly

 

You should do an actual compression test before saying the shortblock is junk.

You mention oil on the header flanges.

Oil out of the exhaust port shouldn't be on the flanges anyway or you'd have a major exhaust leak that you'd detect.

The oil could be as simple as a valve cover gasket leak.... internally -maybe bad valve stems seals, perhaps they are damaged? Again, you should look into a proper compression/leakdown even if it means renting an air compressor and buying the tool (like $35 for the guage) before you swap what may still be a good engine.

I can also tell you that when I took the heads apart on my '01z with 69k miles the exhaust valve seats were hammered. So.... you have a lot of variables aside from piston rings.

On a side note, compression ratio is a bigger concern when it comes to FI. You can just get forged pistons (and if you KNOW you're keeping the car years and will boost it consider 9.5 or 10:1 ratio) , and reuse the rods, the crank is solid up to 800+ rwhp.

You can rebuild your stock shortblock and keep funds in reserve. If you're going FI you don't need a stroker, the 346 will do just fine.

 

I agree with Joshua. You can get a forged 347 shortblock for just a little more than your planned on rotating assy, and you'll save the cost/hassle of finding a good block and heads. Reuse your 243s after a freshen up, and slap on a centri SC. You'll easily beat 600 RWHP, and be reliable, and stealthy with a blower cam.

 

That's a good recipe.

Also, to the OP... if you do a compression test and you get low figures in a cylinder or two... you can take the heads off and check the valves to rule those out. The shade tree mechanic method of checking valves is to turn the assembled head upside down on a bench with the chambers facing up. Fill the chambers with solvent (gasoline/whatever) and see if any of the levels seep through the valve seat over a period of several hours. If it does, you know those valves need attention.

Keep us updated!

 

you are looking at a forged assembly installed in an aluminum block(ls2)

 

yes i agree with the compression test B4 i pull my heads off. But i figured that i wouldnt be able to tell if it is a valve seal or rings.

oil was seeping though the metal exhaust gaskets from the exhaust port. Not sure why i didnt have a noticeable exhast leak tho...

btw, i did replace the valve cover gaskets with blue felpro gaskets. so i know im not leaking from the valve cover. that was the 1st thing i check tho

 

ALSO, i should mention,(just thought about this). every time i crank it up COLD. it has a bad knock that is louder then piston slap and im pretty sure it is coming from the bottom end. i started running a heavyer weight oil and it didnt change anything.

i will deff keep everyone up date as i go and have plenty of pic.

 

Another check you can do for free...

You've got dual springs. Once, I had dual springs on an LT1 and had a lot of smoke from the exhaust. It turned out that an inner spring broke and it tore the valve stem seal hence oil in the chamber.

Get a super bright flashlight and spend some time looking at the inner springs/seals.

Just an idea.

 

I'd send my 243s to TEA and get them built for your new application. That way, they can machine whatever you need to achieve a safe compression ratio. That, and they really know thier stuff on 243s. Overall, you'll spend less money, and have more power than your plan.

 

UPDATE:: well guess it wasnt the rings of the valve seals. freaking piston is chipped. i personally think my rings did a great job not letting it smoke as bad as it should have. lol



dropped the pass side header but never could get the drive side header out. pita. ill get it out tomorrow. i pretty much taking everthing out of the engine bay for a major degrease, scrub, wash. im also going through my wires and tidy everything up while i have a chance. ((long tubes melt sh*t))

anyways, heres a pic of my TEA 243s. i got really lucky that they only sustained a (pepering) from the broken piston remains. ill prob send them off to have them checked and cleaned.



havent decided which way i will pull the engine out yet but im getting there. im working in my little one bay garage, so b4 i pulled it apart i backed my car in just incase i had to pull the motor. good thing i did

 

did you mean to send them to TEA and get them REWORKed for FI? They all ready have been ported from them. not sure if its a stage 1 or stage 2

 

That link is to a whole "short block assembly". A rotating assembly is just the crank, rods, pistons/rings, reluctor wheel,bearings.

 

The rotating assembly $$ is close and so is the $$ for a core, cast iron 6.0 block.

The TEA 243's are good - with a 11.00 -11.25 compression ratio and decent cam you will easily make over 500 RWHP with no problem.

However, if you want to build the short block for future FI use, then the compression and cam selection will need to be changed - and 500 RWHP is not going to happen - more like ~ 450 RWHP. But add ~10 lbs of boost and you'll be seeing 700 or more at the tires.

If you want a second quote on the rotating assembly or the machine work- or both - I'd be glad to supply that. ALL of our machine work is done in-house in a our modern and fully equipped machine shop.