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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,535
Likes: 378
From: NSL UT
to refresh or not
I have a LS6 pulled from my 2001 Z06 when it got its race engine. It came out running strong but had about 105k on the clock. I'm looking to buy a 01 roller and just drop it in.
The engine has been store in heated garage the whole time but has sat for 7 years. My fear is if I rebuild it a refresh will turn into a rebuild with with a lot of mission creep.
I just want a fairly stock DD as I still have the first 01 as a race car. Just getting some opinions on what should be done at a least to start running it again.
The engine has been store in heated garage the whole time but has sat for 7 years. My fear is if I rebuild it a refresh will turn into a rebuild with with a lot of mission creep.
I just want a fairly stock DD as I still have the first 01 as a race car. Just getting some opinions on what should be done at a least to start running it again.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,804
Likes: 358
From: Northville, MI
Around 2012, GM borrowed a former club members original 02 Zo6 when it had 216000 miles. They tore the engine apart and were amazed at how little wear the engine and valve train had. The member was a GM engineer working at the Tech Center, it was his daily driver, HPDE, autocross car. For 8 months a year he ran it hard including a few off course excursions. Being an engineer he changed oil and filter every 3000 to 4000 miles. Today the car has more than 250000 miles on the engine and is used exclusively as an autocross car. 105,000 miles is just nicely broken in, pull the plugs, put a couple of drops of oil in the cylinders and turn the engine over by hand a few times and you should be good to go.
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,552
Likes: 324
From: Mid Ohio
**IF** it wasn't using much oil before removal, at a minimum here is what I'd do:
1. Put trans fluid in every cylinder and let it soak for a week. Turn the engine over a few times each day and top off as needed. (lets the rings soak in a mild solvent)
2. Pull the oil pan and flush everything on both sides of the piston with a thin engine oil (don't reinstall pan yet)
3. Check / replace the oil pump seal (I heard there is a seal or maybe o-ring that typically fails?)
4. Replace front and real main seals
5. Check the balancer for signs of de-lamination / out of roundness
6. Replace oil pan gasket and make sure to torque the screws to proper setting (this was an issue on my 04 LS6 engine from the factory)
7. Replace the intake manifold gasket
8. New plugs indexed and properly torqued
9. Install and run engine for 50 miles and then change oil and filter.
Those are the minimum I'd do.
If you want to spend a little extra effort you might pull the heads and do a basic rebuild on them. Check valve to guide clearances, check spring rates, lap the valves, and new lifters. Maybe take a dremel tool w/120 grit flap wheel and just knock the texture off the int/exh ports. New headgaskets and bolts.
1. Put trans fluid in every cylinder and let it soak for a week. Turn the engine over a few times each day and top off as needed. (lets the rings soak in a mild solvent)
2. Pull the oil pan and flush everything on both sides of the piston with a thin engine oil (don't reinstall pan yet)
3. Check / replace the oil pump seal (I heard there is a seal or maybe o-ring that typically fails?)
4. Replace front and real main seals
5. Check the balancer for signs of de-lamination / out of roundness
6. Replace oil pan gasket and make sure to torque the screws to proper setting (this was an issue on my 04 LS6 engine from the factory)
7. Replace the intake manifold gasket
8. New plugs indexed and properly torqued
9. Install and run engine for 50 miles and then change oil and filter.
Those are the minimum I'd do.
If you want to spend a little extra effort you might pull the heads and do a basic rebuild on them. Check valve to guide clearances, check spring rates, lap the valves, and new lifters. Maybe take a dremel tool w/120 grit flap wheel and just knock the texture off the int/exh ports. New headgaskets and bolts.
Last edited by wydopnthrtl; Jan 15, 2020 at 11:13 AM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,535
Likes: 378
From: NSL UT
Thanks for the input guys, good suggestions, I was mostly worried about the time it sat. It has the new valve springs and a fast intake, I always thought it probably has a mild cam. Letting it soak then just getting it moving sounds like it might be prudent, had I just pulled it out would have had no problem dropping it straight in something else. That engine ran a 1:36.1 on Millers west track just how it was before the race build.
