I guess it costs nothing to see what broke and all that . If the piston is stuck at TDC then the valves are likely bent and all that fun . Cant hurt to look . Unless your looking to build a LS these days its often better to just buy another runner and change the cam and stick it in . Im not a LS guy but I have considered getting a couple good truck engines while there still easily available. I have a 91 short bed looks like a SS Id like to do the LS thing on it and remove the TBI 305 . a 200 HP upgrade would be nice .
My 2000 Chevy Truck with 120K miles has had an occasional lifter tick in the past but it seems to have gone away. Don't remember the last time I heard it.......maybe need another hearing check. You will need a block that has the 24x reluctor wheel on the crank and the correct sensors for crank and cam. There is a conversion available from Lingenfelter, but better to just get a block with the correct reluctor. The LS1 heads will work and flow pretty well, but most LS heads flow well. Some have larger chambers and lower comp ratio but flow pretty much the same. Here is a chart which shows what engine/what reluctor. Also, hang on to the LS1 intake for your build.....especially if its a 2002 or newer. They made an LS6 intake that flowed better than LS1 but later just put the LS6 on all of the LS1s. Here is a book that really explains things and will pay for itself........bout $25 on Amazon I don't care what other books anyone has on LS stuff, get this one.
Try replacing the oil pressure switch. It worked for me. It's a bitch to get at, but it might save you a ton of money in the long run.
It's not like the pressure switch (and gauge) aren't working, It's how easily the pressure increases immediately with a rise in engine rpm, that, and the check engine oil pressure alert light goes out.
we had a weird problem with the temp gauge in the 08 silverado...error code and gauge quit working...turns out the thermostat was opening early, and the computer was confused, and thought the gage was bad. These modern cars do weird things. that's what I got, mine is a 2002. I have done a bunch of research on how to make it live with a turbo, but haven't started buying any parts yet.
I figure I can buy a used short block around here for 300-400 bucks. Clean it up, buy a set of aftermarket rods and pistons, pick a good daily driver cam and have the springs and seals replaced on the LS1 heads. If I can do this for under 2 grand, I should come out a winner. Throw this in my little 56 F100 and it should pull anything I latch up to it.
If you're not going to boost it, you could just leave the rods/pistons alone. They're really not the weak point, unless you do stupid things.
I change them on every one I build. It’s cheap insurance. You never know if the car belonged to a 16 year old that loved power braking it to impress his friends….. and I tend to do stupid stuff, so there is that.
Not sure if it is relevant, but I had a similar issue on my 2013 5.3. Got low pressure warning, but in my case oil level was OK. Not sure in your case where the 2qts. may have gone. There is however a lot of instances of gunk plugging the oil passage that the pressure switch is plumbed into. The pressure ends up not being low.....just getting a false signal due to the passage obstruction. There is a small screen in the passage that needs to be cleaned. It is real tough to reach under the back of the intake manifold. Just a thought
Will chime in, with the cathedral port heads (LS1, LS6, LS2, early truck) the best flowing units were the 243/799 heads. Same casting just the guts were the main difference. 243 are LS6 Z06 heads with sodium filled valves where the 799s came on 5.3 and 4.8 motors. The heads on the 6.0 motors are almost the same, the combustion chamber is a little different. Since your motor came out of a 99 Camaro, it would have the 241 heads. I guess the rough old small block comparison would be like a set of power pak heads to camel humps. Might be closer to a 1.94 vs 2.02 debate, but its been a while since I really delved into factory LS heads. The later LS3, LS7, and later truck blocks had rectangle port heads, I think the change kind of goes in line with the reluctor wheel or is close to the change. If your not worried about looks and have the hood clearance, then I would look for a truck intake manifold, they are usually dirt cheap and actually a much better flowing manifold than the stock 99 Camaro unit, they are just ugly though. If your looking at 6.0's then its not much of a worry, but with the 4.8 and 5.3, they use the same block and if the short block is all together the top of the piston is really the only quick visual way of telling them apart. 4.8 had flat tops and 5.3s had a dish piston. The only part that will kind of become dependent on the car you plan on dropping it into is the water pump. GM seems to like to have lots of options on those on where outlets are located for the car they were going into.
I am just wanting to keep all of the stuff I already have, to make good use of it. I don't care about HP numbers etc. Picture this as your daily driven 56 F100. The one you drive to work, to the hardware store etc. I will pull a small race car trailer eventually and maybe even a small enclosed trailer. I just want something reliable. I will buy a towing/truck cam for it to add a little more torque between idle and 4000. I'll probably mate it to a Tremec TKX 5 speed. Looking for low maintenance. Reliable. Something the wife can drive without having a sequence of special events that has to happen before starting.... I really wanted to keep a Ford in my Ford, but Ford goes out of their way to make it impossible to do a transplant on the cheap. I have researched everything from the FE swap to Godzilla 7.3, Coyote etc. The LS makes the most sense, no matter what. It's cheaper, more plentiful and it is a rear sump to start with.
I understand that and your local LS market is probably different, local to me you rarely come across short blocks for sale, usually can find complete engines decently priced. When a short block does come up its because its been blown up and needs alot of machine work. Besides if your gonna tow, the complete stock 6.0 will be exactly the results you are wanting to have at the end of the day. Also means less tuning and have to fiddle with the computer and having to have dyno time to get it happy.
There is a local machine shop that has 12 -5.3's for sale right now, bare blocks, that have been cleaned and magnafluxed for $160 each. I may buy one, just to have. I think the 5.3 would do what I need to do, with a small towing cam.
I remember the day I took delivery of my new 2000 Silverado, I pulled out of the delearship and just barely gave it gas and went "holy crap", this thing hauls ass! I ordered it with the tow package, never used it though but I bet it will work great for you.
My buddy's late model Denali with 6.2 LS seized up yesterday. It had just over 120,000 miles on it. It was frustrating figuring out how to unlock the E brakes and put the trans in neutral so it could be towed. The dealership said they have a backlog of these and it will be at least 4 weeks before he can get a new engine. Meanwhile, he's working with GMC to get a loaner to drive. Be careful when buying a core or used parts.
I am thinking something like this. But, keep all of the FI stuff. 415HP From A Basic 5.3 LS Engine! A 5.3L that shows you don’t need to go broke to enjoy some LS power in your Chevy
6.2 is sort of known to seize up, and the AFM lifters on the late model 5.3L are known to wipe out and causes the need for an engine 50% of the time… but LS based engines don’t have any issues
Yep, great examples of a stock 4.8 or 5.3 truck/van engine, with a mild cam & lifters and a set of headers and you're easily over 400hp at the crank. Here's a good example of what to expect at the tire...
Wow, good call, been doing a little internet sleuthing and sounds like what you are saying holds water, for sure will give that a shot. As to my oil level, my truck has been using oil for some time, not enough to concern me as I have it done and have usually kept the oil changes up but this time I dropped the ball. I've read that the earlier 5.3 engines are known to develop some piston slap and mine has been doing it for some time, mostly when I don't let it warm up before driving.
we had one of the first 5.3 engines in a 99 silverado, it made piston noise when cold. It also kept going for 284k miles, when we finally sold it. It started using oil after a while, I think because the kids didn't maintain it very well.
Would you mind having a look into that and getting back to us with the clinical name for your disorder.....
I researched this for ya. What is analysis paralysis? Analysis paralysis is a colloquial phrase used to describe the feeling of being unable to make a decision due to overthinking a problem. This often happens when you're dealing with too many variables and continually researching solutions, instead of taking action and making a decision.
Thanks. Now I can tell people what I suffer from too. But you know I will be checking you are correct, right?
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