02 LS1 Catch can vs LS6 Valley & OPSU
12-30-2016, 01:50 AM
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02 LS1 Catch can vs LS6 Valley & OPSU Hello guys and gals! I know this topic has been beaten to death several times (Read numerous threads) but instead of hijacking rather old threads I decided to begin a fresh one and cover several questions.
Basics:
2002 Camaro Z28 M6
136k miles
Oil changed every 3k miles
Issues:
Slight oil leak
Oil blow-by
Oil pressure fluctuating
Background
Sadly this car is no longer my daily driver and sits majority of the year (finishing my last semester of college) and is treated as a "weekend warrior" when I'm home for holidays in which it is driven rather hard including spirited driving and track days.
Last summer the Camaro begin experiencing a slight oil leak which appears to be coming from the rear main seal from initial inspection and some condensation around the PCV valve connecting to the throttle body. Furthermore, the oil pressure gauge jumps around sporadically after a minute of idling while at operating temperatures (roughly after 1.5k miles on oil change). Roughly at this point it's always 1/4 - 3/4 of a quart low on oil. After each oil change the gauge mellows out until another 1.5k miles.
Questions
In my research it appears the oil leak could be from the OPSU failing as it would cause fluctuation in the oil pressure gauge and allow an impression of a rear main seal leak. However, if this was failing wouldn't it fail all the time and not just after a few miles are put onto the oil?
My next question would span off of this, I originally thought my loss of oil was due to the small leak I'm experiencing however discovered a noticeable amount of blow-by. Initially I was going to install a catch can (Elite Engineering) and hope this will be the remedy for my situation.
However, now I'm leaning towards pulling the intake manifold to check the oil pressure sending unit and go ahead and convert to the LS6 Valley Cover. Main reason that kept me from doing the LS6 Vally Cover conversion was dremeling the engine, but it seems I can skip this step with the '02 LS1, can anyone verify?
What is everyone's opinion? Is there anything else I should check before making any purchase decisions? If going the LS6 Valley & OPSU route, I will still add a catch can later down the road once money isn't tight. Seems everyone on this forum is running a catch can on their LS1's! Thank you in advance!
Basics:
2002 Camaro Z28 M6
136k miles
Oil changed every 3k miles
Issues:
Slight oil leak
Oil blow-by
Oil pressure fluctuating
Background
Sadly this car is no longer my daily driver and sits majority of the year (finishing my last semester of college) and is treated as a "weekend warrior" when I'm home for holidays in which it is driven rather hard including spirited driving and track days.
Last summer the Camaro begin experiencing a slight oil leak which appears to be coming from the rear main seal from initial inspection and some condensation around the PCV valve connecting to the throttle body. Furthermore, the oil pressure gauge jumps around sporadically after a minute of idling while at operating temperatures (roughly after 1.5k miles on oil change). Roughly at this point it's always 1/4 - 3/4 of a quart low on oil. After each oil change the gauge mellows out until another 1.5k miles.
Questions
In my research it appears the oil leak could be from the OPSU failing as it would cause fluctuation in the oil pressure gauge and allow an impression of a rear main seal leak. However, if this was failing wouldn't it fail all the time and not just after a few miles are put onto the oil?
My next question would span off of this, I originally thought my loss of oil was due to the small leak I'm experiencing however discovered a noticeable amount of blow-by. Initially I was going to install a catch can (Elite Engineering) and hope this will be the remedy for my situation.
However, now I'm leaning towards pulling the intake manifold to check the oil pressure sending unit and go ahead and convert to the LS6 Valley Cover. Main reason that kept me from doing the LS6 Vally Cover conversion was dremeling the engine, but it seems I can skip this step with the '02 LS1, can anyone verify?
What is everyone's opinion? Is there anything else I should check before making any purchase decisions? If going the LS6 Valley & OPSU route, I will still add a catch can later down the road once money isn't tight. Seems everyone on this forum is running a catch can on their LS1's! Thank you in advance!
Last edited by SHKNBKE; 12-30-2016 at 01:55 AM.
01-05-2017, 01:40 AM
#2
first off ....there is a 99% chance your existing PCV hose is rotted and giving you a nice vacuum leak
Some 02s did come with LS6 block but very few
dont let some dremel work scare you away from the conversion....its worth while if only to get away from the stock PCV hose system
and yes you can still use a catch can with the conversion if you like
the OPSU can leak or break.....mine was broken from apparently just sitting there
rear seal leaking is common and no fun to replace
Some 02s did come with LS6 block but very few
dont let some dremel work scare you away from the conversion....its worth while if only to get away from the stock PCV hose system
and yes you can still use a catch can with the conversion if you like
the OPSU can leak or break.....mine was broken from apparently just sitting there
rear seal leaking is common and no fun to replace
03-06-2017, 10:32 AM
#3
Staging Lane
Did you do the LS6 valley pcv conversion yet? Im about to order the parts to do mine. Im in the same hopeful 02 group as you (Who really wants to cut up such a work of art). I also get to do the trunion upgrade.
