StealthWeaponLS1

Alright, ive come to get some much needed info. Today, i unexpectedly had to put 2 quarts of oil in my `02 WS6. Lately ive actually had a very bad and very embarrassing rattling noise coming from the front end somewhere. On top of that, the rattling noise will stop while im driving, but the rattling is present when im idling and while im accelerating, now on top of all that, i noticed my oil pressure is barely cracking 40 psi while i was on the highway (going to my parents house to pick my dads truck up) doing 2,000 rpms @ roughly 70 mph. This has me in full worry mode. Right now, im not driving it due to the risk of damaging it even more. So, are these signs of rod knock or anything or what else could it be?? I just need to know, so i can figure out to either fix it and spend money on parts in a smart way....or.....just get rid of the car and get something...like a G8 GT.......

here`s what ive been experiencing:
-rattling noise from the front end
-put 2 quarts of oil in it (never had to do that before)
-no leaking or smoke out the exhaust (although i really need to take a look at the car once the week if over.)
-oil pressure seems to struggle to get to 40 psi when warm or cold

Jake.

not sure about the low on oil. But the noise sounds like your timing chain slapping around up there. You probably need a new oil pump too, but that's about the pressure I get at cruising RPM as well.

2000PewterT/A

The knocking could be a variety of things, I would start with checking the basics and work your way into it. Try and use a stethoscope to help pinpoint the noise.

StealthWeaponLS1

Well ok, im starting to think the oil pump might be on the way out. Ive been doing some research and all through google and just wanted to make sure of the info thats im reading. So am i right thinking that the lifters could be making the rattling noise im hearing due to the lack of oil making it to the heads and around the engine? I could be very wrong on this though. But if i am wrong, what are the signs of a bad oil pump on the LS1?

SS10Tech

How's your antifreeze level? Coolant levels good? If you're dumping oil and coolant into it both at the same time in large quantities then i would be worried if you did not find a coolant leak. That means coolant is getting into your oil which can cause oil to burn quicker by breaking down - it also causes bearing failures.

If you're not burning through large quantities of coolant at the same time i would not worry about it just yet. You need to find out what the squeaking noise is first. Run a can of engine degreaser over the motor being careful not to get electronics/MAF wet and then carefully wash it down with water. Check belt tensioner, rubbing due to sagging motor mounts, header bolts that could be loose, bushings that need greased, anything.

Burning oil happens with blow-by and is normal with daily drivers - most motors should burn through a quart in 4-5 thousand miles and is perfectly normal. Less if you run full synthetic blends since they are harder to break down than organic based motor oils.

What weight oil are you running? How many miles on the old bird?

StealthWeaponLS1

Temps looks real solid with the car. Hasn`t been running hot at all since this has been happening but my car is (atleast i think) a low mileage car with only 91,000 miles on it. As far as i know, the coolant levels are fine....i havent really looked at the car very much, just dropped off at my parents house and picked my dads truck up....just to be safe. I didnt want to ruin anything else and this gives me plenty of time to get info on what might be going on. But as far as i know, when i checked the oil level i didnt see any cloudiness or anything like that, which leads me to there may not be coolant in the oil.....

Paul Bell

iTrader: (9)

What's your oil pressure at idle?

S10xGN

iTrader: (11)

Hmmm, my son's Gen I SBC did that after the converter ballooned and wiped out the thrust bearing. Using a pry bar (gently!) on the balancer, see if you can discern any sizable amount of end play on the crank.

DisasterpeaceWS6

iTrader: (1)

Have you put aftermarket headers on there? I had the same problem with mine and i had a header bolt rattle lose and cause exhaust leak which lead to my vavle seals burning up and causing the motor to burn oil.

StealthWeaponLS1

Ironically you asked that DisasterpeaceWS6.....I thought about replacing the manifolds with LTs since i thought the rattling noise was coming from the cats breaking apart from the inside. But of course, i dont think thats the case anymore. But yes, i still have the stock manifolds. For some reason, my gut feeling says that the oil pump might be the culprit here.....im not sure why though. Id like to get this figured out in a timely manner so i can drive my car again. Its hard to drive a full size crew cab Powerstroke through an apartment complex and park it none the less.....

SS10Tech

Cats break apart because of rich mixtures. Have you been getting poor MPG? I just fixed two cats for a friends 281 mustang that rattled. More symptoms include poor idle quality and terrible MPG. You can take a hammer/wood to the cats and see if they are the culprit from rattling.

Alot of ideas and things to try

Paul Bell

iTrader: (9)

Anything?

StealthWeaponLS1

The oil pressure when warm is around or below 20 something I would have to guess, I might stop by my parents house to look at the car itself.


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StealthWeaponLS1

Im getting around 18 mpg in town with a little highway driving thrown in. Which is roughly 220 miles a tank. Ive always got bad gas mileage since its an automatic. But in the last 6-8 months my mileage has been pretty erratic. I was planning on changing my o2 sensor when I did my LTs, but since this is an issusd, I put that on hold


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Paul Bell

iTrader: (9)

Your mileage seems to be alright as is your hot oil pressure at idle.

I'm also thinking the oil pump or timing chain is your noise source.

StealthWeaponLS1

Im leaning towards the oil pump also. Im working 12 hour days 5 days a week, so I really wont be able look at it till Friday, but im definitely leaning towards the oil pump. Thank god its really not that hard to replace from what I read.


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StealthWeaponLS1

Well a little update from today. I finally had time after work to go to my parent`s house to check my car out and now...im still confused. My car sat for a week and well my car hasnt leaked any oil while the car was sitting. I turned my car on, no smoking, no bad smells or anything, no leaking and while it was warming up, i could hear the rattling noise in the intake area (atleast thats what i thought it was) but then after it warmed up and reved the motor a bit, the noise some how moved down under the car towards the middle of the car itself Oil pressure was good though (some where near or a bit above 40 psi). My dad was helping me track down the noise and he told me to just open up the cats and see if anything comes out (he`s thinking its possibly the cats just breaking up). I tell ya, i hate tracking down weird noises like this..... I`ll post up more updates tomorrow after i pull the y-pipe off of the cats......