Superslow0288

iTrader: (8)

Alright the back story, recently I purchased an 02 SS 70xxx miles, that was not running, complete but had somewhat unknown problems...I purchased it anyway because it was a decent deal, and honestly after inspecting it at the guys house was just figuring the motor was a loss...and man was I ever right...so I got it home in the garage and started dissecting, I found out that the starter mount was broke, common on tight motors, so out it came...tonight I pulled the heads off and there was water on #1 and #8, hydrolocked explains the broken starter mount...lol so I dried the cylinders and noticed that both the exhaust sides of the pistons had melted, not broke up from detonation, like someone meticulously melted them with a torch all the way into the ringland. Well it gets better all the pistons are like that except 5, and 7...so my question for all you guys a h*!! Of a lot smarter than me is how does this happen? I've seen a piston melt but 6 in the same motor?? Although I did find 2 sockets it the oil pan so I would venture to say the backyard mechanic that owned this car prior to me would be suspect and the entire reason this thing is so fudged up...but any idea what he did?? Timing? Awesome tune? Running straight methanol as fuel?? All input wanted good or bad.

RockinWs6

Tuned too lean at WOT and blocked dirty fuel filter. BEE sure you dump the tune and start fresh after you repair the motor. ALOT of tuners copy the high octane tables over to low octane tables.......all is fine until you get a bad batch of fuel OR the fuel filter gets dirty then all hell breaks loose. The stock pistons are fragile too so that doesn't help, they melt and break very easily. One of the reasons GM tuned so much fuel into the tune.

I had a sweet 2000 TA I bought with 28k miles that had a great tune in it<I thought anyways. Car ran strong! for 100k miles, at 130k the trans up and died and I took it get rebuilt. The rebuilder ran the **** outta the car and melted number 7 piston. When I diagnosed it I found the fuel filter was blocked and the tune was too lean<ran great but was a disaster waiting to happen.
I run the factory tune UNLESS I have big mods and THEN I want to know whats in the tune. I want the factory fail safe tuning included, If a tuner can't do that move on to better one.


By the way you better seal around the windshield cowling above the engine if you don't want to hydro the new engine. The factory cowling allows rain water to drip down all over the engine. It doesn't take much for it to find a way in around the intake or injector orings. I always seal the entire cowling so nothing can leak down over the engine. Next time it rains pop the hood and look at the mess GM made with this crappy design.

Burken01

iTrader: (88)

^^ never thought about sealing the cowl, I did seal the knock sensors though..

To Op did I read right, sockets in the oil pan? Lol what size 21mm?

RockinWs6

I've had 2 of my LS1 cars start "FUNNY" after a long rain and both times the cowling leaking water onto the engine was culprit. Luckily both times I got away with it because it wasn't enough water in the cylinders to lock them up, just enough to make it start slowly.
After I seal everything around the cowling I test it with a water hose, you won't believe all the places water can get through around that dam cowling plastic piece.

Superslow0288

iTrader: (8)

Water is a tough thing to keep out try sealing a wet basement! But awesome idea. Did you use just clear silicon? And yes sockets in the pan a 12mm, and a 10mm so at least he was on the right track, yes it's American and yep it's metric...lol...I was hoping for Mac, or Snap-On but no such luck I think these were pro-mechanic brand, couldn't even salvage the sockets.

RockinWs6

I used black rtv, 2 tubes of it. There is a lot to seal including those plastic rivets that hold the mess in place.

Fast98Z28

How the hell do you get sockets in the oil pan???? If someone was that dumb, i would definetely do a whole check of the car... diff, tranny, brakes....etc.

RockinWs6

If you never dropped anything in a oil pan working you aint got spit for experience.

sreve

iTrader: (3)

I have never dropped anything in the pan that I left there.

Fast98Z28

I have never dropped anything in the oil pan when rebuilding an engine. Let alone leave it there.... And then you say i have no expirience? Dude, this isnt facebook. Lets leave the drama out. I simply asked a question and advised him to look over everything with a fine tooth comb.

Superslow0288

iTrader: (8)

Yeah def gonna check this thing out with a magnifying glass. Ill give him the benefit of the doubt and say that had he actually finished working on the car he would have pulled the pan and got his tools back....just gonna build a new motor for it using no vital parts from that car, then move to the trans, and rear...hopefully he didn't get inside any of those...like I stated in the OP I planned and somewhat budgeted for the motor, but not trans, and rear...if there are major breakdowns there you will see my next post in the classifieds lol...

mkvamso

iTrader: (2)

i found a red grease rag in the bottom of a sbc chevy pan, motor was built almost 5 years before with at least 100k miles on it, guess we left it in there. couldn't see any damage that it had done but it was the cleanest bottom end ive ever seen in a chevy...lol

RockinWs6

I say it again.............I didn't say a dam thing about leaving it in there......

2000ultraZ1911

Wow...