Quick84gt

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys, just a little background on my car it is a 2001 WS6 Trans Am M6 car. I bought it last August with 36,100 miles I now have 41,4xx, I store the car winters and just pulled it out last Thursday. It was making this noise since I bought the car, however when I did buy it the noise was so faint that you couldn't notice it unless I told you about it. So based off of what I read I assumed it was piston slap and thought nothing of it. Before I put it in storage last year it had gotten worse I assumed it was due to the temperature getting colder. I took a video of the car this morning on a cold start this is the link to it. I can also warm the car up fully and take another video if you would like. The car runs fine has great oil pressure, the oil was also changed Thursday before I first started it this year. Any other questions I will be more than happy to answer them, Thanks in advance for any help I am new to LS based engines but I am not new to working on cars.
Thanks again, Chris.

predatorz28

Does the noise go away as it warms up??

Quick84gt

iTrader: (1)

It does I'd say after about 20 min, however it is still there just not as loud. It never completely goes away 100% but I'd say it gets about 60-70% more quiet. But from what I read it seems most piston slap goes away in the first few minutes or less, not 20 minutes or more but like I said I'm new to ls based engines so I could definitely be wrong.

JRENIGAR

iTrader: (37)

Id almost bet money Its the lifters gummed up. I have the same problem with mine. Its apart right now getting lifters put in with other small mods but should be back together within a week or so. How high is the oil pressure on startup and what weight oil are you running? How about after its warm for a while?

Quick84gt

iTrader: (1)

At idle on initial start up it sits at 60 psi, and after its warm no matter how long I've had it running it's right at 40 psi and has never went below it. The pressure comes right up with rpm cruising at about 2k it's at 50psi maybe a little above that. I know the gauge aren't the best but It doesn't fluctuate or jump around as if the pressure was bleeding off ether. Before my last oil change on Thursday I was running 10w 30 Mobile one with a wix filter. Now I have Redline full synthetic 5w 30 also with a wix filter.

JRENIGAR

iTrader: (37)

Id bet its lifters. How many times have you changed the oil since you have had it? Have you tried running anything like gunk engine flush or seafoam in the oil to try and clean it up? Are the heads under the valve covers clean or dirty with buildup?

Quick84gt

iTrader: (1)

I have only changed the oil twice since I have owned the car, and I have not tried putting anything in the oil to try and clean it up. Maybe im going to go that route and try a few things before i start driving the car more or taking it apart. I haven't pulled the valve covers but I did pull the oil fill tube to see If I can see anything in there, with a flashlight it's all clean and looks almost brand new no black spots or darkness.

Russ K

iTrader: (1)

That is piston slap noise. If you have a small amount of excessive piston to wall clearance, then the noise will go away in less than 5 min. The more clearance, the longer the engine has to warm up before the noise is gone. And finally the noise won't go away completely.

A lifter tick doesn't change when you open the throttle, but a loose piston noise will as your loading the engine momentarily.

Russ Kemp

Quick84gt

iTrader: (1)

So saying that the noise is piston slap, I shouldn't worry about it then? Also I assume that it would be a waste of time and money because the only way to get rid of it would be to rebuild the bottom end right for something that isn't anything more than an annoying noise? Based off what I've read it's also very common in ls engines sorry just a little worried as I love this car and would hate to have it blow up on me. Lol

ls1 1990 VN

It's not just an annoying noise!

Some appear to get away with it & it gets no worse, plenty were fixed under warranty in the early years of the LS1 engine, mine got extremely bad & necessitated a rebuild.

Quick84gt

iTrader: (1)

Well in that case I'll start looking into a rebuild, or at least a year down to see exactly what's going on. If you don't mind what did It cost for you to have yours done? I can do all the work down to the short block but that's as far as I go..

01WS6/tamu

iTrader: (37)

Leave it alone its normal LS engine noises the aluminum block also exaggerates a lot of the mechanical noise heard because its not as dense as iron. Theres nothing wrong with a motor that has that few of miles. It ll go 200k and never miss a lick I've worked on these cars since the day they were new and they are all noisy.

RockinWs6

Have the engine decarboned and it will probably go away. Its piston noise but i'll bet its because the pistons are covered with carbon. Bet you drive easy? As the engine warms up and expands from heat the carbon on the tops of the pistons no longer makes contact with the cylinder heads.

Quick84gt

iTrader: (1)

Should I throw some sea foam in the gas tank to clean it up or is there a better product to do it? If that quiets it up I'll be so happy lol I wouldn't say I drive it super easy it but I definitely don't beat on it. Plus it will probably only be driven 3k a year if that and I'll maybe do one pull each time I have it out.

Quick84gt

iTrader: (1)

Well in that case I'm glad it's normal for ls engines! Just didnt if i should be concerned about it as I said I'm new to the ls engine and gm in general but I think it's definitely safe to say this is going to be the first of many gm car I will own!

andrewss

iTrader: (1)

Did you check the old oil for metal, cooper/bronze color is not good. That is what I found when I spun a rod bearing. Sounds similar. Seafoam is a good start.

flattusmaximus78

iTrader: (1)

Sounds nothing like my ls1 that has plenty of clatter when it runs for the first 5 min.

Quick84gt

iTrader: (1)

Well I drained the oil before I first started it for the year, I made sure to watch as all the oil came out and also put my hand there to see if it had any grit to it. I saw no bronze or copper colors nor did I see any metallic or shine in the oil and it also had no grit what so ever. Now the car had been sitting for 6 months so idk if it could have all settled in my pan or not but I didn't see any signs of bearing wear. Even tho the oil that is currently in it has 200 miles I may pull my filter in the next day or two and cut it open to see if I have anything abnormal stuck in it. I'm also going to try some seafaom, And Maybe a cleaning agent in the oil to see if it does anything for me or not. That's the only hard thing some say it sounds like piston slap other say it may be a bigger issue. If it is a bad issue it's not really the end of the world just a good excuse to build a mild stroker after I save up a little more money but I'd rather not tear into it. One other thing I want to check is my plugs and change them I got the car with 36,100 on the clock and I tried over the weekend I couldn't pull the plug boots off to save my life. So I am going to assume the previous owner had never changed them so it's probably well over due anyways I wonder of a weak plug would make a piston slap sound worse than it actually is.

andrewss

iTrader: (1)

Checking the filter is a good idea. I never had piston slap with mine so maybe other people would pickup on the noise right away. By the way, your engine bay looks very clean , like brand new.

ws6man29

iTrader: (1)

Did you ever figure it out??