Generation III Internal Engine 1997-2006 LS1 | LS6
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Low oil pressure

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Old 02-11-2009, 10:07 PM
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Default Low oil pressure

So guys... I am going to start this one off with a little rant.

I took my car to a sponsor (who I wont name yet, I will if I cant resolve this with the shop) for a ms3/ls6 ported oil pump/ls2 timing chain/ls7 clutch. It took 3 weeks to get my dd out of the shop for this one. I cant hold it against the shop because it was right after the holidays, and everyone was taking FOREVER to ship parts.

After I got my car back I was happy for a total of 1 week or so before the damned oil pump took a dump. I had 0psi so I put my car on a trailer and hauled it back up to the shop. 11 days later (tonight) I get my car back. It has a few problems like the cruise control not working for 1. They also tried to charge me $400 to get my car back for a problem that I shouldnt have had in the first place. I leave the shop with my oil pressure reading OK. About half way home (an hour long drive) the oil pressure started dropping. It reads just below 20psi at idle, and around 30psi cruising. So I am not happy...

I guess he is probably going to tell me to bring the car back up there for God knows how long to charge me for it again... which I dont really plan on. I feel like just starting over with a different shop and seeing if maybe I can get some money back for the problems I have been having with the last shop.

Finallly, my question is will the car be safe to drive like this for a few days until I get another pay check? I really dont want to blow the motor and be out even more money.

Also, what could the problem be? He said the piston in the oil pump siezed up, and something was installed backwards on the pump from the manufacturer. He said he just went in and put the pump together the right way, and relubed it... Personally I think they should have put in a new pump to begin with.

I could keep going, but I should stop while I am ahead.
Old 02-12-2009, 01:22 PM
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if by piston he meant pressure relief valve stuck open then that is definitely not good and i hope you noticed the problem before you ran it too long... If they noticed something installed backwards when they took it out, how come they didnt notice it putting it in??? just hope your oil pressure isnt falling now because damage has been done to the main bearings...

sounds to me like the pump should have been completely replaced if it had any problems at all!! its such a cheap part for such a critical job.

Id be pissed$$$
Old 02-12-2009, 02:06 PM
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Originally Posted by got-a-ls1
if by piston he meant pressure relief valve stuck open then that is definitely not good and i hope you noticed the problem before you ran it too long... If they noticed something installed backwards when they took it out, how come they didnt notice it putting it in??? just hope your oil pressure isnt falling now because damage has been done to the main bearings...

sounds to me like the pump should have been completely replaced if it had any problems at all!! its such a cheap part for such a critical job.

Id be pissed$$$
Thats not even the worst of it man. Started the car up this morning and the oil pump quit AGAIN. I called him and told him I would need some of my money back, and he refused... He said that I can bring it back to him to fix it.

Basically he said he talked to the people that made the pump, and it is a problem that has only happened a few times... I am just lucky enough to have it happen to me.

He said he would bring it in and put a stock LS6 pump in it, and promises it will work... It just sucks because thats not even the dammed pump I payed for.

I am unsure if I take a loss, and take it somewhere else to get this done... or if I should give him one more chance to make things right.
Old 02-12-2009, 02:49 PM
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i dunno, tough call... this is why i do all my own work. i just dont trust people to care about my car...

sounds to me like the probably screwed up the o ring in the pickup tube as well as a faulty pump. basically your just being screwed and i hope it doesnt cost you a motor.

If he is willing to install a ls6 oil pump then he should refund you the difference in cost and refund all the labor. he should then take his loses to the company that produced the oil pump. this is not your fault and you shouldnt be paying a dime for it!
Old 02-12-2009, 03:03 PM
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Originally Posted by got-a-ls1
i dunno, tough call... this is why i do all my own work. i just dont trust people to care about my car...

sounds to me like the probably screwed up the o ring in the pickup tube as well as a faulty pump. basically your just being screwed and i hope it doesnt cost you a motor.

If he is willing to install a ls6 oil pump then he should refund you the difference in cost and refund all the labor. he should then take his loses to the company that produced the oil pump. this is not your fault and you shouldnt be paying a dime for it!
I usually do all my own work, but I have recently moved into an apartment, with no where to work on it. I have been working 84 hour weeks, and have had money burning a hole in my wallet. I wanted to drop my car off before a shift, and pick it up after that shift, but I waited 3 shifts instead, and I am spending my off days towing this ****** up and down the freeway to get work done.

And a ported ls6 pump ends up being about the same price as a stock pump from GM.
Old 02-12-2009, 07:03 PM
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Did you have a double roller timing chain put on? I've seen Double Rollers kick cam bearings, causing low oil pressure... But that's probably not it considering your pump isn't functioning... Either that shop needs to man up and give you some cash back or fix your **** for free. It's bullshit, they're professionals, they do this for a living, there should be no excuse for two fuckups in a row on the same thing. That's just bad business.
Old 02-12-2009, 07:30 PM
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I would be more worried about premature bearing wear and failure just shortly down the road due to being oil starved than just the pump failures at hand. I would definitely want a refund probably of all my money so that I could keep it to replace my engine when the thing spins a rod or main from all this.
Old 02-12-2009, 07:32 PM
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It is a tough call, but i would probably just let them do it one more time, if its free. if they dont do it for free then just start spreading the word about their shop and how they did you wrong.
Old 02-12-2009, 07:43 PM
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It sounds like an O ring failure, they're pretty easy to kink. He should take care of you though esp. if your having problem with something he did!
Old 02-12-2009, 08:13 PM
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^^thats what i was going to say you beat me to it
Old 02-12-2009, 10:08 PM
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He said the O ring was fine. He just picked the car up, and seemed pretty eager to get it done, so I will give him a chance to make it right.

And I dont know about premature bearing wear... Both times the pump went out it was off of start up. Ran for a total of 10 seconds give or take each time. I know thats not enough to even worry about having hurt the motor.
Old 02-13-2009, 02:26 PM
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Doesn't take very long for contact, or heat between the surfaces to happen. I would at least let the shop know that I was concerned with the issue that way maybe he will back up the fact all is well in case you do have problems with a week or two of driving it. Trust me a few seconds is all it takes if you get valve chatter the damage could already be done just went through all this on my last engine. I really hope your is okay though some people get lucky I wasn't one of them
Old 02-13-2009, 02:33 PM
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atleast hes trying to make it right........but like others have said, id be worried about bearing wear. really worried. and i would mention that. sounds like you plan on modding the car further and that would only make things worse
Old 02-13-2009, 02:34 PM
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Well not much the sponsor can do about a bad part, its not like it was the install that caused it. I say let them put on a new pump and make sure you get a new O-Ring also for the pump. If they are a sponsor on here then they know to lube it before installing the pump!

i say let them do the work and it shouldn't cost you anything for this issue as he was supposed to "fix" it the last time. Once he seen that the pump was wrong he should've replaced it then and there.
Old 02-13-2009, 04:53 PM
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I will talk to him about the bearing wear.

Basically I just wanted to be a cam only car while I save up for a turbo system. Then I will pull this cam out, and put a turbo cam in. I would imagine if there is any damage to the bearing, it would greatly intensify with a turbo.
Old 02-13-2009, 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by bjamick
Well not much the sponsor can do about a bad part, its not like it was the install that caused it. I say let them put on a new pump and make sure you get a new O-Ring also for the pump. If they are a sponsor on here then they know to lube it before installing the pump!

i say let them do the work and it shouldn't cost you anything for this issue as he was supposed to "fix" it the last time. Once he seen that the pump was wrong he should've replaced it then and there.
no bad part is a bad part, but they should have noticed the part installed backwards before they installed it the first time and there is no way in hell it should have been installed back on the car. If the motor blows now whats the recourse to take on the pump manufacturer? It should have been sent back right then and there.. I know if im installing an oil pump in my car im going to double check it 3 times.... its to critical to just throw on and hope everything was reassembled correctly after the port.

Its a good sign they are eager to try and fix it...




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