Scoggin Dickey

iTrader: (34)

Verify your o-ring installation, or it could cost you all of the money you just put into your engine and more.

This car came into our possession with low oil pressure after a "complete rebuild" from another shop (non-sponsor, little shop). It had a slight knock for 2-3 seconds after sitting for a couple of days, but that went away and it is reported to run and drive very well, so the first thoughts were a bad lifter. It even drove right into the shop for inspection without any noise or troubles beyond the oil pressure being 35psi cold idle, 20psi warm idle, and 45-48psi at higher rpm.

We did a quick assessment, found a few disturbing things once we pulled valve covers etc and decided to go further and so we pulled a head. We found stock reused lifters, and metal shavings on the cam. Out comes the engine and what do we find:



So we went further into it, and found many disturbing things regarding the build, the most amusing of which was RTV silicone on everything. We had already found it on the valve covers and bolts, intake ports, and pretty much every gasket so far including the exhaust gaskets. Now it's on main cap side bolts, in the pickup tube screen, everywhere. Anyway, here's what we reached, all new bearings were toast, a spun rod bearing, etc.

5.3LJimmy

iTrader: (10)

That sucks. This whole issue could have likely been avoided if they only had put RTV on the oil pick up o-ring too. They most likely ran out before they got to it though.

Red99TA

iTrader: (11)

This might be a dumb question but isn't that enough oil pressure to run a motor or did the RTV everywhere plug up some passages and start oil in certain parts of the motor? Honestly mine's about 40psi cold idle and 30 psi hot idle with 45-50 psi at high rpms.

Hamrdown

iTrader: (25)

I hope the other shop covers the damages since it seemed to be their fault in installation.

PBMFIsMe

iTrader: (5)

Ouch.

Johnnystock

iTrader: (6)

I know the majority of small shops around here will charge the full price and will give these kind of results...

Johnnystock

iTrader: (6)

Wow, if yess, youre the luckiest man...

Beau@SDPC

iTrader: (14)

i seriously doubt any further communication will transpire between the car owner now and the previous shop.

crainholio

iTrader: (2)

Just speculating here, but given the location of the leak it would have been pulling in air and aerating the engine oil. So instead of an oil film, the engine had foam.

Scoggin Dickey

iTrader: (34)

Those pressures are fairly common in many C5s, but that should not be the case immediately after what is supposed to be a fresh stock rebuild. The low pressure was indicative of an underlying problem as much as it was the problem itself. Upon draining the oil, we found that it was thicker oil than even any 20w50 I have ever seen. There was a cover-up for a bad build going on

We'll have a build thread up involving this car soon.

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

Getting the pickup tube into the input port of the oil pump isn't usually a problem(pinched "O" ring) unless you installing a double row chain, but someone who uses copious amount of RTV on an LS series rebuild all bets are off. Off hand I think the only place where any RTV is recommended is the oil pan/block/timing cover junction and a small amount at that. It's hard to figure out why someone would use RTV like JB Weld and then put in high Vis oil to mask problems. I thought the days of the Shade Tree Mechanic were over. Apparently not.

1fast68

Thank you SDPC for posting this. I just built a 418 and my oil pres was 55 cold/30 hot. The valve train was a bit noisy and sometimes the pressure would flutter fast 10-15lbs. I only had about 3-5 miles on the engine, but I didn't have a new o-ring when I built it. I reused the old one (looked fine).

Last night I decided to just check for my peice of mind. Pulled the old o-ring out and put in a new one. The old ring was square looking. Now my oil pressure is 65-70 cold and 45-50 hot. No valve train noise either.

I think everything will be fine now.

THANKS

2002 SS HUGG

It's things like this that make me question doing my own performance installs and tunes, because sometimes people do not give the appropriate attention or quality to the product. This is why I've been looking all over for a good shop to do my install. Think I finally found one...in Deleware. lol Sorry to hear about your situation man, hope it all works out in the end for ya.

TrackZ28'S

RTV is not a gasket!!!I hate it when someone does **** like that.Too damn cheap to spend a few dollars for gaskets.Who knows whatelse was skipped on.Sorry to hear about the engine.Good luck on the new build.

racer7088

See at least two of those a month or so taking stuff apart. About a 1/4 of home built deals are like that and even more if they try and do a double roller as well.

Chrome355z

iTrader: (1)

25%? Wow, I mean it can always happen; but damn I'm suprised that many ppl F this up. You just have to be careful, and on first startup make damn sure you have good oil pressure...

racer7088

Yep I used to be surprised but not anymore. It will run but it will always suck air so you are always hurting the engine when you do this. Also the lifters etc. do not like to be filled with aerated oil either. We've even had quite a few shops send us stuff with the O-ring pinched like that on double rollers so it's not as rare as you'd think.

Brettz28

iTrader: (2)

Engine builds (and most other car mods) are not the place to "cheap out" huh?

Scoggin Dickey

iTrader: (34)

I'm glad this inspired 1FAST68 to find his problem Hopefully seeing a thread like this and knowing for sure that there CAN be oil pressure and still be a problem that will hurt the engine in the long term will help a few more people get theirs installed correctly or at least find it before it's too late if they have kinda low pressure after a build. A lot of times on the board people totally overlook checking the o-ring again if they have 20+ PSI and they chase other oiling problems, thinking the the o-ring would cause 0-5 psi and that anything higher means it's something else.



I bought this car off of the guy who had it rebuilt, I now own the car in all of it's problematic glory

matt1289

I would hope the shop would give your money back on that build. I dout they would though they sound really shady as it is. This is why I wont let anyone work on my car unless it is a friend helping me. I would let a mechanic touch my car without me watching every move they make.