MySuperSportCamaro

iTrader: (1)

Ok. I bought a "project" 96 Camaro SS supercharged intercooled. The guy I bought it from don't know much about the engine, he bought it this way from out of state and just wanted to get rid of it.

got the car with a dyno sheet, 450 HP. The engine I was told it's the original 96 LT1 bored 30 over and it's a 383. I noticed FOUR main things before I decided to take it apart :

1- Car was running super rich 8 mpg if that.
2- Engine was burning oil kinda bad.
3- I found some metal chips in the oil pan (Not fine chips).
4- Oil pressure issue : around 45 PSI at cold start. Almost 0 PSI when it warms up and when u push the gas pedal.

Yesterday I took the engine out and took pictures. Could you guys take a look at these pictures and try to figure out with your experience and from what u see in the pictures as of what's going on in there? I can see that ONE cylinder wasn't working and found a bad wire, but what can this cause to the entire engine?

Every comment/opinion will be greatly appreciated.

Here it is: http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll135/383LT1stroker/

MUSTANGBRKR02

iTrader: (91)

do you plan on checking the rod/main bearings?

How did the lifters look when you took them out?

Did you filter your oil when you drained it? Then check the chips with a magnet?

Can you see where the block has been clearance for the stroker crank? Oil pan usually needs to be also.

MUSTANGBRKR02

iTrader: (91)

The crank should be a Lunati or Eagle are the two main cranks used for the 383.

MySuperSportCamaro

iTrader: (1)

I will be checking the main bearings and the rods today, I DID FIND ONE BOLT in the oil pan when I took it of. As for the metal shavings I did not find any this time when I drained the oil which was the FIRST step I did in the process of taking the engine out of the Camaro.
As for the metal shavings, I found them 2 TIMES while doing oil change twice since I got the car, so every 2000 miles I did oil change the YES it was magneted to the OIL PAN BOLT.
I also found a 3x3 inch chunk of the stuff they used to seal the oil pan (Orange glue or whatever you call it). Small pieces of that sealant were also stock on the oil pump screen.
Lifters look excellent when I removed them. nothing is wrong with them.
what should I check for when u say about the block being clearanced for the crank and the oil pan, should I look for missing metal in that area?
Hey I really appreciate your time helping me out, I've never been through an engine work like this before, done everything but engine work.
Again, I really appreciate it.

AKAFRED

iTrader: (1)

holy silicone.. wtf were they thinking... i would pull it apart measure and clean it out, reassemble with new bearings..

also dont use silicone as a repalcement for a 10$ oilpan gasket.. thats just cheap.. i wouldnt be suprized if chunks of that crap are all thru your engine..

when i did the pan on my lt1 i used 4 pee sized dabs of silicone.. one in each corner.. some may argue that that is even unneeded..

also did that one clean cyl have a water leak? or was it just a dead cylender? bad wire, shorted plug, stuck injector ect?

MySuperSportCamaro

iTrader: (1)

Waw, good to know. So that orange **** is cheap stuff they used to "Seal" the oil pan to the block? Believe it or now but this orange stuff is all over my oil pan when I took it off.

On the one clean cylinder: I FOUND a bad wire that was cut so bad ,it doesn't even look like it was cut from touching a header pipe or something, it was just cut and wire inside it was exposed so that cylinder wasn't working WHO knows for how long, I'll post newer pictures today for you guys to try and take me further into this.
I do not know if that cylinder had a water leak. how do I find out?
Thanks a lot man, appreciate your time.

MUSTANGBRKR02

iTrader: (91)

http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r...ansamdroptp08/

Not the best but, you can see on the crank pics that the edge where the pan sits isn't straight and see where it was machines to clear the crank/rods.

MUSTANGBRKR02

iTrader: (91)

As stated above i would redo all the bearings and inspect everything then put it back together and see what you got. Might be helpful to take the heads to a shop to have them look at the valve seals also.

MySuperSportCamaro

iTrader: (1)

Please click on the pictures link again , I loaded new pictures that I took today and found :

1- Bad bearings (At least one, didn't take it all apart yet). See pictures, that's where the METAL SHAVINGS are coming from.

2- "Weird" looking camshaft. See pictures please and look inside at the cam shaft, that's the only part of the camshaft that's being SOMEHOW worn from the inside out making SHARP edges. By the way, it's on that clean cylinder that wasn't firing. ANY CONNECTION? Did the camshaft lose it's shape like that or it was done like that?

3- Look at the picture of the SHEET METAL BRACKET that holds the LIFTER GUIDE BAR in place. The bracket AGAIN ON THAT CLEAN CYLINDER THAT WASN'T FIRING is for some reason PUSHED UP allowing the lifter guide bar to DANCE in there and lifters to abviously go up higher than they should. ANY CONNECTION TO WHY ALL THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING ON THAT SPECIFIC CYLINDER?

4- A LLOOOTTT of stupid orange sealing all over the God damn pan.

5- Looks like that supercharger's end of the blower oil line return into the oil pan was touched by something? Correct me if I'm wrong. And what's that screw ABOVE that line. That screw by the way was found LOOSE in the oil pan swimming.

Come on guys, someone put all these things together for me and tell me why:

1- Engine was burning oil.
2- Super rich on gas.
3- Poor oil pressure at higher RPMs.
4- Why every weird problem happened on that cylinder (With bad plug wire that I found later).

Here's the link again for the pictures : http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll135/383LT1stroker/

MUSTANGBRKR02

iTrader: (91)

well the motor does not look like a stroker.

1- possible that since it was running rich you washed out the rings.
2- could be tune related, fuel pressure? regulator?
3- all that crap in the pan blocking oil from pumping.
4- lifter wasn't set in right looks like then turned which would cause the roller to score up the cam like that. Cam is junk now. I think the whole motor need to be reworked. new rings, cam possibility to rework the heads. that crank looks like crap whoever balanced it must have been new or didn't know what they were doing. I would also get a new oil pump.

MySuperSportCamaro

iTrader: (1)

Yep. I bought the car from out of state and didn't know anything about who built the engine. I was TOLD it's a stroker, how can u tell it's not a stroker? Just curious.

As for the heads, I will not run these heads, I'm planing on getting AFR ones.

However, if this engine isn't a stroker then it's going to be lifted and loaded on the back of my pickup, drive 13 hours from PA to chicago, knock on the guys door that I bought the car from last November and shuv his head inside the motor. I honestly didn't buy the car for the engine, I bought it for being rare (96 SS) and for the over 5 grand vortech supercharger. But why the hell did he say it's a stroker if it wasn't?

Anyway, to the motor, can I reuse the lifters again or the ones that runied the camshaft need to be replaced only?
So we solved at least one issue, oil pressure was bad because of the crap they used to seal the pan.
What a bad bearing exactly cause to the overall operation of the engine? Sorry if it might sound like a stupid question.
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it.

MySuperSportCamaro

iTrader: (1)

Oh one more question : WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THAT SHEET METAL BRACKET TO BEND LIKE THAT? why most of the problems happened on that specific cylinder (Bent lifter guide bar bracket/runined camshaft).

MUSTANGBRKR02

iTrader: (91)

doesn't look like the block or pan is cleared away at all which i am pretty sure is a must on the LT1 strokers(was on mine anyway).

I would replace the lifters and anything that is oil driven with all that metal in there don't want to be doing this again. I would also send the head unit(supercharger) off to get inspected.

Look at the trickflow heads also. talk to some of the sponsors before you start the build to get a good idea of where you are, where you are going and how you are going to get there.

Bearing spinning may have ruined the crank or rod depending on how bad and how long it was doing that.

Bill

MySuperSportCamaro

iTrader: (1)

"I would also send the head unit(supercharger) off to get inspected."

Now THAT'S something I will do. where do you take it to?

MUSTANGBRKR02

iTrader: (91)

to Vortech or a vendor

AKAFRED

iTrader: (1)

all that silicone would have got sucked onto your pickup when the engine was running not allowing it to pump oil... the longer it run the worse the oil pressure probably got..


some of it would have gotten sucked Thur the screen and into your filter clogging it at a rapid pace...

MySuperSportCamaro

iTrader: (1)

Ok guys,

Got the stroker apart and need further advices from you, I found:

1- Worn bearings under ONE main cap. (Metal Shavings?)
2- Worn cam shaft lubes on UNFIRED cylinder.
3- Bent sheet metal that holds lifters guide on UNFIRED cylinder.
4- Too much sealant was used to seal oil pan (Lots in oil)

I want to rebuild it and need your help with few questions:

1- Do you think I can reuse the same crank shaft? Take a look at the new pictures I added, am I crazy or this camshaft was done at someones back yard? What's up with all that welding and holes in it? What would you do?

2- All lifters seem to be ok, should I reuse them all (Except ones on that unfired cylinder/bent sheet metal)?

3- Engine was abviously running on 7 cylinders for a good while, would u reuse the pistons? They seem to be ok to me, would u just replace the rings to be safe?

4- How about oil pump that wasn't pumping well because of that sealant in the oil? would u replace it?

One last question: I figured that bad oil pressure accured because of the sealant in the oil. And rich on gas because of one unfired cylinder. But why was it burning oil if rings are ok?

MUSTANGBRKR02

iTrader: (91)

1. take crank to a good shop and see what they think.
2. replace lifters, cheap insurance
3. pistons should be fine to reuse assuming they are good.
4. REPLACE the $60 oil pump!