What to replace for stronger ls1?
10-23-2013, 02:12 AM
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What to replace for stronger ls1? I have been reading as much as I can on the ls1 before I make any performance upgrades. I have been finding that there are some parts on the motor everyone recommends replacing because the factory system or part is inadequate and could potentially lead to engine failure such as the oil pump. I have gathered that it is a good idea to upgrade the oil pump, pcv system and rockers. I feel like I don't want to overlook any common problems and address the problems before I do any peformance mods. what other "common problems" are there that would help my ls1 motor gain greater longevity other than general maintence?
10-23-2013, 12:50 PM
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I understand your logic, but personally I would rather replace rockers before the needle bearings fall out of them and get into my cylinders or replace the oild pump before it goes out since its prone to. So thats why I'm asking other know so called common issues.
10-23-2013, 01:39 PM
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I understand your logic, but personally I would rather replace rockers before the needle bearings fall out of them and get into my cylinders or replace the oild pump before it goes out since its prone to. So thats why I'm asking other know so called common issues.
First off, what year is your engine? '98-'00 used the older LS1 oil pumps, which have had a small percentage of failures. This is a very small percentage though, not a "common" problem at all. Most people only consider replacing this if they are already in there for a cam swap, otherwise there is very little reason to do so. '01+ use the LS6 pump, so if you have a newer LS1 you really don't even need to think about this anyway.
Rockers I wouldn't worry about unless you are going to be doing a cam swap, and even then it's not always a concern. Many of us have done aftermarket cams with stock rockers and no issues. For a stock engine, again you are looking at a very small percentage of failures. Many of us have stock engines with well over 100k and all the stock rockers have held together fine.
People post about these "issues" because it's a topic of concern when something goes wrong. But what you DON'T see are posts that mentioned all the LS1s that go for 100, 150, even 200k without any internal failures. It's only "news" when something goes wrong, so that's what gets posted about.
By far, the vast majority of stock LS1s will not ever need a rocker arm or oil pump to be replaced during their normal service life. Now, if you have a very high mileage LS1 and are planning a rebuild anyway, then it certainly makes sense to consider upgrades in these areas. Othewise, you may end up doing more harm than good (I say this because aftermarket parts have been known to fail as well, sometimes more often than the stock stuff. So if you replace a part based on the small chance that it might break, you have now also introduced the possibility that the aftermarket part may prove less reliable than the stock part that has already been successfully in service for thousands of miles. Just something to think about.)
It's obviously your car and you should do what you want, but as a person that has owned and experienced several of these cars/engines from brand new all the way to 100k+ used examples, and from stock to bolt-on to modified internals, I would never consider oil pump or rocker arm replacement for the sake of "maintenance" prior to doing upgrades. I would only consider these sorts of things as part of a greater build where I was already opening the engine for other upgrades anyway. Just my opinion.
10-23-2013, 10:23 PM
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That makes a lot more sense. I have a 2000 model , if general consensus tells me not to worry about then I would feel fine not doing so. I appreciate the more in depth reasoning,def gives me better insight on why not to do something.saves me money anyways if there nothing to worry about.
I think you may be over-worrying on these "issues".
First off, what year is your engine? '98-'00 used the older LS1 oil pumps, which have had a small percentage of failures. This is a very small percentage though, not a "common" problem at all. Most people only consider replacing this if they are already in there for a cam swap, otherwise there is very little reason to do so. '01+ use the LS6 pump, so if you have a newer LS1 you really don't even need to think about this anyway.
Rockers I wouldn't worry about unless you are going to be doing a cam swap, and even then it's not always a concern. Many of us have done aftermarket cams with stock rockers and no issues. For a stock engine, again you are looking at a very small percentage of failures. Many of us have stock engines with well over 100k and all the stock rockers have held together fine.
People post about these "issues" because it's a topic of concern when something goes wrong. But what you DON'T see are posts that mentioned all the LS1s that go for 100, 150, even 200k without any internal failures. It's only "news" when something goes wrong, so that's what gets posted about.
By far, the vast majority of stock LS1s will not ever need a rocker arm or oil pump to be replaced during their normal service life. Now, if you have a very high mileage LS1 and are planning a rebuild anyway, then it certainly makes sense to consider upgrades in these areas. Othewise, you may end up doing more harm than good (I say this because aftermarket parts have been known to fail as well, sometimes more often than the stock stuff. So if you replace a part based on the small chance that it might break, you have now also introduced the possibility that the aftermarket part may prove less reliable than the stock part that has already been successfully in service for thousands of miles. Just something to think about.)
It's obviously your car and you should do what you want, but as a person that has owned and experienced several of these cars/engines from brand new all the way to 100k+ used examples, and from stock to bolt-on to modified internals, I would never consider oil pump or rocker arm replacement for the sake of "maintenance" prior to doing upgrades. I would only consider these sorts of things as part of a greater build where I was already opening the engine for other upgrades anyway. Just my opinion.
First off, what year is your engine? '98-'00 used the older LS1 oil pumps, which have had a small percentage of failures. This is a very small percentage though, not a "common" problem at all. Most people only consider replacing this if they are already in there for a cam swap, otherwise there is very little reason to do so. '01+ use the LS6 pump, so if you have a newer LS1 you really don't even need to think about this anyway.
Rockers I wouldn't worry about unless you are going to be doing a cam swap, and even then it's not always a concern. Many of us have done aftermarket cams with stock rockers and no issues. For a stock engine, again you are looking at a very small percentage of failures. Many of us have stock engines with well over 100k and all the stock rockers have held together fine.
People post about these "issues" because it's a topic of concern when something goes wrong. But what you DON'T see are posts that mentioned all the LS1s that go for 100, 150, even 200k without any internal failures. It's only "news" when something goes wrong, so that's what gets posted about.
By far, the vast majority of stock LS1s will not ever need a rocker arm or oil pump to be replaced during their normal service life. Now, if you have a very high mileage LS1 and are planning a rebuild anyway, then it certainly makes sense to consider upgrades in these areas. Othewise, you may end up doing more harm than good (I say this because aftermarket parts have been known to fail as well, sometimes more often than the stock stuff. So if you replace a part based on the small chance that it might break, you have now also introduced the possibility that the aftermarket part may prove less reliable than the stock part that has already been successfully in service for thousands of miles. Just something to think about.)
It's obviously your car and you should do what you want, but as a person that has owned and experienced several of these cars/engines from brand new all the way to 100k+ used examples, and from stock to bolt-on to modified internals, I would never consider oil pump or rocker arm replacement for the sake of "maintenance" prior to doing upgrades. I would only consider these sorts of things as part of a greater build where I was already opening the engine for other upgrades anyway. Just my opinion.
