shezam

Does anyone know how long it takes oil to reach all the bearings in a ls1.To me the pickup tube is like 2 feet long where old sbc were 6 inch . That's a long distance to cover before it hits the pump . then how long does it take to reach the first bearing. I don't think the oil pump on the front and the sump in the rear is a good design.Is it possible to install a rear pump or maybe some sort of ignition delay. I am not sure how many miles you can get out of a ls1 before you need to rebuild it .And it after a ton of dry starts the crank and cam and even block would be junk . I know for a fact most engine wear is from initial start up.So the 2 foot pickup tub can't help matters . I bring this up because I abused the hell out of a lt1 for 330,000 miles 3 optisparks a few tranys .bought a ls for double it would cost to build my lt1 it better last as long for the money .Is there somethig I can do to help the dry start up.

S10xGN

iTrader: (11)

If it wasn't gonna "work", GM wouldn't have done it.

dreadpirateroberts

iTrader: (1)

how is it a dry start when everything in the engine has a film of oil on it?

watch the oil pressure PID in a handheld or hptuners vcm scanner, or install a mechanical gauge and watch it on startup, if you are worried about it. i'm sure it still gets up to pressure in a second or so after startup and there's nothing for you to worry about.

Karlw

iTrader: (5)

There's an anti backflow valve in the oil filter that keeps oil from draining back through the filter and into the pan. As long as the pickup is submerged in oil it should be full, unless the engine sits for a very long time.

Mappinsj

LS engine flood the main parts with oil first, it is actually a much better oiling system than old SBC

Che70velle

iTrader: (6)

This is incorrect. The LS engine series is NOT a priority main oiling system. Oil gets lifters, then cam bearings, and mains last in the circuit.

The Gen1 and Gen2 engines (small block Chevy) WAS a priority main design, meaning that oil went to main bearings first on the circuit.

Mappinsj

hmm I think I may have mixed them up, but I remember looking at the LS oil flow pattern and remember it looking much more simple than SBC

KCS

iTrader: (20)

The oiling system is the Achilles Heel of the LS engines. Works fine for street duty, but absolutely horrid for racing.

pantera_efi

iTrader: (1)

Hi KCS, I too agree, very poor design.

The MOST simple mod is under the oil pan filter insert.
I ALWAYS enlarge that pathway by drilling an extra hole in stock and Holley oil pans.

Lance

Mappinsj

? If that isn't a joke then I am done with this world.

MuhThugga

There are LS engines with 200-300,000 miles on them.

I think it is more surprising that the vehicle holding the engine lasted that long.

Mappinsj

My LS engine started as a police car engine and I have been beating on it for the last 20k miles from 205k to 225k and its strong as it was the day I got it. I do meticulous maintenance though, oil changes.

Karlw

iTrader: (5)

Care to go into a little more detail? I've never heard of this one before.

shezam

I have to say ,to true ,that it's amazing that the car held up that long.But I didn't mention that I changed more power window switches and power window motors (mostly drivers side) atleast 15 switches and 6 motors also both doors and not from accidents.One person wanted me to elaberate on what I said. Ok after getting your engine up to temp. You shut it off that oil flows off the scorching hot crank and cam (oil doesn't cling to hot slippery surfaces,)and it drains out of that 2 foot long pickup tube, so the next morning or I should say every morning you start your engine it's dry ,for how long I don't know ,but it's more time than the old sbc.And I have been asking a few people that have owned ls motors ,they have not gone past 240,000 .I know I haven't even asked a percent of ls owners and I don't know how they maintained there engine. That being said I do know that the lt1 needed 10 /10 on the crank 20 over pistons cam was junk needs cam bearings and it was idling at 10 to 12 pounds of oil pressure at about 250,000, also I changed the plugs and wires one time and I am not kidding, and maybe a total of 7 or 8 oil changes.

07NBSChevy

iTrader: (1)

An oil film is still left behind on the surfaces and protects the crank, rods, bearings etc. So technically it does not start up "dry" as you say, tho your definition may be different than mine. I have seen a handful LS engines go past 500k without any internal repairs done as well as hundreds go past 300k. If well taken care of they will last a long time. I recently disassembled a LS1, that had over 320k miles, and the bores still had very visible cross hatches, bearings were in good shape and so on. Obviously some tolerances were not in spec per say but still in great shape and would probably make it another 100k miles. Like said above there is an anti drain back valve in place to keep oil in the lifter and main bearing channels to prevent "dry" start up. Obviously if you let it sit to long it will eventually drain back in the pan.

My Gen4 LMG 5.3 has 118k miles on it before I did a cam swap on it, to be on the safe side I had my buddy, that is a GM engine Tech at the Dealer, inspect it. All bearing tolerances, certain gap settings, rings and what not were still within new stock factory specs. I stay on top of everything and the engine has been well taken care of.

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

Lots of 300,000+ LS motors around if you check the corvetteforum...for example

http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...-counting.html

Coworker pulled a 297,xxx mile 4.8 apart to rering for his turbo project. He said the bearings looked good and all cylinders still had the cross hatching. Had he know how well the 4.8 looked inside he would have just run it as it was.


The 92-97 LT1's were built when GM's tooling for SBC was basically worn out. They tended to have more issues with the bottom end than other SBC engines as a result of the tooling issues. I've never seen a stock bottom end LT1 break 300,000 miles but I'm sure some have or will. I've seen a few stock bottom LT1's make 250,000 miles. Coolinmg system issues and poor maintenance seemed to kill many LT1's over the 200,000 mile mark. Probably the legacy of not changing the Dexcool every 5 years as recommended as much as anything else.

Air bubbles in the revese cooling system have killed quite a few high mile LT1's with hot spots. Chatted with a cop who was a big LT1 fan. He explained that an air bubble caused hot spot killed his old B4C Camaro that had 200,000+ and still ran like new. The old B4C was ended up with a 396 LT1.

The old 305 SBC in my 91 RS still had 35+ pounds of oil pressure hot at idle after a 600 mile trip. The never rebuilt 305 had almost 400,000 miles on it and ran great. It was pulled for an LS1 swap. At 360,000+ miles the 305 got new valve cover gaskets, mechanic insisted the 305 was a near new replacement motor and argued the motor had to have been replaced if not by me by a prior owner. He looked shocked when i told him i bought the car new off the dealer lot in May of 1990. Mobile 1 5w-30 and later Mobile 1 10w-30 high mileage, quality oil filter and 5,000 to 7,000 mile oil change intervals is key to long engine life. That and flush the cooling system and replace coolant every few years.

Good oil and properly working maintenance on the cooling system will get 300,000 to 400,000 out of the typical GM fuel injected V8, SBC, SBC2 LT1, Gen 3 LS1, or Gen IV regardless of if it is priority main oiling or not. I'm confident my old 305 could have gone at least 500,000+ miles if not for the LS swap. The old 305 is the back up motor for the other 3rd Gen Camaro

Most engines that are maintained out last the car or truck they are in.

MY_2K_Z

iTrader: (1)

You must not know many people with factory ls powered cars, I know many in the range of 200,000-400,000 that never miss a beat. Water pump usually goes out at around 150-160k, alternator and belt tensioner not long after. But engine wise never a single issue. Had a spring brake once on a friends stock lq4 at about 200k replaced it and kept on rolling.

G Atsma

If the LS oiling system is the Achilles Heel of the LS engine, it is because of the excellence of the design of the rest of the engine. The above testimonies of the LS longevity, plus my personal knowledge of many more like it, demonstrate that for it being the "weak spot" of the LS engine, the oiling system still works as well as, or better than, many competitive engine systems. Keep in mind this is still basically a "consumer engine" for the mass market. The fact that is as good a performer as it is considering it's a "lowly" pushrod design is to my mind almost miraculous, but really just good solid engine design. An awesome engine!!

Mappinsj

I Always put a primed oil filter on my car

s57_s2k

You can use 0w-40 oil , it will prime the engine fast