Ok found an engine now what?
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Teching In
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 38
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Ok found an engine now what? Got my first LS1 from a buddies camaro so I knew what I was getting myself into...
But now for my second LSx motor I am forced to go out into the wild to capture one.
Here is the question:
If you were gonna buy a LSx motor off of craigslist that was already pulled from the car (or truck) how would you check it out to make sure you were not getting a lemon?
But now for my second LSx motor I am forced to go out into the wild to capture one.
Here is the question:
If you were gonna buy a LSx motor off of craigslist that was already pulled from the car (or truck) how would you check it out to make sure you were not getting a lemon?
There are a few things you can do..:
1) Open the valve covers and oil pan to take a look at how everything looks.. (oil, metal shavings, wear marks, etc)
2) Use a Leak down tester, it can give a pertty good indication of the health of the engine.
1) Open the valve covers and oil pan to take a look at how everything looks.. (oil, metal shavings, wear marks, etc)
2) Use a Leak down tester, it can give a pertty good indication of the health of the engine.
Compression tests and stuff are fine, but you can pretty much tell by the mileage and pulling off one of the valve covers to see it the motor's had its oil changed regularly.
Try a get a copy of the title of the car it came out of or at least the VIN. The last one I bought from Craigslist, the guy gave me a copy of the title of the truck it came out of.
Take the VIN to your dealer and ask him what motor it is. The 4.8 and the 5.3 are hard to tell apart. You can read a partial VIN off the block on a raised area behind the cylinder head too.
If you have to go through a DMV inspection to get the car registered, you might want to have proof the motor's legit. I know the police around here will sometimes check your motor VIN
Check the pan and make sure it isn't cracked. Of the last three I've bought, two had problems with the pan.
Make sure you get the TAC and pedal (and jumper harness) if it comes out of a DBW truck/car. Make sure the harness and PCM came from the same vehicle as the motor,
Don't let them cut the fuse block out of the harness. If you have the room to use it, it makes for a very simple harness conversion to stand-alone.
Make sure all the external sensors and accessories are there. If they are not, they will nickle and dime you to death. My last motor didn't have a dipstick or tube. It cost me $50 friggin dollars to buy one. The whole motor and trans was only $800
Good luck
Try a get a copy of the title of the car it came out of or at least the VIN. The last one I bought from Craigslist, the guy gave me a copy of the title of the truck it came out of.
Take the VIN to your dealer and ask him what motor it is. The 4.8 and the 5.3 are hard to tell apart. You can read a partial VIN off the block on a raised area behind the cylinder head too.
If you have to go through a DMV inspection to get the car registered, you might want to have proof the motor's legit. I know the police around here will sometimes check your motor VIN
Check the pan and make sure it isn't cracked. Of the last three I've bought, two had problems with the pan.
Make sure you get the TAC and pedal (and jumper harness) if it comes out of a DBW truck/car. Make sure the harness and PCM came from the same vehicle as the motor,
Don't let them cut the fuse block out of the harness. If you have the room to use it, it makes for a very simple harness conversion to stand-alone.
Make sure all the external sensors and accessories are there. If they are not, they will nickle and dime you to death. My last motor didn't have a dipstick or tube. It cost me $50 friggin dollars to buy one. The whole motor and trans was only $800
Good luck
