Hello all! I have an 01 SS that has 102K on the clock. I am new to GMs and LS1s, my last cars were Mustangs. Anyway I don't know if I am being paranoid or not but I have a sound in my valvetrain and I don't know if it is normal for these engines or not??

The noise isn't a tick or knock, but the best way I can describe it is like a rolling sound, like a marble rolling. I am thinking it is a roller on one of the lifters, but I don't know if the noise is normal or not. I have heard it before, but tonight I noticed it a little more, don't know if I am being paranoid or not and thinking it's louder now. It makes the most noise when I bring it up off idle and it seems to go away around 2000 RPM and it makes the "marble rolly" sound on decel from 2K.

Please tell me if this is normal for the LS1 or if I need to get into my engine and do some inspection/ parts replacement.

Oh yeah, I did a search for this and couldn't find anything on a stock engine/cam/valvetrain

 

First congrats for the switch....A wise moveLOL. Yes these valvetrains are known to be a bit noisy even stock. Mine was dead quiet though..

My guess is you just smoked a little weed and got to imagining things.....J/K
But yea they CAN be a little noisy stock and just wait till you put a 600+ lift cam and dual springs in it

My advice is if you have a mechanical prob as opposed to normal noise you will quickly pick up on it....

If it is a dead stock engine I would change the oil and check for rocker arm needle bearings on the plug magnet. VERY common. Maybe pull the VC's and check for wobbly rocker arms. Comp and Harland Sharpre both sell a trunion upgrade kit or HS will do it for you for about $260 problem solved...

I am more than willing to bet though you are not used to the idiosyncrysis(sp) of the LS1 and all is fine.....

 

Main Q...is the car stock? Stock my LS1 was pretty darn quiet. Added LT headers and could hear it tapping. It was the valvetrain echoing through the header pipes. Added a cam + heads and it sounds like a loud sewing machine. All these noises are "normal". A little tapping on cold start-up is also normal. Many LS1's have an issue with "piston slap" until the engine is warm. Sounds like a metallic tapping that goes away once the car is up to operating temp.

The "bad" noise is one that follows through the RPM range or that is accompanied with loss of (or low) oil pressure. Another "bad" tap can be a collapsed lifter. That's a little harder to spot, but nothing I'd lose sleep over.

 

Mine was quiet stock....ah I mean with bolt ons (thats how it was when I got it). Its quiet now with a cam too. Very little if any valvetrain noise. Noise is fairly common though.

 

The engine is stock with bolt-ons. It has LT headers, O/R Y-pipe, catback, lid, and tune.

I had just changed the oil yesterday, there was little to nothing stuck to the magnet. Oil pressure is fine. Drove it to work today, 30 miles, and the noise didn't get any worse, so I'm guessing it must be the normal LS1 noise

 

The car only has LT headers, O/R Y-pipe, catback, lid and tune. The car was making this exact same noise before I put the headers on, don't think it has gotten much worse. Mine is smooth as silk on cold start-up; no piston slap, had that in the '04 Cobra though, so I know what it sounds like

The noise doesn't follow through the RPM band, it seems likes it's gone at 2,000 RPM and above. What's weird is that the engine has a vibration in the same RPM range where I hear the valvetrain noise. Once again don't know if the vibration is common or not on these engines.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies so far!

 

Post up a video if you can but I bet it is normal LS1 noise....

 

This has a little more than stock parts in it but still "Normal" VT noise, hope it helps

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/1...A-2_683452.htm

 

Wow, my car is WAAAAAAAAY quiter than that one, but I guess that is what I have to look forward to when I do a cam. That car sounds like my 347 I had in my '91 5.0 it was a big custom ground roller cam. I think all big roller cams just instinctually make the valvetrain noisy. Is the MS3 a noisy cam?

 

That noise is not normal.

Take your valve cover off and check everything out, it's really easy.

 

This isnt normal sound how so ?.....
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/1...A-2_683452.htm
I dont see how a .601 inch lift would be quiet....

 

I just had work done on mine in sig. sounds just like yours, but a tad quieter. The installer is a very experienced builder/tuner and he says it's normal with the more aggresive springs and push rods. I'm interested to hear why Fatbum thinks it is not normal?

 

As long as it runs right. Doesnt Smoke, doesnt have metal in the oil and all the measurements are correct, bearings, preload, lifters, pushrods etc it really doesnt bother me.
I'm not going to go chasing a noise that isnt a issue.
Now it will bother some people and they will put a longer push rod in quieting it down.
But I want to maintain the proper gaps, limits and preload, for my intended application... So i know im not gonna flot anything.
There are just alot of people out there that think they know everything on these engines.
When there are only a group that really do.
I dont know everything but I know how my engine is put together and what gaps, and stuff was used.