Generation III Internal Engine 1997-2006 LS1 | LS6
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

do mahle pistons come factory?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Oct 21, 2010 | 04:34 PM
  #1  
leonpiper69's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Resident
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 804
Likes: 3
From: levittown PA
Default do mahle pistons come factory?

i ran my motor on 7 cyl so while i had it out i figured i would pull the pan and look up at the bore and check the bearings before i went through a whole tear down.

and the #7 cyl (the one that never sparked), the cyl is beautiful. stick cross hatched and no gaulling. but i noticed my pistons say mahle on the inside.

do ls1's come factory with mahle pistons? i dotn know much about this motor. i got it out of a 2001 t/a w/ 36k on it. and i know it has a cam and ported heads but could these be aftermarket pistons?
Reply
Old Oct 21, 2010 | 06:04 PM
  #2  
AES Racing's Avatar
FormerVendor
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 900
Likes: 1
From: Elk Grove Village IL
Default

if its stock, they're cast pistons, not performance mahle pistons
Reply
Old Oct 21, 2010 | 08:31 PM
  #3  
fastassls1maro's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (22)
 
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 291
Likes: 1
From: lewistown, PA
Default

i pulled these out of my untouched 02 ls1 block recently


they say Mahle on the underside of the piston. I have owned the car since it had 30k miles on it and it looks like no one has every opened it up.

by the way this was cyl. number 7 piston lol
Reply
Old Oct 21, 2010 | 11:46 PM
  #4  
leonpiper69's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Resident
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 804
Likes: 3
From: levittown PA
Default

how'd the cyl itself look? scored at all? my number 7 had no spark cuz i had a bad coil and didnt know it till i pulled the plugs and it had never fired once.
Reply
Old Oct 22, 2010 | 06:40 AM
  #5  
fastassls1maro's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (22)
 
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 291
Likes: 1
From: lewistown, PA
Default

the cylinder looked good still has cross hatching marks in it, the piston didnt fall apart until after i took it out and removed the rings.
Reply
Old Oct 23, 2010 | 07:09 PM
  #6  
BADD SS's Avatar
10 Second Club
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,103
Likes: 1
From: Baldwin, NY
Default

Originally Posted by fastassls1maro
i pulled these out of my untouched 02 ls1 block recently


they say Mahle on the underside of the piston. I have owned the car since it had 30k miles on it and it looks like no one has every opened it up.

by the way this was cyl. number 7 piston lol
obviously, if it has a mahle forged piston...it's not stock.....
Reply
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 12:56 PM
  #7  
leonpiper69's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Resident
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 804
Likes: 3
From: levittown PA
Default

Originally Posted by fastassls1maro
the cylinder looked good still has cross hatching marks in it, the piston didnt fall apart until after i took it out and removed the rings.

that doesnt make me feel better. why did you tear down? was something wrong? i mean were there signs somethign was wrong?

mine was running great (at least the other 7 cyls) and im only thinking about a tear down because one i wanted to make sure there was no damage from running w/ no spark in that cyl (which the walls look good) and two im on the fenc about upgradeing to forged pistons because im going to be boosting this motor.

now i know instantly everyone is gonna say "if its gonna see any boost, go forgd" and that would make sense. but im thinking about just running this motor the way it is and building another motor in meantime w/ forged internals
and maybe an iron block whiel im at it. but the other thing is i dotn know what cam i have. the guy i bought the motor from didnt even remember the brand so i have tear soemthing down to get a peek at it.

thats the other thing. the cam numbers (im told are on the rear of the cam) so whats the easiest way to get a peek at um? rear cover (i heard that alignment on that is mucho critical) or pull the whole front apart and pull the cam apart?

the motor is on the stand right now so the front wouldnt be too bad but if i can get the back cover off even easier while its on the stand , maybe i should go that route.
Reply
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 03:09 PM
  #8  
LSPerformance's Avatar
On The Tree
iTrader: (23)
 
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 155
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte, NC
Default

Originally Posted by BADD SS
obviously, if it has a mahle forged piston...it's not stock.....
The factory pistons come from Mahle and Federal Mogul depending on the year. Both are cast, not forged.
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-5

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-9

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 03:30 PM
  #9  
mtuggle86's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 548
Likes: 0
Default

Originally Posted by LSPerformance
The factory pistons come from Mahle and Federal Mogul depending on the year. Both are cast, not forged.
This is correct. In 2001 mahle switched the metal the pistons where cast out of also http://www.idavette.net/hib/ls6/index.htm this tell about them.
Reply
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 03:35 PM
  #10  
mtuggle86's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 548
Likes: 0
Default

Originally Posted by leonpiper69
i ran my motor on 7 cyl so while i had it out i figured i would pull the pan and look up at the bore and check the bearings before i went through a whole tear down.

and the #7 cyl (the one that never sparked), the cyl is beautiful. stick cross hatched and no gaulling. but i noticed my pistons say mahle on the inside.

do ls1's come factory with mahle pistons? i dotn know much about this motor. i got it out of a 2001 t/a w/ 36k on it. and i know it has a cam and ported heads but could these be aftermarket pistons?
How long did you run it with a misfire? I ran mine for an hour on the freeway with no spark on cylinder #7. It seems to run good still but Ive been worried I could have damaged it from cylinder washdown.
Reply
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 04:11 PM
  #11  
1baaadz28's Avatar
On The Tree
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
From: Gadsden AL
Default

My 02 LS1 has the same stamp on the inside of the pistons
Reply
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 08:31 PM
  #12  
leonpiper69's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Resident
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 804
Likes: 3
From: levittown PA
Default

Originally Posted by mtuggle86
How long did you run it with a misfire? I ran mine for an hour on the freeway with no spark on cylinder #7. It seems to run good still but Ive been worried I could have damaged it from cylinder washdown.
ran it over 1,000 miles including about 6 or 7 passes down the track. the cyl in question had a bad coil from day one, never sparked once. i thought it just shook cuz of the cam turns out it was only running on 7. thats the reason i was worried about checking out the bore before puttting this motor in another car.

but then again since im thinking about building another motor i could just say
F-it and run it like it is and build the other motor any way.
Reply
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 08:43 PM
  #13  
Chris05ssTruck's Avatar
TECH Resident
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 963
Likes: 1
From: P'cola, FL
Default

EVERY 02' LS1 i have seen has had Mahle's.
Reply
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 09:01 PM
  #14  
Mike454SS's Avatar
TECH Addict
20 Year Member
Photogenic
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,142
Likes: 9
From: South Windsor, CT
Default

Originally Posted by Chris05ssTruck
EVERY 02' LS1 i have seen has had Mahle's.

I'd bet EVERY GM engine you've seen for the past 15+ years has had Mahle pistons

However...THAT piston pictured above, with the skirt coating, and V groove between compression rings...is NOT a stock LS1 piston...just because it doesn't look like it's been apart...doesn't mean it hasn't been apart...a lot of people use factory gaskets and fasteners with aftermarket internals to appear stock.
Reply
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 09:30 PM
  #15  
fastassls1maro's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (22)
 
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 291
Likes: 1
From: lewistown, PA
Default

the only reason for my tear down was my car has 100,000 miles on it and i am doing head/cam swap so i figured i would just go over the motor while i have it out.

when i bought my car it only had 30k miles on it with SLP loudmouth and SLP intake, it wouldnt make much sense for the original owner to upgrade to Mahle forged pistons for no reason. They are def. not forged pistons, but they do have the teflon coating on the side.
Reply
Old Oct 31, 2010 | 10:25 PM
  #16  
Mike454SS's Avatar
TECH Addict
20 Year Member
Photogenic
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,142
Likes: 9
From: South Windsor, CT
Default

Originally Posted by fastassls1maro
the only reason for my tear down was my car has 100,000 miles on it and i am doing head/cam swap so i figured i would just go over the motor while i have it out.

when i bought my car it only had 30k miles on it with SLP loudmouth and SLP intake, it wouldnt make much sense for the original owner to upgrade to Mahle forged pistons for no reason. They are def. not forged pistons, but they do have the teflon coating on the side.
Maybe he sprayed the everliving crap out of it before you bought it? LQ9's got coated full floating pistons...but the're also a 4" bore, and thus their pistons won't fit in an LS1 without re-sleeving it.

Stock LS1 pistons look very boring, no fancy groove between compression rings, no coatings, flat tops with a single small pinpoint circular mark on the top...unlike the non-stock piston you posted.

Lets see the rest, what do your rods look like? What do the tops of those pistons look like?
Reply
Old Nov 1, 2010 | 06:58 AM
  #17  
fastassls1maro's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (22)
 
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 291
Likes: 1
From: lewistown, PA
Default





ill take one into work with me this morning and measure the piston diameter as well and report back around lunch.
Reply
Old Nov 1, 2010 | 07:55 AM
  #18  
Bowtie_Aaron's Avatar
Launching!
20 Year Member
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 229
Likes: 0
From: Walnutport, PA
Default

Those grooves on the bottom ring land don't look stock and neither the stamping on the inside of the piston. My stock 02 pistons looks similar with the coated skirts but they also have an indent in top to notate direction of piston to be installed in.

Aaron
Reply
Old Nov 1, 2010 | 08:00 AM
  #19  
mtuggle86's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 548
Likes: 0
Default

I've read before that the 02 ls1 pistons got a coating on there skirts. That piston looks like stock to me atleast the top looks just like stock.
Reply
Old Nov 1, 2010 | 08:01 AM
  #20  
Bowtie_Aaron's Avatar
Launching!
20 Year Member
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 229
Likes: 0
From: Walnutport, PA
Default

I know this is a bad picture but it shows how my stock semi together piston looked. I'll try to get another tonight to compare..



Aaron
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:17 PM.

story-0
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

Slideshow: This heavily modified 1971 Camaro mixes classic muscle car styling with a fifth-generation Camaro interior and modern LS3 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:06:42


VIEW MORE
story-1
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-07 18:44:57


VIEW MORE
story-2
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-5
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-6
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-7
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE