Issues with LS1.
Issues with LS1. 2001 LS1 with 16K miles. Stage II Patriot heads. Baby Cam.
The first is a problem is with cylinder 4. The plug looks bad and is oily even on the electrode. When I take the plug out and turn the engine over, I can see that it is firing. I'm not getting any obd codes.
-I've swapped the plug, plug wire, coil, and injector and the issue stayed with that cylinder.
-I checked the coil input with a noid light and it flashes like the others.
-I've done a warm leakdown test and all cylinders look good with a range of 4 - 7 % leakage. This one had 7%.
-I did a compression test and this cylinder had a 198 psi and all of the rest were in a range of 185 to 205.
I'm going ahead and mentioning the 2nd problem just in case it's related.
I've had this 2nd problem for a while but didn't realize it was that bad until I did the leakdown test. The car has been using about 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles and smoking from time to time. While doing the leakdown test, I found what appears to be a lot of milky oil in my intake. I haven't removed the intake yet but when I was turning the engine with low air pressure to find TDC on one of the cylinders, I heard fluid gurgling in the intake and then some milky oil/water flowed out of the throttle body.
So to try and fix the oil usage, I'll be doing the LS1 to LS6 PCV conversion and changing the valley cover to an '04 or later cover. I'm also thinking of adding a good catch can.
2 Questions...
-- What is my next step in trouble shooting cylinder 4?
-- I know this sounds crazy
but could the oil accumulation be bad enough in the intake that it could be affecting cylinder 4? The reason I ask is because it was cylinder 4 that I was putting on TDC when I heard the gurgling in the intake.
The first is a problem is with cylinder 4. The plug looks bad and is oily even on the electrode. When I take the plug out and turn the engine over, I can see that it is firing. I'm not getting any obd codes.
-I've swapped the plug, plug wire, coil, and injector and the issue stayed with that cylinder.
-I checked the coil input with a noid light and it flashes like the others.
-I've done a warm leakdown test and all cylinders look good with a range of 4 - 7 % leakage. This one had 7%.
-I did a compression test and this cylinder had a 198 psi and all of the rest were in a range of 185 to 205.
I'm going ahead and mentioning the 2nd problem just in case it's related.
I've had this 2nd problem for a while but didn't realize it was that bad until I did the leakdown test. The car has been using about 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles and smoking from time to time. While doing the leakdown test, I found what appears to be a lot of milky oil in my intake. I haven't removed the intake yet but when I was turning the engine with low air pressure to find TDC on one of the cylinders, I heard fluid gurgling in the intake and then some milky oil/water flowed out of the throttle body.
So to try and fix the oil usage, I'll be doing the LS1 to LS6 PCV conversion and changing the valley cover to an '04 or later cover. I'm also thinking of adding a good catch can.
2 Questions...
-- What is my next step in trouble shooting cylinder 4?
-- I know this sounds crazy
but could the oil accumulation be bad enough in the intake that it could be affecting cylinder 4? The reason I ask is because it was cylinder 4 that I was putting on TDC when I heard the gurgling in the intake. The PCV is the first place I would start since the compression check and leak down didn't tell a bad tale. Valve seals could be another culprit, possibly oil scraper rings ??? When I rebuilt my LM7 most of the oil scraper rings had no "spring" left in them and were stuck in to the ring land... (219,xxx miles)
Reason I ask, I've always thought my car was tuned too rich. I plan to get it checked when I get the repairs made.
I still don't know why the spark plug in #4 cylinder is wet with oil after running about 15 minutes. Just wondering if that cylinder has so much oil that it won't fire. The leakdown and compression test seem to be ok.
Thanks for responding.
Steve
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Does an ls1 engine have reliability issues? Im coming from a horrible lt1 and i dont want to buy another pain will i face ignition issues with an ls1? Will it leave me stranded like my lt1 did? What would cause an ls1 to leave.me.stranded? Need some imput thanks.
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I'm making progress. I got my new LS6 valley cover installed and I will be completing the pcv conversion when I put the manifold back on.
For cylinder 4, I found about a 1/2 teaspoon of oil sitting on top of the intake valve when I pulled the manifold off. So, I got new valve seals and have them installed. I also, put high temp sealant on the rocker bolts and I'm letting it cure for 72 hours like the Permatex package suggest. I can hardly believe that much oil is getting through the threads and seal but I'm giving it a try. If this doesn't work, I guess I will be pulling the head off to see if it's cracked or something.
I purchased the Tim's valve spring tool and it worked great.
Thanks for all of the input so far. If you have any other ideas on how the oil is getting on top of the valve, let me know.
Steve
For cylinder 4, I found about a 1/2 teaspoon of oil sitting on top of the intake valve when I pulled the manifold off. So, I got new valve seals and have them installed. I also, put high temp sealant on the rocker bolts and I'm letting it cure for 72 hours like the Permatex package suggest. I can hardly believe that much oil is getting through the threads and seal but I'm giving it a try. If this doesn't work, I guess I will be pulling the head off to see if it's cracked or something.
I purchased the Tim's valve spring tool and it worked great.
Thanks for all of the input so far. If you have any other ideas on how the oil is getting on top of the valve, let me know.
Steve
After the sealer cures, I'll spin the engine with the starter before I put the manifold on and see if I see any oil accumulating. If I do, I'll pull the head.
