2001 Chevy Z71 help. cam swap, headwork, valves, issues
05-01-2014, 09:09 PM
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2001 Chevy Z71 help. cam swap, headwork, valves, issues Hi, I'm Logan. I'm new here and new to trucks.
I've got a 2001 5.3L chevy silverado 1500 z71 standard cab with about 222k miles on it. Its my first truck and I bought it from a friend of mine. I changed the oil when I got it, it was barely touching the dipstick, black as coal, and had sludge in the bottom of the oil pan. I put a new filter in, 5 quarts mobil 1 5-30 full synthetic high mileage, and 1 quart Lucas Oil. After that it smoked like crazy and burnt a quart every 200 miles. It seemed to slowly lose a little acceleration every time i drove it and then it started to idle funny and stall out when it got warmed up. I cleaned the PCV valve, EGR valve, MAF, O2 sensors (blow torch), and when i started to clean the throttle body I noticed oil standing in the bottom of it and the intake; the throttle body and intake were COVERED in black oily carbon build up. So I got all that cleaned up and it seemed to run better until it got warmed up, it started acting up again. I finally replaced the old rattle type PCV valve with the straight through orifice type and it has been fine ever since. I have not yet checked to see if the oil in the throttle body has gone away but I'm waiting for everything to get burned out.
I drove it a little while, and it has since almost stopped smoking. It smokes a little white smoke when I crank it up and every now and then when i lay on it. I checked my fill tank for my radiator and it bubbles just a little while running and it has a VERY slow antifreeze leak so I'm guessing I have a head gasket leaking. I'm gonna replace the head gaskets, valve cover gaskets (they are leaking), do a cam swap, and some other things while I'm down that far. I can hear my lifters really loud when I crank it up and still some when it warms up; it sounds like a slapping sound and gets faster when u rev the engine, so I want to replace those and anything else I should while I have everything off.
Ha so after all that, here are my questions:
1. Idk if I have Castech heads yet but if I do, should I replace them with aftermarket heads/heads from a different vehicle or just go ahead and have them worked over and ported.
2. If I keep the Castech? heads, what all should I do to them? I know I want to replace lifters; what else? Valve guides, valve seals, rockers, push rods, etc?
3. What cam should I get? I want some more low to mid torque while keeping my MPG as much as possible.
4. At 222k, what are some safety measures I can take? What else should I replace while I'm down that far?
I'm going to have it dynotuned after all this so I'm not really worried about that, I just want to get everything decided so its not torn down for too long. I work on small engines (dirt bikes, 4 wheelers, etc) and I'm decent with car engines but I've never been this far into one of them. I'm doing all the work with the help of my dad so any other help is greatly appreciated.
I've got a 2001 5.3L chevy silverado 1500 z71 standard cab with about 222k miles on it. Its my first truck and I bought it from a friend of mine. I changed the oil when I got it, it was barely touching the dipstick, black as coal, and had sludge in the bottom of the oil pan. I put a new filter in, 5 quarts mobil 1 5-30 full synthetic high mileage, and 1 quart Lucas Oil. After that it smoked like crazy and burnt a quart every 200 miles. It seemed to slowly lose a little acceleration every time i drove it and then it started to idle funny and stall out when it got warmed up. I cleaned the PCV valve, EGR valve, MAF, O2 sensors (blow torch), and when i started to clean the throttle body I noticed oil standing in the bottom of it and the intake; the throttle body and intake were COVERED in black oily carbon build up. So I got all that cleaned up and it seemed to run better until it got warmed up, it started acting up again. I finally replaced the old rattle type PCV valve with the straight through orifice type and it has been fine ever since. I have not yet checked to see if the oil in the throttle body has gone away but I'm waiting for everything to get burned out.
I drove it a little while, and it has since almost stopped smoking. It smokes a little white smoke when I crank it up and every now and then when i lay on it. I checked my fill tank for my radiator and it bubbles just a little while running and it has a VERY slow antifreeze leak so I'm guessing I have a head gasket leaking. I'm gonna replace the head gaskets, valve cover gaskets (they are leaking), do a cam swap, and some other things while I'm down that far. I can hear my lifters really loud when I crank it up and still some when it warms up; it sounds like a slapping sound and gets faster when u rev the engine, so I want to replace those and anything else I should while I have everything off.
Ha so after all that, here are my questions:
1. Idk if I have Castech heads yet but if I do, should I replace them with aftermarket heads/heads from a different vehicle or just go ahead and have them worked over and ported.
2. If I keep the Castech? heads, what all should I do to them? I know I want to replace lifters; what else? Valve guides, valve seals, rockers, push rods, etc?
3. What cam should I get? I want some more low to mid torque while keeping my MPG as much as possible.
4. At 222k, what are some safety measures I can take? What else should I replace while I'm down that far?
I'm going to have it dynotuned after all this so I'm not really worried about that, I just want to get everything decided so its not torn down for too long. I work on small engines (dirt bikes, 4 wheelers, etc) and I'm decent with car engines but I've never been this far into one of them. I'm doing all the work with the help of my dad so any other help is greatly appreciated.
05-02-2014, 01:53 PM
#2
Hi bud, with all of the symptoms that you have described. It sure sounds like that 5.3 is about beat. It sounds like the motor has been oil abused and is in need of a complete rebuild. To do the job right, the block would probably need an overbore and align hone the mains, new bearings, oil pump, lifters, plus a getting the heads reworked.
This is the best advice I can give, go to a reputable junkyard, and buy a 6.0 Lq4 from 01-02. Find one that has less than 100k and pull a valve cover to confirm that it Hasnt been oil abused. And simply swap that into your truck. You will have far less money, time, and aggravation going that way. Plus the stock Lq4 will run better than a cam swapped 5.3, as far as the tuning of the 6.0, contact brendan at lt1swap.com, he can reflash your pcm with the6.0 tune for 75$.
IM sorry I didn't directly answer your questions, but I can tell you from experience that is your cheapest and easiest path. Good luck with your first truck and don't be afraid to ask questions.
This is the best advice I can give, go to a reputable junkyard, and buy a 6.0 Lq4 from 01-02. Find one that has less than 100k and pull a valve cover to confirm that it Hasnt been oil abused. And simply swap that into your truck. You will have far less money, time, and aggravation going that way. Plus the stock Lq4 will run better than a cam swapped 5.3, as far as the tuning of the 6.0, contact brendan at lt1swap.com, he can reflash your pcm with the6.0 tune for 75$.
IM sorry I didn't directly answer your questions, but I can tell you from experience that is your cheapest and easiest path. Good luck with your first truck and don't be afraid to ask questions.