hey guys,

I have a 02 ss with ls6 heads and cam. I just drove it 4000 miles cross country with no issues. yesterday, after a second gear pull to 5000 rpm, as i was decelerating, the engine made a loud tapping noise and shut off. it then would start after lots of cranking and throttle input but would only run for a second or 2 making a horrible tapping sound.
the engine has plenty of oil (its just dirty) and there are no metal bits in the oil as far as i can see. the oil was changed about 3000 miles ago. the clutch and trans is 100%, can get into any gear with no problem and the fluid is completely clear.

a friend suggested that it might be an oil blockage causing the noise and preventing the computer from reading oil pressure, causing the computer to shut the engine off.

any suggestions? at a total lose since it has ran completely reliable until now

thanks!

 

The engine will run with low or 0 oil pressure, the computer doesn't automatically cut the engine off.

If you here a tapping noise it sounds like you possibly bent a few pushrods (incorrect length?)

Or a broken rocker arm, I would pull the valve covers and take a look. It might be obvious at that point..

If everything looks ok, then it could be internal like a spun lifter that won't go up and down anymore and the cam is smashing into it.

I would stop trying to start it to prevent further damage, start at the valve covers and work your way down.

 

**** i was really hoping it was something simple because i can not afford an engine rebuild. ill see what i can do. pulling valve covers might be a little out of my league but ill give it a shot. I'm still confused tho as to why it will not continue to run even if it have a broken engine part. also the computer isn't throwing any codes

 

oh also the engine only has 70,800 miles on it

 

There's only so many things that will cause engine tapping..

Rockers, lifters, pushrods, spun bearings?

If you have a friend with a jack, I would lift it in the air and have a friend start it and see if you can crawl under and pinpoint where it's coming from.

It might help guide you in a certain area of the engine.

 

my car drove fine with a melted piston... and it made a tapping sound.

if you have no oil pressure, the thing doesn't want to start or stay running, and it is making a "horrible tapping sound".... well start saving up for your next engine build. you say you can't afford it right now - i say that's probably for the best. give yourself plenty of time to plan out your build.

 

well the dash reads up to about 30 psi of oil pressure when i try to start it

 

also anyone know any good shops in los angeles

 

the tapping sound also increases with engine rpm if that helps at all whatsoever

 

I'm still confused as to why the engine will start but won't run

 

Like previously stated it's most likely something in the valvetrain. You're gonna have to pull the valve covers and go from there, or find somebody who is competent enough to do so. Good luck man.

 

Just pulled the driver side. Everything looks fine

 

The driver side

 

Wiggle the rocker, make sure the bolt hasn't backed out.

 

A few of the rockers wiggle a little from side to side

 

Passenger side

 

Most of the rockers on the passenger side wiggle a little from side to side

 

they have swivel movement naturally (left to right)

What I meant was can you wiggle the rocker and see if the bolt is moving or is loose..

Maybe take a socket and try snugging some of them up to make sure they're tight and not tampered with..

Who did the ls6 head/cam swap?

 

The bolts are all tight. And according to the man who sold me the car, the heads and cam were installed by the factory

 

No 98-02 ls1 camaro came with ls6 heads/cam from the factory.

01-02 ls1 cars did get the ls6 intake manifold, but not the head and/or cam..

What # is on the passenger side head, should be a 3 digit # to the right of the valve cover above the belt tensioner