LQ4 looks rough
LQ4 looks rough Pulled the heads off an 2001-02 LQ4 I just bought. Looks pretty rough, that oil sludge is like sticky grease. This is kind of making me want to get the block cleaned/bored and put in a set of forged pistons. Plan is 800+hp S480 build.
Clean it, take it to the machine shop right now, that thing is nasty. Motor looks OK but I would not run that for a second with all that gunk in there. Take it apart, clean it, and put it back together. I'd personally forge but I don't think it's needed, but seriously, clean that thing out
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
From: Meridian MS
My advice (strictly opinion) sell this engine as is..... find a Gen 4 6.0 liter decent mileage. You'll be thanking your future self later undoubtedly and your bank account will thank you too.
Eddie
Unfortunately that is normal. And your shiny new clean engine will look like that shortly after it's restarted again.
Unless you have a specific reason to take it all apart, eg. refresh rings/bearings or upgrade internals I would not disassemble it just for the same of cleaning it. Not only that, but you can easily clean the top of the pistons as they are installed. If the rest of the engine looks the same, then you have bigger problems. This simply looks like normal deposits on the external parts only.
Unless you have a specific reason to take it all apart, eg. refresh rings/bearings or upgrade internals I would not disassemble it just for the same of cleaning it. Not only that, but you can easily clean the top of the pistons as they are installed. If the rest of the engine looks the same, then you have bigger problems. This simply looks like normal deposits on the external parts only.
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
From: Meridian MS
Unfortunately that is normal. And your shiny new clean engine will look like that shortly after it's restarted again.
Unless you have a specific reason to take it all apart, eg. refresh rings/bearings or upgrade internals I would not disassemble it just for the same of cleaning it. Not only that, but you can easily clean the top of the pistons as they are installed. If the rest of the engine looks the same, then you have bigger problems. This simply looks like normal deposits on the external parts only.
Unless you have a specific reason to take it all apart, eg. refresh rings/bearings or upgrade internals I would not disassemble it just for the same of cleaning it. Not only that, but you can easily clean the top of the pistons as they are installed. If the rest of the engine looks the same, then you have bigger problems. This simply looks like normal deposits on the external parts only.
I would say for the sake of prevent turbo oiling issues due to the slug deposits he's better off finding a GEN 4 6.0 with no sludge and install the turbo.
Eddie
Launching!
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 245
Likes: 21
That sucks bro. You could still sell it and buy a crate engine or long block. I'm all for using junk yard parts on my car but this is a risk you take. Where is Nova Joe?
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Unfortunately that is normal. And your shiny new clean engine will look like that shortly after it's restarted again.
Unless you have a specific reason to take it all apart, eg. refresh rings/bearings or upgrade internals I would not disassemble it just for the same of cleaning it. Not only that, but you can easily clean the top of the pistons as they are installed. If the rest of the engine looks the same, then you have bigger problems. This simply looks like normal deposits on the external parts only.
Unless you have a specific reason to take it all apart, eg. refresh rings/bearings or upgrade internals I would not disassemble it just for the same of cleaning it. Not only that, but you can easily clean the top of the pistons as they are installed. If the rest of the engine looks the same, then you have bigger problems. This simply looks like normal deposits on the external parts only.
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I buy and sell 6.0l work trucks from time to time and that kinda sludge is normal on the high mile ones.
I'd pull the pistons to make sure the rings arent packed solid with sludge. now that it's on the stand there aint much you can do except scrape as much out as you can.
re: the rods, I have seen gen 4 rods in model year 2003 trucks. A good sign is 13mm hex bolts on the valley cover. no real way of telling what rods are in it until you look at them. i think the running consensus is the gen 3 rods bend at ~ 500/600 whp...which is more than enough to suit most sane people in a street vehicle.
hillbilly content: at the suggestion of another ls1 tech guy, "grease monkey" I have taken to draining the oil when i get a sludge pig and refilling with with atf and driving it to work for a few days. then I drain like 10qts of nasty out and they are nice and clean inside.
I'd pull the pistons to make sure the rings arent packed solid with sludge. now that it's on the stand there aint much you can do except scrape as much out as you can.
re: the rods, I have seen gen 4 rods in model year 2003 trucks. A good sign is 13mm hex bolts on the valley cover. no real way of telling what rods are in it until you look at them. i think the running consensus is the gen 3 rods bend at ~ 500/600 whp...which is more than enough to suit most sane people in a street vehicle.
hillbilly content: at the suggestion of another ls1 tech guy, "grease monkey" I have taken to draining the oil when i get a sludge pig and refilling with with atf and driving it to work for a few days. then I drain like 10qts of nasty out and they are nice and clean inside.
You must have some magical gas and oil over wherever you are for not a single drop of carbon deposits to happen on your engine.
I disagree, my stock ls1 in my c5 was semi dirty, i cleaned it while doing a cam swap, and cleaned motor up, many many miles later while checking up on it, it looked almost the same, not a spec of carbon, this lq4 was clearly mistreated, crappy gas, probably never had an oil change. I've never tore down an ls motor and have it look like that, ever. And ive done many many ls motors. I would run with that block but in my opinion, i would dismantle everything, take block and head and crank to machine shop and go with forged pistons and rods as well as a nice cam, arp head and main bolts, ls9 head gasket along with clevite or my favourite, king racing bearings, and throw lots off boost at it