Odd ls6 issue. Cam sensor code/oil pressure problems.
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Teching In
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Odd ls6 issue. Cam sensor code/oil pressure problems. Hey guys. I haven’t been on tech in quite a few years. I’ll try to make this as short as I can. Please bare with me. Picked up an 05 Cts-v about a year ago with 250k miles. About a month ago I was at a redlight idling and the car shut off. Wouldn’t start back up. Engine seemed to be seized up. My buddy tried pulling the car in the parking lot in 4th gear and it just drug the tires. He went to tow me the mile home and at 40mph I left the clutch out in gear and it drug the tires for 5feet and caught and started. It sounded and idled normal (sounds absolutely crazy, I know). I’ve been a mechanic my whole life and have built many lsx based engines). The next morning I went to start it and it took about 45 seconds to build oil pressure. If I bring the rpm’s up to about 2k when I first start it, it’ll build oil pressure quicker.
Another crazy thing is some days it takes a while to start. It’ll crank and sometimes pop through the exhaust. Occasionally it won’t even start. Other days it starts right up. I do have a cam sensor code which I replaced recently with no change in how it acts.
Could all this this be related? Could the cam retainer plate bolts have backed out? Is this a 1 or 3 bolt cam? Could they have backed out? I thought I remember this being an issue on some? Was thinking that’s why the engine could have locked up and then it sheared off?)
i know i need to tear tear into it but I would love some opinions on what it could be. It’s also has had the “oil too hot” warning since I’ve owned it. Thanks for reading my novel!
Another crazy thing is some days it takes a while to start. It’ll crank and sometimes pop through the exhaust. Occasionally it won’t even start. Other days it starts right up. I do have a cam sensor code which I replaced recently with no change in how it acts.
Could all this this be related? Could the cam retainer plate bolts have backed out? Is this a 1 or 3 bolt cam? Could they have backed out? I thought I remember this being an issue on some? Was thinking that’s why the engine could have locked up and then it sheared off?)
i know i need to tear tear into it but I would love some opinions on what it could be. It’s also has had the “oil too hot” warning since I’ve owned it. Thanks for reading my novel!
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
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From: Central Cal.
I would bet with 250k (likely hard) miles it's plain tuckered out. Anything's possible on bolts backing out. Though which ones would cause the engine to lock up, hard to say. I'm thinking more likely the retainer bolts, which if backed out could catch on the back of the cam sprocket. If the sprocket bolts were loose, the sprocket could catch on the cam sensor and wipe it out, though it would not seize the engine. This WOULD cause your cam sensor code though, and would keep wiping out the sensor.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2019
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My thought was the retainer bolt backing out and hitting the cam gear causing it to lock up. It’s so intermittent. The last 2 days it built oil pressure instantly. Isnt my cam sensor under the intake and not in the timing cover?
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,288
Likes: 3,615
From: Central Cal.
Being an '05, it should be a Gen III, which would put the cam sensor on top of the block, just to the rear of the intake manifold, right next to the oil pressure sensor. I was wrong about the cam sensor location in my previous post.
