Pre-lube
Pre-lube Back in the day, I had a shaft that replaced the distributor to pump oil through the engine with a drill motor. Impossible with an lsx. What do you do about startup with a freshly built bottom end?
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 14,620
Likes: 17
From: BFE
You prime it by unplugging fuel and coils and turning it over by starter only.
If you used ARP assembly lube, that stuff doesn't drip off as fast as just oil.
2>3 tries and you should see oil pressure. Once you do, buckle everything and live start it.
If you used ARP assembly lube, that stuff doesn't drip off as fast as just oil.
2>3 tries and you should see oil pressure. Once you do, buckle everything and live start it.
Launching!
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 238
Likes: 1
In my LS1/ RX7 conversion I made an aluminum plate to fit where the one just below the oil filter is. There are two holes there. Drill and tap a hole in the plate so it will be over one of the holes. Screw in a barbed fitting. Remove plugs Get a $5.00 diff/ tranny lube pump from Autozone and pump about 1 1/2 quarts of oil into it, hand cranking the motor over once or twice when the pressure builds up. Reverse the plate so the fitting is over the other hole and do the same. It will fill all the oil galleries and pump oil through the entire engine.
Originally Posted by RFERG43
In my LS1/ RX7 conversion I made an aluminum plate to fit where the one just below the oil filter is. There are two holes there. Drill and tap a hole in the plate so it will be over one of the holes. Screw in a barbed fitting. Remove plugs Get a $5.00 diff/ tranny lube pump from Autozone and pump about 1 1/2 quarts of oil into it, hand cranking the motor over once or twice when the pressure builds up. Reverse the plate so the fitting is over the other hole and do the same. It will fill all the oil galleries and pump oil through the entire engine.
Originally Posted by PREDATOR-Z
You prime it by unplugging fuel and coils and turning it over by starter only.
If you used ARP assembly lube, that stuff doesn't drip off as fast as just oil.
2>3 tries and you should see oil pressure. Once you do, buckle everything and live start it.
If you used ARP assembly lube, that stuff doesn't drip off as fast as just oil.
2>3 tries and you should see oil pressure. Once you do, buckle everything and live start it.
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Originally Posted by 777
Umm...poorly built motor?
Originally Posted by xfactor_pitbulls
Whenever you have a shaft and bottom end you should always prelube. 
Brandon
Brandon
Originally Posted by critter
Naturally that was my fear, but I have built dozens of engines of all kinds and sizes over the years and never put as much work in as I did this one. I selectively fit bearing, spent half a day washing block and crank, etc. Apparently the machine shop that did the machine work set up the Mahle pistons with 0.0015" clearance (because they do not take coating into account) when boring/honing. Stuff started to shed off the pistons and got into the bearings and my new forged bottom end was history. Total write off.
On a new motor, I use a threaded fitting that goes in place of the oil pressure sending unit. I use that to connect to a pressurized tank full of 6 quarts of oil. Open the valve on the tank, and rotate the motor by hand until all the oil in the tank is gone.
I realize there are different Mahle pistons but the #027020 pistons are the direct replacement for 98-00 Camaro, Firebird, Corvette LS1 and they have a recommended clearance of .001". From memory (service manual) the stock piston clearance is .0014". Were yours forged, unlike stock?
Originally Posted by BJM
Are you saying that more clearnance should have been left because its a coated piston? You have confirmed that the coating caused the failure? The new GM motors use coated pistons without problems. The most annoying LSX engine issue is piston-bore clearances being too loose and causing slap.
Originally Posted by LOnSLO
On a new motor, I use a threaded fitting that goes in place of the oil pressure sending unit. I use that to connect to a pressurized tank full of 6 quarts of oil. Open the valve on the tank, and rotate the motor by hand until all the oil in the tank is gone.
Originally Posted by critter
What I am doing is making a fitting to connect to the oil gallery plug on the lower front drivers side of the motor and will pump it in there.
Originally Posted by BJM
I realize there are different Mahle pistons but the #027020 pistons are the direct replacement for 98-00 Camaro, Firebird, Corvette LS1 and they have a recommended clearance of .001".
From memory (service manual) the stock piston clearance is .0014". Were yours forged, unlike stock?
Originally Posted by LOnSLO
That's another good spot, especially if the motor is still in the car.
My biggest concern is not pumping air in after the oil. Sort of defeats the purpose. The right way would be to use a bladder or piston to seperate the pressurized air and oil, or to use a real pump. I didn't think you could generate enough pressure with one of those Autozone fluid transfer things. I am in a hurry, so I will use air pressure and a pressure pot, and be careful rather than building something with a bladder or piston.
FormerVendor
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,065
Likes: 6
From: Houston, Tx.
Originally Posted by critter
My pistons came from a vendor, 5 or 7 over. Not sure how they would relate to the ones you mention, but IIRC, the card that came with them (which I did not get back) said something like 0.0035" or so, which the machine shop interpreted to mean bare skirt to cyl wall which did not leave enough clearance for the coating. I am positive the card did not say one thou.
Heh. The stock pistons I took out were looser than that ....
Heh. The stock pistons I took out were looser than that ....
Pistons are made for the bore on the box. The clearance is built into them from the factory. If they say it's for a 3.905 bore thats what they mean. This shop that did your engine must be in the 50s still I guess? Also you CAN and SHOULD double check it as well off of where they measure the suggested skirt clearance but it should already be designed into the piston. We have used many Mahle pistons with GREAT results especially on NA apps. That sucks but do you know what the bore size the pistons were made for vs. what they were really honed to? There's where your problem lies or most of it probably.