I posted on here a while ago about an engine miss, well after about a month of dealerships telling me they dont know, one dealership actually decided to do something right and pull a spark plug, and sure enough it was drenched in oil...... that is a pretty bad sign to start off with. now the reason i didnt pull the plugs myself is because i just changed them about two months ago, and i have not had the car for the past month, it has been handed off between dealerships. I had been asking them to just look at the plugs for a while now, but dealerships around here are evidently stubborn as hell. So anyway, i have a warranty on the car, so the dealer that found the oil drenched plug, said that he recommended either rebuilding the motor from the ground up, or just buying a new crate motor and putting it in the car. but the warranty co. wants a second opinion because LS1's are not cheap. so they are taking it to a dealership that they know, so im hoping i dont get screwed out of a new motor. i have a question though, I have a 98 T/A and from what everyone says, the 2000+ model years are the best for the LS1's does anyone know what motor will probably go into the car, I just dont know if i like the idea of putting a new motor in the car, i mean i like the fact that it is a brand new motor with no miles, i just didnt know if it would act differently that the original?? thanks

 

You'll probably end up with a '03+ motor. The intake will be different with all the egr stuff. They MIGHT swap your old crap onto the new motor per spec. I hate dealerships. I wouldn't ask their opinion about ANYTHING mechanical. Have the insurance co cut you a check and do it yourself or have a real shop do it for you. I've done all the work to my car and wouldn't change a thing. Runs better too!

 

Go ahead and get a new motor. Don't let them push you into something you don't want. Ask to speak to a supervisor. Keep asking to speak to another supervisor. Took me about 4 times until I got someone who worked with me. FWIW, I got the check cut to me and paid the difference... can you say 402!!!

 

See if you can get them to slide in an LS2 or LS6.

 

do ya think they would do that, what would be the price diff?? i would love to have an ls2 or ls6 how would i go about doing that??

 

the only problem with that is that i think everything would mount up differently. like exhaust, the way the tranny bolts up to the bell housing.... the computer...... i dont have the money to change all that.........

 

second ALL of that........take the insurance money and go install youself (or have some place install for you)........

 

order a forged bottom end and call over some friends and buy some beer and go at it.

 

The LS6 or LS2 would be a direct bolt up.

 

LS2 is not a "direct" replacement......It will bolt right in but several wiring issues are different (cam sensor location, knock sensors, etc....it's also a larger bore so it will tune different)...

the LS6 short block (if he keeps his stock cam) would be a 100% swap and go play setup.....


I still vote to build (or buy ~$2500-$3000 from HPE/other sponsor) a forged pistons/forged rods/stock crank short block (get a 99+ block that can be bored 0.010" over)......I would feel "sad" if I went through all that work to still have a stock engine......


this is HPE's forged 346 aluminum short block:
https://www.horsepowerengineering.co...roducts_id=117

or if you don't mind 110lbs more, you could always go with their 408 iron short block for $4000 (you wouldn't have "super cool heads" and all but CIs is CIs and heads can be installed any time):
https://www.horsepowerengineering.co...products_id=42

 

An LS6 long block goes for $5300 bucks, hooks right up to everything in there, has a three year/50,000 mile warranty, comes rated at 405 hp at the flywheel and with bolt on's and a dynotune, will easily put 400 plus hp/tq to the ground. There is no changing the computer, etc... Just put on some LT's and everything else matches right up.

If I were you, I would have them replace the entire long block assemblywith this. That is exactly what I did on mine and it screams on and off the track. If the the spark plugs are drenched in oil, what else is fucked up? How long before they have to replace a cam or crank or something that would be as expensive as sticking in a new motor?

You dictate what goes into your car, not the dealership, not the insurance company, etc... Stand your ground and state what you want and do not waver. Dealerships/insurance companies/warranty co's aren't stupid, this would be much cheaper in the long wrong run for them.

 

I'm with Joker and have the dealership do the swap, you have more leverage if there any issues.

 

if you do decide to have the dealership do the work be certain get a list of EVERYTHING tat was done, touched removed or even brushed up against. dealerships are really bad about f-ing things up and then lying about it. protect your assets dude.

 

Dealerships normally will take the least expensive, easiest route for them while charging as much as possible and nickle and diming both you and the insurance company to the fullest extent. Its to their advantage to want to just repair the motor, cause again, what else is wrong and will need to be repaired, resulting in more business and income for them?

They will not always provide you with all the options available, and you have to sometime dig for those.

When doing business with a dealership, get EVERYTHING in writing, specifiy what you authorize and what you do not, timeframe, cost, etc... check their costing against that of other dealerships and repair facilities, get estimates and compare.

Typically, you have to hold their hand through a process like this cause they will screw it up. Don't be afraid to to tell them that if they **** it up, overprice stuff, etc.. that you will put it on a flatbed and take it elsewhere and let them pay for it. You do have more leverage with them, but they also have more ways to cover ther *** as well. In the long run, you should have no prob getting an LS6 installed with warranty, tuned right, and no further issues.

The bottom line: Never trust anyone at any dealership, theres a reason their there and most times it ain't good for you.

 

Hallelujah

 

hey thanks guys, i think that they might be tryin to screw me a little bit. the dealership is saying that it is just valve stem guides that need to be replaced..... but the car has a noise coming from the bottom end, the oil pressure sometimes gets really really low, and then flutters or fluctuates, which indicates bearing issues i think, and it feels way down on power, the car has 63k on it and i think the guy that had it before me ran it pretty hard. i was told that the ls1 longblock from the dealership is $5700 i would like to have the ls6 put back into the car rather than the ls1. i just dont know if they will allow that to happen. i mean as long as it is a direct plug and play with wiring and harnesses and stuff i dont see why it would be a problem, i just dont know if there is something in the warranty that says i cannot change the engine from ls1 to ls6......

 

well so you know, ALL blocks being produced now are an LS6 block (the LS1 block ended production in mid 2002).....every LS1/LS6 car (corvette) made in 2003+ (till the LS2 came in) was an "LS6 block".......they just don't have the "LS6 cam" or "LS6 heads"........

people have had dealerships make the swap but:

a) it helps to be on good terms with the dealership
b) it might cost you the "difference"

your best bet is still to either do the swap yourself or have (as someone else put it) a "real shop" do it.........if you are having issues with the dealerships over just pulling plugs then you can be sure you will take it up the A$$ when it comes to an engine swap......

 

The LS6 service motor is cheaper than the LS1, if anything, he will save a few bucks for more ponies. The swap is cheaper if you have another shop do it, not exactly rocket science but the entire bottom steering section of the car has to come off. The motor carries a 3 year/50,000 mile warranty from GM if installed by the dealership as a replacement engine (per gm), 12 month/12,000 mile for retail purchase

http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/120/...ate-Engine.htm

http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/120/...e-Assembly.htm

 

the only problem that i see is that the warranty is like a bumper to bumper 2 yr 30,000mile warranty. if i put an ls6 motor back into the car that makes 400hp, if something else in the car breaks...... like say, the rear end, i think that they would have grounds to saying that they would not fix the rear end because the new motor has more power than the old one and the rear was not designed to hold that much power, which we all know it is very possible to break the rear end in these cars....... what do you guys think??

 

I would take it to another shop and get a 2nd opinion. The dealership/warranty people are always going to try and fix things with a bandaid 1st and hope either it works until your warranty expires or you get rid of the car. It's only good buisiness. Depending on what you decide, once you get the correct diagnosis from a reputable shop, you'll see what the warranty is willing to do. It will take some bickering/complaining/pleading, but ultimately you are the only one who can authorize work on your car. Therefore they will say... will put this rebuild in, or we'll give you the cost of the rebuild and you can do what you like. Then find out the total cost and go from there. Ps. The 1st offer is not final if you don't give up. It took me four supervisors, but in the end I was happy.