This is not a bash on the block itself even though there are def short comings that have been documented and addressed on here and on other forums. I'm also not here to say it's their fault of my fault I'm just laying out the facts on what has happened with my build so far and what Gm's stance is.

Anyway so I had a shop around me install my lsx454 into my trailblazer ss. Its been doccumented if you really want to read up on the build but long story short I didn't reuse anything from the LS2 it got all new accessories the longblock was obviously new along with all the bells and whistles. The trans is a stock 4l70e that was built with basic internal upgrades nothing crazy and a cirlce d 3200. Now this is where the red flag is and the point of this thread. A week and a half after getting my trailblazer on the road with 2 oil changes within that short period and a close eye out for anything that might turn into a problem. On my way to work, which is a 40 mile drive so the motor had time to warm up and reach operating temp, I cam to a stop close to work and oil pressure started to drop drastically till my low oil pressure stop engine light came on. started moving againg trying to pull over to the side of the road and the oil pressure shot back up to 25 psi. I thought maybe it was a fluke but then on my way home as I got close again with the engine at operating temp oil pressure dropped at idle and this time it kept doing it every time I came to a stop. I got the TBSS towed to Tune Time Performance in Lakewood NJ at this point. At first glance and with the documented epic fail of the first shop who installed the engine and reading up on people with similar problems it sounded like a pick up tube oring issue. The engine at cold start would show 40psi and operate fine as soon as the motor warmed up it would lose oil pressure at idle. I wasn't to worried I'm thinking Matt and the guys will bang it out in a day no problem. Well I call up to see how they made out and I get the bad news, copper in the oil pan. Once they looked into it we discovered it was the thrust bearing. I took the TBSS right around the corner to Pine Belt Chevy also in Lakewood. Before they even fully looked into the situation they poped my hood and said this isn't gonna be covered. I explained that this was a LSX 454 crate motor and that it isn't just a regular OEM motor. They called down their head of the warranty dept and he said he's going to have to get a hold of their regional GM warranty rep and get him involved. So this guy is voice for big GM and is in touch with people that make big decisions all the time. So after him coming down looking at my setup and hearing what's wrong, mind you they didn't take anything apart just looked at it on a lift they said that they waren't going to warranty the motor which had less than 500 miles on it because of drum roll please........it has a aftermarket TC on it. So they sell a motor that you can put into a bunch of different chasis some that don't even come with a LS motor that require using aftermarket TC's to make it work with their trans setup they already have but by putting one you void your warranty. Now the guy who blew the hole in the side of the cylinder that was a shakey issue cause they did say boost or spray will void your warranty that's kinda common with engines, but saying that a aftermarket or better yet non stock GM TC will void a warranty on a motor that is built to be put into modded setups so I find this shocking. So anyway thought I would inform anyone out there thinking about buying a LSX crate motor it's not worth the money spend the money and have a good shop build you something custom because between the noted core shift issues and the horrible warranty honoring claim record they have with these motors. That is all

 

wow man.... that sucks.. hope you get it sorted out

 

damn.............................................. ..............

that aint right.

i will remember.......... LSX Long blocks for all the wrong reasons.

thanx for the heads up & good luck with it all!

 

Yeah it's all good I mean we're fixing it life goes on. Not the first spun bearing wont be the last. It makes a lot of power very low in the power band but def a lot of baggage with these motors.

 

Thats some B.S. I would be pissed. I would keep going up the chain of command. Worth a try.

 

No not worth my time. I don't want dealership parts installers and warranty dodgers working on my car but you guys knowing how they are and that these motors are no bueno is worth it to me.

 

Yep.. keep pressing the issue.. take it higher.. email people call people go mailbox their house throw a brick through their window something will happen lol

 

Btw if it wasn't clear in my first post I'm NA withh all new OEM parts.

 

Usually when the dealership doesn't install the parts, they won't warranty it. That built trans or aftermarket converter may have been the culprit, or even a shotty install. I'm not surprised, and honestly I don't blame them.

 

Thing is by going this route it could take MONTHS to get them to pony up and supposedly they have it written in some warranty file online that changing the TC voids GM crate motors. Even though these performance crate motors were produced with a different end user in mind than a OEM crate motor.

 

Lawyers are scum........but go get one.

.

 

It's a Circle D trans that ran fine with the same trans on the stock LS2 with no problems and the flex plate met SFI specs and was picked up threw Jegs specifically for that motor and that trans. I don't see how you as a company that sells performance crate motors can say that putting a aftermarket TC on a afternarket engine voids the warranty. That's my big problem. Like if this had just been a rod bearing or blown headgasket something that had nothing to do with the trans or TC I would still be beat because of it. That just sounds shady to me. Anyway that's another reason Matt at Tune Time is who I decided to have fix the motor because I know it will get done right and whatever needs to get done to prevent this from happening again he'll let me know vs the dealer who after months of emails phone calls and arguing MIGHT change their minds doubtful would just throw another crate motor in there and call it a day.

 

Mind you the dealer only knows about the thrust bearing because I told them not because they looked. They didn't even drop the pan and look at the damage.

 

If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself lol. That sucks a big one though man. Definitely shouldnt have trusted that LSx. Theres plenty of blocks out there that are much stronger and reliable as well as being lighter. Hindsight is 20/20 eh...

 

Makes sense to me. If the converter for some reason is slightly out of spec, it will trash the thrust bearing. Why should GM warranty an engine that was destroyed by an aftermarket converter?

That's like blaming a tire company for a bad wheel when it destroys the tire.

 

If anything, I would be pulling the converter if that's what caused the problem and going after the company that made it.

 

Faulty installation of a transmission, clutch, or converter kills thrust bearings all the time, it's not like it isn't related. You already said some shady shop did the install. GM could easily say that it was a faulty install coupled with out of spec aftermarket parts that caused the converter/flex plate assembly to push forward on the crank, causing excessive wear on the thrust bearing, which is very likely what happened.

I wouldn't be so upset with GM, I'd be pissed at the original shop.

 

I'm with KCS on this. I'd take a good hard look at the torque converter and tranny to see if anything is out of spec/damaged there. Especially before I took the time to fix the motor and reinstall. I've had my share of trouble with GM warranties, but it looks like they're not trying to screw you here. Just covering their own ***. Good Luck with the rebuild.

 

How did Tune Time determine it was a thrust bearing? Did they drop the pan? From your post it sounds like that they probably think it is a thrust bearing and you say you immediately took it down the street to a Chevy dealer, did you drive it there or tow it? And sorry I'm with GM on this one you can't warranty a shade tree mechanic install, I don't understand if people have the $$ to buy this engine why they try and skimp on on Joe the half *** mechanic install. That us where the "you can pay me now or you can pay me later" saying comes in. Sorry

 

I started reading the thread and was about to post something about the converter install taking out the thrust bearing but I see it's been mentioned. My cousin recently had an issue with an engine he built for a customer eating up the thrust bearing. My cousin did the build and installed the engine and everything ran fine until the owner decided to change tq converters. The motor was coupled to a TH400 and the original converter used the spacer but this guy bought a new converter already made for an LSX/TH400 and didn't need the spacer but installed it anyway. He ended up ruining the block with one 1/4 mile pass. He wanted to blame the motor but in the end the problem was his converter install.