Perry LaBarbera

I posted a thread here about how many miles is too much..I have a lot of experience in 40 years on engine rebuilds and troubleshooting, but none on LS platform. I am impressed with these engines and see why people swap them into everything!

I'm building a road race car, LS Swapped and will be running a wet sump, LS 3 pan, , I am looking to purchase Improved Racing baffling and installing an Accusump .. With 275K on this junkyard swap, what oil pump are being run ? A high volume? High Pressure? I might dry sump later..

Is there a better wet sump combo to run. , The LS 3 offers me the deepest sump I can run..I believe it will be at 5.5 quarts and I am running an oil cooler.

Thanks

G Atsma

If you're running pretty much standard clearances, a Melling #10295 std. flow/std. pressure will do you fine.

02EBC5Z06

iTrader: (1)

As he said.. Standard bearing clearance, ls7 style lifters.... a 10295 is perfect.

If you change clearances, add link bar johnsons with axle oiling, or add a turbo.. I would move to a 10296 with the higher flow and std bypass spring.

Che70velle

iTrader: (6)

How big an oil cooler, and how long will the lines be to and fro? A big cooler with -10 lines puts a standard volume pump into panic mode.
The oiling system on an LS is its Achilles heel. It’s not intended for anything performance rated. Cavitation is what hurts these engines in a high rpm build. You will be doing yourself a favor by going with a Melling pump and having it ported. The cavitation comes from the oil coming out of the pan through a rather large diameter pickup tube, into the small pump entrance…then being forced into a small exit into the engine. That’s the problem causing the cavitation. Have the pump ported. Tony Mamo is excellent at this, and you can get the pump through him to save you time. Yeah it’s pricy, but so is losing oil pressure from cavitation at the end of a long straight. You’ll be glad you did this.

RB04Av

WS6store used to sell ported LS2 (or LS6? I forget) pumps. Might also be a good option. Addresses the same issue Che70 spoke of.

Perry LaBarbera

A few replies here..Thanks for the advise.. as i have been scanning this forum for a lot of great info

First..02EBc... LS7 style lifters? I am doing an L92 engine...doing a cam phaser delete, new chain and updated chain guide, LS3..cam maybe stage 2(summitt) cam..I might even pull the heads and mill a touch.. 010-015" bump up the compression.. and if I do that,( I have my notes in the garage), install LS7 head gaskets..as I believe that's the gaskets recommended

Chev70...I am building a Porsche Boxster S , so car is not too long a run .. I have not picked a cooler yet but -10 (5/8) ports seem a little excessive..I will look into Tony Mamo..or as RB04 said.. WS6store

This will not be a boosted engine, as I don't want monster HP in this light track car, just a mid center turn out torque, with strait line power. I want it to live. I want to get it running for this summer and have a lot to do, then next year can always upgrade if needed.. I am running custom short ATI super damper, so no room at the moment for a dry sup pump belt. I know some guys run an LS7 crank for dry sump

Thanks

Nikuk

What would you consider high RPM though? 6500rpm shift points (drag)? 6500 rpm sustained (road course / drift)?

Che70velle

iTrader: (6)

The GM pumps are cavitating at about 6500, so if your sustaining rpm there or beyond, your asking for trouble. A drag engine will see less time up there than the road course engine obviously, but don’t underestimate the harm that 5-10 seconds on a strip can do. It’s a blind issue from the drivers seat, because the cavitation is causing air bubbles, and air is compressible. Because it’s compressible, you won’t necessarily see a drop, or loss of oil pressure, as the gauge still sees pressure, even though it’s air…albeit a small amount…mixed into the oil. Cavitation in any hydraulic (oiling system in this case) system is caused by a restriction in the system. In the case of the LS platform, it’s the small pump entry itself. A properly ported oil pump will greatly help this situation. The Melling pumps aren’t seeing cavitation until much higher in the rpm band because of their larger entrance. Porting the Melling pumps helps even more, and all but stops the cavitation issues.

Perry LaBarbera

Very good info Scott!

I will be shifting no higher than 6500, as I want to set my rev limiter at that, and go from there..a light weight track car with grunt torque should not need a ton of RPM.

I am familiar with cavitation,( great read) from some applications in the heavy diesel world..poor design, cracked pick up tubes, hell to this day, the Detroit Diesel DD platform had to redesign the oil pick up module and o-rings material because after time they would shrink, pull air in and not trip a CEL and tear up the bottom ends.. We have one at the shop now ..And it is 2023! they could not figure that out! Nothing like R&D in real world conditions, like you have had with race engines ( I read your other posts)..

I have the 10295 Melling coming, ported..I will be running a Kevco 9 quart box pan, with internal baffling..I did not want the extra work and extra hardware of dry sump.. However for my application, driving style , a wet sump with a 3 quart Accusump for safety back up should be adequate and if we have a problem, then we will have to go further..This can also change, I have a whole car to build. Sat, we fit the cradle and modded the fire wall and fit the LS in and we should able to return the trans axle to close to , if not it's original location