Hi hoping to pick the community's brains - used this forum a lot for information but first time I'm posting.

I've got an LS3 engine that had a minor coolant leak, so I took off the heads and was going to do a headgasket swap myself, but ultimately decided to get it checked over by a professional to ensure everything is perfect.

To cut a long story as short as possible, I got the engine back after the rebuild (not a crazy build, specs wise remained the same as it was before the rebuild, N/A ~500hp, compcams 54-469-11, it was essentially just a refresh putting everything back to as new) and there was an issue with the oil pressure. Prior to the first start, I followed the engine builders instructions to remove the spark plugs and disable injection and crank the engine over until it makes oil pressure, these instructions align with the instructions in the LS workshop books I bought, as well as basically every post I've ever read on the topic. I cranked the engine on the starter with no compression and it made oil pressure.

However, after starting the engine, it was a very slow rise to build oil pressure and peaked at 20-22psi (it would instantly rise to 56psi on a cold start prior to the rebuild). I shut the engine off and phoned the engine builder, he confirmed the startup process was correct and said everything is fine and I should just drive the car.

I inspected the ECU logs and it didn't seem fine to me at all and spoke to some others who also said to not drive the car.

Spoke to the engine builder again and he wanted me to test to make sure its not a sensor issue and also to test a throttle blip as the oil pressure should rise with engine rpm. So I started the engine again, it was again a slow rise in oil pressure up to 20 psi and blipping the throttle had no effect on the oil pressure at all. I then bought a mechanical oil pressure gauge, and whilst oil did travel up the hose to the gauge, it wasn't with enough pressure to register anything. Oil levels were checked a million times over and were always correct.

I insisted to the engine builder something wasn't right, he agreed and wanted me to remove the engine and send it back to him. There was a rather significant amount of metal in the oil I dropped. Since he got the engine back I've been getting a very weird run around from him.

He's insisted there is nothing wrong with the engine at all, however bearings are worn (but nothing serious), and the crankshaft had a new gouge and some pitting. When I asked about the magnetic material in the oil he said the "crankshaft is all good" and the "shells are intact" so he doesn't know where its from.

He has no answer for why the engine wasn't working right and wants me to spend a couple thousand extra with him to put it all back together. I've since insisted I don't want to spend any money unless we know the problem as I don't want to just get the engine back with the same issue and we end up right back in this same position I'm in now.

He's thrown his hands up in the air and said its not his problem nor responsibility. And after weeks, he's now told me that everything is my fault because I followed his start-up procedure (remove the spark plugs and disable injection and crank the engine over until it makes oil pressure), he said he recently looked into it and there is a new "GM procedure" and sent me the following email:

However, I followed his instructions (which aligns with the instructions I've seen everywhere else) which he gave me as my expert engine builder, and if there is some new GM proceduire hes only just found out about himself after building LS engines for 20 years and thats why my engine doesn't work correctly, surely it would have come up as a problem before now? Also previously he told me that everything was coated with assembly lube to protect the engine prior to the first start oil surge (which of course, aligns with the purpose of assembly lube), but is now telling me that cranking the engine on the starter with no compression to prime it has caused severe damage. (So why did he tell me to previously drive the car when I first raised the issue?....)

Also I don't believe it's a fair argument to give me start-up instructions, agree that they are correct, then when a raise an issue he comes back a couple of weeks later telling me that I shouldn't have followed his procedure because its wrong and there is some other GM procedure hes not telling me about and so its all my fault?

I then mentioned that regardless of that point, it still doesn't explain the incorrect low oil pressure behaviour my engine had post rebuild. I asked if it was the oil pump to blame and possibly there was a fault missed previously (despite it working perfectly prior to the rebuild) as he suggested for me to pay him to install a new oil pump, to which he replied:

So I'm asking the community for help:

1. Are the original start-up proceedure instructions he gave me (remove spark plugs, disable injection etc and crank to prime the engine) the generally accepted proceedure?
2. Could cranking an engine with no compression/injection/spark to prime it, severely damage bearings and crankshaft after a rebuild that has assembly lube?
3. Could cranking an engine as above be the cause for an engine developing low oil pressure that takes a long time to build with oil pressure that does not react to engine RPM?

Of course, none of this sounds right to me, but he's since told me:

Hoping the community can give me some insight to figure out what the hell is going on!

 

Many people including myself on several engines use the starter to prime it with no issues.

 

How long was engine stood in storage before use?

 

A few months, the engine builder said this was no concern.

 

Your builder is giving you the runaround. GM starts every single engine they install in every single vehicle without priming it. NOTHING gets primed on the assembly line. They start them with the assembly lube ONLY, that was put in place at the plant where the engine was assembled.
20-25 lbs of pressure sounds to me like there was no barbell installed, especially with you stating that there was no increase in oil pressure with rpm. I’ve removed the plugs and injector harness on many, many engines to build pressure before first start, several times over…it doesn’t cause any engine damage as long as ample assembly lube is in place.

 

From the service manual... it states to just assemble with engine oil. And that will protect during initial operation

Cleanliness and Care

• Throughout this section, it should be understood that proper cleaning and protection of machined surfaces and friction areas is part of the repair procedure. This is considered standard shop practice even if not specifically stated.
• When any internal engine parts are serviced, care and cleanliness is important.
• When components are removed for service, they should be marked, organized or retained in a specific order for assembly. Refer to Separating Parts.
• At the time of installation, components should be installed in the same location and with the same mating surface as when removed.
• An automobile engine is a combination of many machined, honed, polished and lapped surfaces with tolerances that are measured in millimeters or thousandths of an inch. These surfaces should be covered or protected to avoid component damage.
• A liberal coating of clean engine oil should be applied to friction areas during assembly.
• Proper lubrication will protect and lubricate friction surfaces during initial operation.

 

Time to find a different and reputable engine builder!

 

We’re all the oil gallery plugs and barbell put back in? Where are you getting the oil pressure from? At the front of the block, the back or the valley cover. Could one or more of the cam bearings be clocked wrong and partially block a galley?

 

Every time I see one of these threads I am thankful that I know how to build my own engines. There are a LOT of shyster "engine builders" out there. Sorry about your bad luck.

 

Before assembly it's important to verify that the oil galley plug at the front of the block is installed and the barbell is installed correctly. Oftentimes when I get the block back from the machine shop it will have all the plugs installed but the kit is inexpensive and although not always necessary to replace, it's cheap insurance. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g1584?rrec=true

Sac City makes an aluminum barbell for like $25 and I've heard good things but have never used one.

I've always assembled engines with assembly lube and I use a squirt bottle of high zinc synthetic oil mixed with MMO to lube down parts as I went. There was no need to worry about oil pressure at initial startup because that's what the lube is there for. Before start up I'd pull the the fuse for the fuel pump and disconnected the harness to the coil packs. I'd roll the motor over with the starter 4-5 times or until I began to start seeing oil pressure on the mechanical gauge and after that connect everything up and once it fired up there was instant oil pressure upwards of 60psi.

2K to go back through the engine again?.... that just tells me that this guy knows that something is mechanically wrong and it's going to cost more money to fix. Sorry for your misfortune man but you need to get your engine back from him and hire another engine builder. He has your engine now and he dosen't sounds like someone who wants to make it right and would rather throw blame elsewhere. I've had a run in with people like this before and my advice to you "Chalk this one up as a bad experience and hire a reputable engine builder."

 

Sounds like the builder is learning valuable, on the job experience.....At YOUR expense!!! Get your motor out of his inexperienced hands. If he claims he's been doing this a long time.....Just because someone has been doing something for a long time doesn't always equate to a good quality job. We had some contract machine builders come into our plant to work. Some of them thought they were qualified machinists, too. They weren't. I saw one guy doing something totally wrong on a surface grinder. When I called him on it, he said "Hey, I've been doing this **** for 20 years!" So I told him "Well, then you've been doing it wrong for 20 years!! Wasn't well received! This guy sounds like he screwed you, and didn't even realize he did anything wrong. Now he knows he screwed up, and is blaming you. But the engine-and your wallet-don't care. It's either right, or it's not.