Suggestions?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Kilgore, TX
Suggestions? Alright, here's my story.
I bought a 95 TA with the guy knowing nothing about it. Got it home, found out it has the Lt1 Lt4 swap with the hotcam, heads, intake etc. Woohoo. Well, i missed a gear from third to 4th and developed a knock. Had a good friend that's a mechanic look at tit and we've come to the conclusion that it's not a lifter, valve or pushrod. Kinda think that it had the stock pistons in there, couldn't handle the high rpm and broke a piston skirt.
My main two questions.
Should I cut my losses, sell the car and claim it just developed a knock?
OR
Should i go ahead and make it a stroker?
I'm kinda on an (pull,stroke,install) 3500 budget. Looking to get around 500rw.
Suggestions?
I bought a 95 TA with the guy knowing nothing about it. Got it home, found out it has the Lt1 Lt4 swap with the hotcam, heads, intake etc. Woohoo. Well, i missed a gear from third to 4th and developed a knock. Had a good friend that's a mechanic look at tit and we've come to the conclusion that it's not a lifter, valve or pushrod. Kinda think that it had the stock pistons in there, couldn't handle the high rpm and broke a piston skirt.
My main two questions.
Should I cut my losses, sell the car and claim it just developed a knock?
OR
Should i go ahead and make it a stroker?
I'm kinda on an (pull,stroke,install) 3500 budget. Looking to get around 500rw.
Suggestions?
Alright, here's my story.
I bought a 95 TA with the guy knowing nothing about it. Got it home, found out it has the Lt1 Lt4 swap with the hotcam, heads, intake etc. Woohoo. Well, i missed a gear from third to 4th and developed a knock. Had a good friend that's a mechanic look at tit and we've come to the conclusion that it's not a lifter, valve or pushrod. Kinda think that it had the stock pistons in there, couldn't handle the high rpm and broke a piston skirt.
My main two questions.
Should I cut my losses, sell the car and claim it just developed a knock?
OR
Should i go ahead and make it a stroker?
I'm kinda on an (pull,stroke,install) 3500 budget. Looking to get around 500rw.
Suggestions?
I bought a 95 TA with the guy knowing nothing about it. Got it home, found out it has the Lt1 Lt4 swap with the hotcam, heads, intake etc. Woohoo. Well, i missed a gear from third to 4th and developed a knock. Had a good friend that's a mechanic look at tit and we've come to the conclusion that it's not a lifter, valve or pushrod. Kinda think that it had the stock pistons in there, couldn't handle the high rpm and broke a piston skirt.
My main two questions.
Should I cut my losses, sell the car and claim it just developed a knock?
OR
Should i go ahead and make it a stroker?
I'm kinda on an (pull,stroke,install) 3500 budget. Looking to get around 500rw.
Suggestions?
What I would do is take the block to a machine shop and actually find out what happened, I suspect a spun rod bearing, not a broken piston. Then you can have the machine shop build you a 355 with the stock crank and forged rods and pistons. Put it back together with the LT4 top end and get yourself a nice n2o kit. You can get to your 500rwhp goal with a 200 shot.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Kilgore, TX
You guys could be right about him being a moron, like i said it's just an educated guess. He's been building race motors for over 30 years.
>I never said anything about it being in the bottom end, honestly it sounds like it's coming from under the intake. He used the stethoscope, killed fire to each cylinder individually and couldn't determine where it was coming from.
I personally was hoping on a bent pushrod, LOL.
I think I'm going to take it back home pull the intake and valve covers and see if i have a collapsed lifter.
If it's either of those I'm pretty sure I'll fix it and save some more money. I'd love to have a N/A 500rw trans am.
It already has the hot cam, but i'll probably go ahead and get a cc306 or something along those lines when we get the motor out fully.
If my explanation of the sound gives you any other ideas, please let me know what you think.
I'm positive that I'm not the only one that has over-revved their car. I'm also sure this isn't a unique problem, although there are many things that could cause a tick.
Cold- no tick
Warm idle- no tick
Warm with a fluent amount of gas- tick like crazy.
>I never said anything about it being in the bottom end, honestly it sounds like it's coming from under the intake. He used the stethoscope, killed fire to each cylinder individually and couldn't determine where it was coming from.
I personally was hoping on a bent pushrod, LOL.
I think I'm going to take it back home pull the intake and valve covers and see if i have a collapsed lifter.
If it's either of those I'm pretty sure I'll fix it and save some more money. I'd love to have a N/A 500rw trans am.
It already has the hot cam, but i'll probably go ahead and get a cc306 or something along those lines when we get the motor out fully.
If my explanation of the sound gives you any other ideas, please let me know what you think.
I'm positive that I'm not the only one that has over-revved their car. I'm also sure this isn't a unique problem, although there are many things that could cause a tick.
Cold- no tick
Warm idle- no tick
Warm with a fluent amount of gas- tick like crazy.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Kilgore, TX
I don't know how to reset the rockers valve lash etc etc idk what all is entailed in that.
Going to have to do some referencing when i get it back home.
Trending Topics
http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#adjust_valves
But know this, just because you find a bent pushrod, broken valve spring, or faulty rocker, etc. doesn't mean you can just simply replace said part and be done with it. I would perform a compression and leakdown test to try and find any bent valves or bad cylinders.
Also, drain the oil and cut open the filter and look for metal shavings. Check everywhere for exhaust leaks as well, they can tick like engine noise.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,025
Likes: 1
From: CT/NJ
A bent pushrod or collapsed lifter or just about any valvetrain problem would kill the affected cylinder. If there is no miss (sounds like your moron pal checked for that) it is most likely rodknock. You first hear it around 2-2500 rpm on a quick accel, then it keeps getting worse and soon will be knocking louder and louder all the time until eventually the rod pops out the side to see how the weather is.
You guys could be right about him being a moron, like i said it's just an educated guess. He's been building race motors for over 30 years.
>I never said anything about it being in the bottom end, honestly it sounds like it's coming from under the intake. He used the stethoscope, killed fire to each cylinder individually and couldn't determine where it was coming from.
I personally was hoping on a bent pushrod, LOL.
I think I'm going to take it back home pull the intake and valve covers and see if i have a collapsed lifter.
If it's either of those I'm pretty sure I'll fix it and save some more money. I'd love to have a N/A 500rw trans am.
It already has the hot cam, but i'll probably go ahead and get a cc306 or something along those lines when we get the motor out fully.
If my explanation of the sound gives you any other ideas, please let me know what you think.
I'm positive that I'm not the only one that has over-revved their car. I'm also sure this isn't a unique problem, although there are many things that could cause a tick.
Cold- no tick
Warm idle- no tick
Warm with a fluent amount of gas- tick like crazy.
>I never said anything about it being in the bottom end, honestly it sounds like it's coming from under the intake. He used the stethoscope, killed fire to each cylinder individually and couldn't determine where it was coming from.
I personally was hoping on a bent pushrod, LOL.
I think I'm going to take it back home pull the intake and valve covers and see if i have a collapsed lifter.
If it's either of those I'm pretty sure I'll fix it and save some more money. I'd love to have a N/A 500rw trans am.
It already has the hot cam, but i'll probably go ahead and get a cc306 or something along those lines when we get the motor out fully.
If my explanation of the sound gives you any other ideas, please let me know what you think.
I'm positive that I'm not the only one that has over-revved their car. I'm also sure this isn't a unique problem, although there are many things that could cause a tick.
Cold- no tick
Warm idle- no tick
Warm with a fluent amount of gas- tick like crazy.
not that this is the rule by from my own experience when I had a rod bearing take a crap there was no tick at cold idle, but definately one at warm idle, increased rpms made it worse.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Kilgore, TX
typically any of my friends that had a similar situation occur ended up bending some pushrods.
not that this is the rule by from my own experience when I had a rod bearing take a crap there was no tick at cold idle, but definately one at warm idle, increased rpms made it worse.
not that this is the rule by from my own experience when I had a rod bearing take a crap there was no tick at cold idle, but definately one at warm idle, increased rpms made it worse.
TECH Regular
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 481
Likes: 0
Have you popped the valve covers? About a month after getting my car, and doing some top speed testing, I had a rocker arm come loose. I **** a brick when I heard the knocking noise, and I determined it was coming from under the valve cover. Simple enough fix with some red locktite.
Btw, when you said you killed fire to each cylinder, I'm assuming that means you unpluged an injector or something? Does it have a obious miss to it?
Btw, when you said you killed fire to each cylinder, I'm assuming that means you unpluged an injector or something? Does it have a obious miss to it?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Kilgore, TX
Yeah he unplugged the injectors. It has NO miss whatsoever, it doesn't smoke, yes we've pulled the valve covers, ran it with the covers off, it sounds like it's coming from below the intake.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Kilgore, TX
Well, after all you guys have said about being a rod bearing, I'm suspecting that. We are now just going to tear it down, see what went wrong, and build a 355. Probably going to port the heads and intake. cc306 cam. Any advice on spring, lifter, and pushrod upgrade? The reason i ask is for the n02. The 355 seems like it will be cheaper, and i guess my hopes of getting 500rw N/A is a little fetched with the money i have. n02 suggestions?
Well, after all you guys have said about being a rod bearing, I'm suspecting that. We are now just going to tear it down, see what went wrong, and build a 355. Probably going to port the heads and intake. cc306 cam. Any advice on spring, lifter, and pushrod upgrade? The reason i ask is for the n02. The 355 seems like it will be cheaper, and i guess my hopes of getting 500rw N/A is a little fetched with the money i have. n02 suggestions?
They will install a nice set of springs for you (I believe they use PAC springs) and supply you with pushrods as well. I would also recommend gettting a custom grind camshaft from them. The CC306 is a nice cam, but I'm sure they can grind you a much better cam. As for lifters you can get a set of LS7 lifters from SDPC. As for n2o kit, I'd contact Nitrous Oulet and get a plate kit, I don't like nozzles.