Build Woes...Any advice?

[Kizzlebizz]

I'm trying to not use facebook, because...facebook, so maybe you guys can help out.

I swapped this 1993 Yukon circa 2017 with a 5.3 4l60e. Enjoyed it for a little while and decided to try the sloppy recipe incrementally. I cam'd it (ss2), and put a turbo on with low boost and enjoyed for a bit. Turned it up to about 14psi and hadn't learned about soft timing before peak torque and blew it up. Spun a nice ole rod bearing.

I bought a junkyard 5.3, put my cam in it and left the turbo off. This engine smoked like all the time, and had bad lifter clatter. I drove that one for about a year and about 2 months ago someone offered me a gen 3.5 5.3 for free. Said it had lifter tick and oil leaks and the customer decided to just replace it. I pulled the heads, cleaned the carbon off the pistons, put some LS7 lifters and MLS headgaskets and slapped it back together. Even with new lifters, and the same SS2 cam from my first build it has terrible lifter clatter, and smokes like a chimney also.

I am halfway inclined to do valve stem seals to see if it remedies the smoking, but I haven't a clue what to do about the rowdy lifter noise. You guys have any ideas? Measure pushrods? What is the actual stock length?

Positive note, I used the summit 3k stall converter on a fresh 4l60 and the damn thing flies. It's a whole new animal with the cam and converter.

Click to read more...

 

[reaper mech]

stock ls pushrod is 7.400 but if you measure it with a set of digital calipers it will show 7.385 since you are measuring from the flats
is the smoke white or a gray blue tint ? whiteish is normally coolant , gray blue burning oil .

 

[Jon01]

Does it smoke at startup or all the time?

 

[Jon01]

I wouldn't give a fuck about lifter noise if my ride was hazing like Snoop.

 

[Kizzlebizz]

Does it smoke at startup or all the time?

Smokes at start up then cleans up a bit. A good solid romp on the throttle produces extra smoke.

 

[Jon01]

Smokes at start up then cleans up a bit. A good solid romp on the throttle produces extra smoke.

Have you done a leak down test?

In my experience startup smoke is valve stem seals. Smoke at other times indicates either worn rings or guides.

 

[Kizzlebizz]

Have you done a leak down test?

In my experience startup smoke is valve stem seals. Smoke at other times indicates either worn rings or guides.

I did exactly zero troubleshooting. Been kinda hard charging to get this pile back together, and after it smoked I was kinda defeated and bounced. I do heavy work at my old man's house since he has a shop and room, so I'll have to get over there this week sometime to troubleshoot.

Looks like I'll be doing a leakdown test next time I get over there.

 

[Kizzlebizz]

Update- Months later. Still dealing with smoke and lifter clatter and decided to do something about it.

I narrowed the smoke down to either pcv or valve stem seals. I had the worlds worst friend come by and help me pull the engine and trans; hopefully for the last time. I have a good set of heads on the shelf that didn't smoke (so I'm assuming the valve stem seals are good), so I swapped them over along with a valve cover without the integrated PCV system and a new PCV valve. The reason I decided to swap heads is because I had to pull them anyways to replace lifters yet again, so it was cheaper than ordering seals. When I got the new "LS7" lifters out they had quite a bit of plunger travel compared to a set I had on the shelf.

I also decided to swap cams too! This was a SS2 cam, I got a converter and all that goodness, but I am trying to build too many things at once so I'm taming this one down in hopes it cooperates better. I swapped in a BTR 212/218 .553 cam and 7.400 pushrods.

If you reference this thread-

Tune Request

Anyone have a tune for a P01/P59 with a 4l60 and an aftermarket converter? 5.3, 4l60e, 3k stall 10 inch lockup. I am having issues with lockup and shifting into 4th gear. I'm not sure if I have knock sensor issues or something else. Just like to be able to compare what others have had to...

www.thechicagogarage.com

You'll see I was having trouble after getting the trans done by someone. Guy is a real piece of work and I got sick of driving to deal with him. Truck sat at his shop for a month and a half, and he didn't even touch it. I finally took a day off from work and just sat in the lot til he finally looked at it.

I got the output shaft swapped out, sonnax line pressure booster and half a shift kit installed. I also pulled the 3k converter out and put in a reman'd trailblazer 4.2 converter. This is kind of a test to see if it helps with the cam; It's supposed to stall around 2k vs 1600 for a stock converter. I have the Texas Speed 212/218 in my other truck and it's a slouch outta the hole and I feel like just an extra 400 RPM may help.

Over the weekend, I got everything back together and it's ready to drop in. Plan is to have it running by Friday.

 

[Kizzlebizz]

Whelp. Got it in this afternoon in what we think is record time. Floor to cracking a cold one in about 20 minutes, maybe a hair over.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

missed this. Hope you have it locked down.

 

[Kizzlebizz]

Update. I give the ever living fuck up.

Doesnt smoke anymore, and the trans works, very well. Even with a partial shift kit and me assembling it, still has firm quick shifts. BUT- still has an atrocious lifter tap.

Why does every fucking engine lifter tap. The first engine I did the swap on didn't have a lick of tap. Second engine-tap, third engine-tap, same third engine with different lifters-tap. Fml...

 

[Mr_Roboto]

manual oil pressure gauge time?

I have heard lifters are garbage right now.

 

[Kizzlebizz]

manual oil pressure gauge time?

I have heard lifters are garbage right now.

Yeah, so engine #2 came from the yard tapping and smoking. I him hawed around getting it put in so it was past the 30 day warranty. Engine #3 came from a guy who said it had a tap but was fine, so I stuck a set of brand new delco lifters in it. Still tapped, every single one of em. When I pulled them to replace them, they had quite a bit of plunger travel with just my thumb. I even tried to compensate with 7.450 pushrods. I got the current set used take out from a guy and they looked to be good lifters. Had some use, but all seemed okay. Even at start up they were nice and quiet for about 15 minutes.

Lesson learned I guess. I don't know what the lesson is...but I'm learning it.

 

[Jon01]

Lesson learned I guess. I don't know what the lesson is...but I'm learning it.

Lessong is: Don't worry about lifter tick on LS's if they have decent oil pressure.

 

[Kizzlebizz]

Lessong is: Don't worry about lifter tick on LS's if they have decent oil pressure.

I'd rock it but this one lifter is bad. It's like its missing at low RPM.

What I have learned is I can tear into a 4l60 and put it back together, and that the Trailblazer I6 converter is well worth it in this application.

 

[Kizzlebizz]

Back with new information. New shit has come to light, dude.

Apparently I'm not the only one with this problem, and someone decided to figure it out for me. There seems to have been a slew of bad AC Delco lifters out there. I read something that said Delco sold the name and it's legit, and other places that these were knock offs. Either way here it is.

The lifter on the left is a stock lifter. The one on the right is the new "Delco" lifters I bought. They are missing the oil plate. I just did a DOD delete job and have a whole set of used lifters to rob the plate out of. I'll slap them together some point this weekend and swap them out soon.

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

Is the oil inlet hole to the plunger chamber in a circular depression or in a flat Notch area? You can probably just throw in the disks and be fine it looks like someone just assemble the whole batch of lifters and properly