Click to Download Our Full Product Catalog on PDF. Steel vs Titanium Valve Spring Retainers, Which Do You Need? See Chapter 5 for details on how to select a machine shop and what theyll do for you. Another area of interest is the proper way to install an oil pump. Dial indicator(s) and fixture(s): A dial indicator is an indispensable tool for measuring precise movement of many engine parts during pre-assembly. Youll be doing nearly every step of the rebuild on an engine stand, while a hoist will be needed for getting the engine in and out of the vehicle and/or its removable subframe. We used a, Before you install your damper, you will want to inspect the rubber insert for cracks and wear. To determine this, you first need to know what, exactly, we mean when we use the term rebuild. After this, there are some important questions youll want to ask, like: Is this something I am capable of? What tools are needed? And, Where can a rebuild be performed? Well try to answer all of these and more in this chapter. Here are some other tools you may wish to get a hold of, depending on your application. A select few will likely only be needed in high-performance rebuilds, and these will be noted accordingly. that can be referenced. Plus, every seal and gasket had paid their dues on this engine and needed to be replaced. We decided it was a good time to replace them and called King Bearings and ordered a set of bearings. All engine parts that move against other engine parts slowly lose metal material from their surfaces and eventually lose their functionality, regardless of quality and quantity of lubrication. This one is made by famed LS engine specialists Wheel to Wheel Powertrain. About Us -
This will center the pump and alleviate any problems that you might have from disassembling it.. For a comprehensive guide on this entire subject you can visit this link: SHARE THIS ARTICLE:Please feel free to share this article on Facebook, in Forums, or with any Clubs you participate in. You can see in this picture that we didnt have enough room to get the plug out. Want to see more of our Workshop Tools? With the crankshaft secured, we moved our attention to the rods and pistons. For this reason, it makes things easier if you have a dedicated crank socket. Gauging plastic: Whether you want to call it a supply or a disposable tool, this stuff is the easiest and most foolproof way to measure bearing clearances. Enter your email address below to subscribe to our newsletter and keep up to date with new products and special offers. If you dont know all of the LS engines torque specifications by heart. Now "ol' mate backyard engine builder" from earlier may tell you that this will be fine and he's done it 100's of times but reality is you are x1 bolt away from two scenarios.1. Without the use of a lever you start to lose that leverage due to the weight of the cam once it gets 3/4's of the way into the motor. The best type of tool locks in place when the spring is compressed, as this one from Goodson does. Keeter even washed our already clean block, and we could tell a huge difference. The image on the right shows you what it looks like after a gallon of the purple stuff and lots of elbow grease. 1. LSX now offer a range of the same LS engine assembly tools that we use to make installing your new upgrades a breeze. Before installing the back cover, you will want to change the oil galley plug or barbell and the expansion plugs. It primarily will help you in verifying the quality of machine work after its been performed. Degree wheel kit: Normally needed on high-performance applications only, a degree wheel kit allows precise verification and/or adjustment of camshaft timing during pre-assembly. The only question is, is it that time for your LS engine? A simple way to eliminate these headaches is a simple tool which is the LSX Pushrod Length Checker Tool. 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They begin to perform poorly later in life, and eventually will diei.e., stop operating completely. Instead, we waited until we got the unit on the engine stand to give it a good look. While our new engine looked much worse on the outside than the previous one, we were hopeful that the internals would look better than our first option. You also will need one when you manage to drop a bolt into a hard-to-reach place (notice that is a when, not an if!). It was apparent the cylinders had a lot of miles on them because the cross-hatching was no longer visible. Newer Post . Secondly, when you order new bolts for your build, you want to make sure to order the correct ones. According to the internet, You go to a scrapyard, buy an engine, throw it in your car, and run it forever. While there are many stories like this, its in your best interest to check it out before installing it in your project. However, the seized piston rings would cause the LS to be down on power and up on oil consumption. Mellings timing set for our application (PN 48560T-9) included all of the options and was easy enough to line up and install on the 5.3. A typical GM service manual set. The lower half thrust bearing will fit right into the cap of 2014 and newer LS and LT engines, providing full thrust loading capabilities. We then used the cam bolt locking plate (PN 5461-LPK) to make sure the bolts would not come loose until we were ready to pull the cam. You may want to wait until you have your valvespring retainers in hand to buy theseyoull need to match the checker springs to their O.D. Wouldnt you rather find the problem before having a severe issue causing you to pull the engine back out? Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from LSX Magazine, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! Its important to note here that GM used two types of rod bolts on the GEN III engines. Heartbreaking right!? We used a set of Mahle standard bore rings in conjunction with the factory pistons. Unless youre using aftermarket fasteners exclusively, you will need a torque angle gauge. Quality time in the garage upgrading the beast! Piston ring compressor: Dont just buy any old ring compressor that looks like it should be an oil filter wrench. The required set of tools is fairly comprehensive, but the good news is that some of it consists of general hand tools you already own. Piston ring filer: This is for use when fitting piston rings to the bores of your Gen III/IV block. (one member tried to buy an LS9 cam off Amazon and found out it was a LQ9). Make sure the rounded end goes in first. 2022 Power Automedia. A system for mounting a dial indicator and measuring piston and lifter movement is a required complement to a degree wheel kit, and some kits include it. Find yours below. The MTC-7 produced 403 horsepower and 406.4 lb-ft of torque while the MTC-8 we saw 411.9 horsepower and 412.2 lb-ft of torque. Many of them are designed to help make your life easier by saving you some time and effort, reducing the chance for assembly (or disassembly) error. CarTechs Workbench series format takes you step-by-step through the entire rebuilding process, from identification and selection, disassembly, cleaning, parts analysis and assessment, machine shop tips, replacement parts selection, re-assembly techniques, and start-up/break-in. Terms|Privacy, LS Engine Rebuilds: Skills, Techniques and Tools. If you dont feel like spending the money on one of these, it is possible to do the job using an old crank bolt (noting that this will make it extremely difficult to turn the crank counterclockwise). Not shown but helpful are pliers, both regular and needle-nose. You will also need one even with drop-in ring sets (to double-check end gap). Shown in the bottom right is a TDC stop, helpful during cam degreeing (youll need one capable of spanning the wide head bolt spacing of the LS). Its imperative that the pickup tube stays in place for the life of the engine. Born when assembled, engines wear themselves in during their early months, and perform strongest during their middle years. There are, of course, other items you almost certainly dont have yet, and some of these must be purchased from special engine build tool suppliers (or borrowed from tool rental outlets). With our short block on the engine stand, we didnt have room to get the plug out of the engine. Timing chains stretch over time, and the most significant risk would be chain breakage. So, we had to temporarily hang it from the engine hoist to do this process. For now, well also note that if in thumbing through this book you feel any part of a rebuild task would be beyond the constraints of your time, patience, or abilities, machine shops can almost always help you out with whatever labor, parts, or advice you need assistance with. High-performance rebuilds excepted, a full engine overhaul is only required if an engine is suffering from incurable poor performance, or wont run at all. Since our first LS engine didnt go as planned, we had to purchase a second one, and it was nasty. The pneumatic hose kit simply works by using a compressor to fill the cylinder with air through the spark plug hole to prevent the valve dropping when the spring is removed. You can see in the picture that the number five cap is positioned in a different direction than the others. A choice not to invest in nearly all of these would be a grave mistake! If youre building an engine using previously used parts, looking to make a numbers-matching engine, saving money on repurposing factory parts, or simply looking to see which parts work together, CarTech Books has a great resource for the budget-friendly builder. This time we reached out to Cale Risinger, Technical Services Manager at Melling. The second design, which we had, had two dimples on the head and a retaining sleeve. Have a few adjustable wrenches ready as well. Some of them actually are mandatory, but have been placed in this category simply because an alternative tool exists that you may substitute if desired. And while the cam bearings had some life left, its not worth the risk of messing up a brand new camshaft. Click the button below and we will send you an exclusive deal on this book. Magnets: During disassembly, magnets will be a big timesaver and are particularly helpful at removing slippery, oily items like lifters. KPE made short work of getting our block prepped and cleaned up for us. For the extraction of the plugs, you will need an 8mm and a monstrous 17mm hex wrench. Made by SPX Kent-Moore, these are the official GM J tools, and they are very expensive, so try to find a tool outlet that will rent them to you! Valve seal puller: To ease the task of removing your valve seals from your cylinder heads (if youll be disassembling yourself), a valve seal puller tool is a nice item to have. For most do-it-yourselfers, this means a sufficiently large garage thats relatively clean and is isolated from intruders who might interfere with your work while youre away (or overly distract you while youre in the middle of it). You should have standard sockets as well, though, particularly if youll be installing any aftermarket parts (which many times use standard bolts and nuts). Typically, rod and main bearings are pretty standard parts. Banging gears, turning wrenches, and praying while spraying are just a few of his favorite things. Help is out there! Do Not Sell My Personal Information -, By logging into your account, you agree to our. With the Melling bump stick lubed up and attached to the camshaft installation tool, we slid it into the engine effortlessly. Melling recommends not only this method but priming the engine with its engine pre-lube kit (PN MPL-201), as well. In no particular order, they are: Piston ring squaring tool: During ring fitting, proper ring end gap measurement is not possible without one of these. Please note that were only discussing tools herewell talk about any necessary supplies (thread sealant, cleaning solutions, storage bags, assembly lubricant, etc.) The only time you wont need a valvespring compressor tool is if youre having your machine shop disassemble and assemble your heads for you, or if youre swapping to a pre-assembled set of high-performance cylinder heads. Sign up for our newsletter to receive specials and up to date product news and releases. As LS engines don't come standard with adjustable rockers the pushrod is used to set lifter pre load.Each lifter manufacturer will specify the recommended preload based on lifter travel. Cheater bars/pry bars: These will aid primarily in engine disassembly, but may be helpful during some assembly steps as well. In steps the LSX Camshaft Installation Handle! The LSX timing cover alignment tool simply slides over the crank snout and using the keyway guides the slightly loose timing cover into the perfect location. Rod bolt stretch gauge: Some high-strength aftermarket connecting rods use a bolt stretch specification for fastener tightening, and a gauge like this will be needed to measure it. Were not here to provide a full and complete rundown of every possible engine problem and its solution (this is, after all, an engine rebuild book, not an engine repair book). Find the tools you need to make your LS swap a breeze, and get your updated ride running in no time! Its important to note here that GM used two types of rod bolts on the GEN III engines. Other more significant issuesfor example, a blown head gasketare also repairable; yet if something like this has gone unchecked long enough, sufficient damage to warrant a rebuild may have occurred. Now that you have a better idea of what Gen III and IV LS small-blocks are and whether the engine youre looking to rebuild falls within the family, its time to decide whether an engine rebuild is really something that you want, or need, to do. The first design has one dimple on the head and no retaining sleeve. ), visible, foul-smelling tailpipe emissions (white, bluish, and/or black), MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) on and scan indicates various DTCs. After we threaded the bolt in by hand, we then torqued it to 235 ft-lbs as instructed. We then put the rear cover on. Older Post Want a recommendation for a Christmas movie? Some are fixed for a very narrow range of bore sizes (right), while others are adjustable over a small range in bore size (left). Make sure your torque wrenches are fairly newthese things lose their accuracy over time! This will make life easy as you calculate the desired pushrod length which gives to correct preload and you use that size pushrod. A 3-jaw puller (right) will assist in removing both of these items during disassembly. 2. Valvespring compressor: This tool is used during both disassembly and assembly of cylinder heads, and youll need one heavy-duty enough for automotive valvesprings. Our office will be closed December 31. While primarily used during high-performance rebuilds, this item can be useful in stock rebuilds, too. ICT Billet has a wide selection of LS tools perfect for installing your engine components. All rights reserved. With the pistons out of the way, we popped the main caps off and yanked the crankshaft. Torque angle gauge: Some of GMs fastener tightening specifications used on the LS involve the torque-plus-angle method (for example, 15 ft-lbs plus 51 degreesthats not something you want to eye up!). To secure the damper, we used an ARP damper bolt, but first, we applied the ARP Ultra Torque Fastener Assembly Lubricant. We recommend the use of a flywheel locking tool for this process. Make sure to note the orientation of the main caps on the LS upon reassembly. With that said, and the short block buttoned up and ready to go, our next article will focus on rebuilding the heads and assembling the long block. For our application, we used the Melling high-volume, high-pressure oil pump (PN 10296), which supplies 18-percent more oil flow. Crankshaft rear oil seal installation tool: It is possible to gently tap the rear crank seal into the rear cover, but you can guarantee precise installation and a leak-free seal if you have the right tool. Before we removed the cam, we pulled the oil pump and factory timing set from the engine. With the OEM part out of the way, we put some oil on the o-ring and slid the new plug into place. The new design allows for less installation error due to the design, and now dealers can stock fewer part numbers since the modifications enable the bearings to fit both late model LS and late model LT engines. Before you install your damper, you will want to inspect the rubber insert for cracks and wear. This engine was never intended to be a high-horsepower build, so we didnt see the point in additional machining that wasnt required. As we tore the engine down, everything looked surprisingly well on the 175,000-mile Tahoe powerplant. If not, a backup plan is available that will simply involve buying a longer bolt (see Chapter 8 for details). How to determine value of used Snap On tools, The following errors occurred with your submission, LS1TECH - Camaro and Firebird Forum Discussion, Hand | Power | Hydraulic | Pneumatic | Welding | Painting, Gen 5 Camaro Tuning, Diagnostics, Dyno results, Hot Rod Power Tour/ Pump Gas Drags/ Drag Week. With the drain plug removed, water yes, you read that right flowed freely out of the pan, followed by some black gunk that vaguely resembles oil. Making simple changes such as a cam swap, changing lifters or even going further into the build such as stepping up to ported heads can all effect the pushrod geometry which can cause serious issues if not calculated correctly.Although majority of camshaft packages come with a set of pushrods at the standard 7.400" length which covers 80% of applicaitons it does not mean that the length shouldn't be measured to ensure two important factors are correct. Along similar lines, although the gears of some timing sets slide easily onto the crank snout chances are you will need a crank gear installing sleeve (center) to help the jobthough there is a backup plan here, too, that involves using your old crank sprocket to double up and press on the new one (see Chapter 8 as well). Steel rod vises with super-smooth clamping surfaces are also available, but can be very pricey. We then used a new Melling thrust plate (PN MF127) and secured the cam in place. This redesign allows the upper block half bearing to be installed in any direction. These can definitely be made yourself using the right items or you can simply purchase one with your new upgrades. In the decades since these engines first use, many advances have been made in engineering, metallurgy, manufacturing, and other fields, and todays engines are more dependable than ever. Motors with valve reliefs in the pistons may not suffer from this due to additional clearance however it can still cause issues with the valve seating or staying open in extreme circumstances. 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Even though we couldve saved ourselves some money, we would have never gotten the parts as clean as they are now. Give us a call at 316-300-0833 or fill out our online contact form. Osterhaus said, These cams operate very well with the factory tune, and we know because all of our testing was done with factory settings. We used a set of Mahle standard bore rings in conjunction with the factory pistons. Open- and box-end wrenches / pliers: Open-end and box-end wrenches should also be metric, though standard sizes can be useful too. While, Since the piston rings were so dirty, it was easier to replace them rather than try to save them. Archive -
These bolts have different TTY specifications as the first design is rotated to 60-degrees, while the other design is rotated to 85-degrees. This is why there is always a tool for every job. Mellings cam will not only add more power but due to its design, it can also run on the stock tune safely. We then numbered the pistons, which were in disgusting shape, so we would know what hole to put them in during reassembly. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. You can do this without special tools if you are very careful; however, it is more foolproof if you have the right equipment for the job. So an engine with larger bearing clearances, higher flow rate lifters, added piston and valve spring oilers is a good candidate for a high volume oil pump, Osterhaus explained. Ours looked good, so we went ahead and installed it. The four-stroke Otto-cycle internal combustion engine variation (as its technically known) has been so successful that it is used to power the vast majority of vehicles on U.S. roads, hybrids included. Lifter Preload. oil gets discolored quickly / foreign substances in oil, low oil pressure (ex., below minimum 10 psi / 1,000 rpm), excessive coolant consumption / discoloration, abnormal engine noise (clunking, banging, etc. The OEM Harmonic Balancer bolt is TTY (torque to yield) this means that it gets stretched into place when it is torqued on upon installation. In the interest of completeness, were going to list virtually everything you need to get a hold of for a rebuild project, and well try and help you by breaking these items down into categories.
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