LT1 Knocking??

So a co-worker told me he didn't like LT1's because they had a lot of engine failures. I'd never heard of that. He said look on Youtube, and I did. Thoughts? All I've ever heard is the Optispark and front oil seals are a pain, but other than that it's a great engine.

Scary stuff...

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There are a lot more....

Is this from abuse/racing and not changing the oil on time, or a known problem?

I would say E. all the above

Yes Mike your motor is going to blow unless you sell it to me at a very low price.Otherwise dont sweat it as these LT-1s
are like any other motor and can have problems when not maintained or abused constantly.
I have always believed that how you drive a cold start engine has a bigger effect on the longevity of that engine.Its
not a problem in your climate but anywhere the temp gets down to freezing I believe that driving the car gently and
keepping the rpms down below 2500 to 3000 rpms is easy and allows the engine to warm up and all of the internal
temps to stabilize and match.Its something that I have done for 40 years and I will continue to do it this way until I
die or stop driving,whichever comes first.
My 2 Cents
Jim Gordon

I sold my 94 9C1 to a friend of a friend. It had given me a few years of great service. I had taken great care of the car, and sold it for less than the cost of the paint. When he left with the car, he did a John Force-style burnout. I thought to myself, "I bet that engine won't last long". Sure enough, two weeks later my buddy calls me up and tells me that his friend is pissed off and wants some money back. He's blown the engine and it has a bad rod knock. I told him to have a look at the bill of sale where we both signed right under the part in big letters that said "sold as is, with no warranty expressed or implied".

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Bottom line? Any engine can fail if not taken care of. I will say this. In well over ten years of driving LT1s, and reading lots of first hand reports, AND looking at the miles people put on them... I am ready to state that IMO, they are a very reliable and robust powerplant.

Exactly what I wanted to hear! Thanks!

Oh and sorry to hear about your bad car deal. I hate crap like that. I sold my '82 Bonneville Model G wagon to a friend of a friend...and made the mistake of taking payments. Sure enough, he blew it up a few months later and I got the shaft on $500, after I got an earful about what a POS the car was.

It HAD been a really nice car when I had it....I think most folks here know how I keep my cars....

Taught me a good lesson!

These are very tough motors. Out of the 7 LT1 Wagons I've owned...only 1 had under 100k miles on it. Most were over 130-160k. Never had any engine problems. Lots of what you see comes from abuse. People get these things on the cheap and beat them to death. They stick hockey pucks and sewer pipes on the motor but won't tune them up or even change the oil. Rev'em till they pop. Lol

....I did ruin one in the past though. (2005) Did a new cam/heads and replaced the oil pump with a high volume pump. Don't do that....lol KNOCK after 300 miles!! Took it out and had another engine builder look at it. He could not believe that particular pump was recommended. I didn't know! (but Crovo did warn me...I listen a little better now)

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Well I don't know about it's first 73K miles but I've changed the oil 5 times in the last 10 months (every 3K miles) and am about to do it again.

Other than kicking it into passing gear a few times to make my kids giggle I baby the phooey out of the car.

-Mike

Please define "phooey" ?
Thank You
Jim Gordon

brokecello wrote:

These are very tough motors. Out of the 7 LT1 Wagons I've owned...only 1 had under 100k miles on it. Most were over 130-160k. Never had any engine problems. Lots of what you see comes from abuse. People get these things on the cheap and beat them to death. They stick hockey pucks and sewer pipes on the motor but won't tune them up or even change the oil. Rev'em till they pop. Lol

....I did ruin one in the past though. (2005) Did a new cam/heads and replaced the oil pump with a high volume pump. Don't do that....lol KNOCK after 300 miles!! Took it out and had another engine builder look at it. He could not believe that particular pump was recommended. I didn't know! (but Crovo did warn me...I listen a little better now)

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LT1 engine do not like hi-volume pumps! They suck all the oil out of the pan and the run-back is not sufficient to keep some bearings from
"starving" for lubrication! This engine was designed to operate on a normal pressure of ---- 24psi!
Also, Mellings changed their castings, and some reports have the newer castings failing. Be careful here!

OK so to clear this up in my mind of minds,No high volume and no high pressure oil pumps
are ever to be used in LT-1 engines PERIOD.
Over on the other site one guy asked about a medium volume oil pump,is that out too?
Way back in 1976 I rebuilt a 67 327/350hp vette motor and I used a high pressure pump
and that engine was broken in kinda hard but always warmed up gently.That engine saw
6500 rpm almost daily and I never had any problems.So I guess that the oiling system is
somewhat different on the LT-1s versus the older Gen 1 engines?
Hey Tim when you replaced the rod and main bearings in your LT-1'what oil pump did you
use?Have not heard any complaints from you and I recall some oil pump discussions when
you did your work?
Jim Gordon

Wow... Was that really '05? Holy crap.

Yeah, the Big Block pumps are overkill for this engine, and they starve it. A HV oil pump for a small block is fine in them though. The melling 55HV with the bolt-on pickup is a good setup.

The high volume pump puts oil upstairs quicker than it can return in an older engine,.
i like high pressure pumps,.making sure all the drain back holes are nicely chamfered

Nick