How many miles is too many?

[skeeters65]

Just curious at what point would you guys start to shy away from an LS1 due to miles..

I will most likely not be able to see the car run cause it will be out of the car already or be shipped to me..

Thanks

[merriman44]

don't buy unless you can see!! I bought mine toughted as a stout "full engine. Got it out and it has a beat up cam, cracked block, and chewed up heads. So I repeat, DO NOT buy unless you can see the internals. I am now convinced that the ls1 is weak. grr...

[6'9"Witha69]

The LSx engines are very stout. VERY stout. Anything under 30k is fine. 30-60 warrants a refresh and over 60 a full go through. For a cruiser only the mileage bands could be raised but I am considering building a mild build up 400-480hp NA motor. The more you want out of it though, the more you need to go through it.

I don't care what manufacturer and which series of engine, if it is used and you want high perfrormance, it warrants a look into and possible parts replacement/upgrade.

Basically, it varies based on what you want to do with it.

[Vegas69]

It depends on how it was taken car of. It could have 10k miles and be junk or 50k and in great shape. It's a case by case basis. I would check it out regardless if you don't know the history.

[trapin]

The LSx engines are very stout. VERY stout. Anything under 30k is fine. 30-60 warrants a refresh and over 60 a full go through.

Are you sure about that, Nick? When I posed this question over at LS1tech.com about my LS1 having 55K they told me that was nothing and not to worry about going through the bottem end for my application. Here's the link to my thread for reference. Mind you, I'm not going radical with my LS1. TR224, LS6 intake, Stage I heads, 450hp max.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=586854

[6'9"Witha69]

Are you sure about that, Nick? When I posed this question over at LS1tech.com about my LS1 having 55K they told me that was nothing and not to worry about going through the bottem end for my application. Here's the link to my thread for reference.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=586854

Not to contradict anything people FAR more knowledgeable than me on the subject, but Itend to err on the side of caution. I know from helping a couple buddies with them that they are GREAT engines, and on 40-50k + motors have hardly seen ANY sign of wear. But on a second (3rd, 4th, ...n) hand engine, I treat it like buying a rental car. You have NO clue how they treated it. If the previous sucker ran Penzoil (crap), changed it every 20k miles, ran it low and still ran the snot out of it, it needs some TLC. Without opening it you never know. Even if all it is is a bearing swap and maybe bore freshen, it is peace of mind to me.

But like I said, I am a novice compared to many in the way of LSx and just plain paranoid about what goes in my car.

[jaybee]

Has anyone used oil testing to check for heavy metals (bearing material) in the oil and other clues to trouble? I haven't done it but a lot of fleets do when indicated.

[WS6]

oil testing isn't a bad idea jaybee. It will tell you a great deal more than a simple visual inspection could.

as for the original question, it really does depend on how the engine was cared for. I agree with Nick to err on the side of caution if you plan to push the motor. However, a mild heads/cam combo like Tony is building I would drop on a 75k mile motor without issue personally.

My friend has a 99 TA that he beat the hell out of all around including at the drag strip. Back in 2000-2002 he was trying to be one of the only cars to run 11s without going inside the engine. Anyway, he damaged the number 8 plug thread. I pulled the head recently and the cylinder walls looked amazing. I could still see the crosshatching. The motor is at nearly 70k now. The engine has plenty of power still and runs very well considering how he's beat on it.

These engine are strong, but there are people out there that will test them. You may not know if you're buying from them or not.

[trapin]

I have mine busted down to the short block. I found no metal shavings in the oil pan, no sludge, and you can still clearly see the crosshatchings on the cylinder walls. I'm no expert but it appears to have been well taken care of. I also bought it from a reputable seller (Cleveland Pick-A-Part) and they did compression tests on all 8 cylinders with perfect results. I feel confident in that criteria to leave the bottem end alone.

[6'9"Witha69]

I have mine busted down to the short block. I found no metal shavings in the oil pan, no sludge, and you can still clearly see the crosshatchings on the cylinder walls. I'm no expert but it appears to have been well taken care of. I also bought it from a reputable seller (Cleveland Pick-A-Part) and they did compression tests on all 8 cylinders with perfect results. I feel confident in that criteria to leave the bottem end alone.

Based on what you see, I would feel good too. I am referring to just buying it, bolting on an intake and stabbing in a cam. I will bust anything down to shortblock. If I see issues then I may go deeper, but from what you see, I would leave it alone. Perhaps I was misunderstood about tearing it completely apart v. looking inside.

[trapin]

Based on what you see, I would feel good too. I am referring to just buying it, bolting on an intake and stabbing in a cam. I will bust anything down to shortblock. If I see issues then I may go deeper, but from what you see, I would leave it alone. Perhaps I was misunderstood about tearing it completely apart v. looking inside.

No Nick, not at all. You make a good point about buying something and not investigating first. I would also recommend to Skeeter that he at least do an inspection on a 30K+ motor before making enhancements.

[93Polo]

Not to contradict anything people FAR more knowledgeable than me on the subject, but Itend to err on the side of caution. I know from helping a couple buddies with them that they are GREAT engines, and on 40-50k + motors have hardly seen ANY sign of wear. But on a second (3rd, 4th, ...n) hand engine, I treat it like buying a rental car. You have NO clue how they treated it. If the previous sucker ran Penzoil (crap), changed it every 20k miles, ran it low and still ran the snot out of it, it needs some TLC. Without opening it you never know. Even if all it is is a bearing swap and maybe bore freshen, it is peace of mind to me.

But like I said, I am a novice compared to many in the way of LSx and just plain paranoid about what goes in my car.

I put H&C on my '00 LS1 at 65k and turned 436 rwhp. The motor is coming up on 100k. The car is driven hard too. My 2500HD LQ9 has 96k

It is all in how the motor is taken care of. If it is abused any motor will pop.

[Z06vet]

I put a cam in my 01 Z06 with 95K on it, kept it 2 years (110K MI) and my last dyno pull to 7000rpm it was still putting down 39x rwhp. It likely had 60-70 passes on it and never used more than 1/2 qt between changes. I did use royal purple the whole time I owned it. As of now the current owner has over 120K on it and no problems. My 01 2500 pickup has 219 on it and still has 40+ lb oil pressure. It tows about 7500lbs enclosed landscape trailer 5 days a week. At my buddy's shop a few eeks ago they had a 157K mi LS1 with the heads off. You could still see the cross hatches like the other guy's previously mentioned. Most reputable yards test the motors before they pull them. No matter what its always hard to buy sight unseen. The good thing is is that they are getting cheaper! Good luck in your search. Scott

[Damn True]

My fear in buying a junker pullout is that I have no idea if the previous owner that was perhaps the woman driver who never gets the oil changed, or the silver spoon kid who drove it like it was stolen, and never had the oil changed.

My fear in buying a pullout from someone who is doing a stroker or something as a replacement is that they are doing so because they want a stronger motor. If the one they are getting rid of is not fast enough, the only way for them to arrive at that realization is by driving the whee out of it. Though this guy is far more likely to maintain his car.

[merriman44]

^^Damn true thats damn true. And exactly what I was trying to say in my previous post. Albeit not so well at all. I was frustrated when I posted that, but basically thats what I was trying to say.