Top 5 Mods To Make An LS Engine Reliable.

LS's get a bad rep for certain failures. This is a list of the top 5 must-do reliability mods to keep your LS Engine healthy while you drive it like you stole it!

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM

Snapchat: taylorsaysdrift

Background Music by Bonus Points

Let me know what you thought of this video!

[Taylordrifts]

I try to include this info in videos while working on engines, but it's hard to get it all in them along with the work. So I wanted to make this video covering some of the things I've learned over the years with my LS Builds to help anyone out who's taking the plunge themselves.

[flinch]

Short list
3:09 - Internal oil seals [cam retainer plate etc]
7:56 - lifters [gen 3 vs 4]
10:14 - rocker arm upgrades
12:24 - oiling system [preventing starvation]
21:18 - bottom end considerations

[saidtheblueknight]

If you showed me this video a few years ago, I would have laughed in your face. After burning up 2 perfectly good motors (one built to the gills) I 100% agree with everything you said. If I had seen this video a few years ago AND followed the advice, I'd still be on my original motor.

[kovacs]

I'm a mechanic at a speed shop, and one of my customers has a stock internals 6.0L, boosted to the nuts, and he's gotten the car into the 7s in the 1/4, he opens up the ring gaps, studs everything with ARP studs, and throws a $300 Chinese turbo on it. Sure the motors come apart from time to time with power levels he's running, but a couple weekends, few hundred bucks, and a trip to the wrecking yard and he's back to the races.

[OgamiItto]

Another important reason for road racing builds to use a dry sump system is the flat oil pan, which allows the engine to be installed lower in the chassis, getting the center of gravity lower, improving handling.
If you're a real belt-and-suspenders man, you'll install an Accusump to kick in just in case your dry sump belt comes off or you blow one of its feed lines or whatever so as to give you time to shut down before your motor seizes. A big, bright oil pressure red idiot light where you can't possibly miss it would be a worthwhile investment as well.
Excellent video.

[keith_hudson]

"How to make an LS reliable" Put gas in it.

[agtronic]

Dude, I just watched this to the end. I have a very short attention span and rarely make it to the end of videos. You are generous for sharing this information so openly, and your no nonsense approach keeps people engaged. I loved that you weren't trying to be funny or adding fluff, just straight up info streaming from beginning to end. Thank you again. Awesome stuff.

[timwilliams]

My Dad gave me his 05 avalanche because he’s old. Super excited to join this cult like engine following. Discovering something new is so much better dwelling on the negative aspects of the world.

[TheSslover]

Great video and you are dead right about all the issues listed. I have a few more issues that you could add: 6) AFM (DOD) lifter failure 7) LS3/ any motor that uses the LS3 style timing chain tensioner. The plastic parts of the tensioner is prone to breaking. 8) Not a real issue, but the stock valve springs can be fairly shitting and are prone to valve floating at high rpm.

[trevorsnyder]

Had this in watch later for a while and hate myself for it. I'm so glad this was a more technical video rather than one of those "change your oil, do maintenance, take care of it" typical types, stuff we all know/common sense. This actually had upgrades in it, very nice video. Thank you 👍

[Beezy_Builds]

Take my advice and Listen to this man, get the Valve train and oiling system in check great LS info brother

[AdamOpheim]

The other overlooked oil starvation fix is to simply overfill the pan. The "LS1" style pan "full" line is at 5.5 qts. You can run 7.5 with no negative effects and oil starvation has not been an issue in my experience. Also back to back 1/4 mile runs at 5.5 and 7.5qts i saw no noticeable performance loss due to windage that every one claims is such a big issue. also adding high volume oil pumps when not needed tends to "suck the pan dry" and is completely not necessary.

[nickmetalartworks]

Taylor: it can't slosh away from pickup
Me: flips car

[Long-ndbq]

My 5.3L LM7 lost oil pressure in Ohio on a trip. Thought it was the sensor at first, no biggie. Drove it about a mile and the lifters started complaining. Had a friend come with his flat bed gooseneck trailer and tow me back to his shop in Michigan. We dropped the pan and changed the o-ring and now I'm back to 60 psi cold / 40 psi hot pressure.

[TheDailyRacer]

These are GREAT tips. My favorite one is "leave it the F alone". I am a road racer, and I am very familiar with horsepower and what one can do with it. Because of that, I get a lot of questions around what should be done to a motor. It KILLS me when I have someone LS swapping something like an RX7, a Miata, a 240SX, whatever. They start talking about heads and intakes and what pistons they need and so on, because they want to make power because they are afraid it'll be slow. I have almost this exact talk with them. Man, that car is what, 2600#-2700# at the absolute max? If its a Miata its closer to 2300#-2400#? That 300-350 hp is going to be PLENTY. Just get the thing done, and get it running. After a few months if you think its slow, get some heads on it. But don't let that stop the project. And I can bet you won't be bored.

[dustinswoboda]

first thing you showed, the cam plate, is what killed my first 5.3 in my Nova. just a couple street miles and couple dyno hits, oil pressure dropping to 5psi with a hell of a noise from the cam!
#5, my fav. the replacement 4.8 that went into my Nova didnt get a single bolt turned that didnt need it. slapped a cam in and good. same deal with my new project, didnt even look at the bottom end. GM knows there shit, they built like 50million of these, how many engines have you built? yeah. plus, that engine has PROVEN it self for the last 100k + miles (always claimed, its probably got 240+ lol), its driven to countless soccer/baseball/whatever games, to work every day for 10years... ITS GOOD.

[swappedoutZ]

This vid makes me proud of myself. Already had majority of these tips covered when I did my first build. I did a ton of research though, before I bought the truck I knew NOTHING about LS at all

[CLStevens]

Melling high volume/pressure oil pump and a good baffled pan. That is the secret to a reliable LS engine without dry sump.

[howitstartsmm]

I'm doing an ls swap in my 77 El Camino, prevention up front beats doing it over.
Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge.

[deankay]

Thank you, thank you for pointing out the items in the video. As a dealer line tech we see things and take measures to cover our own behind, but showing the camshaft retainer plate gasket and it’s importance is to me, is never discussed. The Red Gasket maker (Loctite 518) is for two machined surfaces and in the absence or air, creates a great seal. I use a film of this carefully behind this plate on any gasket. Sac City’s bar-bell is a nice touch as we as the rocker trunnions, which can fail on high mile daily drivers.
The oil accumulator is a home run in my book. Even engines that are grocery-getters, the main & rod bearings experiencing a slow death ever time (That 200k miles or more) they are started. Even with certain engine designers oiling strategy, we all know that no pressure film of oil is a fine line to a little wear and no wear. I enjoyed your choice of locations with limited real estate up front. I just wish the wear half the price they retail for considering the simplicity. The key operated valve is technically the most expensive component installed. Thanks and best of luck. Liked & Subscribed! ASE Master Tech since 1978 - Retired... Great Points!