Cascade Crew

chevymad · Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 8:06 pm Post subject:

The company we buy our reman's from just says to spin the motor over with the plugs out until you have oil pressure. I never do that and no troubles yet. Oil pressure on the LS motors seems to come up in a hurry. Now if S&J can just reman their heads so the intake seats don't fall out we'd be doing good.

QwkTrip · Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:07 pm Post subject:

The damn torx plug won't come out of the block. It's already beat up pretty bad and if I try any harder it will totally strip out. I fricking hate torx. I don't know why the hell they use it for anything.

The LS oil pump is not self-priming. Just want to throw that out there. I am charging battery for one last hurrah. I'll pull plugs like you suggest, although that will be a feat in and of itself. I already cranked for 2 x 30 second cranks and got nothing, but plugs were in. I'm starting to get concerned about the bearings. Engine has sat for 4 years and gravity has done work on it.

aaron_sK · Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:35 pm Post subject:

Torx has the most fastener-to-tool surface area for a given diameter, but it's downfall is that the next size down will easily fit and can be confused for the proper size. Used properly they're fantastic, but I see them buggered up all the time.

It'd be a PITA but if it came down to it you could pull the crank balancer and timing cover and slap a little vaseline in the oil pump to help it prime up.

I still think you'll get it pumped up. I have had engines that had been sitting for years prime up and fire up just fine.

QwkTrip · Posted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:45 pm Post subject:

Starter is toast. I know exactly what the starter rated duty cycles are at Cat and this starter was a piece of shizzle.

Alphius · Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 12:52 am Post subject:

On a new block, most builders worth their name should have packed the oil pump to solve the priming issue. Gravity shouldn't ruin that. If you can't get pressure after a couple 30 second attempts, maybe that wasn't done.

Even GM says to crank it over in 10-second bursts to get pressure on the LS376 crate engine:
http://paceperformance.com/files/pdf/LS376-515.pdf

There's some fun cheap ways to prime it if you're feeling spunky.
http://ls1tech.com/forums/generation-iii-internal-engine/1640877-oil-priming.html
http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/additional-how-to/ccrp-0906-budget-pressure-luber-build/

QwkTrip · Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 12:12 pm Post subject:

I have an oil primer borrowed from a friend. Just waiting for a part to arrive so I can prime it at the oil filter cooler port.

QwkTrip · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 6:34 pm Post subject:

Did a manual oil prime using the port for oil cooler. It was so agonizingly slooooooow! I had 25 psi behind it and I think I could spit faster than the oil went into the engine. But given time it did, and I have oil at every rocker. Thumbs up

I did the oil prime twice for good measure.

Now to put things back together. It's annoying how much I took off the engine to get this figured out.

chevymad · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 7:00 pm Post subject:

By the time you're ready to fire it again, you'll need to prime it.

QwkTrip · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:10 pm Post subject:

I didn't wait for first start up.... I already cranked it with 40 psi on the dash gauge. Wiggly wiggly

QwkTrip · Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2016 9:30 pm Post subject:

I primed the fuel lines tonight and I'm chasing a few small leaks. Seems the aluminum -AN fittings don't play well with steel. Everywhere steel meets aluminum I am having to get extra tight. Fortunately, they are all within reach.

QwkTrip · Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 8:07 pm Post subject:

I lost the speed signal again just as I was going to start up for the first time. I'm pretty frustrated right now. Not a clue what is going on.

QwkTrip · Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 10:53 pm Post subject:

And if that wasn't enough, I smell like exhaust too. Rock on!

(You will probably notice my wife likes to write messages in the dust)

https://youtu.be/ozlKvJAgOHY

It doesn't want to idle yet. Most that video was around 1800 rpm.

Dewey316 · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 7:28 am Post subject:

DUDE!

She is alive!

When was the last time that car started at all? 1999?

Way to go.

aaron_sK · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 9:26 am Post subject:

Sounds good, Jon.

Does it stall if you try to let it idle or is the ECM holding it that high?

QwkTrip · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 4:25 pm Post subject:

Ya, '99 sounds about right. It's been long enough that I don't remember exactly any more. Laughing

I had to hold it at speed with my foot. It dies instantly if I let up. Idle is set to 900 rpm and can't get there yet. Baseline tune is a 480 HP LS so the ECM has quite a bit of learning to do on fuel maps. I need to get the car flipped around so I can get the exhaust outside the garage.

My tachometer is just setting on zero too so I guess I have to figure that out. I'm watching to laptop screen at the moment.

chevymad · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 5:23 pm Post subject:

Sounds like its time to take it apart again.

QwkTrip · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 7:02 pm Post subject:

Nah, I just need a good wiring schematic of the tachometer for '89 Firebird. Anybody have one?

chevymad · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 7:08 pm Post subject:

Just jokin cause aint no way its almost ready to move. Very Happy

Sounding good.

aaron_sK · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 7:42 pm Post subject:

Only two wires to the tach, white from the coil and ground. Usually if the gauge itself has failed it will read too high, but it could just be DOA.

Does your Holley have the low voltage 4 cylinder tach nonsense like the factory ECM or is it old-school?