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VF 6.2L - calling oil & engine gurus!

vombil

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gday guys

have a VF is use mainly for commuting. its a manual with 50,000kms. It's got a lot of engine noise on cold start. I'm very confident it's lifters and piston slap.
On a separate note- I just did oils and the diff was beyond filthy with that much metallic yet the gearbox was perfectly crystal clear pink ATF - like new.

Cheers guys
 
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Ron Burgundy

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Is it under factory warranty?
 

RevNev

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Is the engine tuned or stock? The ping under load worsening when it's hot sounds like detonation more than an oil issue and mechanical noise.
 

vombil

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Is the engine tuned or stock? The ping under load worsening when it's hot sounds like detonation more than an oil issue and mechanical noise.
could be detonation but I've tried every fuel for sale- no change
 
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vombil

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could be detonation but because the thicker oil solved that issue so I figured it was piston skirt. I've tried every fuel for sale in Perth - no change
stock totally unmodified
 

Ron Burgundy

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There are a few threads here about this issue. I had my engine replaced under warranty....BUT that took looong time and lots of back and forth with Holden.
I think it will be harder to do this outside warranty....but not impossible. Excess piston to bore clearance on LS3 is not uncommon.
 

mpower

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OP, oil - stick to factory spec - always.

engine, if you believe there is an issue GM need to be given the opportunity to diagnose and remedy - if you are dissatisfied you need to tell them first and from there you will need at least one independent party corroborate anything and that party is not a noise you heard on Youtube, it is a full and proper mechanical report.

all LS engines are noisy in some way, tickety tack. Don't be surprised if they say it's normal.
 

_R_J_K_

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I recently put semi syth 5/40 penrite in it and it is quite as a mouse when warm but nosier for longer and louder when cold. It's unsettling actually. It lasted about 45-60 seconds tonight at 23 degrees ambient (god know is would be insanely louder for an eternity in winter).

So go back to Castrol 5/30 because too much damage with the heavier 5/40 oil on cold start or just drive to Holden and lodge a claim? I'm pretty flippin over this **** heap of an engine.

Got no input on your issue, but the '5w' in those oils are their cold viscosity, so there's no difference in terms of oil grades between those two when cold (apart from the obvious brand/type/quality etc...) so you haven't changed anything, and 60 seconds is definitely not enough to get it up to a temp where it would make a difference.

You should really try a 10w30 or 10w40 (10w whatever, the important part here is the 10w instead of there being a 5w). Seen a couple of posts here of people running the Castrol Supercar 10w60 stuff in their later LSs and said it eliminated engine chatter at every point. I've run a 10w50 in every car I've owned, ones that want 10w30, even with VCT or VVT or new or old and wouldn't hesitate to try it on an LS3 if I owned one. I'd even try a 15w/x to see if it made a difference, at least in the short term if that did nothing, particularly in the summer. At some point though there is something wrong if using stupidly thick oil (like 15w or 20w+ on an engine that's recommended for 5w) is the only way to get it quiet.

Have a look at the charts below, left hand side of those curves is the starting temp. Second chart is with the same hot temp viscosity (40 weight) but different cold viscosities (5w, 10w, and 15w). The oil will be thicker when cold and thins out as it heats up which is why they approach each other and group together when reaching operating temp. It's why it's not as much of an issue to run a 10w50 in a car that recommends 10w30/40.
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vombil

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There are a few threads here about this issue. I had my engine replaced under warranty....BUT that took looong time and lots of back and forth with Holden.
I think it will be harder to do this outside warranty....but not impossible. Excess piston to bore clearance on LS3 is not uncommon.
yeh thanks mate. what mileage had yours done when it started and did you have to take them to court? I have video of mine. . seems to be ok so far in terms of the detonation/slap when driving
 
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