| Engine and Transmission Discuss Engine, Transmission, and all other performance modifications here. |
04-25-2008, 09:44 PM
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#1
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AF Newbie
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: huntsville, Alabama
Posts: 90
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Piston Slap
guys with ls1s... i love my 2001 z28. but after discovering that little noise i heard was piston slap (apparently a problem ls engines are notorious for), i was horrified. i thus began thinking i have to trade it off before it tears up. i'm running 10w30 syntec in it. still hear the noise. is this a major problem? should i trade it for a mustang gt?
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04-25-2008, 10:51 PM
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#2
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AF Regular
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Salt Lake, Utah
Posts: 280
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Re: Piston Slap
Mustangs are girl cars, with the exception of the 67 SHELBY GT500. Can't say anything about the piston slap thing, but if it does eventually put you in the market for another vehicle, just get another camaro/firebird. You probably won't have the same problem again.
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1989 Firebird 2.8l V6 Red and White w/flames. Stock. Daily Driver.  197,000 miles, will it make the 200K mark? Who knows? Almost as many starters as miles
1967 Firebird 400 V8 Convertible. Primer Grey with green bondo spots. Cam, Headers, Dual Exhaust w/glasspacks, larger valves, 4bbl carb. TH400 w/ Shift Kit. My dad's ride, but will be mine someday.
Mileage unknown, doesn't have original speedo, switched the 120 for a 160.
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04-25-2008, 10:56 PM
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#3
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AF Newbie
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: huntsville, Alabama
Posts: 90
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Re: Piston Slap
i've done my homework online about piston slap in ls engines. i just wish i had done it BEFORE i bought the car. it is VERY common (apparenly, google) i have had a 1985 2.8 firebird, and a 1992 305 firebird. i would say i've been pretty loyal. but when i want to empress my buddies with my new car and we hear CLANK CLANK CLANK, i'm not too cool. still, it runs like a mofo.
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04-26-2008, 02:57 AM
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#4
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eBay aDdict™
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Posts: 2,058
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Re: Piston Slap
From what I've heard, you should only hear the piston slap noise duing the first few minutes of warm up. Once the engine is up to normal operating temperatures, you should no longer hear it. If you do still hear it even after driving it around for some time, then I would imagine something must be wrong.
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1995 Pontiac Firebird

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04-26-2008, 04:42 AM
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#5
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AF Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: gone, Ohio
Posts: 1,255
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Re: Piston Slap
Quote:
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Originally Posted by vortecman
should i trade it for a mustang gt?
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 .....that is all.
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04-26-2008, 09:55 PM
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#6
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AF Newbie
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: huntsville, Alabama
Posts: 90
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Re: Piston Slap
Quote:
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Originally Posted by 72chevelleOhio
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thanks for your help, man.
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04-26-2008, 11:50 PM
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#7
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AF Moderator
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Posts: 4,439
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Re: Piston Slap
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04-27-2008, 12:56 AM
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#8
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AF Newbie
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Springfield, Oregon
Posts: 2
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Re: Piston Slap
I had (note "had") all the symptoms. The pistonslap.com website is almost like a bow-tie block hater's site. Lawsuits and all that jiminy.... PS.com put out GM's tech bulletin, which goldz28 listed above, and some tips on how to fix it (ironically enough).
One thing that wasn't listed anywhere that seemed to fix mine, was just a simple seafoam. I had my knocking sound worse than ever and it was time to run the ol' seafoam. Stopped, ran a good bit of it through. Hey, no more ticking! I haven't heard it once since I ran the seafoam through. If you haven't tried that yet, I would suggest giving that a shot.
Any questions, just IM me or PM me... IM me at drivenbychange on AIM or takenbythedarkness on Y! msgr.
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04-29-2008, 12:18 PM
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#9
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AF Regular
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Danielsville, Pennsylvania
Posts: 123
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Re: Piston Slap
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Originally Posted by ZXeno
I had (note "had"  all the symptoms. The pistonslap.com website is almost like a bow-tie block hater's site. Lawsuits and all that jiminy.... PS.com put out GM's tech bulletin, which goldz28 listed above, and some tips on how to fix it (ironically enough).
One thing that wasn't listed anywhere that seemed to fix mine, was just a simple seafoam. I had my knocking sound worse than ever and it was time to run the ol' seafoam. Stopped, ran a good bit of it through. Hey, no more ticking! I haven't heard it once since I ran the seafoam through. If you haven't tried that yet, I would suggest giving that a shot.
Any questions, just IM me or PM me... IM me at drivenbychange on AIM or takenbythedarkness on Y! msgr.
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You apparently had carbon build up in the combustion chamber. Regular use of Top Tier Gas should keep that from happening again. http://toptiergas.com/
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Retired and Loving It!!! 33 years with General Motors Product Service Engineering. A.S.E. Certified. You can fix ignorant but stupid will be a real challenge!
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