Question about piston slap...Does it hurt the engine ?

JCL82 · #1 05-30-2005, 07:46 PM

Soo every morning I wake up and start the 02'silverado i hear it slapping,it only slaps for like 5 seconds .I already took it to the dealer twice,they said it's normal.Then I did some reading,alot of people are having the same problem.My question is jsut for peace of mind.Will there be any damage to the engine if it keeps doing that ?

BlenderWizard · #2 05-30-2005, 07:57 PM

Piston slap occurs in vehicles from most every manufacturer, not just GM. GM's piston slap may be a lttle more widespread, but I might debate that. Everything I have read about piston slap indicates there is no reliability/longevity issue to speak of with it. The biggest complaint is that it can be annoying. Here is one from a guy with a Pathfinder, you can read about it here:
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/[email protected]/817

Moose is loose · #3 05-31-2005, 02:52 AM

It is MUCH more common with GM vehicles than with any other brand. GM just won't fix it. Case in pont, my '04 Ford Escape had it; not bad, but had it. Ford bought back my Escape last month because of it towards an '05 escape. GM won't do that unless threatened with an active lawsuit. Is it determental to the life of your truck/car? Well, the sound alone should be enough proof for anyone with an ounce of common sense to say "YES". It is more than an "annoyance". I did not pay 35K for a new truck to wake the neighbors in the morning with a clatter reminicent of a 6.2L diesel. It is wrong and if GM won't owe up to it then thay are WAY behind the other automakers in securing future buyers.

kenwood guy · #4 05-31-2005, 04:07 PM

so this is in fact bad for the engine???

BlenderWizard · #5 05-31-2005, 04:16 PM

It's debateable, but most everything I have seen on engines with piston slap (not just GM) would lead one to believe that the engines with piston slap last just about as long as the ones that don't have it.

kenwood guy · #6 05-31-2005, 04:19 PM

now would this be more common in a colder climate???

nineball481 · #7 05-31-2005, 05:14 PM

My guess... is the slap comes from the lack of oil in the engine at start up. So that said, It really shouldn't be more noticable in colder climate than warm other than it might last a little longer in cold weather due to thicker oil. However this is just my educated guess. I am one of the lucky one's. My truck does not do this, at least not more an a second or two. I also live in the upper midwest (cold winters).

BlenderWizard · #8 05-31-2005, 05:24 PM

Use Royal Purple or Amsoil or another good synthetic and say goodbye to dry starts.

JCL82 · #9 05-31-2005, 06:14 PM

actually,i'm using amsoil.But a heavier oil,10w-40...I'm going switch back to 5w-30.

internic · #10 05-31-2005, 11:53 PM

piston slap is not due to a lack of oil as much as when the engine is cold the pistons are not as tightly in the bore as when the engine is warm. it goes away when combustion heats up the piston sufficiently to expand it into the bore. I think GM used pistons with short skirts in the vortecs, so when the piston is cold it can move around slightly

kenwood guy · #11 06-01-2005, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by internic

piston slap is not due to a lack of oil as much as when the engine is cold the pistons are not as tightly in the bore as when the engine is warm. it goes away when combustion heats up the piston sufficiently to expand it into the bore. I think GM used pistons with short skirts in the vortecs, so when the piston is cold it can move around slightly

if thats the case then its not that big of a problem......Right???

internic · #12 06-01-2005, 05:22 AM

i havent heard of anything horrible happening cause of it. my 99 does it whenever its like 50 or below outside, and ive got 130,000 miles on it so far and still goin strong.

BlenderWizard · #13 06-01-2005, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by internic

i havent heard of anything horrible happening cause of it. my 99 does it whenever its like 50 or below outside, and ive got 130,000 miles on it so far and still goin strong.

See?

broughy84 · #14 06-01-2005, 01:25 PM

my 96 does it and i have 98k on it and so does my venture and i have 100k on it. It is really just annoying, some say that it can score the cylinder wall, but I have seen absolutley no proof. Even if an engine fails that has piston slap, how often can that failure be attributed to the slap? probably never. Most of the time anyway.

sportin83 · #15 06-01-2005, 01:35 PM

i have heard of alot of trucks doing this and have not heard of any problems. i heard using different oils will help but nothing will actually cure the problem. i can't see how it would cause any problems since so many vehicles do this and the manufacturers dont do anything about it.

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