Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

[pwtr02ss]

Hey @Just Fishing sorry to keep clogging your thread with my questions but I'm getting close to starting on my dads transmission and it looks like you need to reset the shifts after you do the valve body work. Is this something you can do in hp tuners?

From my reading, it looks like it can be done in the scanner so credits wouldn't be needed. I believe it would be called "reseting the adaptive", hopefully thats the correct term.

I'll be installing the components from the zip kit and replacing the laminates on the TECM. Replacing the gaskets needed. This is to hopefully resolve the delayed 2-1 shift when coming to a stop. Thanks again

 

[Just Fishing]

Hey @Just Fishing sorry to keep clogging your thread with my questions but I'm getting close to starting on my dads transmission and it looks like you need to reset the shifts after you do the valve body work. Is this something you can do in hp tuners?

From my reading, it looks like it can be done in the scanner so credits wouldn't be needed. I believe it would be called "reseting the adaptive", hopefully thats the correct term.

I'll be installing the components from the zip kit and replacing the laminates on the TECM. Replacing the gaskets needed. This is to hopefully resolve the delayed 2-1 shift when coming to a stop. Thanks again

Yeah that's right, hp tuners can supposedly do it.
nothing really seems to confirm that it was done after clicking the button, but it does seem like it looses it's preset adapts.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Yeah that's right, hp tuners can supposedly do it.
nothing really seems to confirm that it was done after clicking the button, but it does seem like it looses it's preset adapts.

Via scanner, correct? I'm going to go over to my dads and insure I can figure this out before we tear the trans apart, lol

 

[Just Fishing]

Via scanner, correct? I'm going to go over to my dads and insure I can figure this out before we tear the trans apart, lol

Yes, VCM scanner.
I believe it's this one.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Yes, VCM scanner.
I believe it's this one.
View attachment 355091

You the man. Thanks dude

 

[Just Fishing]

Well getting ready to start at this again.
Hoe has been put back into the garage, it's on jack stands, and the front axle has been removed.

Last night I drained the oil and pulled the filter to allow more drainage.
Old filter allowed to drain and then reinstalled to prevent drippage...
the hope is that the oil will have a few days to drip into the pan and not into my face (as much) later when I pull the pan.

Idea is to pull the pan, remove the cap, and check the thrust bearing and thrust surface.
If it's not terrible, I'm planning to roll a new thrust bearing in place to see how it does.

I might be ordering a new set of mains, but not the "Race" stuff that i have been using.
I'll go for a looser "stock" bearing set with silicone.

Reason for this is my crank shaft surface is not quite polished
It's maybe 800 grit.
the coating on the race bearings has worn off on the thrust side, currently it's soft lead but seems fine...

With the current high flow pump, i should be fine to go to a "stock" bearing, one with silicone that says it will "polish" the crank...

 

[Just Fishing]

Next issue i see with this crank walking bs.

wear on the rear main seal.
I already see some oil coating the side that's not the seal.
Hopefully it's ok, not like i have been driving that long like this.

Rod bushings:
last time i had the pan off, i noticed the crank walked enough that it started getting danger close to the block!
with this, the rod bushings walked also.
a bit of run time with the rods off centered, not to mention the side-to-side movement they saw.

so it has me thinking,
If the engine does come out and apart, the rod bushings may need to be replaced along with the crank.

And then the pistons
what sort of damage could this cause?
hopefully not much since i didn't drive that long in this condition.

Also in the back of my head, I was not very happy with the piston selection I had at the time (rona).
I would have preferred to use forged, but that would have been a special order and even more waiting.

Forged to me = more forgiving should i have the tuning off.
Plus, the pistons i bought, I was not very happy with.
Matched set was matched on 7 out of 8 pistons.
One piston being quite a bit lighter than the rest??!

So should parts need to be replaced, I'm thinking silver lining...
And my theme is to upgrade each time i take it apart...

something i was thinking about in the first place, a stroker crank since i was buying piston anyways...

402 stroker (6.6l)
This would be way overbuilt for my needs, but it gives me the recipe.

Pardon Our Interruption

I would also get a bit more low-end.
And my AFR heads could make use of the extra flow...

I also might be getting a bit of a raise at work from what i'm being told... good way to celebrate would be more debt!



Using the .030 head gaskets i already have on hand, this would put me @ 9.98 cr (.040 quench)
with the current .027 gasket, i would be @ 10.04 cr (.037 quench)



Now the next question...
Would this be low enough should i want to say add a supercharger down the road?




And this engine would be one that would find itself migrated to other builds should the hoe get in an accident etc.
(As soon as I went with a new engine, it hit that status)

 

[08z71bgm]

Next issue i see with this crank walking bs.

wear on the rear main seal.
I already see some oil coating the side that's not the seal.
Hopefully it's ok, not like i have been driving that long like this.

Rod bushings:
last time i had the pan off, i noticed the crank walked enough that it started getting danger close to the block!
with this, the rod bushings walked also.
a bit of run time with the rods off centered, not to mention the side-to-side movement they saw.

so it has me thinking,
If the engine does come out and apart, the rod bushings may need to be replaced along with the crank.

And then the pistons
what sort of damage could this cause?
hopefully not much since i didn't drive that long in this condition.

Also in the back of my head, I was not very happy with the piston selection I had at the time (rona).
I would have preferred to use forged, but that would have been a special order and even more waiting.

Forged to me = more forgiving should i have the tuning off.
Plus, the pistons i bought, I was not very happy with.
Matched set was matched on 7 out of 8 pistons.
One piston being quite a bit lighter than the rest??!

So should parts need to be replaced, I'm thinking silver lining...
And my theme is to upgrade each time i take it apart...

something i was thinking about in the first place, a stroker crank since i was buying piston anyways...

402 stroker (6.6l)
This would be way overbuilt for my needs, but it gives me the recipe.

Pardon Our Interruption

I would also get a bit more low-end.
And my AFR heads could make use of the extra flow...

I also might be getting a bit of a raise at work from what i'm being told... good way to celebrate would be more debt!



Using the .030 head gaskets i already have on hand, this would put me @ 9.98 cr (.040 quench)
with the current .027 gasket, i would be @ 10.04 cr (.037 quench)



Now the next question...
Would this be low enough should i want to say add a supercharger down the road?




And this engine would be one that would find itself migrated to other builds should the hoe get in an accident etc.
(As soon as I went with a new engine, it hit that status)

You most certainly need to stop overthinking and over complicating it. Worrying about quench and polish grit on the crank. Your crank with such low miles shouldn’t be wearing the bearings so fast.

It sounds like this was an extremely sloppy build and expected the world from it.

Was any of the bearing clearances even checked? If so what where they?

I really think you need to find a new machine shop and get that shit apart and throw that crank in the garbage. Get a new machine shop clean the block up and do a line hone with studs. Make sure you have good clearances with proper bearings and a new crank. Just get the oem crank. Ls3 whatever. They are all the same in gen 4. Put stock gen 4 rods in with oem sized bearings and a nice hyperutectic piston. Good quality brand. I believe mahle made the oem ones. You’re not making tons of power so stop with the forged RA.

You are worrying about shit you shouldn’t have been before and you should’ve focused on making sure the RA was correct and not porting and polishing your heads with quenching. I most certainly prolly could’ve saved my ls3 crank but for what? There is so much carnage in there I didn’t want any part of that going in the new engine. The ls is the most simplistic engine and assembly is the same. It’s a shame yours is hurt but it could’ve been avoided.

Pull the engine. Fix it right one last time and call it a day. Stop lollygagging!

 

[Just Fishing]

You most certainly need to stop overthinking and over complicating it. Worrying about quench and polish grit on the crank. Your crank with such low miles shouldn’t be wearing the bearings so fast.

It sounds like this was an extremely sloppy build and expected the world from it.

Was any of the bearing clearances even checked? If so what where they?

I really think you need to find a new machine shop and get that shit apart and throw that crank in the garbage. Get a new machine shop clean the block up and do a line hone with studs. Make sure you have good clearances with proper bearings and a new crank. Just get the oem crank. Ls3 whatever. They are all the same in gen 4. Put stock gen 4 rods in with oem sized bearings and a nice hyperutectic piston. Good quality brand. I believe mahle made the oem ones. You’re not making tons of power so stop with the forged RA.

You are worrying about shit you shouldn’t have been before and you should’ve focused on making sure the RA was correct and not porting and polishing your heads with quenching. I most certainly prolly could’ve saved my ls3 crank but for what? There is so much carnage in there I didn’t want any part of that going in the new engine. The ls is the most simplistic engine and assembly is the same. It’s a shame yours is hurt but it could’ve been avoided.

Pull the engine. Fix it right one last time and call it a day. Stop lollygagging!

Yeah i detailed everything out during my build.
it was perfect, i blue printed the fk out of this.

 

[Just Fishing]

You most certainly need to stop overthinking and over complicating it. Worrying about quench and polish grit on the crank. Your crank with such low miles shouldn’t be wearing the bearings so fast.

It sounds like this was an extremely sloppy build and expected the world from it.

Was any of the bearing clearances even checked? If so what where they?

I really think you need to find a new machine shop and get that shit apart and throw that crank in the garbage. Get a new machine shop clean the block up and do a line hone with studs. Make sure you have good clearances with proper bearings and a new crank. Just get the oem crank. Ls3 whatever. They are all the same in gen 4. Put stock gen 4 rods in with oem sized bearings and a nice hyperutectic piston. Good quality brand. I believe mahle made the oem ones. You’re not making tons of power so stop with the forged RA.

You are worrying about shit you shouldn’t have been before and you should’ve focused on making sure the RA was correct and not porting and polishing your heads with quenching. I most certainly prolly could’ve saved my ls3 crank but for what? There is so much carnage in there I didn’t want any part of that going in the new engine. The ls is the most simplistic engine and assembly is the same. It’s a shame yours is hurt but it could’ve been avoided.

Pull the engine. Fix it right one last time and call it a day. Stop lollygagging!

Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

Hells yea!

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Ring end gap, (scroll down to where i used the actual tool to center the rings)

Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

Is this something you simply changed in the tune? yeah sorry, i meant to say "with hp tuners" :jester: you really only need a single license to do it, that's $50 when downloading the tune, just uncheck everything except for "tcm" Then when you write, you will only need to add a single license...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

crank bearing installed, plastigauge results

Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

Hey @Just Fishing sorry to keep clogging your thread with my questions but I'm getting close to starting on my dads transmission and it looks like you need to reset the shifts after you do the valve body work. Is this something you can do in hp tuners? From my reading, it looks like it can be...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Orignal endplay confirmed with the dial indicator after seating the thrust bearing.

Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

Been a bit since I updated this. Not much happening other than I'm getting use out of the projects. :peace: The Tahoe still has a set of upgraded lifters and a new headgasket to lower the compression a tad. When I actually care is still up in the air. :jester: I got some use out of the boat...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Where i reinstalled a new (2nd one) thrust bearing and triple checked the converter spacing.
I also confirmed crank endplay from the pan side.
I thought originally that i had installed the thrust bearing backwards, but it turned out to not be the case.
the wear was just unexpected and even.

But yeah, i agree.
I got fkd right in the ass.

big pita, i think the issue might be with pressure in the transmission.
chasing my tail, again...
I did reverse flow the trans cooler, caught metal in the paper towel.

 

[08z71bgm]

Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

Hells yea!

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Ring end gap, (scroll down to where i used the actual tool to center the rings)

Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

Is this something you simply changed in the tune? yeah sorry, i meant to say "with hp tuners" :jester: you really only need a single license to do it, that's $50 when downloading the tune, just uncheck everything except for "tcm" Then when you write, you will only need to add a single license...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

crank bearing installed, plastigauge results

Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

Hey @Just Fishing sorry to keep clogging your thread with my questions but I'm getting close to starting on my dads transmission and it looks like you need to reset the shifts after you do the valve body work. Is this something you can do in hp tuners? From my reading, it looks like it can be...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Orignal endplay confirmed with the dial indicator after seating the thrust bearing.

Just Fishing's 09 Tahoe Build thread

Been a bit since I updated this. Not much happening other than I'm getting use out of the projects. :peace: The Tahoe still has a set of upgraded lifters and a new headgasket to lower the compression a tad. When I actually care is still up in the air. :jester: I got some use out of the boat...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

Where i reinstalled a new (2nd one) thrust bearing and triple checked the converter spacing.
I also confirmed crank endplay from the pan side.
I thought originally that i had installed the thrust bearing backwards, but it turned out to not be the case.
the wear was just unexpected and even.

But yeah, i agree.
I got fkd right in the ass.

big pita, i think the issue might be with pressure in the transmission.
chasing my tail, again...
I did reverse flow the trans cooler, caught metal in the paper towel.

I think your bearings were too tight and surface being what it is was no help at all. I think you should’ve went with a larger bearing. By the time you heat up everything you’ll have no space for earl.

Mine at at .0025. I am also going to beat the snot out of it and it’s making twice as much as you are.

Setting thrust. Tell me exactly how you set thrust. This may be the reason it’s wiped out now.

 

[Just Fishing]

I followed the textbook on setting it.
10 or 15ft lbs torqued.

dead blow hammer to the front of the crank, then to the back to seat.
then proceeded to torque the mains.

End play the first go-around was in the "ok" range but tight.
so, I loosened again, and did the reset procedure with a little more grunt/anger.
Clearances came out happier with that last attempt.

I did have some difficulty getting force on the back of the crank via dead blow due to the engine stand.
used prybars to help do the "pre-seat" of the main and then a block to help me get more force on the flywheel side.
(Watched a bunch of youtube vids along with the fsm)

The mains i used also had some people noting they were on the tight side in reviews... so maybe i fkd it up.


Also, to be clear incase it was missed; this was a brand new 6.0 block.

Good chance that i had poor oiling due to clearances too tight.
second attempt i followed the bearing manufactures instructions to help open up some lube flow to the thrust side.


#2 thrust bearing
this one was the most sketchy
I had to do the bearing seat from pan side with the flywheel disconnected from the converter
there i did the front crank slap with the deadblow, then thrust side seat via prybar and deadblow to the crank weights.
Verified clearances via dial indicator.
Got a little more clearance that time around, likely due to the bearing grinding against the crank.

 

[08z71bgm]

I followed the textbook on setting it.
10 or 15ft lbs torqued.

dead blow hammer to the front of the crank, then to the back to seat.
then proceeded to torque the mains.

End play the first go-around was in the "ok" range but tight.
so, I loosened again, and did the reset procedure with a little more grunt/anger.
Clearances came out happier with that last attempt.

I did have some difficulty getting force on the back of the crank via dead blow due to the engine stand.
used prybars to help do the "pre-seat" of the main and then a block to help me get more force on the flywheel side.
(Watched a bunch of youtube vids along with the fsm)

The mains i used also had some people noting they were on the tight side in reviews... so maybe i fkd it up.


Also, to be clear incase it was missed; this was a brand new 6.0 block.

Good chance that i had poor oiling due to clearances too tight.
second attempt i followed the bearing manufactures instructions to help open up some lube flow to the thrust side.


#2 thrust bearing
this one was the most sketchy
I had to do the bearing seat from pan side with the flywheel disconnected from the converter
there i did the front crank slap with the deadblow, then thrust side seat via prybar and deadblow to the crank weights.
Verified clearances via dial indicator.
Got a little more clearance that time around, likely due to the bearing grinding against the crank.

Dude I didn’t hit mine with a deadblow at all.

Put it in. Torque all inside studs but the thrust. Leave thrust loose. Push the crank forward. Put dial indicator on it. Set it to zero. Push the crank back. Torque the thrust and push it forward again and make sure it returns to zero.

Finish torquing all the bolts of it returns to zero.

You can do this with a pry bar or screwdriver. No hammer at all.

Maybe you clamped it down and had it set back instead of forward. Idfk but no reason you should have thrust problems.

Did the torqe converter make its 3 clunks? Did you contact circle d about it? How was the gap between the converter and the flywheel during installation?

I strongly suggest not changing the thrust and keeping it moving because how many times will you do it before you decide to fix it the right way and find out what’s causing it?

 

[Just Fishing]

Dude I didn’t hit mine with a deadblow at all.

Put it in. Torque all inside studs but the thrust. Leave thrust loose. Push the crank forward. Put dial indicator on it. Set it to zero. Push the crank back. Torque the thrust and push it forward again and make sure it returns to zero.

Finish torquing all the bolts of it returns to zero.

You can do this with a pry bar or screwdriver. No hammer at all.

Maybe you clamped it down and had it set back instead of forward. Idfk but no reason you should have thrust problems.

Did the torqe converter make its 3 clunks? Did you contact circle d about it? How was the gap between the converter and the flywheel during installation?

I strongly suggest not changing the thrust and keeping it moving because how many times will you do it before you decide to fix it the right way and find out what’s causing it?

Right?!
that's what's driving me nuts.
I was so sure i had everything perfect.

And yeah, i totally made sure the converter was seated all the way in the pump.
I even confirmed converter setback depth before bolting it in.


Only thing i can think of is that the converter has an issue and is ballooning out.
Or it had some crud that got pushed into the cooler lines resulting in a plug/restriction.

My next step will be to contact circle D to see wth.
I still have the box it was shipped in (just incase).

I also have my trans cooler lines totally bypassed.
I'm going to install a transmission line pressure gauge for the next run, I have a TCI one left over from my C4 vette build.

But see why i'm reluctant to pull the engine?
I might have an issue with the transmission or the converter.

And in the back of my head, first run of the engine.
I did the ol Rev to 2k rpm for a min, but then i heard the trans pump running dry (doh!)
I let it go for about 5 sec and decided i better get more fluid in there.
Possible i trashed my trans pump and tossed that metal into the lines...

 

[08z71bgm]

You really should’ve just checked if the converter in the l96 was the same as the one with a 5.3. The converter used for the ls3 cam should’ve just been a stocker.

 

[08z71bgm]

Right?!
that's what's driving me nuts.
I was so sure i had everything perfect.

And yeah, i totally made sure the converter was seated all the way in the pump.
I even confirmed converter setback depth before bolting it in.


Only thing i can think of is that the converter has an issue and is ballooning out.
Or it had some crud that got pushed into the cooler lines resulting in a plug/restriction.

My next step will be to contact circle D to see wth.
I still have the box it was shipped in (just incase).

I also have my trans cooler lines totally bypassed.
I'm going to install a transmission line pressure gauge for the next run, I have a TCI one left over from my C4 vette build.

But see why i'm reluctant to pull the engine?
I might have an issue with the transmission or the converter.

And in the back of my head, first run of the engine.
I did the ol Rev to 2k rpm for a min, but then i heard the trans pump running dry (doh!)
I let it go for about 5 sec and decided i better get more fluid in there.
Possible i trashed my trans pump and tossed that metal into the lines...

Dude the 2k rpm is for flat tappet cams. Rollers don’t need it. I didn’t do any of that shit. Just got it to temp and started driving it with br30. 100-200 miles I swapped it out to mobil1. While it was getting to temp tho I topped off fluids and shit.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Dude the 2k rpm is for flat tappet cams. Rollers don’t need it. I didn’t do any of that shit. Just got it to temp and started driving it with br30. 100-200 miles I swapped it out to mobil1. While it was getting to temp tho I topped off fluids and shit.

I didn't do that either. Just started it and once everything got pumped up and it quit making noise, I topped fluids off and drove it. Came back and changed the oil.

On my camaro, that ***** was wfo as soon as as everything came up to temp. I mean, of course I let it run through the gears at a normal speed but once I saw that nothing fell off, it was on the floor. I turn it 7200 rpm. No fancy oil, just cheapest I could get at the parts store then switched to mobil 1 after the first trip up the road.

I hope you get it sorted out dude. This is frustrating and I'm not even the one doing it. It seems sometimes when we are the most careful, the most goes wrong

 

[Just Fishing]

With my vette build, i also paid attention to absolutely every detail
Even notices that the trans TV cable needed to be replaces, so i did.
turns out that replacement tv cable was garbage and resulted in me learning how to rebuild a transmission.

it's always something...

In the end, the vette turned out amazing.
I'm sure the hoe will be as well...

 

[pwtr02ss]

With my vette build, i also paid attention to absolutely every detail
Even notices that the trans TV cable needed to be replaces, so i did.
turns out that replacement tv cable was garbage and resulted in me learning how to rebuild a transmission.

it's always something...

In the end, the vette turned out amazing.
I'm sure the hoe will be as well...

I'm totally confident that you'll get it corrected and be enjoying for years to come

 

[08z71bgm]

With my vette build, i also paid attention to absolutely every detail
Even notices that the trans TV cable needed to be replaces, so i did.
turns out that replacement tv cable was garbage and resulted in me learning how to rebuild a transmission.

it's always something...

In the end, the vette turned out amazing.
I'm sure the hoe will be as well...

Did you get that b and m one that slides out the sleeve to extend it?

Those style tv cables are garbage and have slack inside and doesn’t give a good linear pressure. The throttle plates can move quite a bit before the cable actually increases pressure which is why it’s bad.

I have to replace my cable when I swap a sbc to ls with a 700r4 later in spring. I’m super excited about this. It’s an l92 with 799 heads and ls3 cam. Going to remain carbed.