as in which year started the bigger parts and the flat top pistons? and where is a good place to get one? i'm starting to see some smoke from the tail pipe. i'm not sure if its the eng or the turbo. its at idle and its oil smoke. like it smells like straight up burnt oil. its a white grey color. not blue or black. and it comes and goes while at idle. could it just be the turbo seals? if so thats good its under warranty. and which code do i hunt for?

 

i think the beefy 5.3 is the forged 5.3..........

 

05 starts the LS2/LQ9 rods, 07 58x reluctor 5.3s have flattops or you can find an L33 with flattops and good rods and an aluminum block to boot.

 

so the l33 is the one i want then. are the knock sensors in the top also?

i don't have the money to build at the moment but if the motor is going, i want a strong one to hold the turbo. i'd like the flat tops so with my ls6 heads the compression will be higher than the 9:1 i have now. i might consider a 6.0 if i found one for a good deal and if i knew which one had the ls2 style rods. is it just the ls2/lq9 or are there some other codes?

also what are the symptoms if the turbo seals are going out?

 

Knock sensors are same, 05+ 6.0s have the good rods, all LQ9s have the rods, LS2s are going to be expensive anyway but they have flattops and good rods.

Couldnt you pull the turbo and start it up and see if it smokes still?

 

in the 6.0's i wouldn't need the flat tops to get good compression. thanks for the info its been awhile since i looked it all up. lol

i could but it would be a chore. i may try it this weekend. maybe i could cap the oil press line and keep the blades from spinning at idle. i was thinking maybe pop off the pvc line and see if it smokes or not.

 

Check and see if you have oil in the cold side pipes or the IC.

 

Sucks to hear ...hope it's just the turbo seals, but hey it may be an excuse to build a new setup! Bigger n better

 

If the turbo seals are going bad, you'll see oil burning as oil pressure increases. Checking the PCV would be a good idea...

 

i was shooting for a record life of stock turbo motor. lol