L33 specs
04-09-2014, 08:10 PM
#21
Thanks, And I do not exactly baby it either.
The only thing with the L33 I find hard to get used to is the cold start engine noise.
From day one when you fire her up cold you can hear it.
In summer its almost inaudible and does not last even one minute.
In winter its more audible and takes longer to quieten down.
If you are not as mechanically obsessed as the likes of us you may not even notice it.
I know the L33 is a 6-bolt main config. Are the LM7's also 6-bolt mains?
I just updated my Blog page on her in my signature to include the improvements on the new Heat Exchanger. I also noted the insulating of
the coolant hoses and moved the pump and reservoir out of the engine bay heat. Some of the pics linked in the heat exchanger section show it. The pump is behind the slots in the bumper.
I wish I had a spare L33 to breath on.
The only thing with the L33 I find hard to get used to is the cold start engine noise.
From day one when you fire her up cold you can hear it.
In summer its almost inaudible and does not last even one minute.
In winter its more audible and takes longer to quieten down.
If you are not as mechanically obsessed as the likes of us you may not even notice it.
I know the L33 is a 6-bolt main config. Are the LM7's also 6-bolt mains?
I just updated my Blog page on her in my signature to include the improvements on the new Heat Exchanger. I also noted the insulating of
the coolant hoses and moved the pump and reservoir out of the engine bay heat. Some of the pics linked in the heat exchanger section show it. The pump is behind the slots in the bumper.
I wish I had a spare L33 to breath on.
I'm not sure if the the lm7 are 6 bolt , I thought they all were , I'd have to research , I sold the stock 5.3 that came in my silvy and never took the pan off before I did ( wish I would have kept it )
The engine that surprises me is the LQ4 in my van , 242k and I just started tuning it with help from a friend , and it runs like a scalded dog , doesn't use oil and is so fun to drive . LS engines are just the best V8s ever made .
You don't need a spare L33 ,yours is just fine and sounds like it's running strong , I'll have to check out your sig .
04-10-2014, 09:32 PM
#22
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My L33 is still strong at 15x,xxx miles. Only major issues were a bad valve guide(hence the 243 heads in sig) and 2 collapsed lifters(6 grand in a mudhole may have contributed that, LS7 lifters solved). The valvetrain is louder than my brother-in-laws LM7, but just that nice mechanical sound. It pulls to the 5800 shift point like a freight train, even with 3.42 gears and 33 inch tires.
04-10-2014, 10:29 PM
#23
The Aluminum L33 Block is similar to the Iron LM7 block. The main difference, besides the material the block is made out of, being that the aluminum block has cast in place cylinder liners. They physically cast the block around the cylinder liners.
All factory LS based engines feature the 6 bolt main design.
All factory LS based engines feature the 6 bolt main design.
04-11-2014, 01:55 PM
#24
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Thanks, And I do not exactly baby it either.
The only thing with the L33 I find hard to get used to is the cold start engine noise.
From day one when you fire her up cold you can hear it.
In summer its almost inaudible and does not last even one minute.
In winter its more audible and takes longer to quieten down.
If you are not as mechanically obsessed as the likes of us you may not even notice it.
I know the L33 is a 6-bolt main config. Are the LM7's also 6-bolt mains?
I just updated my Blog page on her in my signature to include the improvements on the new Heat Exchanger. I also noted the insulating of
the coolant hoses and moved the pump and reservoir out of the engine bay heat. Some of the pics linked in the heat exchanger section show it. The pump is behind the slots in the bumper.
I wish I had a spare L33 to breath on.
The only thing with the L33 I find hard to get used to is the cold start engine noise.
From day one when you fire her up cold you can hear it.
In summer its almost inaudible and does not last even one minute.
In winter its more audible and takes longer to quieten down.
If you are not as mechanically obsessed as the likes of us you may not even notice it.
I know the L33 is a 6-bolt main config. Are the LM7's also 6-bolt mains?
I just updated my Blog page on her in my signature to include the improvements on the new Heat Exchanger. I also noted the insulating of
the coolant hoses and moved the pump and reservoir out of the engine bay heat. Some of the pics linked in the heat exchanger section show it. The pump is behind the slots in the bumper.
I wish I had a spare L33 to breath on.
The noise your talking about I believe it is piston slap likely on 7 and/or number 8 cylinders its common on all the vortec's after a cold soak and the oil has completely run down off the cylinders. I find worse when you run synthetic oils, it feels so wrong but I've gotten in the habit of tapping the gas in all my trucks to bring the rev up to about 2 grand to get the splash lube going and if im correct you'll notice the noise should silence almost instantly.
I've just picked up a season L33 block that I intend to swap into my s10 after a modest build. And in googling around for parts I found this thread and thought my info my have been helpful to the original poster or other googlers so I went ahead and joined the sight and added my 2 cents.
04-11-2014, 02:00 PM
#25
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The Aluminum L33 Block is similar to the Iron LM7 block. The main difference, besides the material the block is made out of, being that the aluminum block has cast in place cylinder liners. They physically cast the block around the cylinder liners.
All factory LS based engines feature the 6 bolt main design.
All factory LS based engines feature the 6 bolt main design.
Not to contradict but LM7's and L33's are Gen III small blocks not Gen IV Ls's. Also i didn't Know the block was cast around the sleeves instead of being pressed in after machining. Interesting info. Does this makes a difference when you bore the cylinders or plain the deck?
edit: apparently some LM7 have cross bolts in there mains. and some LS motors are Gen III's my bad.
Last edited by Mike._B; 04-11-2014 at 02:21 PM.
04-11-2014, 08:50 PM
#28
All of the LM7's I've had apart have been 4 bold main caps I've heard of guys running aftermarket 6 bolt mains on them but never seen it myself.
The noise your talking about I believe it is piston slap likely on 7 and/or number 8 cylinders its common on all the vortec's after a cold soak and the oil has completely run down off the cylinders. I find worse when you run synthetic oils, it feels so wrong but I've gotten in the habit of tapping the gas in all my trucks to bring the rev up to about 2 grand to get the splash lube going and if im correct you'll notice the noise should silence almost instantly.
I've just picked up a season L33 block that I intend to swap into my s10 after a modest build. And in googling around for parts I found this thread and thought my info my have been helpful to the original poster or other googlers so I went ahead and joined the sight and added my 2 cents.
The noise your talking about I believe it is piston slap likely on 7 and/or number 8 cylinders its common on all the vortec's after a cold soak and the oil has completely run down off the cylinders. I find worse when you run synthetic oils, it feels so wrong but I've gotten in the habit of tapping the gas in all my trucks to bring the rev up to about 2 grand to get the splash lube going and if im correct you'll notice the noise should silence almost instantly.
I've just picked up a season L33 block that I intend to swap into my s10 after a modest build. And in googling around for parts I found this thread and thought my info my have been helpful to the original poster or other googlers so I went ahead and joined the sight and added my 2 cents.
Not to contradict but LM7's and L33's are Gen III small blocks not Gen IV Ls's. Also i didn't Know the block was cast around the sleeves instead of being pressed in after machining. Interesting info. Does this makes a difference when you bore the cylinders or plain the deck?
edit: apparently some LM7 have cross bolts in there mains. and some LS motors are Gen III's my bad.
edit: apparently some LM7 have cross bolts in there mains. and some LS motors are Gen III's my bad.
So again All Factory LS engine have cross bolt mains making them factory 6 bolt main blocks.
The cylinder liners being cast into an aluminum block has no effect on machining them. You just need a competent machinist. The Aluminum alone is not strong enough to handle the pressure and side loading that goes on in a cylinder as the piston moves up and down. Simply pressing a liner in is not as strong as one that is held in place when the block is cast.
They use a Grey Iron cylinder liner with ribs on it to help it interlock with the block as it's being cast. This helps prevent shifting and locks them in place in the block minimizing distortion during heat cycles.
04-11-2014, 10:02 PM
#29
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I'd Love to stuff a super charger under the hood but the stock truck intake is looking like its going to be too tall for my s-10. and I'm hoping to make enough power all motor, the truck is barley 3000lbs
04-11-2014, 10:32 PM
#30
but I've seen 5.3L's with 4 bolt mains? some of them built well after 2000 gen 3 started being produced late 90's no?
I'd Love to stuff a super charger under the hood but the stock truck intake is looking like its going to be too tall for my s-10. and I'm hoping to make enough power all motor, the truck is barley 3000lbs
I'd Love to stuff a super charger under the hood but the stock truck intake is looking like its going to be too tall for my s-10. and I'm hoping to make enough power all motor, the truck is barley 3000lbs
The 4.8/5.3L LS engine started in 99 in the New body style trucks.
They ALL have cross bolt mains as the blocks are a deep skirt design.
Prior to that was the Gen 2 Small block Vortec engine that was either a 5.0L or 5.7L based on the Actual traditional small block with 2 and 4 bolt main caps.
The Vortec name has been around since 1988.
GM Vortec engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
While this does not have all the engine spec's its a start. General Motors LS engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If you want to read up on the LS series engines, I would recommend these to start with.
"How to Build High-Performance Chevy LS1/LS6 V-8s" by Will Handzel. It has the history of the LS series Gen 3 engine's and how they came about. Published by SA Designs. book#SA86
"Chevy LS1/LS6 Performance" by Christopher P. Enders Published by HPBOOKS Book#1407 This also has some good info in it as well.
Chris Werner's "How to Rebuild GM LS-Series Engines" Also published by SA Designs book#SA147 This one shows the differences between the Gen3 and Gen4 engines as well as what to look for and some basic knowledge on machining the blocks.
HTH
