low oil pressure in a 290k mile 5.3. changing oil pump and need first time advice
10-30-2020, 03:02 PM
#1
low oil pressure in a 290k mile 5.3. changing oil pump and need first time advice
hello, i have a 2007 silverado classic with vin Z 5.3 with 290,000 miles. a few months back and about 15k miles ago i had a local chevy dealer drop and re seal my oil pan and ever since i went from 40psi idle and 60psi driving to 20-25psi idle and 40-45 driving and last week it began to develop a nasty lifter tick or piston slap which im sure its from them not changing the pickup tube o ring but they are denying responsibility. I was able to buy myself a little bit of time with a backyard mechanic oil flush and change the oil but i want to do this right so im gonna drop the pan and pull the front cover and change the pump and the pickup tube. i had a few questions on what to do on some certain steps because ive never dug this deep into a ls engine before. first question is should i both changing the timing chain and sprockets or would it be best to leave them alone? i know when you do a cam swap usually you swap out for the ls2 timing chain klt, and at the very least could i just get the chain alone and swap it or just leave it alone? and while im in there should i change the cam thrust plate or retainer plate? if not im gonna leave all this alone and stick with the pump. next question was what pump to use. im stuck on either a melling m295HV or a 10296, I dont really plan to do a cam on this engine considering its mileage and the fact it now can tick pretty bad so I dont think I need a 10296. i can get the m295 high volume and a pickup tube at my local autozone for fairly cheap and melling recommends it for high mileage engines, my other question is do i need to shim the oil pump or anything or should it just bolt right up after i fill it with oil before hand? ive read where you have to 'shim' aftermarket pumps but i dont know if they are talking about spacing pump farther away from the engine or what. my other question is when re assembling i just need to do 4 dabs of black silicone on the 4 corners of the oil pan gasket and also a line at the bottom of the timing cover correct? also can i run the crank pulley back on with the OG bolt then torque it with the new bolt or is there a special method i need to go about getting the pulley back on? i apologize if this has been covered a million times already and im just wasting time making a new thread but im just trying to get advice asap and save this engine if i can. thank you and if i have any extra questions ill reply to this thread
10-30-2020, 03:22 PM
#2
Get high pressure pump, not high volume
If you're gonna pull the pump, you're right there at the chain and gears and cam plate. Change them. Chains stretch, and chains and gears wear together, so replace chain and gears
You need the silicone at the 4 corners of the block where the front and rear covers meet the block, on the block. No silicone between the oil pan gasket and pan though. Just put it on the block where it meets the timing cover and where it meets the rear seal cover. Then put the pan on.
They had no reason to mess with the pickup or anything else while doing the pan, so it's unlikely they did anything to cause any issues.
Go ahead and do the pickup tube o ring while you are there, I know you said you are going to, just confirming it. And check it closely. I've never shimmed the pump during install. There are several things people mean by that. They mean to space it away from a double roller timing chain, or shim the pressure spring, or shim the housing to the internal gear (gerotor)I don't do all that and most dont. I put the pump on and try to find center push up down side to side make sure it's gently in the center of all that and bolt it down.
The cover alignment on these engines are important. when you do the pan the most important thing to do is make sure the pan is fully seated against the trans. Here's how I do an LS pan if the trans is bolted up. I thread all bolts in the pan first even the ones for that pass through the trans bell housing. Then I push up lightly at the back and snug the bolts that pass through the trans bell housing to pull the pan all the way back, then I tighten the front 4 bolts on the pan up by the balancer pulley. then I release the ones passing through the trans and finish tightening all perimeter bolts then last I tighten the 2 that go through the trans.
As for timing cover, the alignement is criitcal here too. Put the cover on first with the oil pan still off, you need no silicone on the front cover because after it's mounted you'll put silicone in the bottom corners where it meets the block when you're doing the oil pan... so back to front cover slip it on and thread in all bolts but leave them a couple of turns out/loose. Then slip the balancer on and tap it on a little bit very gently or use a puller INSTALLER to pull it on a little. Don't try to use the bolt to pull the pulley on until the pulley is at minimum about 3/8" onto the snout of the crank or you have at least 4 turns or so of the bolt before it makes contact with the pulley. In other words slide pulley on, tap it back, DON"T GO CRAZY pounding it, tap it. Then put bolt through hole if you can only turn the bolt one turn before it hits the pulley and you try to pull the pulley on with the bolt you'll strip the crank. So tap it on further.. then you can put the bolt in and start to gently crank on the bolt to pull the pulley on. MAKE SURE you put oil on the crank snout, inside the pulley, on the threads of the bolt, and behind the bolt head where it contacts the pulley I put grease there, this helps everything slip and slide and not bind and saves the crank threads.. now once the pulley is on some of the way it will center in the seal and center your front cover. Now you can finish bolting down the front cover, it should be aligned at the bottom with the block, if it isn't stop and take a look at what's going on. BEFORE you unbolt the front cover take a real good look at how it sits against the block and lines up, if your front pulley seal is not leaking now then the position the front cover is in now is good and you'll want it back like that.
They make specialty tools for doing the front and rear covers for LS engines and I own them but I have never used the one for the front and I've only used the one for the rear cover one time all the other times I've done these I didn't have any problems. Just go slow and look at the big picture of how it wont seal if the cover is pushed too far one way or the other.
Good luck, I'd put a new oil pressure sensor in it before I did anything, or at least at the same time as all this work. They fail a lot
If you're gonna pull the pump, you're right there at the chain and gears and cam plate. Change them. Chains stretch, and chains and gears wear together, so replace chain and gears
You need the silicone at the 4 corners of the block where the front and rear covers meet the block, on the block. No silicone between the oil pan gasket and pan though. Just put it on the block where it meets the timing cover and where it meets the rear seal cover. Then put the pan on.
They had no reason to mess with the pickup or anything else while doing the pan, so it's unlikely they did anything to cause any issues.
Go ahead and do the pickup tube o ring while you are there, I know you said you are going to, just confirming it. And check it closely. I've never shimmed the pump during install. There are several things people mean by that. They mean to space it away from a double roller timing chain, or shim the pressure spring, or shim the housing to the internal gear (gerotor)I don't do all that and most dont. I put the pump on and try to find center push up down side to side make sure it's gently in the center of all that and bolt it down.
The cover alignment on these engines are important. when you do the pan the most important thing to do is make sure the pan is fully seated against the trans. Here's how I do an LS pan if the trans is bolted up. I thread all bolts in the pan first even the ones for that pass through the trans bell housing. Then I push up lightly at the back and snug the bolts that pass through the trans bell housing to pull the pan all the way back, then I tighten the front 4 bolts on the pan up by the balancer pulley. then I release the ones passing through the trans and finish tightening all perimeter bolts then last I tighten the 2 that go through the trans.
As for timing cover, the alignement is criitcal here too. Put the cover on first with the oil pan still off, you need no silicone on the front cover because after it's mounted you'll put silicone in the bottom corners where it meets the block when you're doing the oil pan... so back to front cover slip it on and thread in all bolts but leave them a couple of turns out/loose. Then slip the balancer on and tap it on a little bit very gently or use a puller INSTALLER to pull it on a little. Don't try to use the bolt to pull the pulley on until the pulley is at minimum about 3/8" onto the snout of the crank or you have at least 4 turns or so of the bolt before it makes contact with the pulley. In other words slide pulley on, tap it back, DON"T GO CRAZY pounding it, tap it. Then put bolt through hole if you can only turn the bolt one turn before it hits the pulley and you try to pull the pulley on with the bolt you'll strip the crank. So tap it on further.. then you can put the bolt in and start to gently crank on the bolt to pull the pulley on. MAKE SURE you put oil on the crank snout, inside the pulley, on the threads of the bolt, and behind the bolt head where it contacts the pulley I put grease there, this helps everything slip and slide and not bind and saves the crank threads.. now once the pulley is on some of the way it will center in the seal and center your front cover. Now you can finish bolting down the front cover, it should be aligned at the bottom with the block, if it isn't stop and take a look at what's going on. BEFORE you unbolt the front cover take a real good look at how it sits against the block and lines up, if your front pulley seal is not leaking now then the position the front cover is in now is good and you'll want it back like that.
They make specialty tools for doing the front and rear covers for LS engines and I own them but I have never used the one for the front and I've only used the one for the rear cover one time all the other times I've done these I didn't have any problems. Just go slow and look at the big picture of how it wont seal if the cover is pushed too far one way or the other.
Good luck, I'd put a new oil pressure sensor in it before I did anything, or at least at the same time as all this work. They fail a lot
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dantheman1540 (10-30-2020)
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dantheman1540 (10-30-2020)
10-30-2020, 03:25 PM
#4
You may need to prime the pump to get it to start pulling/pumping oil
Every once in a while I have an issue with new pumps pumping until they get fluid into them. Pour a little oil in the pump before installing it. When you first fire it you may have to flare the throttle to get the new pump to pump. If that doesn't work, prime it.
Every once in a while I have an issue with new pumps pumping until they get fluid into them. Pour a little oil in the pump before installing it. When you first fire it you may have to flare the throttle to get the new pump to pump. If that doesn't work, prime it.
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dantheman1540 (10-30-2020),
ertoys (12-10-2020)
10-30-2020, 05:40 PM
#5
Get high pressure pump, not high volume
If you're gonna pull the pump, you're right there at the chain and gears and cam plate. Change them. Chains stretch, and chains and gears wear together, so replace chain and gears
You need the silicone at the 4 corners of the block where the front and rear covers meet the block, on the block. No silicone between the oil pan gasket and pan though. Just put it on the block where it meets the timing cover and where it meets the rear seal cover. Then put the pan on.
They had no reason to mess with the pickup or anything else while doing the pan, so it's unlikely they did anything to cause any issues.
Go ahead and do the pickup tube o ring while you are there, I know you said you are going to, just confirming it. And check it closely. I've never shimmed the pump during install. There are several things people mean by that. They mean to space it away from a double roller timing chain, or shim the pressure spring, or shim the housing to the internal gear (gerotor)I don't do all that and most dont. I put the pump on and try to find center push up down side to side make sure it's gently in the center of all that and bolt it down.
The cover alignment on these engines are important. when you do the pan the most important thing to do is make sure the pan is fully seated against the trans. Here's how I do an LS pan if the trans is bolted up. I thread all bolts in the pan first even the ones for that pass through the trans bell housing. Then I push up lightly at the back and snug the bolts that pass through the trans bell housing to pull the pan all the way back, then I tighten the front 4 bolts on the pan up by the balancer pulley. then I release the ones passing through the trans and finish tightening all perimeter bolts then last I tighten the 2 that go through the trans.
As for timing cover, the alignement is criitcal here too. Put the cover on first with the oil pan still off, you need no silicone on the front cover because after it's mounted you'll put silicone in the bottom corners where it meets the block when you're doing the oil pan... so back to front cover slip it on and thread in all bolts but leave them a couple of turns out/loose. Then slip the balancer on and tap it on a little bit very gently or use a puller INSTALLER to pull it on a little. Don't try to use the bolt to pull the pulley on until the pulley is at minimum about 3/8" onto the snout of the crank or you have at least 4 turns or so of the bolt before it makes contact with the pulley. In other words slide pulley on, tap it back, DON"T GO CRAZY pounding it, tap it. Then put bolt through hole if you can only turn the bolt one turn before it hits the pulley and you try to pull the pulley on with the bolt you'll strip the crank. So tap it on further.. then you can put the bolt in and start to gently crank on the bolt to pull the pulley on. MAKE SURE you put oil on the crank snout, inside the pulley, on the threads of the bolt, and behind the bolt head where it contacts the pulley I put grease there, this helps everything slip and slide and not bind and saves the crank threads.. now once the pulley is on some of the way it will center in the seal and center your front cover. Now you can finish bolting down the front cover, it should be aligned at the bottom with the block, if it isn't stop and take a look at what's going on. BEFORE you unbolt the front cover take a real good look at how it sits against the block and lines up, if your front pulley seal is not leaking now then the position the front cover is in now is good and you'll want it back like that.
They make specialty tools for doing the front and rear covers for LS engines and I own them but I have never used the one for the front and I've only used the one for the rear cover one time all the other times I've done these I didn't have any problems. Just go slow and look at the big picture of how it wont seal if the cover is pushed too far one way or the other.
Good luck, I'd put a new oil pressure sensor in it before I did anything, or at least at the same time as all this work. They fail a lot
If you're gonna pull the pump, you're right there at the chain and gears and cam plate. Change them. Chains stretch, and chains and gears wear together, so replace chain and gears
You need the silicone at the 4 corners of the block where the front and rear covers meet the block, on the block. No silicone between the oil pan gasket and pan though. Just put it on the block where it meets the timing cover and where it meets the rear seal cover. Then put the pan on.
They had no reason to mess with the pickup or anything else while doing the pan, so it's unlikely they did anything to cause any issues.
Go ahead and do the pickup tube o ring while you are there, I know you said you are going to, just confirming it. And check it closely. I've never shimmed the pump during install. There are several things people mean by that. They mean to space it away from a double roller timing chain, or shim the pressure spring, or shim the housing to the internal gear (gerotor)I don't do all that and most dont. I put the pump on and try to find center push up down side to side make sure it's gently in the center of all that and bolt it down.
The cover alignment on these engines are important. when you do the pan the most important thing to do is make sure the pan is fully seated against the trans. Here's how I do an LS pan if the trans is bolted up. I thread all bolts in the pan first even the ones for that pass through the trans bell housing. Then I push up lightly at the back and snug the bolts that pass through the trans bell housing to pull the pan all the way back, then I tighten the front 4 bolts on the pan up by the balancer pulley. then I release the ones passing through the trans and finish tightening all perimeter bolts then last I tighten the 2 that go through the trans.
As for timing cover, the alignement is criitcal here too. Put the cover on first with the oil pan still off, you need no silicone on the front cover because after it's mounted you'll put silicone in the bottom corners where it meets the block when you're doing the oil pan... so back to front cover slip it on and thread in all bolts but leave them a couple of turns out/loose. Then slip the balancer on and tap it on a little bit very gently or use a puller INSTALLER to pull it on a little. Don't try to use the bolt to pull the pulley on until the pulley is at minimum about 3/8" onto the snout of the crank or you have at least 4 turns or so of the bolt before it makes contact with the pulley. In other words slide pulley on, tap it back, DON"T GO CRAZY pounding it, tap it. Then put bolt through hole if you can only turn the bolt one turn before it hits the pulley and you try to pull the pulley on with the bolt you'll strip the crank. So tap it on further.. then you can put the bolt in and start to gently crank on the bolt to pull the pulley on. MAKE SURE you put oil on the crank snout, inside the pulley, on the threads of the bolt, and behind the bolt head where it contacts the pulley I put grease there, this helps everything slip and slide and not bind and saves the crank threads.. now once the pulley is on some of the way it will center in the seal and center your front cover. Now you can finish bolting down the front cover, it should be aligned at the bottom with the block, if it isn't stop and take a look at what's going on. BEFORE you unbolt the front cover take a real good look at how it sits against the block and lines up, if your front pulley seal is not leaking now then the position the front cover is in now is good and you'll want it back like that.
They make specialty tools for doing the front and rear covers for LS engines and I own them but I have never used the one for the front and I've only used the one for the rear cover one time all the other times I've done these I didn't have any problems. Just go slow and look at the big picture of how it wont seal if the cover is pushed too far one way or the other.
Good luck, I'd put a new oil pressure sensor in it before I did anything, or at least at the same time as all this work. They fail a lot
10-30-2020, 06:43 PM
#6
100% Redneck
thank you for the reply, ill go ahead and get a timing chain set, on the 07 classic with gen 3 motors did they have a timing chain dampener or slack adjuster or no? also should i go with an ls2 chain kit or can i get a cheap set? also another question i forgot to ask on the oil pan gasket is if i need to reinstalled the two rivets that hold it on or if id get away without using rivets on it. also on the lower crankshaft sprocket when reinstalling can i just use the original sprocket to tap it into place or is it best to use an installer tool?
Don't worry about the rivets that is for ease of factory assembly. Not sure if this was answered but yes replace the cam retainer plate. You can get the LS balancer install tool for $14 on Amazon it's just a threaded rod and washers but works well. On the crank gear I used a cheap puller from Harbor Freight (set of 3) and a large hose clamp to help hold the pullers legs to the gear. I did have to grind the legs so it would fit behind the gear. I also ground flat the button on the puller that touches the old crank bolt I threaded in to protect the end of the crankshaft.
Modified puller & hose clamp
Rollmaster billet timing set ($129)
Amazon balancer install tool (center)
10-30-2020, 07:09 PM
#7
The GEN3 doesn't have the bosses drilled & tapped for a dampener. They make aftermarket kits that mount to the cams retainer plate but there not really needed except for high RPM road course driving to eliminate chain whip, they do not remove chain slop they just prevent whip. With that many miles I would replace the complete timing set. You'll need the correct gear puller to remove the crank gear. Yes you can use the old gear to drive on the new gear but most aftermarket gears slide right on the crankshaft like butter no driving necessary, that said I don't know about the factory gears tension to the crank.
Don't worry about the rivets that is for ease of factory assembly. Not sure if this was answered but yes replace the cam retainer plate. You can get the LS balancer install tool for $14 on Amazon it's just a threaded rod and washers but works well. On the crank gear I used a cheap puller from Harbor Freight (set of 3) and a large hose clamp to help hold the pullers legs to the gear. I did have to grind the legs so it would fit behind the gear. I also ground flat the button on the puller that touches the old crank bolt I threaded in to protect the end of the crankshaft.
Modified puller & hose clamp
Rollmaster billet timing set ($129)
Amazon balancer install tool (center)
Don't worry about the rivets that is for ease of factory assembly. Not sure if this was answered but yes replace the cam retainer plate. You can get the LS balancer install tool for $14 on Amazon it's just a threaded rod and washers but works well. On the crank gear I used a cheap puller from Harbor Freight (set of 3) and a large hose clamp to help hold the pullers legs to the gear. I did have to grind the legs so it would fit behind the gear. I also ground flat the button on the puller that touches the old crank bolt I threaded in to protect the end of the crankshaft.
Modified puller & hose clamp
Rollmaster billet timing set ($129)
Amazon balancer install tool (center)
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Stokes1114 (10-31-2020)
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10-30-2020, 10:43 PM
#9
100% Redneck
hey thank you for the response.i assumed my engine didnt have a dampener or tensioner but the cloyes kit thats available at most auto parts stores near me have it anyway. i went ahead and ordered a cam plate retainer so i will be changing it out, am i able to reuse the old bolts or should i look for new bolts? same with the three bolts on the cam sprocket should i get a new set or would i be okay re using the oem bolts already in with a dab of loctite? also ill look into finding that puller at harbor freight i already got a puller for the harmonic balancer and ill also order that exact tool for reinstalling off amazon. when you say the aftermarket gear should slide right on, what it supposed to hold it in place when assembled? does the oil pump and crank pulley hold it flush?
After I remove the balancer tool I shoot a little brake-clean inside the crank then use compressed air to clean the crank threads. This is important as the new crankshaft bolt will have a fresh coat of orange thread locker that needs clean threads to work properly. If you decide to use the ARP crankshaft bolt it will come with it's own lube for the threads no thread locker necessary. By the way you'll need a 6 point 24mm socket for the crank bolt... ARP uses a 27mm 12 point socket.
I attached the 6.0 engine manual below. The torque specs and the balancer install instructions, along with most other specs are the same as your L59 5.3 engine
This is the cheap puller set I used. It's helpful to have another set of hands to hold the puller to the gear. It took me about three tries to get things just right before the gear popped off but I was by myself.
.
Harbor Freight Large Hose Clamp Set
Harbor Freight Three Jaw Puller Set
This is the timing set I used (the pic shows lifters but it's the chain set) from ws6store no tax free shipping.
Rollmaster CS1180
Last edited by RedXray; 10-30-2020 at 11:10 PM.
10-31-2020, 06:49 PM
#10
Yeah old bolts will work fine except you need to replace the crankshaft bolt with a new one. The aftermarket crank gears slide on with ease and the harmonic balancer butts up to the pump drive portion of the gear keeping it from moving. When using the balancer install tool be sure to oil the threads, nut & washers on the tool to keep things moving smoothly and from galling. Once you get the balancer started and pressed on enough you can use the old crank bolt to sent it home.
After I remove the balancer tool I shoot a little brake-clean inside the crank then use compressed air to clean the crank threads. This is important as the new crankshaft bolt will have a fresh coat of orange thread locker that needs clean threads to work properly. If you decide to use the ARP crankshaft bolt it will come with it's own lube for the threads no thread locker necessary. By the way you'll need a 6 point 24mm socket for the crank bolt... ARP uses a 27mm 12 point socket.
I attached the 6.0 engine manual below. The torque specs and the balancer install instructions, along with most other specs are the same as your L59 5.3 engine
This is the cheap puller set I used. It's helpful to have another set of hands to hold the puller to the gear. It took me about three tries to get things just right before the gear popped off but I was by myself.
.
Harbor Freight Large Hose Clamp Set
Harbor Freight Three Jaw Puller Set
This is the timing set I used (the pic shows lifters but it's the chain set) from ws6store no tax free shipping.
Rollmaster CS1180
After I remove the balancer tool I shoot a little brake-clean inside the crank then use compressed air to clean the crank threads. This is important as the new crankshaft bolt will have a fresh coat of orange thread locker that needs clean threads to work properly. If you decide to use the ARP crankshaft bolt it will come with it's own lube for the threads no thread locker necessary. By the way you'll need a 6 point 24mm socket for the crank bolt... ARP uses a 27mm 12 point socket.
I attached the 6.0 engine manual below. The torque specs and the balancer install instructions, along with most other specs are the same as your L59 5.3 engine
This is the cheap puller set I used. It's helpful to have another set of hands to hold the puller to the gear. It took me about three tries to get things just right before the gear popped off but I was by myself.
.
Harbor Freight Large Hose Clamp Set
Harbor Freight Three Jaw Puller Set
This is the timing set I used (the pic shows lifters but it's the chain set) from ws6store no tax free shipping.
Rollmaster CS1180