I recently did a test with the Valvoline on the neighbors 6.2, couple thousand miles before we did the AFM delete just to see how it did. It definitely cleans the internals, and it seemed to do it slow by dissolving. Didn't find any large pieces in the expected places, like in the oil pump relief valve. It was just simply clean. I'd be nervous using the standard engine flush that you run for 15 minutes. .. that stuff might send good size particles into the lifters.
Glitter in 6.2L oil ... please help
- Thread starter thefrey
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Here's what the lifters look like at just under 200,000 miles, with two oil changes with the Valvoline R&P.
Oil pressure relief valve from the OEM oil pump
And here is what your VLOM plate looks like underneath. Notice there's no o-rings on these later models, it's more like a molded gasket. Probably why GM says you need to replace it when you remove it. I can only surmise that the clean areas are areas the Valvoline was working where oil was spraying out, lowering his oil pressure. His o-ring was pretty much like yours also
Oil pressure relief valve from the OEM oil pump
And here is what your VLOM plate looks like underneath. Notice there's no o-rings on these later models, it's more like a molded gasket. Probably why GM says you need to replace it when you remove it. I can only surmise that the clean areas are areas the Valvoline was working where oil was spraying out, lowering his oil pressure. His o-ring was pretty much like yours also
That pan has evidence of several extended oil change intervals all along the sides. The pan in my 2012 was relatively clean with just a brownish staining at 120K, and no carbon buildup like that.
This is what a damaged cam lobe looks like. Note the deep scar along the edge. This was caused by a bad lifter tray that allowed the lifters to twist slightly:
Here's another lobe:
And here's one of the lifters:
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thefrey
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I was only able to take pics and I couldn’t touch anything so I can’t get a super good feel for it. But this is what most of the lobes looked like. There are some surface scratches but I feel like for a cam with 200k on it that it looks decent
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thefrey
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That’s some pretty nice testing you got there’s. It sounds like everyone swears by r&p lol. I’m not sure if my VLOM was replaced but it might be something I’ll consider in the future
Those look fine for 200K. Normal wear patterns on those two lobes at least.
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thefrey
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Well, I just did a road test and it seems like the new o-ring helped my cruising pressure by about 10psi so I’m around 30 cruising now. But my idle pressure really didn’t change much. My oil pressure seems to build quicker though. I wonder if my VLOM needs help
With the AFM intact and in stock trim, about 36 PSI fully warmed up and cruising is probably the average correct pressure.
How low are you talking about now, for a hot idle oil pressure?
A low hot idle oil pressure could be a little bit of everything. A little bit of wear on the cam bearings, the lifter bores, within the VLOM, and or a weak oil pressure relief spring in your oil pump. Maybe even the diverter that goes in the back of the engine, aka the dog bone. I can't say I've ever seen an oem one fail.
Your long-term intentions for the vehicle pretty much determine which path to take..... You'll need to decide before you start buying parts. If you want it to run another 100,000+ miles, start thinking about an AFM delete. Otherwise, I would probably put a new Melling 365HV oil pump in, along with a new VLOM.
And you always have to consider what else you might want to do since you're "in there"... Depending on your budget..... Like since you have the timing cover off and doing the oil pump, it's a great time to do the timing chain, tensioner, VVT solenoid, VVT actuator, and the crankshaft position sensor.
How low are you talking about now, for a hot idle oil pressure?
A low hot idle oil pressure could be a little bit of everything. A little bit of wear on the cam bearings, the lifter bores, within the VLOM, and or a weak oil pressure relief spring in your oil pump. Maybe even the diverter that goes in the back of the engine, aka the dog bone. I can't say I've ever seen an oem one fail.
Your long-term intentions for the vehicle pretty much determine which path to take..... You'll need to decide before you start buying parts. If you want it to run another 100,000+ miles, start thinking about an AFM delete. Otherwise, I would probably put a new Melling 365HV oil pump in, along with a new VLOM.
And you always have to consider what else you might want to do since you're "in there"... Depending on your budget..... Like since you have the timing cover off and doing the oil pump, it's a great time to do the timing chain, tensioner, VVT solenoid, VVT actuator, and the crankshaft position sensor.
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thefrey
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I would guess 13-18psi is my current hot idle temp. It’s also 80° here right now so that might not help fully
I may consider doing a HV melling in the future. My timing chain also seemed pretty loose but it seems like that is common and perhaps normal on a lot of LS motors from my research. So I’d probably just do both while I’m in there
My tick isn’t fully gone but I would say it’s quieter. I want to see over time if the r&p along with the new o-ring helps the lifter at all
The early LS motors did not have a tensioner. And yeah there was some looseness. But with the variable valve timing, you have a spring loaded tensioner pushing against the left side of the chain to keep the slack out while you're variable cam timing changes. If you saw a slack in the chain, definitely a red flag. Very possible you lost the plastic part of that tensioner.... And quite possibly it's into the metal.
Here's a view of the tensioner installed, you can see the plastic strip alongside the chain on the left. You need to have that pin installed to get the chain on.... The tensioner really pushes that hard.
And here with the pin removed. If you could feel slack in that chain with the oil pan dropped, you definitely need to pull the front cover. More than likely that's the ticking sound you hear. The remains of your tensioner flopping around....
Here's a view of the tensioner installed, you can see the plastic strip alongside the chain on the left. You need to have that pin installed to get the chain on.... The tensioner really pushes that hard.
And here with the pin removed. If you could feel slack in that chain with the oil pan dropped, you definitely need to pull the front cover. More than likely that's the ticking sound you hear. The remains of your tensioner flopping around....
