Hi guys haven’t been here for a while because all summer I have been welding in new sheet metal on my 77’ you know typical Michigan stuff. Anyways I am on the cusp of getting a motor and found a 6.0 for a good price compared to what I have been seeing around town. Is there anything I should look for that would stick out besides the usual oil in coolant or vice versa or knocking …etc..etc? Thank you for your help. Motor has 177,000miles
CK5
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6.0 vortec cons?
- Thread starter mark84k5
- Start date
Watch how quickly the oil pressure comes up on cold start. Common to have the O-ring on the pick-up tube be tired and then it loses prime. Some people will let that issue go until there is engine damage. Cam bearings seem to get excessive damage this way. They will run a long time with worn bearings though.
So if the oil pressure comes up slowly I know there is an issue with the oring? Correct?
Well, yes. If there is a delay of more than 3 to 5 seconds before the needle moves, and then slow to build pressure. The pressure can also be low, say 20 or less at idle, cold.
Gotchya… thank you
The biggest con to a 6.0 is that it's not a big block. 
Getting that out of the way, the 6.0 isn't a bad setup. Look for broken exhaust manifold studs. I'd almost guarantee a couple are broken. Be sure to get everything you can with the engine. Accessory drive, intake, sensors, coils, and the harness. Getting those items separately will nickel and dime you to death. Even if you are planning on getting a new engine harness, take the old one. You never know if you need a connector for a sensor, coil, or anything else.
Getting that out of the way, the 6.0 isn't a bad setup. Look for broken exhaust manifold studs. I'd almost guarantee a couple are broken. Be sure to get everything you can with the engine. Accessory drive, intake, sensors, coils, and the harness. Getting those items separately will nickel and dime you to death. Even if you are planning on getting a new engine harness, take the old one. You never know if you need a connector for a sensor, coil, or anything else.
I am lucky in the fact that the motor is still in the truck and I get to test drive it before it gets pulled so not sure if any manifold bolts will even be touched. But yes I do plan on grabbing everything from top to bottom.The biggest con to a 6.0 is that it's not a big block.
Getting that out of the way, the 6.0 isn't a bad setup. Look for broken exhaust manifold studs. I'd almost guarantee a couple are broken. Be sure to get everything you can with the engine. Accessory drive, intake, sensors, coils, and the harness. Getting those items separately will nickel and dime you to death. Even if you are planning on getting a new engine harness, take the old one. You never know if you need a connector for a sensor, coil, or anything else.
You don't have to touch the exhaust bolts. Just put an eyeball on them. The last bolt closes to the firewall are most common to break. Since they are studs with nuts, when they break the nut and what's left of the stud just fall out. Really bad ones will have an exhaust leak that is more noticeable cold and may quiet down when it warms up.
Sorry I misunderstood you. I was thinking the bolts were breaking from people trying to pull them apart. But you are saying they break from age and heat cycles! So just check that they are still all intact! Will do thank you
We pulled the 4.8 out of the kid's '01. It had one broken bolt. His 5.3 appeared to have all of them intact, until I went to pull the manifolds. Two let go of the heads easily. One flush, One raised.
I had 4 broken ones on my 6.0.
And a spun cam bearing.
2 of the broken exhaust bolts were still in place, and fell out as soon as I attempted to turn them out. Like rust was all that held em in place.
And a spun cam bearing.
2 of the broken exhaust bolts were still in place, and fell out as soon as I attempted to turn them out. Like rust was all that held em in place.
Pulling a valve cover will give you a good glimpse of how the engine was cared for. 177,000 miles with decent maintenance wouldn't scare me at all. The 5.3 I originally swapped into my K5 had 200k on it when I put it in. We pulled it out of an original owner truck who took maintenance to an OCD level. Every 3,000 miles with Mobil 1 synthetic oil. It was minty clean under the valve covers.
I have two lq9's I love them, they make great power but they like to sip the gas.
I would like to pull the valve covers. I’m going to see the motor on Saturday hopefully the guy is nice and won’t get all shitty about me diving deep into his motor. In a perfect world I would like to do a compression check and put a camera in the cylinders but not sure if he would be that patient.
They all are starting in '01, as far as I know.
The LQ4 that I pulled out of my "01 HD was aluminum heads, 279K as a company truck. It ran fine, built oil pressure decently. They parked the truck because they thought it had engine rattles. It was the muffler broken internally. Engine was pretty clean inside, IMO. When the heads came off, the cylinders looked great, so my buddy did a quick hone, and put it back together.
My LQ9 was in better shape at 228K, from a one owner Escalade.
So personally, I wouldn't get too worried about digging deeply if it sounds good. I have seen so many that are in good shape with 200K to 300K miles.
L29 it....
I don’t know what that means!!L29 it....
Never mind I looked it upL29 it....
Never mind I looked it upL29 it....
