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LS1 Life span???

5K views 12 replies 12 participants last post by  2EZ 2SPD 
#1 ·
First of all happy thanksgiving to all. I have an 04' LS1 and just wondering if anyone knows if this engine have any known issues and what kind of mileage can I expect out of this powerplant which is "over maintained" in term of oil changes and I visit the rev limiter frequently. I know there are a many variables, just looking for "ball park" number. Thanks in advance...Mike
 
#2 ·
I don't know the story behind it but I seen a C5 for sale at Carlisle this year with over 350,000 miles. They only wanted 10 grand for it. But that's the highest I've seen.
 
#3 ·
Well as I have always understood it, the LS1 is set up very conservatively for it it's architecture. Deep girdle 6 bolt main lightweight forged steel valves and a marginally low lift cam are only a few that I can think of.
From an automotive perspective the VORTEC series from 1999 and up got the Same block and heads with a slightly cheaper setup. All Ive heard is how tough and reliable the Vortec engines are.
 
#4 ·
If you drive these cars in a reasonable manner on the street, the sky is really the limit. I can tell you for certain that an LS1 with 93k on it will have virtually identical compression numbers to when it came off the assembly line if properly maintained. If you spend a lot of time near redline, expect that life to drop significantly. In a street driven car, I would guess you could go at least 250,000 miles without opening the engine. It is a robust power plant.
 
#5 ·
I just recently broke a valve spring at around 99k miles. When I pulled the head off i did notice some pitting on a couple of the camshaft lobes, but nothing terible.
 
#6 ·
I have 180K miles on my 99 LS1 and have had no internal issues with the engine. I change the oil every 3500 miles and do not baby the car, I drive it hard most of the time. I have had to replace only the water pump and alternator. This has beed a great engine. I had it tuned at 100K miles and plesently surprised with the results. I just drove it from Texas to South Carloina yesterday and avereged 29mpg.

I have added an LS7 Z06 about a year ago and coming in December an LS3 GS. I am expecting to see the same performance endurance from them.
 
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