-

[HRD_WRK]

-

[GMteSSted]

I want to know how you convinced the dealer it was a porosity issue?

[ffrcobra_65]

Glad to hear you followed the dye-in-oil advise and they were able to pin point the source of the oil leak right away. The rear engine cover porosity issue is actually not uncommon and is a documented problem on the alum engines. Don't be concerned with the RTV..it should last as long as the engine. Believe it or not, to this day, a lot of old school mechanics still prefer to use RTV over a gasket. When I built my FFR (blue car in sig), my thermo housing mating surface to the engine wouldn't stop seeping....finally fixed it with RTV.

Anyway, since the dealer changed your oil after the job on the rear engine cover, we can't blame contaminated oil. My suspicion is you have the early sign of the L99 lifter problem. It will only get worse and you will start to see a cloud coming out of your tail pipes, especially on high accelaration. The tick tick tick sound will get louder over time. This problem is well documented for the L99 so you shouldn't have an issue getting it fixed under warranty.

Not to discourage you but I suspect your oil leak issue is not completely fixed. It is awesome that they found the rear engine cover porosity prob right away but the oil cooler leak and/or oil pan leak take a few days to drop oil on the floor so keep an eye out for it.

Good luck.

[ffrcobra_65]

Originally Posted by HRD_WRK

Thanks for the info. Feel beter about the RTV long term.

The dye was circulated prior to the oil change-should be 'mostly' out now. The new oil was installed at the time of first engine cycling after the RTV job. The engine was ran very soon after-not sure what the RTV setup time is. Still seems both could have 'contaminated' the system. Not sure if loosend RTV's flow path would have hit the engine before the oil filter and cause harm.

I didn't want to complicate the thread because its wasn't related to the AFM noise, but sure enough (like you said) after the original RTV work was done and going thru final checkout, the oil cooler did start leaking a little. They replaced the gasket. He explained that there is actually a design fitment issue - circular vs oval in regards to the cooler gasket sealing. He 'adjusted' as necessary- no leaks.
Hopefully the oil pan stays ok- would have to damage/remove some billet fender rails to support the engine for the sub frame removal/pan fix.

Just looking for the logical trigger for the noise, doesn't seem coincidental to me.

for peace of mind, this is what I would do if I were in your shoes...I would change my oil and filter myself to make sure;
1. Any worry of remaining contaminants is put to rest
2. Any worry the dealer might have put the incorrect oil is put to rest
3. Any worry of RTV clogged up oil filter is put to rest

now after this is done and the lifter noise is still prevalent then time to visit the dealer for the L99 lifter problem under warranty (it is not unusual for engine to tick at first cold start up and even some after warm start up but it should go away after a short drive)

[ffrcobra_65]

FWIW, my car sits for weeks at a time between starts and I always get a ticking sound on the passenger side of the engine (apparently so do some members here) after 1 minute or so of cold start up....the ticking doesn't go away with car just idling...but when I take the car for a short drive (a block) and park and listen, the tick always goes away. last time I was at my dealer, a salesman friend let me start up a new SS in the lot (manual like mine), and after a minute, the ticking noise occured but also went away after a short drive.
Also, keep in mind, engine ticking tends to occur more in cold, especially freezing weather...it is takes longer for oil to do its job in the engine when the weather is very cold or freezing. This is why some swap thick to thinner oil during season changes.

[toesuf94]

Tim:

A louder exhaust cures the lifter noise...

This is probably why I worry about that supercharger on my L99...when go boom? The lifters are weak (SAD) and I know I will need to address this down the road. The nice thing is that I do have an Edelbrock warranty that will buy me new parts if broken...LS3 conversion time when that happens.