LS3 tear down finding at 50k, 20k with GPI SS3 Cam, bushed trunnions, etc

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by Pkeen

Hi all , I got real curious after seeing all of this ,as I installed the Smith Brothers bushing kit in my 416 stroker. So I pulled them and cked them out ,all were worn even with about .012 wear groove at the bottom with very noticeable wobble, and I have less than 5000 mi on the build. No visible metallic in the oil , trunions were just starting to show wear .
That's not acceptable to me ,so I went with the BTR's TK002 kit that has the bearing steel sleeves pressed on with oil feed holes and the big side washers . This looks like a good set up, we will see.

Well crap man! I guess I really need to get mine to the shop and get the Smith's out for a look see and replacement, since I have 27k on mine!! I haven't been driving my Camaro much since the gas is so high, and I do like to cruise around a bit, but damn it is expensive, so she has been covered up and only goes to local shows and back home. Guess I better get on the ball and get them swapped out.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Ok guys, I finally was able to order my CHE's and got them this afternoon, along with my new 160 t-stat to replace the Mishimoto 169 that I had one fail already, and so did acammer last time I chatted with him. His gasket on his came apart and jammed it in the open position I think he said, so gonna replace it with the 160 like he did. Always wanted to do that. Now I just have to make time to get the Camaro up to the shop to get the trunnions swapped out, and see how my 27k mile Smith Brothers are looking!!

[acammer]

Originally Posted by 1JEWLDSSRS

Ok guys, I finally was able to order my CHE's and got them this afternoon, along with my new 160 t-stat to replace the Mishimoto 169 that I had one fail already, and so did acammer last time I chatted with him. His gasket on his came apart and jammed it in the open position I think he said, so gonna replace it with the 160 like he did. Always wanted to do that. Now I just have to make time to get the Camaro up to the shop to get the trunnions swapped out, and see how my 27k mile Smith Brothers are looking!!

Looking forward to your results!

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by acammer

Looking forward to your results!

Thanks sir, me too. Kinda curious how they are going to look at 27k miles, and everyone else is less milage. I don't have any valve train noise, but that doesn't mean anything, so we shall see.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Alright guys and gals, finally got my Camaro up to the shop yesterday so we could swap out the Smith Brother trunnions for the CHE trunnion kit. All I have to say is, man am I lucky I didn't wait any longer,and took it really easy driving her! Kinda of wished I would have done it when we did the spring refresh, but we all didn't know about the trunnions until after that. These Smith Brothers are TRASHED after 27k miles!! We inspected the rockers for wear on the ends that touch the valves and the pushrod cups, and they all looked good, so no problem there, also the tips of the valves looked pretty good as well, no abnormal wear there. Pushing the Smith's out wasn't too bad, once we got them out is was time for inspection. Holding the rockers between your fingers they were pretty loose, you could wiggle them quite a bit up and down and all around, that wasn't cool. So we labeled them all as to where they came from before we took them apart, then we disassembled them, the bushings themselves wobbled quite a bit on the trunnion itself after removal from the rockers, that wasn't cool either. Removing the bushing from the trunnion proved to be quite a task on just about ALL the trunnions as when we got them off and looked inside them, a couple we had to force off, there was a good sized ridge worn into the bushing from it sitting on the trinnion where the oil grove was cut into the trunnion, wow, ALL of them. It wore that much material away from the bushing. Most of the really bad ones for whatever reason were the exhaust valve trunnions seems like. I'm really surprised as loose as they were my engine didn't sound like a sewing machine and I didn't have an issue with anything! Thank God for small favors!! In the pics I have, if you enlarge them some you will also see where the trunnion itself was also worn quite a bit. So yea I'm a firm believer that these items SHOULD BE refreshed along with the valve springs at 20k, no later for safety sake of your engine. And yea I used to push the rev limit above 7000 a lot. Looking at my cam card, my lift @ 1.7 on the intake side is .640,, and the exhaust side is .615 @ 1.7..Lobe lift on intake is .376, and exhaust is .332.. Not sure if any of that info is useful, but I listed it anyway. All I can say, is we were pretty lucky, and now I know where the "safe" area, mileage wise to refresh them.Hope all this info is what you guys and gals need to be safe with your valve train.. Good luck all!!!





Don't wait too long!!

[tartagliazl1]

I’m glad you got to them before something terrible happened. Glad i went with the Che.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by tartagliazl1

I’m glad you got to them before something terrible happened. Glad i went with the Che.

Yea, me too. Funny, well not so funny, my tech I was working with while we were doing mine told me that the guy who lives next door to him was also installing a CHE trunnion kit to replace his failed BTR ones he had in. He wasn't so lucky, he had a rocker bind up and bent a pushrod.

[Tajefe Couple]

Okay getting nervous now. Was contemplating new springs, now just going to plan on both this winter. Appreciate everyone and thanks for the update Jewld!

[Ashen 6.2]

Originally Posted by 1JEWLDSSRS

Alright guys and gals, finally got my Camaro up to the shop yesterday so we could swap out the Smith Brother trunnions for the CHE trunnion kit. All I have to say is, man am I lucky I didn't wait any longer,and took it really easy driving her! Kinda of wished I would have done it when we did the spring refresh, but we all didn't know about the trunnions until after that. These Smith Brothers are TRASHED after 27k miles!! We inspected the rockers for wear on the ends that touch the valves and the pushrod cups, and they all looked good, so no problem there, also the tips of the valves looked pretty good as well, no abnormal wear there. Pushing the Smith's out wasn't too bad, once we got them out is was time for inspection. Holding the rockers between your fingers they were pretty loose, you could wiggle them quite a bit up and down and all around, that wasn't cool. So we labeled them all as to where they came from before we took them apart, then we disassembled them, the bushings themselves wobbled quite a bit on the trunnion itself after removal from the rockers, that wasn't cool either. Removing the bushing from the trunnion proved to be quite a task on just about ALL the trunnions as when we got them off and looked inside them, a couple we had to force off, there was a good sized ridge worn into the bushing from it sitting on the trinnion where the oil grove was cut into the trunnion, wow, ALL of them. It wore that much material away from the bushing. Most of the really bad ones for whatever reason were the exhaust valve trunnions seems like. I'm really surprised as loose as they were my engine didn't sound like a sewing machine and I didn't have an issue with anything! Thank God for small favors!! In the pics I have, if you enlarge them some you will also see where the trunnion itself was also worn quite a bit. So yea I'm a firm believer that these items SHOULD BE refreshed along with the valve springs at 20k, no later for safety sake of your engine. And yea I used to push the rev limit above 7000 a lot. Looking at my cam card, my lift @ 1.7 on the intake side is .640,, and the exhaust side is .615 @ 1.7..Lobe lift on intake is .376, and exhaust is .332.. Not sure if any of that info is useful, but I listed it anyway. All I can say, is we were pretty lucky, and now I know where the "safe" area, mileage wise to refresh them.Hope all this info is what you guys and gals need to be safe with your valve train.. Good luck all!!!

Attachment 1103126

Attachment 1103127

Don't wait too long!!

Thanks for reporting back what you found Wayne & glad it was on the "preventative" side!!

[acammer]

Originally Posted by 1JEWLDSSRS

Alright guys and gals, finally got my Camaro up to the shop yesterday so we could swap out the Smith Brother trunnions for the CHE trunnion kit....

Don't wait too long!!

Good stuff, thanks for sharing. Honestly, that doesn't look too bad. Worn a bit deeper than mine, but you had another 7,000 miles on them. In the car, under valve spring load, those weren't going to be moving around too much. Worn, and ready to be replaced, yes, definitely - but I don't see them dangerously close to a failure.

As we've all discussed in here, I think treating them like a wear item is the way to look at bushed trunnions. 20k inspection, and then routinely at 5k or so after that. Pull a few valve springs to test pressures, and inspect a few trunnions.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by Tajefe Couple

Okay getting nervous now. Was contemplating new springs, now just going to plan on both this winter. Appreciate everyone and thanks for the update Jewld!

Hey you're welcome! Just don't NOT change them out, as little as it cost to do it, it is great insurance at this point. Being as the bronze is a softer material, it's kind of like a fillet knife, the sharp edge is put on and every time you have to hone it back to sharpness, you take a little bit of material off the edge, after a while the material is down to the softer material and won't hold an edge, and wears very quickly.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by Ashen 6.2

Thanks for reporting back what you found Wayne & glad it was on the "preventative" side!!

Oh hell yeah man!! Me too. You're welcome. Nice to be able to help out with these kind of things. Soooo glad it wasn't any worse. But now we all know what to expect, and hope everyone pays attention. Like they say, better to be safe than sorry!!! I got lucky, no doubt...

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by acammer

Good stuff, thanks for sharing. Honestly, that doesn't look too bad. Worn a bit deeper than mine, but you had another 7,000 miles on them. In the car, under valve spring load, those weren't going to be moving around too much. Worn, and ready to be replaced, yes, definitely - but I don't see them dangerously close to a failure.

As we've all discussed in here, I think treating them like a wear item is the way to look at bushed trunnions. 20k inspection, and then routinely at 5k or so after that. Pull a few valve springs to test pressures, and inspect a few trunnions.

Yes sir, you're welcome. I guess I don't know too much about these bushed trunnions and wear, but to me they looked "trashed". But what do I know, just glad to have them out and replaced. Thanks Andrew for all your help with everything and getting me on the band wagon to swap them out for better.

[Badbubba]

Piece of mind knowing these components will last 20k miles. I won't even bother with inspecting for further use. Just replace.