Tearing Down TWO Bad GM 5.3's! A Double Feature! Two Similar Engines, Two Different Failures!

Want to see a particular engine torn down? Check out my 50 other teardowns from Cummins to an LS7, and from Rotary to Ram Ecodiesels. Check them out here • Blown Up Engine Tear D...
My name is Eric and I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart located in the Saint Louis MO area. Part of our model is dismantling and selling parts from rare and niche market engines.
If you're interested in buying parts from these engines or the other engines I've torn down, email us at [e-mail].
In this video I tear down TWO Gen4 GM 5.3L V8's. The first is an Iron block LMG from a 2007-2009 Tahoe, Silverado, Yukon, Sierra, Suburban. These are non VVT engines, with DOD/AFM. This engine was clearly not repaired correctly. The second engine is an LS4 which is an aluminum Gen4. The FWD engines never got VVT. This too has DOD/AFM. Two different possible causes for failure!
As always, I hope you enjoyed this video. I appreciate all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism.
Catch you on the next one!
-Eric

[@vamaggs]

I don't know which is sadder, Eric releasing a video on a Saturday night, or me sitting here waiting for it.

[@srobertweiser]

I've thought about this, and I figured that we're probably sadder. At least Eric's making some money.

[@fitfogey]

Yeah we’ve covered this kinda. Like we said getting old is funny. Used to party every Saturday night now I watch Eric’s teardown videos. Actually happier doing this instead of the bar scene that got old quick.

[@Yankee7000]

Nothing sad about it sir. A hobby is something in which to delight!

[@bretthoomana2541]

@@fitfogey I'm forced to agree. Apparently something is wrong with my face, or I'm just a douche or something. I'm too old to recover from drinking AND getting my ass kicked.

[@factorism100]

Neither

[@JamesSterling]

That's quite a nasty "misfire" in that Tahoe! 😁

[@pantygnome]

Sounds about as stock as Cleetus's Murauder.

[@randystegemann9990]

Looks great, sounds terrible. I was half expecting it to blow up.

[@DanielDoub1eDDunn]

"Completely stock" .. yea right ;)

[@willfixthingsfordonuts]

"Misfire" AKA Dumpster fire cam

[@jimbusmaximus4624]

I thought that misfire sounded an awful lot like a cam!

[@fitfogey]

(Engine makes a weird clinky sound turning over) Us all giddy: “POSSIBLE MAX CARNAGE INCOMING!”

[@timb8373]

6:05 Partially-blocked coolant passages are probably due to someone having run Bar's Leak or some other radiator stop leak product.

[@hydrocarbon8272]

Funny how your misfire probably adds 50-100hp and another 1000 rpm to the redline... I'm more a fan of exhaust blockages that make whirling noises, but both are better than no misfire.

[@huntergosz4257]

I think I would be kind of interesting to see a filter cut open and inspected on a engine that had a catastrophic failure.

[@thomasrowell6569]

A+ on dipstick removal you have now reached Zen mastery level

[@ouch1011]

Although I’m definitely on Team OEM parts, one reason why a shop may choose to use aftermarket parts in some cases is parts availability. Even a lot of podunk towns have a NAPA, Carquest, O’Reilley’s, etc , but they may not have a car dealer in town. So, getting OEM parts may be more difficult.

[@pgbpro20]

"Buy Delco" I asked my parts counter guy (work at a dealership) what he would do if he didn't have access to our employee discounts. FWIW, he said he would "just go buy Delco."

[@1stockcam]

Strange one this time. The one that looked significantly cleaner inside was destroyed. The filthy one looked like a usable shortblock. Would be interesting to see the ring gap comparison on those two.. give you an idea on the miles. Oil pump gear comparison was awesome 👏

[@tobiaskarlsson9094]

The filthy one seems to be a usable engine except that some asshat tried to hodge bodge a headgasket on it. Hade the headgasket been properly changed that engine wouldn't be there.

[@aesthetic3616]

@@tobiaskarlsson9094 asshat here and I know how to change a head proper. Devalue my name why don'tya

[@ggeimer]

I find driving a screw driver through an over torqued oil filter to be the most reliable removal tool.

[@winstonsmith313]

I used to do this on old Detroit iron but nowadays they cram so much stuff in the engine bay that you can’t get a clear shot at anything. Back in the day if a screwdriver pounded through the filter started to tear out, I’d just ram another one through at 90 degrees to give me two “handles”.

[@garfield89dude32]

Awesome set of teardowns Eric! I was in St. Louis last Sunday, would've loved to stop by your store but you're not open (don't blame you one bit either, you need some time for yourself!) I know they're boring as hell but would really like to see a teardown on a Ford Duratec 20 2.0L 4 cylinder non turbo sometime. I have two vehicles with that engine and am curious as to how they look inside. Anyway, keep the teardowns coming, you rock!

[@slow_r3188]

That would be a cool tear down

[@cablrus1885]

What is name of the business not seeing it on here anywere or am i just missing it

[@garfield89dude32]

@@cablrus1885 Importpart is the name of his business St. Louis Missouri

[@garfield89dude32]

Importapart, sorry, missed the A

[@cablrus1885]

@@garfield89dude32 thank you. Looking into an s10 build this spring with ls transplant

[@AlwaysBeSmart674]

Please do a 5.7 Hemi I’d love to see one and I’m sure many others would since it’s basically one of the top 3 most popular v8s (Ls, coyote 5.0 & 5.7 Hemi) I’d really like to hear your take on the lifter issues found on I believe 2010 and newer

[@cyrenecai]

I second this. I found the prior 6.1L Hemi teardowns interesting because of how different they were in design to the LS engines, I'm wondering if there's any difference between the 5.7 and those older ones or if it's basically the same engine with a different bore/stroke.

[@chrisspurdle1192]

That's what I'm waiting for as well

[@03mm24]

@@cyrenecai basically the same I own both, only difference is the mds found in the 5.7, the 6.1 and 6.2 hellcat didn't have it. The "hemi tick" however is found in the 5.7 6.1 and 6.4 but not the 6.2 hellcat

[@alext8828]

From a guy that worked on GM motors in the 60s, these engines are light-years ahead of the crap we had to work on. You wouldn't believe it.

[@ekscalybur]

Automatic thumbs up for the "ding, fries are done" reference.

[@alexfooify]

Everything I know about engines I've learned from this channel. Started out barely knowing how an engine actually works and now I still don't, but I know how to (theoretically) find the problem with an engine. Thanks for uploading. Love all of these videos.

[@matthewtucker1519]

More double teardowns please. One engine teardown is awesome but two is even better.

[@edwardschmitt5710]

two. unless you mean "also"

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

Second engine got replaced when volume knob would not go up anymore. :)

[@gusrubio489]

I hereby nominate "single-cheek it" as the expression of the year, it's that good.

[@jackc5293]

There is just something to the sound of cam cap bolts breaking free on an LS that does it for me.

[@wylenmendunezz1921]

9:41 "These are really expensive!" Tosses the part in the trash! Lol

[@beaudupont4028]

Lol with miss fire 😂 sounds nasty. I work on those Tahoe's for the sheriff's department here where I live. Nice to hear one with a cam!

[@geoffreyanderson2285]

"Single cheek it..." gold, totally gold.

[@thomaspaccione7214]

"Right in the oil bucket." Lol, every time!

[@SilasHumphreys]

Interesting to compare! I'd be interested in a teardown of a "recent" (read: mid-90s or later) Volvo engine. The old cast-iron red blocks are unremarkable except for their extreme durability, but the more recent stuff has some design decisions in it that I'd love to hear your take on.

[@christophercasale7961]

You mean the Volvo Whiteblock engine? There are several iterations and it evolves a fair bit from it's P80 origin to the P2

[@SilasHumphreys]

@@christophercasale7961 Whiteblock and the SI6, yeah.

[@volvodoc01]

The K (1989 only!) redblock has entered the chat (the only engine, Volvo or otherwise , that I have catastrophically blown up…. To its credit, it ran minus no.1 rod (sheared at wrist pin and then at crank), and no oil pump for plenty enough time to get up my rather steep driveway.

[@volvodoc01]

I was a Volvo master certified technician for the early 2000’s. The white block is an absolute unit. This was originally made as a diesel, then converted to a gas engine. Extremely reliable engine as long as you did timing belt every 100k miles

[@xluke2416]

Love coming home to this. Keep up the good work! I own a 2015 Silverado, love seeing these apart.

[@agenericaccount3935]

I keep thinking you’ll make a giant welded statue out of all those “save for later” timing chains one day 👀

[@TechGorilla1987]

Each time you tear down one of these engine, I am thankful that I change my full synthetic after 5K without fail.

[@fuyang7104]

“This is very expensive” And jus throws it in the bucket from like ten feet away😂😂😂

[@Hagemann666]

I've been enjoying your teardown videos SO much. You've got a beautiful formula here. You're extremely knowledgeable about IC engines and it comes through in every video. But you're still excellent at breaking things down for the layman. You've got a great sense of humor, you're humble and self-effacing. No whizbang graphics or annoying music. It's wonderful. If I could make one small request: The next time you have an engine with "spun" bearing can you explain exactly what the means, what happens to the bearing and/or crank/cam? What is the usual cause of a spun bearing? Thanks so much for making these informative and entertaining videos!

[@ponycar9116]

I’m sure Eric would say this better, but notice how crank, cam, and rod bearings are stationary and something spins inside of them (crankshafts, camshafts). The bearings are slightly crushed into their spaces in an interference fit, but the spinning items inside them have a very small clearance and that space is where the oil lubricates the bearing/item. Think bearing backside dry, front side wet (with oil). If something bad happens (bearing isn’t crushed enough when built, tolerances are too tight with rotating item when built or running, or oil starvation occurs), the bearing can “catch” more on the spinning object than how it’s locked in and the bearing itself will spin. You see the results of that here.

[@robertwest3093]

I see you remove the cylinder head bolts in a pattern also....NICELY done, especially with aluminum heads.

[@ChumpyChicken2]

Dude! I found this channel just before Christmas!! Love it so much!!

[@ronaldwilliford301]

5.3 engines are great 👍 runners. Mines is in my GXP Pontiac Grand Prix, It runs very good, its fast, runs quietly doesn’t rattle. Has 101 thousand miles. I take good care of the oil nothing but the best and change oil and filter every 3,000 miles, I change transmission fluid every 15,000 thousand miles. Just a Great Super car looks Very cool too!

[@anthonybertone2336]

What a treat, 2 tear downs, Waited all day for this video, Thanks

[@WeekendWrenchTurner]

Thanks for the great videos Eric! Keep it up🍺👍

[@trentdawg2832]

Your engine dismantle videos are soooo satisfying. ...

[@nubbyplaysbass]

Gotta love the pew pew noises of the air impact 🤣

[@garyb5796]

The first one looked like it was overheated a few times before it met its end of life, it looked Cooked Well Done!! Good Show Man!!

[@Dragunov1185]

I see that S54 in the back in the intro! Excited to see you tear that down!

[@MrJeffyb69]

Those 5.3 "front drive" engines/ transmissions would make awesome Pontiac Fiero upgrades :-)

[@drtidrow]

Absolutely, it's been done multiple times. IIRC, the engine/trans combo is only about 50-100lbs more than the original iron-block V6, but over double the hp in stock form, and can be fairly easily modded to ~400hp or so (ie, triple the V6's power) I'm thinking about putting one in my '88 Fiero Formula. :-)

[@killerdoxen]

I was thinking about S10 builds for those. Pull the trans forward to avoid having to clearance the firewall. Or get you more room at the radiator.

[@gregbrenyo6518]

'Ding' "Fries are done" 😆

[@andylockhart3867]

Look forward to this every week thanks

[@syty747]

im 9/10 certain those overtorqued headbolts were felpro replacement. I made the mistake of buying those before and the schmoo they put on there fucks up everything and makes them feel overtorqued because that stuff jams up the threads and twists the bolts. I switched to OEM and learned from my mistake.

[@jeffterrell3325]

Thanks for the two-fer Eric. How about adding some slow-mo of the large scrap items as they crash into the scrap bins? Great channel!!

[@rayshutsa6690]

Thank you Eric for the duo year downs. Enjoyed the video very much. 😀❤🇨🇦

[@jaredkennedy6576]

"That looks pretty good" *Chucks it across the shop into the scrap bin* Lol.

[@joeblow5037]

Great stuff, Eric. Good to livestream with my fellow motoheads :-)

[@rogerweller1266]

Great tear downs, it’s always interesting to see the many different types of failures that can take place inside an engine, and how most people seem to view oil as optional. I don’t know how often you see them, but it would be great to see either a 2.7 or 3.0 Ford Nano V6 apart. I know you did a 3.5 RWD Ecoboost once, but the Nano’s I’m sure are a completely different creature from the Duratec predecessors.

[@edwardschmitt5710]

Not always the owners fault. I found out my "Ecoboost" engine has a GM design flaw that causes it to burn oil the hard way.

[@colchronic]

I got one of those pullers a year ago after seeing it in your older teardown videos. Definitely a really good puller

[@boowiebear]

“Single Cheek It” 🤣🤣🤣

[@Wagonman5900]

Timing tensioner relocation, bearing deletes, and Tahoes with misfires. Did I remember to subscribe?

[@jonwatkins254]

Thank you for the informative videos.

[@mrkrzt]

Love the channel and videos bro!

[@sixhunt]

i enjoy your tear down vids man, they relax me lol. its like mechanical asmr :D

[@alanrlocklear]

A teardown double feature. AWESOME with a capital A! This LS fanboy is satisfied with these teardowns. That Tahoe PPV sounds like a train chugging down a track.

[@uncleTedK]

I bought a 06 Monte SS new in 2006. That car surprised a lot of people.

[@patrickmorrissey2271]

Great job! I like that Tahoe... Nice!

[@nonamesplease6288]

PEW PEW PEW PEW I love the soundtrack to your videos! Cheers!

[@DONTCALLMETHAT]

I have that crank pulley tool and I love it. I did the same thing with that push rod comparison when I first got me kit😂

[@jdeltoro518]

Great job on the monte she looks great. Nice to have friends that help and love to fix cars.

[@dblerman]

For what it's worth, when I did a head/cam swap on my LS1 the GM head bolts had thread sealer from the factory. And they are torqued super tight.

[@r.glenncooper8199]

Excellent video! Love it!

[@TrueCanad1an]

I'm curious in about 10 years when some auto manufactures today are switching to thinner and thinner oil what will turn up in your shop.

[@RussellBooth1977]

I used a fine grade aluminium oxide sandpaper to clean any traces of cylinder head gasket off the engine block & deck of my 5.7 litre Chevrolet LS1 V8 engine to avoid scratching the sealing surfaces in late 2018,3 years & 30,000 kilometres (about 18,000 miles) later it's still going good. Your Chevrolet Tahoe sounds like it has a bigger than stock camshaft in it because it sounds a bit wild !

[@jackmccormick3824]

cant stop staring at the pearly m50 and s54 in the background

[@markae0]

Great side by side comparison

[@lawxx6]

On the second teardown I thaught I was watching you pan for silver until you zoomed in "Nope just metal"🤪🤪😂😂

[@31dknight]

Great teardown.

[@johnburgess4941]

Love these videos... I need More! 👍🏼

[@Nevernotalone]

Just found this channel. Great video

[@tommywatterson5276]

I really like the single cam push rod valve engines. Decades old time tested, simple, less complicated, and they work. These two engines are more " complicated " than the last ones I saw from GM. Oil pans with all the different " compartments " in them, and the cam cover top and not opening up to hydraulic lifters, cam and push rods " in the valley " .

[@roscothefirst4712]

Great work 👍

[@christianibarra9438]

Good vids 👌 I'm waiting for a 4.6l 2v teardown!

[@Dis-Emboweled]

Dang! The Taho sounds like its missin' 5 of 8 of them cylinders!

[@parent49]

Those headbolts are actually aftermarket head bolts, the felpro headbolts for those engines come with loctite like that.

[@allenbeaulieu7077]

Eric, great video buddy. A pair of Knick knacks. Too bad. Spun bearing makes a real mess. First one wasn’t bad at all. Like you said, a lot of good parts. Really enjoyed seeing a pair get torn down. Be well. Big Al.

[@andyrogers1644]

That was entertaining. I appreciate your humor, sarcasm, as well as the instructional aspect of the teardowns....fun to watch. Hey, really like the sound of your "cam'd up" Tahoe! blahaha....lmao.

[@KECOG]

That second engine, I'd say, they drove it "til the wheels fell off". While we haven't driven ours quite that far, we have had some of our cars until the end of their usefulness.

[@scottkissinger5763]

That misfire sounds right in tune sounds good always enjoy the videos

[@w41duvernay]

thanks for finally doing an LS4.

[@wilhelmschimko9]

good video, educational and entertaining !!

[@jdenoncourt243]

Had a 2008 Impala SS with the LS4 in it.. Never a drop on the ground but definitely had to keep adding oil between changes. Took it to the stealership while under warranty for a consumption test and was deemed to be normal. Could very well have ended up like the one in this video with just a little bit of neglect! Great Video!!

[@chrismeyer8288]

The buildup in the coolant passages is from when dexcool gets really old and sits and then goes through a ton of heat cycles, my lumina with a 3800 s2 had that problem when I did head gaskets on it

[@carbontetlabs8606]

24:20 Never let anyone tell you you need a new fluid catcher pan... that's a perfect fit. Prop both of those up on the engine stand and between those pans and your towels you can do whatever you want to a "drained" core

[@radiogareth]

The 4l60 out of a 90's Camaro with a 60 degree V6 will bolt up to the short FWD LS. Some even had removable bell housings so you could swap a 'normal' 4L60 onto it. Cheap HP, just a bit of engine mount fab to mess with. Same with a Northstar, but they need an extra boss welding onto the housing and a bit at the top removing.

[@EricWillis77]

Cool video and I learned a thing or two.

[@bassiclymike]

Very informative teardowns as usual. I'd like to see a Ford SOHC 4.0L V-6 teardown someday. Between the Rangers, Explorers and Mustangs, there has to be lots of them out there. I have 2 Explorers ('01, '02, both 2-door) that have so far avoided major repairs and would love to see more about how these engines are put together and operate, especially the timing chain design.

[@permutatechguy]

I lol forward to every one of these!

[@dominator1276channel]

I own a 2004 2nd gen Durango that has a 4.7 in it. If you ever get one in shop and do a teardown I'd love to see it. Much love and keep up the content I love it.

[@Ray-xq5rs]

Picked up a pair 243’s from you last week, didn’t even realize it was you or your place. Only seen a video or two before then

[@Spudchucker92]

I reckon that Tahoe PPV motor will be making an appearance sooner or later. She sounds ill to put it mildly.

[@rdsledge]

Dang right! On over heated engines;Send the heads to Machine shop out to be inspected and reconditioned completely! Send the radiator out to be inspected and completely reconditioned. Back in the day 70’s 80’s that’s what I did, as a service advisor. If the customer thought it could be done cheeper they could take it somewhere else. I didn’t have come backs for over heated engines! I would do half a$$ repairs!

[@johnjunge6989]

Always look forward to finding out the difference between FWD and RWD parts!

[@austincjett]

Thank you. A pair of LS engines and they were already half naked.

[@loganamurray64]

You mentioned loctite on the head bolts but the LSA actually has loctite on the head bolts from factory

[@sargepent9815]

Not too bad. See this all day everyday. Seen cranks with bearing spun so bad that the bearings are practically welded to the journal. Yes, the cranks can be saved (we save them to .040 rod/main, but not more than that. Seen some that look like a hand grenade went off in it, and as long as there's not a hole in the block we can save it. If course, it helps having machine shop equipment in-house. A smaller operation would he wasting their time trying to save cranks/cams/blocks/heads that require alot of time. Entertaining to watch since I usually only deal with engines from "the big three".

[@bighands675]

New subscriber! Keep up great work on channel

[@tsbeech]

Great video!

[@josephschulte1073]

I know they're not that common and are pretty durable, but I'd love to see you tear down a 8.1L GM Vortec.

[@mattcat231]

Love the sound of your "cough, cough" stock Tahoe.....

[@jeffreykielwasser3637]

The only thing stock is the body😁😁

[@williamfreelove7755]

I'd love to see you do a tear down on a 2014 chevrolet spark 1.2 liter 4 cylinder