So I've been asked a lot about different year ls engines and wanted to make a video to try to help some. If i am wrong let me know. But this is the big difference in the rods.
Proper tune keeps them alive, leave timing out at peak torque to keep the peak cylinder pressure down. Save you from putting an inspection window in your block 😎 2007 first year for DOD/AFM with 2011 being the year of VVT. Also Gen IV pistons are floating wrist pin vs pressed on Gen III.
They had afm/dod before 2007. I have an l33 block in my shop now I'm rebuilding. It's an 05-06 block from a silverado and has it. It was hit and miss for a few years, 07 was the first year it was pretty well all across the board.
LQ9 all have gen4 style rods, that was the original starting place for them. Then 2005 started gen4 rods in 5.3 and 6.0, it was hit or miss for awhile like he said.
I have an 05' 6.0 and it came with the dimpled rods and skirted pistons. Also had the same size bolts for the heads. First time I've torn one apart and found that and thought it was a rebuild at first but its a virgin block and some engine groups told me it started happening in 05'. I was going to do a rotating assembly in it for boost but now I think im gonna keep it and just change out springs in the heads and the change out the cam. Cheap reliable...ish turbo build with good ring gap and factory 9.4 to 1 with 317 heads.
That's actually what I'm doing right now. Just rebuild a late gen 3 block with those rods. We are going to use cheap headstuds and throw a bunch of boost to it
Good video, thanks! I am finding that 2004 is the transition year. The rods are typically 32-36 grams heavier in the gen 4. So you would want to be sure and use a gen 4 crank & pistons yo keep it balanced. I am building a hot rod, so thinking that I may just upgrade my gen 3 block to a gen 4 with the gray sensor in the back and 2004 wiring harness & computer. Interested in your opinion.
Hmm... So I have a 5.3 out of a 2003 GMC 1500 Van. And it has the Gen 4 Dimpled Rods. But it has the mixed sized head bolts. And last week I inherited a 2000 5.3 out of a Chevy Silverado 1500 with Gen 4 rods (Dimpled) that had all the longer head bolts. Both engines had NO VVT, AFM or DOD. And both had the 24x reloctor wheels. And I know for sure the 2000 Chevy Silverado was all OEM GM,Because a family member owned the truck since it was new. And we have the PCM and Vin that says it was manufactured in May or 2000. Which make a lot of people scratch there heads. Ive been told (By a Retired GM Employee that worked at the Tonawanda, York engine plant) that they got the Gen 4 rods long before the Flint, Mi engine plant did. Because they made 3 times as many of the 5.3's than Flint, And the St. Catharines,Ontario Plants did combined. I can't say for sure this is a fact, But it would make sense if thats what happened back in that period of GM and all of there wisdom.
Truthfully that one has me puzzled. I've never seen that but gm does alot of weird stuff. I've never found a 2000 with those rods but it's definitely possible with gm. But generally the 2000s didn't have them.
Look for 10mm versus 13mm on valley cover and exhaust manifold bolts. 13mm will be gen 3.5 engines with gen 4 rods is my understanding. Ive cracked open ones to discover this too. I ask guys before i buy engines to measure the exhaust and valley cover bolts.
@@tristenoberlender9685 those gen 3.5....blocks also have the gen 4 head bolts if i remember correctly. Those all same length. Maybe even the wider cam bearings too.
Hey I had question I had a bad crank shaft on my 5.3 I was wondering if I can use a gen 3 5.3 crank shaft I have sitting around I just gotta take my reluctor wheel off my gen 4 and replace it on the gen 3 then bolt it back up
i had a 2004 silverado with a 5.3 with the crank sensor behind the starter the heads all had short head bolts mls gaskets 706 heads but get this it has the beefy dimple rods but the wrist pin is pressed into the rod and the piston floats.when i tore it apart just to check it out, now mind you the previous owner told me it had 300k on the clock and that it had seen half of that working hard hauling fire and the like.anyway i found nothing but some of the piston skirt coating worn away. that being said can these rods be bushed for floating pins in your opinion i want to replace these with new flat-top service replacements that are ceracoated.
Truthfully idk if I've ever seen that. If it has the correct piston and rod I'd just reuse them. The engine I put together had 250k on it and it has been running really well
Truthfully I mark them how they came out and alway put them back in the way. There is a chamfer on them just hard to tell. I have to use my book somtimes.
@@BOURBONANDBOOST I would really appreciate it man. I’m in the middle of rebuilding a LMG and I marked them per cylinder but I can’t remember which direction they went. And there’s not much of a chamfer at all.
Proper tune keeps them alive, leave timing out at peak torque to keep the peak cylinder pressure down. Save you from putting an inspection window in your block 😎
2007 first year for DOD/AFM with 2011 being the year of VVT.
Also Gen IV pistons are floating wrist pin vs pressed on Gen III.
They had afm/dod before 2007. I have an l33 block in my shop now I'm rebuilding. It's an 05-06 block from a silverado and has it. It was hit and miss for a few years, 07 was the first year it was pretty well all across the board.
Thanks for the clarification. Just bussed my 2004 LQ9 open and it has gen 4 rods! Happy about that.
LQ9 all have gen4 style rods, that was the original starting place for them. Then 2005 started gen4 rods in 5.3 and 6.0, it was hit or miss for awhile like he said.
@@BDauto86 Thanks for the info!
@@BDauto86wait gen 4 rods in a lq9? I pulled my engine from a 03 cadillac escalade does it have gen 4 rods?
@@truthisweareallgonnadie. Yes, the correct term is floating pin rods, everyone refers to as gen4. The gen3 have pressed in wrist pins.
@@BDauto86 my LQ9 has flat top pistons with pressed in wrist pins so I have the gen 3 rods.
I have a LS3 rotating assembly and it still has hypereutectic (cast) pistons. Maybe LS7/LS9 are forged but I think even LSA are hypereutectic.
I have an 05' 6.0 and it came with the dimpled rods and skirted pistons. Also had the same size bolts for the heads. First time I've torn one apart and found that and thought it was a rebuild at first but its a virgin block and some engine groups told me it started happening in 05'. I was going to do a rotating assembly in it for boost but now I think im gonna keep it and just change out springs in the heads and the change out the cam. Cheap reliable...ish turbo build with good ring gap and factory 9.4 to 1 with 317 heads.
That's actually what I'm doing right now. Just rebuild a late gen 3 block with those rods. We are going to use cheap headstuds and throw a bunch of boost to it
5.3 out of 04 avalanche has gen3 headbolts, 24 tooth crank with gen4 rods
I've searched everywhere for this answer!! Are you 100% sure ? Please let me know I'm going to buy one in the morning lol!
I also read that the gen 4 rods came in the second half of the year (2004). The one I'll be getting was manufactured in 4/04.
Gen 4 rod. But they are press fit pistons, not floating. Chevrolet was in the change over period in 04-05
@@scotthall1215 thank you so much!!God bless 👏
Good video, thanks! I am finding that 2004 is the transition year. The rods are typically 32-36 grams heavier in the gen 4. So you would want to be sure and use a gen 4 crank & pistons yo keep it balanced. I am building a hot rod, so thinking that I may just upgrade my gen 3 block to a gen 4 with the gray sensor in the back and 2004 wiring harness & computer. Interested in your opinion.
Great video 👍
Hmm... So I have a 5.3 out of a 2003 GMC 1500 Van. And it has the Gen 4 Dimpled Rods. But it has the mixed sized head bolts. And last week I inherited a 2000 5.3 out of a Chevy Silverado 1500 with Gen 4 rods (Dimpled) that had all the longer head bolts. Both engines had NO VVT, AFM or DOD. And both had the 24x reloctor wheels. And I know for sure the 2000 Chevy Silverado was all OEM GM,Because a family member owned the truck since it was new. And we have the PCM and Vin that says it was manufactured in May or 2000. Which make a lot of people scratch there heads. Ive been told (By a Retired GM Employee that worked at the Tonawanda, York engine plant) that they got the Gen 4 rods long before the Flint, Mi engine plant did. Because they made 3 times as many of the 5.3's than Flint, And the St. Catharines,Ontario Plants did combined. I can't say for sure this is a fact, But it would make sense if thats what happened back in that period of GM and all of there wisdom.
Truthfully that one has me puzzled. I've never seen that but gm does alot of weird stuff. I've never found a 2000 with those rods but it's definitely possible with gm. But generally the 2000s didn't have them.
Look for 10mm versus 13mm on valley cover and exhaust manifold bolts. 13mm will be gen 3.5 engines with gen 4 rods is my understanding. Ive cracked open ones to discover this too. I ask guys before i buy engines to measure the exhaust and valley cover bolts.
Gen 3.5?
@@tristenoberlender9685 the gen 3s that have floating piston pins and gen 4 rods
I call them gen 3.5s.
Get it?
@@tristenoberlender9685 those gen 3.5....blocks also have the gen 4 head bolts if i remember correctly. Those all same length. Maybe even the wider cam bearings too.
Good video
Hey I had question I had a bad crank shaft on my 5.3 I was wondering if I can use a gen 3 5.3 crank shaft I have sitting around I just gotta take my reluctor wheel off my gen 4 and replace it on the gen 3 then bolt it back up
That's should work yes
You was just at my job🤩
Yes I was. Thank u for subscribing
I was told all gen 4 rods are the same is this true? What about a Gen 4 rod that came from a 24x crank vs one that came from a 58x crank?
24 or 58 the rod is still the same.
i had a 2004 silverado with a 5.3 with the crank sensor behind the starter the heads all had short head bolts mls gaskets 706 heads but get this it has the beefy dimple rods but the wrist pin is pressed into the rod and the piston floats.when i tore it apart just to check it out, now mind you the previous owner told me it had 300k on the clock and that it had seen half of that working hard hauling fire and the like.anyway i found nothing but some of the piston skirt coating worn away. that being said can these rods be bushed for floating pins in your opinion i want to replace these with new flat-top service replacements that are ceracoated.
Truthfully idk if I've ever seen that. If it has the correct piston and rod I'd just reuse them. The engine I put together had 250k on it and it has been running really well
I built a spaceship using a 300000 mile gen 3 5.3 ls. It took Japan and India to the moon and back twice. They are indestructible
Are those gen4 rods compatible with gen3 crank also is the wrist pin floating
Yes on both your questions
I need to replace the rod bolts in my gen 4 rods. Does anyone know what hex size the gen4 rod bolts are? Or did they use gen 3 bolts in gen 4 rods?
It is a different bolt and ur best bet is to buy arp and have rods checked at machine shop
Which way do you install the gen 4 style rods? They don’t have much of a chamfer on either side
Truthfully I mark them how they came out and alway put them back in the way. There is a chamfer on them just hard to tell. I have to use my book somtimes.
@@BOURBONANDBOOST I’ve been seeing the dot goes forward in all or backward on all. And some say it doesn’t matter at all. Very confusing
@Mitchell Unger let me get with u tomorrow and I'll let u know. I have a engine outside together from the factory and I will check for u
@@BOURBONANDBOOST I would really appreciate it man. I’m in the middle of rebuilding a LMG and I marked them per cylinder but I can’t remember which direction they went. And there’s not much of a chamfer at all.
@@BOURBONANDBOOSTwhat book?
Hey man I need help. I got a 86 monte ls 4.3l tbi that won't start. It cranks its getting fuel and spark but still won't start.
Check to make sure its in time would be what I would check next
@@BOURBONANDBOOST thank you I'll check that tonight
If the 4 rods are thicker on the big end it wont fit on a 5.3 crank with gen 3 rods. Too wide.
🦾🙏🏽