Junkyard LS

[dagnabbitt]

There is a junkyard near me which is going under, they are holding an online auction for their stuff and there are a hundred LS engines to choose from. What should I look for, what should I stay away from?

[mongocanfly]

Do they know the condition and mileage of these engines?
If not I'd buy with caution...
If they're dbw ,make sure they have all the pedal assembly and wiring
I'd personally stay away from the dod/afm stuff..
Might want to use a bore scope if possible and look in the cylinders

[dagnabbitt]

It is/was a reputable business, but as it is a close-out auction they just list the vehicle it came out of and the mileage, ie. below

Knowing what year and what vehicle the engines come from would be helpful, I guess, in determining if it was DBW etc.


2005 CHEV LS 5.3 LITRE ENGINE
w/ 187,000 KMS. TESTED & RUNNING WHEN IT WAS PULLED.

All Lots are Sold As Is, Where Is. Note All Parts are Used (Unless otherwise Noted), Condition is Unknown & there are No Guarantees. All Items Available for Inspection. If you choose to bid without having made your own inspection, be aware that all sales are final.

[Accelo]

The 5.3 and the 4.8 look the same from the outside. It the motors are in the truck you can check the Vin for the motor displacement. Otherwise you have to look at the top of the pistons. The 5.3L's have a dished piston, 4.8's are flat. That way GM could use the same cc heads on both motors. The 6.0L is cast into the block. Watch for Escalades and the like for the big motors. Also more likely to have DOD installed. This can be deleted. If the motor has a drive by cable it is likely from the early 1999 and the early 2000. More likely to have high mileage. Learn the what the different generation ECM's look like. This will get you to the General year and motor series.
Happy hunting.

[dagnabbitt]

The engines listed for sale are removed already, so I would have to find pedal linkage and such separately.

I'll just share the auction link, below, if anyone is interested. Hopefully I don't end up bidding against a member.

Given the info provided maybe someone could tell me which one they would buy if they had the chance. Lots of transmissions and diffs, too, of course.

https://allenbolson.nextlot.com/publ...es/102734/lots

[LS short box]

I wouldn't worry about the DBW stuff. You can always convert to DBC. It would be nice to know the engine year so you tell if you have a 24 tooth crank or 58 tooth crank.

[Joyridin]

Depending on the price, I would try to buy about 2-3 of them all fro the same generation (3 or 4). Gives you a lot of options should one of them be in poor condition.

There was a yard near me that had an auction also. Complete engines were going for $50 in some cases, but you had to take them that day. That limited a lot of people from bidding.