So I've been swapping in an LS2 for a winter project. It's all in, go to start it and no oil pressure. Found out I had the wrong o0ring on the pump, so I fixed that. Now it has around 30 psi at idle, but the valvetrain is noisy as can be. I can hear it in the exhaust it's that bad. I Have LS7 lifters in it and .040 head gaskets, so I switched from the 7.4's to 7.3's. Start it up after swapping those and still just as noisy, doesn't want to run (it is about 4* here right now so I understand the stubborn part). I made sure a million tiems over that the timing marks were lined up when I put it together and I'm running the TSp Torquer 2 cam. I'm out of ideas and ready to ship this motor and my fist right through the face of the guy I bought it from. Please help me!

 

Did you soak those lufters in oil overnight prior to installing? How much run time does it have. Maybe it just needs to run to get lifters pumped up

 

It's been ran up to full temperature, which is about 5 minutes or so.

 

Who installed the oil pump?

Too much preload will be just as noisy as too little. Measure your pushrods correctly. LS7 lifters like approx. 7.350" pushrods(stock heads, gaskets, reduced base circle cam), then subtract .010" for the head gaskets and we're at 7.340". That doesn't mean order a set of 7.340"s, it's just to show you that your 7.300"s are likely way too short.

 

I installed the oil pump, I didn't center it like I've been reading about now, but it's got pressure almost as soon as the first piston fires. I'm going to order a pushrod checker tomorrow and get this problem solved first, but it sounds like the lifters aren't pumping up at all. I also found out my cam needs to be installed on 110 and it's ground on a 112. I installed the makrs straight up, so does this mean I need to install the crank gear at -2?

 

I say it is the pushrod length. Are you running stock rockers? Was anything changed in the valvetrain? Cam, rockers, valve job, valves etc.

 

I'm still running the stock rockers, the springs are the PAC 1218's, which is cutting it close being they max out at .600 and the cam is .595/.598 lift. I have 243's, so they have the hollow valves and I read a few places that it's not worth the weight of the double springs, due to the valves being light.

 

Where you at in Wisconsin? Im in Kenosha. shoot me a PM if your close

 

Just because you have 243's doesn't mean you have the hollow stem valves. The ls2 version and the newer truck versions have the same size valves as they did on the ls6, but they have the standard valves where the LS6 was the only production engine that had the hollow stem valves in 243's.

 

I'm in fort atkinson, so a little over an hour from you.