Hi Scotty
What r ur thoughts about the supercharged LT4 Engine, the pros and cons
Thanks
Adding our Performance specialist @Mod_Man also, are you asking in the context of a crate engine or a specific vehicle application (C7 Z06, Camaro ZL1, Cadillac CTS-V, and even the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing)?
Basiclly ct5 blackwing
See below regarding the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing since that is the vehicle you are asking about:
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/ct5-v-blackwing/#post-102023
As far as the LT4 engine goes, I know there were overheating issues in the C7 Z06 but that was from lack of airflow and heat exchangers, but in the Camaro ZL1 that was not really an issue. And this all assumes you go tracking with the vehicle; on the street, it’s really not an issue. I am not sure how many heat exchangers the Cadillac Blackwing has and if the front fascia allows for enough air to cool the heat exchangers - time will tell.
Also, the LT4 application is wet sump and I know in the Camaro ZL1 (2017 and 2018 model years), the oil pump within the engine would fail (usually within the first 5,000 miles but some happened beyond that, so anyone’s guess) and GM supposedly fixed it for 2019 model years and newer - jury is out of the truly fixed it. Katech claims the weak point in the oil pump was still not addressed, which would be typical GM - but I am going to day the jury is out on how long those oil pumps last. There was also talk (also from Katech) that some of the LT4 engines had valve guide wear (similar to what C6 Z06 corvettes encountered) but it has not really been reported by the Camaro ZL1 or C7 Z06 enthusiasts on their forums (so time will tell).
The engine does have the cylinder deactivation hardware, but is disabled (via software) if you get the manual transmission. I haven’t heard much failures due to the cylinder deactivation at least in manual transmission applications. There have been instances of damages valve springs (bad lot?).
The LT4 has been in use since model year 2015 Corvettes and I think for the most part they seem to be holding up. But the rest of the car I would be concerned about with GM electronics usually not holding up over time.
I apperciate {blackemo}:flowers:
The LT4 has been a decent motor, with some exceptions early on and here or there.
I'm personally not a fan of the Blackwing. The price is just absolutely stupid and you can get many cars a lot cheaper that are a better purchase in my opinion.
As @DayWalker said, your issues are likely to be more electronics-related than drivetrain. Especially on a Cadillac.
Many thanks bro
You're always welcome my friend.