The General Motors world wide use of the  LS engine family is an engine design intended as the only V-8 engine used in line of rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks, Significant use of the LS series can also be found in the Aussie production Commodore series.

The LS series was a "clean sheet" design with little in common in terms of shared parts with the classic Chevrolet Small Block V8.  The basic layout owes a good deal to the essential concept of Ed Cole's original small-block design of 1954-55, though the LS engine also uses design cues from Buick, Pontiac & Oldsmobile engines. Some LS engines are All Aluminimum  especially the performance oriented engines as found in various Corvettes, while others are cast Iron and all LS engines have six-bolt main bearing caps.

The LS engine has been the sole powerplant of the Chevrolet Corvette from 1997-2013 and has seen use in a wide variety of other General Motors vehicles, ranging from sports coupes to full size pickup trucks, the Australian built Pontiac GTO & G8's, utes and HSV's.

• 1 Generation III (1997–2007)
  • 1.1 3.898 in bore blocks (1997–2005)
    • 1.1.1 5.7 L
  • 1.2 3.78 in bore blocks (1999–2007)
    • 1.2.1 4.8L
    • 1.2.2 5.3 L
  • 1.3 4.00 in bore blocks (1999–2007)
    • 1.3.1 6.0 L
• 2 Generation IV (2005–current)
  • 2.1 4.00 in bore blocks (2005–present)
    • 2.1.1 6.0 L
  • 2.2 3.78 in bore blocks (2005–present)
    • 2.2.1 4.8 L
    • 2.2.2 5.3 L
  • 2.3 4.125 in bore blocks (2006–present)
    • 2.3.1 7.0 L
  • 2.4 4.06 in bore blocks (2007–present)
    • 2.4.1 6.2 L

Problems...

    In the early production run of the LS-series engine, some engines encountered 'piston slap' during the first couple minutes after a cold engine start - this sound is caused by the very efficient, light weight, short skirt pistons rocking slightly in the cylinder until they reach operating temperature/size. 'Piston slap' sometimes sounds more like a knock or the sound of a diesel engine running. It is typically only present when the engine is cold and disappears as the engine reaches operationg temperature. The noise of 'piston slap' often is louder when listening for it below the sump.

     Another common problem with the 2001-2006 5.3L engines was cracking cylinder heads. This is commonly called the 'Castech Head' failure on the internet. GM issued a TSB on this failure to help service techs identify the problem. The head casting (which can be viewed from the passenger side of the vehicle just in front of the valve cover) was 706. Some heads with this casting number would fail, but not all of them as GM had different suppliers for the same head. The failure was due to undetected porosity around the oil drains in the head.