BEZ06

Well.....it finally happened to my Z06 engine!!

In the 1st picture above there's oil all in the left front wheel and all down the left side of the car. In the 2nd picture - well you can see the whole rear end is well oiled!!

2006 with about 47,500 miles - a lot of it on the track. Completely stock except for a Killer Bee intake and a tune. Tune has been on the car for 35,000 miles and all previous track time.

I didn't have my data logger or video going, but in the video below from an event at Daytona a few years ago in the same car, you can see right where she blew - it was right about the 1:16 point in that video, which is up on the high banked tri-oval on NASCAR Turn 1/2.

I had just shifted into 4th and had the hammer down going through about 140 mph when KABOOM!!!!!

Smoke was coming out from under the hood, but everything remained under control, and I braked kind of easy and took it down onto the apron, brought it to a stop, bailed out and ran across the grass to the barrier on the inside of the track. I knew what had happened, but there was so much smoke I wasn't sure that it wasn't on fire - but it wasn't.

The fire/rescue guys were right there, and very shortly a rollback showed up and hauled it back to the garage. When they rolled it off the rollback I got a nice souvenir - a chunk of my block was lying on the rollback. I'll take a picture tomorrow and post it up.

It looks like it blew out by cylinder #1. I don't know for sure yet, but I imagine a valve stem busted, the valve dropped down, the piston hit it, and the connecting rod or some internal part went blowing through the side of the block.

It was only about the 3rd lap of the 2nd session. I was scheduled for 4 sessions today and 4 tomorrow, and I was looking at the whole weekend ruined.

However, I went to the club event registrar and asked if I could bring my "backup" car. They were very nice, so I ran home (about 10 miles from the track) and got my ZR1 fired up and drove back to the track. They very graciously teched it, and I made the last 2 sessions in the ZR1.

I was running the ZR1 on the stock PS2 runflats, but it still did a fantastic job. I've been running ZR1 wheels with Pilot Sport Cups on the Z06, so I'll swap them onto the ZR1 tomorrow.

You can see in that video below that I usually do about 160 plus a couple into the brake zone for the chicane on the back straight, and 170-175 across the S/F line in the Z06, but even taking it easy on street tires in the ZR1 I was doing 166 into the chicane, and 178-180 across the S/F - WOW!!

So....any ideas for a new LS7 for the Z06??

Bob

CHJ In Virginia

That really sucks !! Glad that you got through it safely - with that much oil loss, it could have gotten hairy very quickly ----

Brandon619

Oh man! Post up your findings when you remove the heads, if you are going to do that of course.

tim414

Sorry to hear Bob. Are you planning to put it back together?

Charley Hoyt

Sorry to hear about this Bob.... But, I am glad to hear that you are alright. It could have been a lit worse.

3LZZ06

You might want to just use your ZR1 for track duty and get another street car....maybe another ZR1.

Sorry for your loss, but I'm not surprised at this point with the LS7's popping like popcorn.

Very happy you weren't hurt.

Minkster

Is your car completely stock, i.e. original 8 qt oil tank? If so, you're a prime candidate for oil starvation as you were in a sustained left hand turn for more than 20 secs coming out of the infield. Same thing happened to my '06 and it was the 3/4 journal that burned and threw both rods. Heads/valves were fine, no problems. Let us know. Sorry for the blown engine...

froggy47

Sorry she blew, I bet that baby was strong right up until she went.

Glad you are ok & it wasn't worse.

Crazy idea, can you put the new LT1 in it?

Good post, thanks for sharing & again glad you are OK!

You are living the life, may as well blow at Daytona.

SSMOKE

Sorry about your motor. Blown motors are waaaay to common with these cars. IMO It is UNACCEPTABLE yet, we all have to just accept it. (I spent $4K on heads and a cam.) Lucky for you, your back up is a ZR1.

Not to hi-jack but, I grew up and lived in Daytona until a few months after I graduated college and have been in Hawaii ever since. (19 years) If I had a bucket list, the only thing on it would be to drive my Z06 on those 31 degree high banks. I grew up right down the road and have envied NASCAR superstars since elementary school. (I do make it back every year for the DAYTONA 500.)

Good luck with whatever you decide to do and NICE driving BTW.

dvandentop

sorry for the loss bob sucks to blow a motor for sure i went through it last year, plan on around 10k-12k depending on what is salvageable or what you can find for parts.

68sixspeed

Sorry to see your troubles, but glad you got it stopped safely, that could have gone a lot worse with it oiling everything down at 140 ind the tri oval!

Any idea how many track miles on it? Just curious, I'm down to 1 yr left on my ext warrantee then I'm thinking I'd better pull those heads on my car. -Dan

SouthernSon

I sure hate that for you, Bob. A.R.E. has a device that removes the aeration from the oil in the dry sump systems called Spintric, I think. The dry sumps have a bad tendency to aerate the oil. This system removes it, or most of it, so that the engines have good oil film. You might check it out.

Here you go:

http://www.spintric.com

ltdodge

that sucks Bob, glad you are ok though....anything you need give me a call. your wife can make some more cake if she wants...

StKnoWhere

Ouch!

Very scary, glad you aren OK but very sorry for your car.

Have fun with the rebuild.

MTIRC6Z

Well the stock LS7 seems to have served you pretty damn well, maybe just get another one but upgrade the oiling system...full ARE tank/oil pan along with the MTI track system...tap into the side of the block and use the Canton inline filter system.

Cheers, Paul.

RapidC84B

Well that sure sucks... the LS7's issues really makes me second-guess shopping used C6 Z06s. Annoying to buy a $40k car only to have to open up the engine for preventative modding. Let us know if you ever upgraded the oil tank as asked above. Curious if it was oil starvation on the banking or a valve issue? Given all your previous track time a valve probably finally went.

JDIllon

Bob, glad you are OK!! Sorry about the engine, but it has served you well. JD

Mr. Gizmo

It has served you well - with a lot of track miles.

OP - I would imagine your Zr1 on the same track is probably running 800-1200 rpm less on average around the track then your z06.

Interesting to see stats on percentage of Zr1's of all made "compared" to percentage of Z06's of all made that have this many track miles? - Who knows, if his Zr1 did the same miles and had the same amount of track duty as the Z06, the end result might have been the same.

Common sense might dictate that the OP would be better off financially and in track reliability building an LS7 with brodix heads then taking taking his zr1 with stock internals to the same level of track duty his z06 saw.

oversteer

Sorry to hear about your alloy and titanium loss!

Same question as posted above - was your '06 oiling system still totally stock? Also, what brand and weight of oil were you using?

Paul Schmidt

I would go with a brand new crate LS3 and cut that cost in half. I know it's a ZO6 and it should have an LS7..... I know, but the cost and how we use our cars. The LS3 is the best bang for the buck. My opinion of course.