NVNO1

I owned an 06 Z06 back in 07 and had it for four years and had no problems and I put about 10k miles on it.
I'm looking to buy an 09 Z06 this weekend with only 1300 original miles on it. I have to say I'm a bit nervous however due to all the talk about dropping valves. Car is 100% stock. I've been reading up on the subject, but am going crazy because there is so much discussion and so many different opinions on this matter. So I basically have just a couple of simple questions.
1. I've read that the exact cause of the valves dropping is unknown and that having the heads replaced with new heads or reworking the original heads may or may not fix the issue for sure. This makes me nervous to buy the car and then spend the money to say have the head redone and then still suffer a dropped valve.
2. If the cause is for sure figured out and it's for sure the heads which can be fixed then I'm really not to worried about it. I'll just fork over the extra cash to have them done. I'm just nervous about spending the extra money on heads and still have a car I'm worried about or worse yet fix the heads that really isn't the cause.
I loved my 06 Z06 and I'm really pumped about getting the 09. Sold my 996tt turbo to get the Z I'm a spirited driver, but I don't beat on my cars. I just want a Z06 I have confidence in and can drive and enjoy.
Hopefully American Heritage or WCCH can chime in and give some reassurance. Thanks for any feedback! By the way I have a 2002 C5Z now

American Heritage

Hello,

Our reworked heads fix the issue and do not need to be redone any time soon. The most miles we have on a set of our Package 4 heads is 47,000 miles. We checked the clearances at 45,000 miles and have no measurable wear. Due to this fact we know our heads are good for at least 45,000 miles. We are sure they are good for close to 100,000 miles but wont have the data to prove it till we get more miles on our heads.
Give us a call we would be glad to explain thing in more detail and or answer any additional questions you might have.
310-326-2399
http://www.americanheritageperformance.com/

MTPZ06

It's not that big of a deal since you already are aware...and seem to know who the vendors are to take care of it in your general vicinity. Get the car, spend a couple grand, and drive it!!


OP...here you go, the reassurance you needed.

Dirty Howie

Do you have a warranty or can you get one ?
If not you need to to the heads.
Can you share how much the car is? PM is good.


DH

RegnaR

You could just get them checked if out of spec get the heads worked if not you can have them checked again in another 10-20k miles.

telly444

heads and cam right away. lol add 5g to the price unless your gonna DYI

agentf1

I just spoke to my mechanic that works at one of the best Chevy dealers in the area (I know, that is an oxymoron) that does a lot of Corvette work. He said he has done 3 or 4 of them all with over 25000 miles on them and every one of them was noisy when you start them up cold and that they "usually" make a lot of noise when they have wear.

Based on how I drive my car (charmed life) and the low miles he did not even recommend I do the wiggle test yet.

He also stated that they replace them with the Chevrolet Performance Heads which come fully assembled and they have Stainless Steel Valves in them. I briefly searched the web for them under GM Performance Parts for com and all I could find was the heads with sodium filled valves but I suspect they are available from the parts department.

There are also a bunch of good tuners that will replace them with SS valves which sounds like it is the fix. Not sure what area you are in but if it is not making any noise and you are aware of the cars history I would not worry too much about it.

I suspect the issue is blown way out of proportion on the forums which usually tends to be the case with these types of things. At least I HOPE that is the case.

I would say buy the Z and if it worries you that much either do the wiggle test or get the heads fixed. I am pretty sure most people charge around $2000 for the basic fix. More if you want to go crazy with the heads. JMHO

RobsVette04

False. Head work only is ~$2k. I don't see a cam running $3k on top of that.

camirocz

Its been known since 2006 that you have the problem solved once the heads get done.

VetteVinnie

Honestly, I'd sooner spend $2000 for better cylinder heads than I would on an extended warranty and risk shop nightmares with replacing a blown engine.

Bill Dearborn

Your worst problem is the 1300 miles. If the car had 10x that many miles you would be better off since a lot of infant mortality problems (if any exist) would have been fixed. You are essentially buying a new car without a warranty. The B2B warranty covers a hell of a lot of issues that aren't in the powertrain. There is a reason why new cars come with a warranty. What you pay for the car should reflect that reality.

The head issue is further down the road and you can plan for it.

Bill

AzDave47

The first highlight is not true because the second one is not true. The performance heads are the stock heads fully assembled with all factory parts including Ti intake and sodium cooled exhaust valves.

There have been head failures in less than 1000 miles and some intact at 150K miles. I would not run the LS7 without warranty (mine is still under GMPP) or without having a reputable shop do the heads. I would not worry about the heads if they had been properly redone, but if tracked or run frequently to 7K RPM I'd have them wiggle checked at 12K miles and checked further depending on the results. My engine is currently intact and strong after 40K miles (an '09).

jdm.recon

OP, I feel your pain. I recently bought an 07 with 30k on it. I plan to get some rebuilt heads from AH in the near future when I set aside some cash more mods as well. I'll get it all done in one shot.

However, I was going crazy reading this forum and was paranoid driving my car. I decided to not worry about it. Drive my low mileage car however the hell I want and if it blows up, it blows up.
In my mind the number of dropped valves compared to the number of Z06s on the road is a small, small percentage. Are a lot out of spec? Sure. But they didn't drop a valve.

Keep in mind, this is just my OPINION. Just like every other post on this forum. Do whatever will make you feel comfortable. That's all that matters. I hope you get the Z, and I hope you enjoy it.

Lethal427

Buy the Z, do the heads and while off, install headers, along with a decent cam, and you now have a beast!!! I own all kinds of hi performance cars! Love my Z06 the most!! It's a serious car! Buy it, no worries with these mods!!

RedZ4me

Negotiate $2-3k off the car and do the heads or buy aftermarket. Also, if you didn't get the message that AzDave47 put across - find a new mechanic and dealer.

Good luck with the purchase and negotiations

Dirty Howie

There are other things that can go wrong on these cars that a warranty can help with but rebuild heads cannot. Also it depends on the dealer you have. Mine is great and the corvette specialist a pro with many rebuilds and motor replacements under his belt.


DH

JoesC5

I spent $3000 on my new PRC265 heads(I wanted everything to be 100% new, and not from GM) and then you have to pay to have them installed(labor) including new head bolts, head gaskets, plugs, oil and filter, coolant and if they have any modifications to increase the air flow, a tune(and I also ended up having to buy new longer pushrods). It all adds up, above what it costs just to have your heads rebuilt. In my case, I was able to sell my take off heads for $1000, so I ended up only having $2000 in the 100% all new heads(+ the $$$$ for the other crap required to R&R the heads).

VetteVinnie

True. I guess it depends on the owner. I think mine stayed stock for about two weeks after I bought it in 2008, then I voided all of the warranties in the drivetrain.

telly444

parts, labor, and tune after. in canada 5g is a deal lol I guess you US guys get deals. we don't... sure the head work is 2k. what about the cam, springs, new lifters, rods, timing chain, gaskets, bolts, fluid. it all adds up quick. gonna need a real good tune after as well. another 600-700. in canada where i live it was alomost 10k all in at our local speed shop. huge rip off.

0Myhardtop

Take the heads off, get them fixed and roll...play hard and enjoy. DONE!

That simple!

Let me know if we can assist.

Thanks,
Carlos