fix or dump?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 615
Likes: 57
From: Fairborn oh
fix or dump?
This is not mine, but it made me wonder. According to the discription, if this happened to you, would you repair your Corvette or dump it? How much would something like this cost to repair and what do you think would cause this? Could this have been a factory defect? Just curious.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevr...QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevr...QQcmdZViewItem
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,866
Likes: 768
From: Kelso Washington
St. Jude Donor '09, '13, '15
I'm no expert but I've had a small piece of piston break off (not a Corvette) and end up on top of the piston so it would slap the head real bad.
Also had a Honda eat a hole in a piston..even after a total rebuild and perfect timing. Didn't seem to be pre-detonating either.
I think pre-detonation is one cause for this. For some reason there was a hot spot on that piston. Could this be caused by a badly seated or burned valve too?
The computer on board should have corrected any timing issues....
Hmmm....any ideas out there?
Whatever, the cost can't be determined until you open it up, and then depends if you want to just hone it out and replace the piston(s), check the heads etc....top end rebuild.....or there could be minor damage below too depending upon why this happened.
This is just a risky purchase unless you want to just start over with a complete replacement.
Also had a Honda eat a hole in a piston..even after a total rebuild and perfect timing. Didn't seem to be pre-detonating either.
I think pre-detonation is one cause for this. For some reason there was a hot spot on that piston. Could this be caused by a badly seated or burned valve too?
The computer on board should have corrected any timing issues....
Hmmm....any ideas out there?
Whatever, the cost can't be determined until you open it up, and then depends if you want to just hone it out and replace the piston(s), check the heads etc....top end rebuild.....or there could be minor damage below too depending upon why this happened.
This is just a risky purchase unless you want to just start over with a complete replacement.
Racer
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 478
Likes: 1
From: Newark de
Detonation is the likely cause. Cheap gas is the reason for detonation in most cases. "spark knock" is detonation happening, this leaves carbon deposits and these build up after time and will increase compression by lessening cylinder volume compounding the problem. It will also create hot spots causing more spark knock. If this guy is sincere about never driving his car hard then he probably never had the occasion to "blow it out". Sounds like a reasonable story.
As far as price, I think this car is rapidly reaching all the money. I wouldn't pay any more than what it is bid up to unless you can do all the work yourself. Paying a shop could get pricey and you most likely will be into it for more than it is worth.
As far as price, I think this car is rapidly reaching all the money. I wouldn't pay any more than what it is bid up to unless you can do all the work yourself. Paying a shop could get pricey and you most likely will be into it for more than it is worth.
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,515
Likes: 14
From: Gig Harbor WA
Same thing happened to me in Palolithic times. My '62 with 340hp/327" with stock 11:50 compression ratio holed a piston -- a hot spot burned right through. (Only SUNOCO "Blue" Premium used)
If someone handy had a C5 motor sitting around, this car could be put back on the road cost-effectively. (That's a lot of "ifs" and "coulds," but it's possible.)
If someone handy had a C5 motor sitting around, this car could be put back on the road cost-effectively. (That's a lot of "ifs" and "coulds," but it's possible.)
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 9,987
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From: If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. South West Florida / Livin' The Dream
St. Jude Donor '12
If it was mine I'd have it repaired, however I do have a warranty which would cover something like this.
Back in the day I had a 1970 Buick Grand Sport the had about 7,000 miles on it and one day I went to shut it off and boom; car broke. Hauled it in to the dealer and carbon had poked a hole in the top of the piston. The dealer repaired it good as new and told me that I had a special engine. Apparently Buick had put this engine in 500 1970 GS's. It was a 350 with the stage one engine package they introduced in late 70 or 71 in the 455 motor. While it's a good story I never had any other verification that it was true. The only problem I had was running outside of my bracket at the drag strip and not being able to run pure stock. The car would eat up Camaro Z28's
Back in the day I had a 1970 Buick Grand Sport the had about 7,000 miles on it and one day I went to shut it off and boom; car broke. Hauled it in to the dealer and carbon had poked a hole in the top of the piston. The dealer repaired it good as new and told me that I had a special engine. Apparently Buick had put this engine in 500 1970 GS's. It was a 350 with the stage one engine package they introduced in late 70 or 71 in the 455 motor. While it's a good story I never had any other verification that it was true. The only problem I had was running outside of my bracket at the drag strip and not being able to run pure stock. The car would eat up Camaro Z28's
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,866
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From: Kelso Washington
St. Jude Donor '09, '13, '15
Ah...carbon buildup sounds right, or pre-detonation. I wonder how many other pistons are affected and getting close to going.
I didn't even look at the bid price before. For an '01 vert, that is doable with either a crate engine or rebuild. I think I'd go with the crate engine just in case there were some other side effects to that piston holing out.
And while you're at it.....great time for some engine mods.
I didn't even look at the bid price before. For an '01 vert, that is doable with either a crate engine or rebuild. I think I'd go with the crate engine just in case there were some other side effects to that piston holing out.
And while you're at it.....great time for some engine mods.
Race Director
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A factory "defect" would have turned up a lot sooner than 60K miles and 7 years. Me thinks the seller is not telling the whole story. There are members here that have 200K miles and more and they don't have a burned piston.
If someone was motivated this car could be bought relatively inexpensively and a crate motor could be purchased. My buddy just bought an LS3 with a hot cam from Fichtner for about $7k (480HP at the crank). That would make a really nice C5 about $25K.
If someone was motivated this car could be bought relatively inexpensively and a crate motor could be purchased. My buddy just bought an LS3 with a hot cam from Fichtner for about $7k (480HP at the crank). That would make a really nice C5 about $25K.
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