When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have a 2002 Z06 with 13000 miles and 2 weeks ago the engine died while I was driving on the HWY @ 70 - 80 mph.
I had it towed back to the dealer and they take it apart and discover the pin in the end of the cam has come out and the bolts connecting the cam to the timing chain sprocket have sheared off. Had several bent pushrods, bent valves, and 1 broken valve, the head on the #3 exhaust valve broke off and was stuck sideways in the piston.
I got the car back today with a new engine. Everything seems OK with the new engine, but I plan on taking it easy for the first 500 miles, so I haven't got on it yet to know if the power is any different then the old engine.
The part number for the replacement engine they used is 89017349
I have tried doing a web search on this part number, but haven't found anything. Does anyone know anything about this part number? It is a LS6, right? I know there has been a few minor improvement since 2002, is this part number an exact replacement, or does it have any improvements?
Clint, that sounds scary!! Now I'm concerned about my 2002 Z06 doing the same....anyone heard of this happening before?
Unfortunately, I have heard of this happeing on several LS1's. It can be prevented though as there is a sign that it's happening. Start the car and look at the harmonic balancer. If it is wobbly or you notice that the belt is not aligned welll on all pulley's, have it checked.
I threw a valve on my '02 with 22,000 on it. I had been noticing what I thought sounded like a weak valve spring and sure enough it broke and...well you know what happened from there! The valve stem got pushed out the exaust and lodged in the opening to the right cat! The local dealer didn't bat an eye...they ordered a new motor from Michigan and had it in within two weeks. It does give rise to concern as I'm obviously not the only one that has had this type of problem with an '02. Glad your dealer was so helpful!
Steve
That just makes me cringe thinking about having a dealership service department changing out an entire engine. I keep thinking about all the bolts they would forget or torque incorrectly. Not to mention paint scratches. I've had such bad experiences with minor repairs from service departments that I can't image letting them do a major job like this on my car. I hope everyone that has stuff like this done actually looks at their car carefully, don't take the dealerships word that things are done right. I get up and in my car everytime before I leave a dealership....and sure enough without fail, I find stuff not finished. But with warranty repairs what are we to do.
I certainly agree with your concerns about dealers doing repair work. The vette broke down less then 1000 yards from a large Chevy dealer and I had the car towed to a dealer that I trusted 40 miles away.
Also, I want to give a big thanks to a fellow Corvette enthusiast that stopped and offered assistance, I didn’t get his name, but he was driving a nice C3.
I bought a LS6 crate motor last July when mine had a seized rod bearing during a practice session.
My understanding is they come off the assembly line and turn some into crate motors. Mine had been built in Dec 02, os it was definitely an 03 motor. It came with a build date sheet on it.
You should be fine.
When I looked into a cam for my 2003 Z06 the shop told me that achange of the stock springs,rockers ,push rods and the cam retainer bolts was agood idea even before a cam swap. The reason being poor quality of the GM parts.
When I looked into a cam for my 2003 Z06 the shop told me that achange of the stock springs,rockers ,push rods and the cam retainer bolts was agood idea even before a cam swap. The reason being poor quality of the GM parts.
Dayum.
So all of us with stock Vettes are driving around with junky,inferior parts in our engines?
Don't worry...it should have improvements on it! I have a 01 Z and had the entire engine replaced with a 03 engine due to oil comsumption problems and never had the problem again. It runs 10 times better than it did and it's nice to have a brand new engine and tranny with plate, clutch and all with the 03 parts @ 28,000 miles. So you shouldn't have any problems.
I had basically the same problem on my 2002 Z06 at around 15,000 mi. Some of the timing chain to cam bolts were sheared and the remaining bolts were loose. They found a sheared pin and metal shavings in the oil pan, the cylinder walls were scared, etc. The replaced the engine and I did not have any problems since; however the new engine never felt quite as strong as the orginal on did before it died.
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.