I've had what sounded like a bad bearing in the front end somewhere. Thought it was the idler pulley so they replaced it. Day after it was done, sound is back with a clank now. I drove it to work, but am afraid to go anywhere with it now.

If it's the crank bolt, I think it should be towed back, correct? That's one condition I don't think it's smart to drive with.

What are the symptoms of the crank bolt issue?

What are the VINs for that issue?

Thanks a bunch!!! I need a ride home now!

 

Cutoff was 11,039. 2005 cars only. My started with a squeal which grew to a "clank". Do NOT drive it, it will need to be flat-bedded. It's sounds exactly like the crank bolt if your in the range.

 

If you car was an early 2005 and it is a crank pulley issue, your dealer should be able to find it and fix it pronto. DO NOT DRIVE IT ANY MORE OR YOU RISK ENGINE FAILURE.

This is no longer a mysterious problem and your dealer should be very familiar with this issue.

If not, go to another dealer !

 

so is the problem with the bolt holding the harmonic balancer on, or is it internal, like crank bolts holding the crank bearings on?

 

As the bolt backs out, the pulley backs out and the belts get out of alignment and then shred and tear up everything in its way, hence, don't drive it. The repair is quite lengthy (about 75 steps), but as long as the dealer has the parts, it's straight forward. The issue has been around long enough that the parts should be readily available. If the dealer has not done the repair before, they should expect it to take 50-100% longer than the quoted time.

 

I just checked the bolt and it's loose all right. I only live 4 miles from here, I was planning on tightening it and driving it home the 4 miles. Is that a bad idea?

 

I wouldn't/couldn't do it. The mess that it causes when it pops off is not to be believed! It has to be flat bedded. Why not have them just drop you off at home on the way in?

 

The flat-bed trip is free. You, having knowledge of the issue, could cause culpability if something happens between here and there. It's up to you, but I'd advise against driving it.

BTW, what's the last 5 digits of your vin? Are you within the quoted range?

 

I'll bet all they did was tighten it the first visit. Have it towed in and tell them to fix it right this time, preferrably using someone brighter than the first nit-wit. Don't risk driving it, it'll destroy the engine and steering.

 

What part of "you have to have it flat bedded" don't you understand???

We are telling you that if it backs out, catastrophic damage will occur to your engine!!!

Call the number on your passenger window. Make sure that they bring 2x4's or boards to drive your car up and on to the bed.

Also, make sure that the chains that go around your wheels are covered or your wheels will get chewed up!!!

Good luck and if you don't follow our advice, you have no one to blame but yourself!

 

One would have thought that all the crank bolts athat were bad would have gone by now, maybe it is like the hardtops....eventually all of them.....INCLUDING MINE...will go!

I am in the crank bolt and removable top range.

anothercrisis

 

Imagree with the others on not driving it...
How many miles on the car..??
Ihad an early 2005 and the first winter I had it done as a preventative fix..sounds worse than it actually is..Mechanic said it takes as long to get all the proper tools as to do the work..

 

You CANNOT tighten a crank bolt!!! You never want to do that due to the fact that it won't hold the torque. They are one time use bolts ONLY. Don't tighten it yourself to drive it 4 miles. That kind of thinking is just begging for a major failure. It's not worth it.

 

Also, how many miles on the car and what is your VIN? Just some info for the rest of us with 05's so we can be on the lookout in case there are some that slipped through the cracks.

 

Been there-done that--TWICE. Flatbed for sure.

 

What is the risk if the bolt it tight? Will it just back out again quickly?

My VIN is in the range indicated, and the car now has about 9500 miles. I thought I was in the clear!!!!!!

I'll let you know what happens. The dealer says 1-2 weeks to get parts and such.

Really sucks!!! I love this car, but is has had so damn many glitches and such!

 

MAJOR

When it happened to mine in February '05, parts were in heavy demand. The diamond encrusted washer could only be had from the Warranty Parts Center, and even then, it clearly stated that if the dealer didn't have the part in 2 days, they were to call and follow up. All other parts come from the usual avenue. NOW, all parts, including the washer, should come from the normal channels. 1-2 weeks is absolute bullsiht.

 

If you tighten it up & drive like on eggs, you can go a short ways. I had this and had to wait for a while till the dealer could get up to speed what to do & get parts. I carried the tools with me when i took to dealer. ( i don't trust the flatbed service to not damage the car) The only time the bolt backed out is hard acceleration. Just my experiance. I did not drive much in this condition. Mostly to dealer and back.
Best thing is not to drive at all to be sure of no damage. I'm one of the lucky one's, 1st place i looked at 1st sign strange noise was crank bolt. Was able to keep from backing all the way out. Good luck.

 

I beginning to become NUMB to the and total incompetence displayed by dealer after dealer. Here’s some lying dealer telling a customer 2 weeks to fix something that should take 2 days! What are these dealers trying to do? Drive 50 grand customers away with their and lousy service? It amazes me how shabby so many Chevy dealers treat their vette customers. Do they assume every vette owner has a fleet of cars to use while their car collects dust at their dealership? There is one way and only one way for GM to put a end to this crap! Start selling Corvette under a different name plate. I honestly believe Saturn dealers would do a better job. Vette owners are taken for granted by many dealers. Unless a dealer sells lots of vettes they could not care less about vette owners. We usually only hear about the bad Chevy dealers on the forum but there are way to many incidents for such a relatively small community. I’ll bet we’re fairly representative of dealer problems across the spectrum. Post after post details some lousy rotten dealer sticking it to a vette owner. There is way to many incidents to simply write them off as a bunch of disgruntled or cry baby owners. Sure there are some good dealers but they seem few and far between. If anything it seems to get worse all the time! I love my vette but GM really needs to address these dealer issues before I buy another one.

 

I had it taken on a flatbed to the dealer today. I watched it load and unload. the guy that did it was good, and a funny coincidence... he pulled a viper out of the farm/swamp area near my new house a month ago. Some guy got on it hard in 3rd gear doing 80, broke it loose, and put it in the ditch. He told the cops he was doing 35 (50mph zone) and a dog ran out in front of him. LOL!!! You should have seen the skidmarks. Cops aren't dumb!

Anyway, it's at the dealer. My VIN is 03346. They said getting parts will be quick but they needed some special tools to do the job. Will take a few days.

Well, I'll keep ya updated. NO flying roof yet.

Trev