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I'm firmly in the research phase of getting my first Vette and have been watching a bunch of YouTube videos. I found this guy, Lyle, that has done a lot of stuff and seems really well-studied and knowledgeable about Vettes (I think he owns a shop and works on them a lot). Anyway, he is not a fan of the LS2 due to the crankshaft going out of balance and ruining torque tubes and harmonic balancers. I don't recall hearing about this elsewhere and am curious what you all think? I'm kind of bummed as the early C6s (05-07) seemed to be right in my price range. The video link it posted below - the whole thing is a good watch but the specific info I'm talking about starts at about the 2:20 mark.
It is awesome you are doing a lot of research before you buy. Too many I see just go and have no clue. Always the best option is to get the last in the series as all the bugs will be worked out by then.
As for you orginal question I am not sure. I dont think I would take one person call and say he is God on the subject.
Some other thing you can search for is a web call carcomplaints.com pretty neat site. Also on some problem people will state what the cost and what fixed the issue. Or you could alwaystype LS2 issues and see what comes up
Oh and also for I picked the base model as I wanted to drive it daily. Nothing wrong with a Z06 but the maintenace is going to kill you. 10 quarts of oil brakes and rotors expensive. etc
Has anyone actually had an imbalanced crankshaft or rotating assembly since they are all balanced together on their LS2? Usually its just the balancers that fail and some extreme cases they chew up the crankshaft which will have to be replaced. The harmonic balancers fail on the later LS3s as well so I'm not sure if this guys knows what he is talking about. Changing the balancer on your LS2 will pretty much make them bullet proof. Sometimes a lifter can fail but that goes with any LS engine and far less common with the older version without the modern AFM cylinder deactivation.
Last edited by C6 Motorsports; Aug 28, 2023 at 01:23 AM.
Has anyone actually had an imbalanced crankshaft or rotating assembly since they are all balanced together on their LS2? Usually its just the balancers that fail and some extreme cases they chew up the crankshaft which will have to be replaced. The harmonic balancers fail on the later LS3s as well so I'm not sure if this guys knows what he is talking about. Changing the balancer on your LS2 will pretty much make them bullet proof. Sometimes a lifter can fail but that goes with any LS engine and far less common with the older version without the modern AFM cylinder deactivation.
These were my exact thoughts.... I've done A LOT of research and this is the first I've heard of the crankshaft imbalance or really any chronic problems with an LS2 engine. Harmonic balancers? Of course, that's a well-known issue. The strange thing is this guy's videos are first-rate and I really trust his advice. He mentions that he runs a shop so maybe he just had a couple of problems he saw personally and that is where the opinion comes from? Fwiw, he's definitely aware of the harmonic balancer as a standalone issue. Here's his video dedicated to it:
Edit: Here's a good article talking about the LS2: https://newparts.com/articles/ls2-en...20LS%20engines. It seems to ultimately be geared towards people doing engine swaps but has some really good general info nonetheless.
These were my exact thoughts.... I've done A LOT of research and this is the first I've heard of the crankshaft imbalance or really any chronic problems with an LS2 engine. Harmonic balancers? Of course, that's a well-known issue. The strange thing is this guy's videos are first-rate and I really trust his advice. He mentions that he runs a shop so maybe he just had a couple of problems he saw personally and that is where the opinion comes from? Fwiw, he's definitely aware of the harmonic balancer as a standalone issue. Here's his video dedicated to it:
Yes I'm unsure and watched many of his videos. Also curious on why he has so many harmonic balancer videos but fails to mention any upgraded design to actually solve the issue and not have it fail again.
To consider the LS2 unreliable makes me laugh. Yes....there can be harmonic balancer problems...ie.wobble....but beyond that, its a modern reliable engine. And from what I understand, you can regularly check the harmonic balancer,...and fix it when it starts to wobble excessively. And it does not mean that ALL harmonic balancers go bad early. At some point......and engine wears out. If an LS2 is unreliable....I hate to think what people would say about Gen 1 SBC engines. In any case......any mechanical object can have issues, and do, ....especially if they are not maintained properly, and if they are abused. I have been working on and around cars, motorcycles and airplanes for 40 plus years.....and have not found a maintenance free engine yet.
That same 3.622 inch stroke crank has been used in jillions of 5.3's 6.0's and 6.2's. If it had an inherent flaw, I don't think it would be a secret. I'd worry more about climate change and the next covid epidemic....and I'm not worried about either of those.
I'm firmly in the research phase of getting my first Vette and have been watching a bunch of YouTube videos. I found this guy, Lyle, that has done a lot of stuff and seems really well-studied and knowledgeable about Vettes (I think he owns a shop and works on them a lot). Anyway, he is not a fan of the LS2 due to the crankshaft going out of balance and ruining torque tubes and harmonic balancers. I don't recall hearing about this elsewhere and am curious what you all think? I'm kind of bummed as the early C6s (05-07) seemed to be right in my price range. The video link it posted below - the whole thing is a good watch but the specific info I'm talking about starts at about the 2:20 mark.
I live in Florida about 75 miles from C&S and called them shortly after i took delivery of my 2012 Grand Sport last September, i called C&S asking about the revised GM Master Cylinder for manual trans cars. He had no clue what i was talking about and I had to give him the TSB identification and detailed information regarding the revised GM Master Cylinder. I never called C&S again and found an excellent highly experienced Corvette mechanic 18 miles from my house who installed the new MC in less than a day. I also believe C&S does not touch any aftermarket parts or mods, OEM factory only, very curious.......
Try to find previous C&S customers or any kind of reviews or feedback on their proficiency and competence regarding actual work on Corvettes.
I've had 5 C6s, 3 of them were LS2s. No problem with any of them.
Same (except I'm only on my fourth C6, but sixth Vette overall starting with C5). Our 2006 Coupe that we bought brand new had just under 30K trouble-free miles on it when I traded it for a gently used 2008 Z06. That Z06 was a maintenance nightmare mainly because I was not gentle with it, and I modified the hell out of it. Sold that once most of the bugs were worked out, and a few years later picked up a 2010 ZR1 that I (mistakenly) sold in 2021. That thing was a beast. I picked up my LS3 Grand Sport about a year ago now, and so far it has been a fantastic car. This one will stick around indefinitely because it's a manual (and a convertible, so no dry sump) and it was half the price of replacing my ZR1.
Rock solid.....as stated.....On the Corvette the ls2 only needs the ls3 air intake to be very close to power output of the ls3...even without it there is very minimal, if any, seat of pants difference...(I've had both)
My LS2 engine has over 109K on it and I just replaced the HB+Oil Seal because I figured it was just a matter of time before the HB would fail.....turns out that the original OEM HB in my car was perfectly OK and really didn't need to be replaced but since I have the Rack/Pinion Steering box out....figured why not.....
This engine is rock solid and I don't believe that the LS3 is that much better....other than giving 30 more HP and additional torque....In my honest opinion, that dude is full of it...never heard of anyone's crank going bad and tearing up the engine/drive train....I have heard of the HB going bad and tearing up the engine though...which is why I swapped mine out. Here is the OEM one with over 109K on it.....
I'm firmly in the research phase of getting my first Vette and have been watching a bunch of YouTube videos. I found this guy, Lyle, that has done a lot of stuff and seems really well-studied and knowledgeable about Vettes (I think he owns a shop and works on them a lot). Anyway, he is not a fan of the LS2 due to the crankshaft going out of balance and ruining torque tubes and harmonic balancers. I don't recall hearing about this elsewhere and am curious what you all think? I'm kind of bummed as the early C6s (05-07) seemed to be right in my price range. The video link it posted below - the whole thing is a good watch but the specific info I'm talking about starts at about the 2:20 mark.
I've owned 3 C6's in the the last 2 years. A Z51 Convertible, a Z06, and my current car, a Coupe with the select ride. LS2's are perfectly fine motors. I did do the Hamonic balancer on my current car because it had the slight wobble
so, yes that should be addressed. The Z06 was an insane car compared to the other 2! I got rid of it because I live in a city that has some of the worst congestion in North America and driving a manual in first gear 90% of the time is
not fun. Also the valve issues on the LS7 were a bit nerve racking so I sold it. My Z51 convert was a beautiful car and I sold it because of financial reasons (at the time). Now I'm in my targa coupe and honestly, the softer suspension makes
for a much nicer daily. Just my thoughts. Don't forget the LS engines are legendary for a reason.
Good luck in your hunt.
I bought my 2006 brand new, it now has 60K miles on it, I'm the only one who ever drove it.
I used to do 1/4 drag races, about 150 turns in all.
With that said, I never had a failure of anything, other than a few electrical glitches that seemed to work their way out by themselves.
[and the HB is just fine]
LS2 Reliability
