[Z06] Dodged a bullet
05-17-2017, 03:28 PM
#1
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Dodged a bullet
Took my 2009 zo6 to my engine builder to have the valve guides checked. After getting the heads off he said they were the worst they had ever seen. Valves were worn and guides are shot. Getting it fixed now and having heads milled and worked also getting cai and tune. Should be up and running soon.
05-17-2017, 03:31 PM
#2
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Good 4 you.... Pesky valve guides! I too am dropping my car off in June to get things addressed as a precaution. Car runs great!
Last edited by TXGS507; 05-17-2017 at 03:32 PM.
05-17-2017, 03:40 PM
#3
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Yeah just bought the car 2 months ago. It has 38k on it. Has been running great. No noise from the valves but check engine light came on and showed a misfire on cylinder 4. Also burnt a qt of oil in a few hundred miles. Didn't seem right so I took it in to let them look it over.
05-17-2017, 04:10 PM
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Do you even have a job!!? Or do you just troll around the forum looking for this kind of stuff...? 
The OP states that he took his car to HIS PERSONAL ENGINE BUILDER to get his guides checked. His findings were not good so he is having it fixed RIGHT! So, are you calling his engine builder a crook?
The OP states that he took his car to HIS PERSONAL ENGINE BUILDER to get his guides checked. His findings were not good so he is having it fixed RIGHT! So, are you calling his engine builder a crook?
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Landru (05-18-2017)
05-17-2017, 05:03 PM
#7
Team Owner
Yeah just bought the car 2 months ago. It has 38k on it. Has been running great. No noise from the valves but check engine light came on and showed a misfire on cylinder 4. Also burnt a qt of oil in a few hundred miles. Didn't seem right so I took it in to let them look it over.
Hope you don't have any other issues.
DH
05-17-2017, 05:54 PM
#9
Drifting
Sorry guys I'm a natural skeptic.
My friend took his Z06 to a local shop down here to have his heads inspected. What he received was a DOOMSDAY diagnosis. Shop owner said the wiggle test failed on every valve especially one valve that had excessive wear and was going to drop any day now.
However, the shop owner conveniently had a heads and cam package ready and available. 70K (SEVENTY THOUSAND MILES) later, my buds Z06 is still running strong with the stock heads.
I'm NOT saying that the LS7 doesn't have a cylinder head issue. Clearly it does as several owners have reported their engine going kaboom in various years and various mileage levels.
My skepticism is with the test methods. Does every shop know how to accurately perform the wiggle test? What control methods are in place to ensure accurate results?
The easy thing to do is to fail the test and recommend cylinder heads.
My friend took his Z06 to a local shop down here to have his heads inspected. What he received was a DOOMSDAY diagnosis. Shop owner said the wiggle test failed on every valve especially one valve that had excessive wear and was going to drop any day now.
However, the shop owner conveniently had a heads and cam package ready and available. 70K (SEVENTY THOUSAND MILES) later, my buds Z06 is still running strong with the stock heads.
I'm NOT saying that the LS7 doesn't have a cylinder head issue. Clearly it does as several owners have reported their engine going kaboom in various years and various mileage levels.
My skepticism is with the test methods. Does every shop know how to accurately perform the wiggle test? What control methods are in place to ensure accurate results?
The easy thing to do is to fail the test and recommend cylinder heads.
05-17-2017, 06:38 PM
#10
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[QUOTE=Datrojan;1594759825]Sorry guys I'm a natural skeptic.
My friend took his Z06 to a local shop down here to have his heads inspected. What he received was a DOOMSDAY diagnosis. Shop owner said the wiggle test failed on every valve especially one valve that had excessive wear and was going to drop any day now.
However, the shop owner conveniently had a heads and cam package ready and available. 70K (SEVENTY THOUSAND MILES) later, my buds Z06 is still running strong with the stock heads.
I'm NOT saying that the LS7 doesn't have a cylinder head issue. Clearly it does as several owners have reported their engine going kaboom in various years and various mileage levels.
My skepticism is with the test methods. Does every shop know how to accurately perform the wiggle test? What control methods are in place to ensure accurate results?
The easy thing to do is to fail the test and recommend cylinder heads.[/QUOTI understand that you might be a skeptic and I'm sure that some people would take advantage of the issue. With that being said I'm not trying to get anyone to do anything to their vehicle. I wanted to make sure that mine was good to go. Also I was going to have the heads fully worked and milled in the next few weeks anyway. I trust my engine builder and I know from my own experience that he is a straight up guy. I'm just glad that I took in to him instead of waiting. As I found out that it was about to drop a valve. We all know that would have been very bad. They all showed signs of excessive wear and the guides were shot.
My friend took his Z06 to a local shop down here to have his heads inspected. What he received was a DOOMSDAY diagnosis. Shop owner said the wiggle test failed on every valve especially one valve that had excessive wear and was going to drop any day now.
However, the shop owner conveniently had a heads and cam package ready and available. 70K (SEVENTY THOUSAND MILES) later, my buds Z06 is still running strong with the stock heads.
I'm NOT saying that the LS7 doesn't have a cylinder head issue. Clearly it does as several owners have reported their engine going kaboom in various years and various mileage levels.
My skepticism is with the test methods. Does every shop know how to accurately perform the wiggle test? What control methods are in place to ensure accurate results?
The easy thing to do is to fail the test and recommend cylinder heads.[/QUOTI understand that you might be a skeptic and I'm sure that some people would take advantage of the issue. With that being said I'm not trying to get anyone to do anything to their vehicle. I wanted to make sure that mine was good to go. Also I was going to have the heads fully worked and milled in the next few weeks anyway. I trust my engine builder and I know from my own experience that he is a straight up guy. I'm just glad that I took in to him instead of waiting. As I found out that it was about to drop a valve. We all know that would have been very bad. They all showed signs of excessive wear and the guides were shot.
06-16-2019, 08:46 AM
#11
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2023 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
I have a bumper to bumper warranty for 34 more months, I may just wait & see...what would you do in my case?
06-16-2019, 09:10 AM
#12
Team Owner
It's not that hard.
06-16-2019, 10:29 AM
#14
Race Director
If you have a quality B to B warranty and don't need the car for a couple months, wait. I tracked my Z but waited until a month before the warranty expired to go full HCI. 15 of 16 valves were out of spec, as physically measured with the heads off and springs removed (not wiggle test).
06-16-2019, 12:21 PM
#15
Race Director
GM claims there's no issue w/ LS7. Fine.
Yours blows GM's on the hook for a new LS7, installed, and clock gets reset to 0.
Not only what I'd do, it's what I did.
Once my '08 no longer qualified for a renewed GMEPP, LS7 is on my dime & ball's in my court.
No coverage on my LS7 was The Sign time to be proactive had arrived. YMMV
06-16-2019, 08:38 PM
#16
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...taking no chances
With no GMEPP warranty on my recently acquired '12 Z06, I'm not taking any chances with this motor. I bit the bullet and have the car going to a shop at the start of August to have the heads, valve guides, etc. taken care of. I knew this was an issue with the LS7 motor before buying this car so was prepared for the expense. I guess the bigger question on my mind is, how is GM getting away with this issue? This seems like an easy class action lawsuit against GM - am I missing something here?
06-17-2019, 12:21 AM
#17
Team Owner
With no GMEPP warranty on my recently acquired '12 Z06, I'm not taking any chances with this motor. I bit the bullet and have the car going to a shop at the start of August to have the heads, valve guides, etc. taken care of. I knew this was an issue with the LS7 motor before buying this car so was prepared for the expense. I guess the bigger question on my mind is, how is GM getting away with this issue? This seems like an easy class action lawsuit against GM - am I missing something here?
DH
06-17-2019, 12:26 AM
#18
Race Director
Took my 2009 zo6 to my engine builder to have the valve guides checked. After getting the heads off he said they were the worst they had ever seen. Valves were worn and guides are shot. Getting it fixed now and having heads milled and worked also getting cai and tune. Should be up and running soon.
06-17-2019, 12:29 AM
#19
Race Director
[QUOTE=Dan4;1594760212]
Did he too conveniently have a heads/cam package ready and available?
Sorry guys I'm a natural skeptic.
My friend took his Z06 to a local shop down here to have his heads inspected. What he received was a DOOMSDAY diagnosis. Shop owner said the wiggle test failed on every valve especially one valve that had excessive wear and was going to drop any day now.
However, the shop owner conveniently had a heads and cam package ready and available. 70K (SEVENTY THOUSAND MILES) later, my buds Z06 is still running strong with the stock heads.
I'm NOT saying that the LS7 doesn't have a cylinder head issue. Clearly it does as several owners have reported their engine going kaboom in various years and various mileage levels.
My skepticism is with the test methods. Does every shop know how to accurately perform the wiggle test? What control methods are in place to ensure accurate results?
The easy thing to do is to fail the test and recommend cylinder heads.[/QUOTI understand that you might be a skeptic and I'm sure that some people would take advantage of the issue. With that being said I'm not trying to get anyone to do anything to their vehicle. I wanted to make sure that mine was good to go. Also I was going to have the heads fully worked and milled in the next few weeks anyway. I trust my engine builder and I know from my own experience that he is a straight up guy. I'm just glad that I took in to him instead of waiting. As I found out that it was about to drop a valve. We all know that would have been very bad. They all showed signs of excessive wear and the guides were shot.
My friend took his Z06 to a local shop down here to have his heads inspected. What he received was a DOOMSDAY diagnosis. Shop owner said the wiggle test failed on every valve especially one valve that had excessive wear and was going to drop any day now.
However, the shop owner conveniently had a heads and cam package ready and available. 70K (SEVENTY THOUSAND MILES) later, my buds Z06 is still running strong with the stock heads.
I'm NOT saying that the LS7 doesn't have a cylinder head issue. Clearly it does as several owners have reported their engine going kaboom in various years and various mileage levels.
My skepticism is with the test methods. Does every shop know how to accurately perform the wiggle test? What control methods are in place to ensure accurate results?
The easy thing to do is to fail the test and recommend cylinder heads.[/QUOTI understand that you might be a skeptic and I'm sure that some people would take advantage of the issue. With that being said I'm not trying to get anyone to do anything to their vehicle. I wanted to make sure that mine was good to go. Also I was going to have the heads fully worked and milled in the next few weeks anyway. I trust my engine builder and I know from my own experience that he is a straight up guy. I'm just glad that I took in to him instead of waiting. As I found out that it was about to drop a valve. We all know that would have been very bad. They all showed signs of excessive wear and the guides were shot.
Last edited by WICKEDFRC; 06-17-2019 at 12:30 AM.