Z007

Does anybody know any good rebuilders in SoCal? The dealership (DeLillo Chevrolet) says they will only replace(and not rebuild) to the tune : of 12K(at least I get a 3yr/100K warranty) for the motor(engine) and 5800 for 40hrs labor!!!

Damn. Talk about a Horsepill to Swallow!

Weird because the last mechanic shut it down fine and now they say it is seized(even by wrench.) Should I spring for it?

They said the ZR1 drysump-tank is $2300 which seems weird because it is just a secondary. And they said a teardown to check for rebuild would be $7500 labor. You would think they could just drop the cradle and then pan and look up, not disassemble every damn component!

It literally idled for a half hour fine, smoothly (in 80degree heat, oops I guess, stable 222degrees though) with no noise after I heard the first noise and it had stalled. I am NOT going to use Mobil1 0W-40FS(euro) anymore if there was no reason other than hitting the rev limiter like 5 times in 5 months.

See my original thread if you care about what I was thinking earlier:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...tart-weak.html

Dane@LGmotorsports

Give Kushan a call at Excelsior Motorsports. He's a long time dealer of ours that does very good work.760-743-6000

Sotel102

I recommend reaching out to American Heritage Performance. It's one of the best shops in the country and they are in our backyard (Harbor City).

Brandon619

Do not use this shop, period. He is a scam artist.

Dane@LGmotorsports

? I've only ever heard good things from customers I have sent to him. Feel free to PM me.

Brandon619

Sending PM

1stls7

Z007

It is an LS7! With only 73K mileage and totally stock! How much mileage do you have, and have you ever hit the rev limiter? And if you have do you use Mobil1 0W40 FS(euro)? I was gonna use Redline 0W40 like I do in my other car but it was on sale for $50 at WalMart for 10qt[and it burps into the intake and out the dipstick(I guess it wasn't secured tightly), so maybe I should have put the extra half a quart in] so I figured I would give it a try. The engine was damn strong and would spin my Pilot SuperSports even in 4th gear. They say don't bog the engine or it could cause spun rod bearings or something but I think the traction control which I always left on does that already.

I emailed and called AHP since it is in Huntington Beach, hopefully they get back to me soon, and I will keep this thread updated with the results. With my 10% AAA discount I think a new motor will be 10.8K and considering they don't go for much less than that used on eBay and I will be getting the 3yr/100K-mi warranty it seems like a great deal and I will get it from that dealership unless the rebuild is cheaper. I wonder if a rebuild would have less hours than the 40 they quoted just for the replacement.

It really is great to have this community to commiserate with, I would be sad without it. I can't tell anyone at work because they already think I am an idiot for owning it in the first place(or they are jealous.)

I came out here to visit my folks for the 4th and now I am stuck here until it is fixed, I am debating flying back but I keep thinking it will be fixed any day now so I haven't. I really miss my girl(s).

dmaxx3500

go on ''car-part.com''

''bebe's in Fontana has a complete take-out for $9000

RichieRichZ06

I am not sure where you can get a long block LS7 from GM for $10k. Dealer cost is over $11k because they are all new assemblies now. GM used to offer a rema version for less, but those were discontinued years ago.

With that being said, 40+ hours of labor is excessive for an engine replacement and flushing/cleaning the tank etc.

I am not sure if you have a way to get the car up to Northern CA, but I run a dealership up here and can save you a chunk on the repairs. Our labor to R&R the engine, swap over what is required, pull the tank for cleaning, replacing the oil cooler and flushing the lines etc would be $3,375. That would save you $2,4xx on labor and the cost of the engine is $11,436 instead of $12k+. That would also include the 3 year / 100k parts and labor warranty good at any GM dealer nationwide.

Let me know if I can help. My email address under my profile is the best for of contact.

RICH

jbsblownc5

I've got to agree with Brandon on this one, Had a VERY bad personal experience with him myself, and have also heard of numerous others, not a good choice...
Mine was a motor rebuild, so I speak from direct experience!!

jbsblownc5

This sounds like a good option!

Z007

I think shipping would take out my savings, I'll see because I could drive it back.

Anyway the 10.8K figure was wrong, I get a 10% off ONLY labor from being a AAA member. So 12K is what I was quoted.

Since the original mechanic was able to get it started I smelled a rat and I told them to confirm that they pressed the friggin clutch down when they tried to start it! No response! And they said the oil burping from the dipstick meant the drysump was cracked(as if that could even happen!) so I said email me a photo and admit to me if that was just a guess. He even said there was metal in the oil and last I saw it(86% on oil life gauge) the oil was clean and at the proper level. I feel like I am living a soap opera.

Anyway, like a smart customer I said email me an invoice so I have the guarantee what the final price will be, No Repsonse Yet! I really don't think I am being an Ahole and they should be responding faster to someone that's willing to pay them as much as a new car on the lot goes for! I probably will go there tomorrow and see if it starts for me, I really don't want to be a fool and replace an engine that's not seized.

Rich, thanks so much for helping out a brother in need, I might have you ship the 11,436 engine if it computes, even if I don't ship the whole car, I know shipping it freight is $250-350. I drive it like a madman every second I am in the car so it might be best with a new engine. I will check out the 9K used engine. Hopefully it has the chamfered rods from '08 or the stronger-metal crank from '12. I bought it used and have only had it for a little over 1.5K miles, so this is a tragedy.

EDIT: saw it and it's an '08 with 43K miles so probably with the way I drive the 11.4K is a better deal since it's only 2K more and should last longer if this experience is a caveat. How many rpm max and for how many miles does it take to break in, opinions? I guess I learned my lesson with that garbage Mobil1 FS-euro oil, I read some horror stories about blown engines due to the low ZDDP zinc(to save the cats) but I thought it would never happen to me. And the new ESP is even worse. I am going to go with the 15W-50 ZR1 track-recommended oil from now on.

Apocolipse

How does traction control stop rod bearings from spinning

Millenium Z06

Come on man. Traction control slows the rods down so th they can't spin the bearings. Duh

Z007

One of the warnings about spun-rods was don't bog as in go into a too high gear early without enough speed, and that has happened a few times, I guess because the oil pump will be running too slow. I just thought it felt the same as when the TC kicks in and the engine feels weak.

Millenium Z06

Lugging the engine in the wrong gear can damage the thrust bearing, never heard of it causing a bearing to stack or spin

Z007

Would the thrust bearing make it hard to start? Considering I got the crankshaft position sensor wrong reading it stands to reason maybe that went out.

SocalChvy

If you're in SoCal I would go with American Heritage. I wouldn't buy another GM factory LS7, you'll be a sitting duck for another failure.

If you seized up then you probably don't need a long block. A short block should do. I would buy a forged short block from AHP, and get their cylinder heads if you haven't already done so. Might as well add a cam for some extra fun.

Z007

I am thinking of shipping it to San Diego to CenturyTrans who is a forum sponsor, he says he can rebuild it for half price, also the dealership wouldn't send me an invoice but it sounded like it might have been almost 22K and 16K was for just the parts, 12K for the engine, 2.3K for the dry-sump tank(?) and the rest for gaskets(? weird). Because 12K + 6K labor doesn't add up to 16K. I am still researching but thrust bearing failure lines up with my symptoms of silence except when idling(and sometimes when idling) and intermittent seizure due to the crank shifting. I will probably Enterprise Rent a Jetta on Sunday and fly back to SD when it is done. I will buy a 2012 crank (because the metal is different/better) on eBay if my old one can't be wet sanded. My engine is a Z07 so it has the ZR1's oilpan-cooler. I will run it 333miles on half dino oil and half STP (ZDDP zinc) on a new filter and then flush it to clear any particles. Good thing I telecommute.