LS2/LS3 failures
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,515
Likes: 3
From: Goleta California
LS2/LS3 failures
I have been reading over on the Z06 forum that there is something wrong with the LS7 motor. There have been 25 reports of failure on stock motors, split about half and half for exhaust valve failure and what looks like bearing failure due to lack of lubrication. One of the arguements put forward is that this is a significant number of failures for the valves and that there isn't a correpsonding number of LS2/LS3 failures therefore the LS7 is flawed. My question to the LS2/LS3 community is how many stock engine failures is this community aware of? Any info would be appreciated.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,515
Likes: 3
From: Goleta California
Sorry to hear about your problems though.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,104
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
I killed an LS3 bolton only at 71K miles. It was really hard to tell the first point of failure, but a serious overrev was caused by the rev limiter being set way too high by a traveling tuner.
There were no broken springs, but there were bent pushrods, and a headless intake and exhaust valve. The residual damage included a broken rod, two disintegrated pistons, a couple of badly beaten heads, and a missing chunk of cylinder wall.
As a guess, I'd say one of the valves lost it's head first.
There were no broken springs, but there were bent pushrods, and a headless intake and exhaust valve. The residual damage included a broken rod, two disintegrated pistons, a couple of badly beaten heads, and a missing chunk of cylinder wall.
As a guess, I'd say one of the valves lost it's head first.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 313
Likes: 3
From: Southeast - Alabama, Georgia, & Tennessee
I have been reading over on the Z06 forum that there is something wrong with the LS7 motor. There have been 25 reports of failure on stock motors, split about half and half for exhaust valve failure and what looks like bearing failure due to lack of lubrication. One of the arguements put forward is that this is a significant number of failures for the valves and that there isn't a correpsonding number of LS2/LS3 failures therefore the LS7 is flawed. My question to the LS2/LS3 community is how many stock engine failures is this community aware of? Any info would be appreciated.
http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21450
http://ls1tech.com/forums/esp_search...v-bar&type=all
http://ls1tech.com/forums/esp_search...v-bar&type=all
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...8&l=c488e47454
And there must be more at other forums for the LS2/3...
Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 748
Likes: 3
Remember this...how many owners MANUALLY over rev the car by downshifting or mis shifting, and are not admitting to it. Or how many times do you think that happened on the motors that failed?
You can manually over rev the motor and not have failure at that time, it can crack a valve spring or bend a valve and not "let go" until a later date.....
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,515
Likes: 3
From: Goleta California
So there have only been 13 failures, out of how many made?
Remember this...how many owners MANUALLY over rev the car by downshifting or mis shifting, and are not admitting to it. Or how many times do you think that happened on the motors that failed?
You can manually over rev the motor and not have failure at that time, it can crack a valve spring or bend a valve and not "let go" until a later date.....
Remember this...how many owners MANUALLY over rev the car by downshifting or mis shifting, and are not admitting to it. Or how many times do you think that happened on the motors that failed?
You can manually over rev the motor and not have failure at that time, it can crack a valve spring or bend a valve and not "let go" until a later date.....
13 stock motors reported on the forum. 27,000 made, but the arguement is not all are on the forum. There is about 2 or 3x that many, but they were modded.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 27,231
Likes: 117
From: Short Hills, NJ
That's an interesting point, did these LS2/LS3 (and even LS7) failures happen on bone stock vehicles that were just leisurely driving down the road?
Or were the owners riding them on the rev limiters for a few minutes or worse yet, using their own hand held tuning units/HP Tuners etc to actually raise the rev limiter on their otherwise bone stock valvetrains and taking their cars to 7500rpm?
Or were the owners riding them on the rev limiters for a few minutes or worse yet, using their own hand held tuning units/HP Tuners etc to actually raise the rev limiter on their otherwise bone stock valvetrains and taking their cars to 7500rpm?
Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,288
Likes: 129
From: Providence Forge, VA
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12
I have been reading over on the Z06 forum that there is something wrong with the LS7 motor. There have been 25 reports of failure on stock motors, split about half and half for exhaust valve failure and what looks like bearing failure due to lack of lubrication. One of the arguements put forward is that this is a significant number of failures for the valves and that there isn't a correpsonding number of LS2/LS3 failures therefore the LS7 is flawed. My question to the LS2/LS3 community is how many stock engine failures is this community aware of? Any info would be appreciated.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,515
Likes: 3
From: Goleta California
That's an interesting point, did these LS2/LS3 (and even LS7) failures happen on bone stock vehicles that were just leisurely driving down the road?
Or were the owners riding them on the rev limiters for a few minutes or worse yet, using their own hand held tuning units/HP Tuners etc to actually raise the rev limiter on their otherwise bone stock valvetrains and taking their cars to 7500rpm?
Or were the owners riding them on the rev limiters for a few minutes or worse yet, using their own hand held tuning units/HP Tuners etc to actually raise the rev limiter on their otherwise bone stock valvetrains and taking their cars to 7500rpm?
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,537
Likes: 1,402
From: Bethesda MD
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 923
Likes: 37
From: Green Bay Wisconsin
Hello,
My stock (Vararam only) 2006 LS2 motor blew at 20,000 miles. Headgasket failure led to #1 cylinder hydrolocking and exploding, connecting rod fell down and jammed against #2 cylinder and broke that connecting rod and shoved it throught the block!
1 year out of warranty and GM said sorry we can't help.
Paid full price for new engine and installation at Gandrud Dealership in Green Bay. They did excellent work and car runs great!
Douglas in Green Bay
My stock (Vararam only) 2006 LS2 motor blew at 20,000 miles. Headgasket failure led to #1 cylinder hydrolocking and exploding, connecting rod fell down and jammed against #2 cylinder and broke that connecting rod and shoved it throught the block!
1 year out of warranty and GM said sorry we can't help.
Paid full price for new engine and installation at Gandrud Dealership in Green Bay. They did excellent work and car runs great!
Douglas in Green Bay
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 24,987
Likes: 2,691
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
A certain percentage of any motor will fail prematurely; and the percentage will go up the harder you run the motors, even if you don't actually violate the numbers by over revs, etc.
I don't know if the LS7 has a higher percentage of failures than the LS2/LS3, though it kinda seems that way. Only GM knows for sure. But the big question is, how much harder are the owners running those cars?
I don't know if the LS7 has a higher percentage of failures than the LS2/LS3, though it kinda seems that way. Only GM knows for sure. But the big question is, how much harder are the owners running those cars?
