View Poll Results: Have you had a valve spring failure?
Voters: 174. You may not vote on this poll
Valve spring failure prevalence
CF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 19,366
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From: Cape Cod, Mass.
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No. 2995 built June 3rd. 3,000 miles. I'm going to continue to enjoy it and not spend alot of time worrying.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 12,351
Likes: 14,185
From: Central Illinois
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 12,351
Likes: 14,185
From: Central Illinois
Drove mine again today, 1,600+ miles 3313 VIN early June build.
Pretty surprised by the tires, I have Z51 PS4 on the car and it was low 50s today, the gauge did finally go from cool to normal, but I didn't perceive any decrease in grip and did a couple 0-60 runs that felt like when it was really hot out.
Pretty surprised by the tires, I have Z51 PS4 on the car and it was low 50s today, the gauge did finally go from cool to normal, but I didn't perceive any decrease in grip and did a couple 0-60 runs that felt like when it was really hot out.
Last edited by Phil1098; Oct 4, 2020 at 11:37 PM.
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 35,010
Likes: 12,396
From: NE South Carolina
I don't use fowl language on the Forum as you appear to like- all I can say is, "F*** Porsche!" Don't give a crape what they do!
Now for those with C8s, mine was built early September, VIN xx 8002. Have no idea when the engine was built in Tonawanda NY where the valve springs were installed.
My C8 has 700+ miles and has hit 6500 rpm a number of times and works fine. My "guess" from the one pic we have of a broken spring and failures occurring with low miles this is "probably" and internal defect NOT a bad batch of springs improperly heat treated. Tonawanda probably checks batches of springs for spring force at installed height and max lift. Easy to do and probably a tight spec. BUT a statistical sample will not pick up a few springs with internal defects. In fact a defective spring could even pass that test. Best place to check spring wire for defects is when it's rod as it enters the wire drawing machine.
IMO GM would be foolish to have a recall replacing a large number of good springs!
Last edited by JerryU; Oct 5, 2020 at 09:00 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,171
Likes: 1,553
From: Johnson City NY
I asked in another forum and never got an answer.
Is there a particular cylinder that the spring breaks in, or is a random cylinder?
Is it only one spring that goes bad or is it multiple springs.
Most post are only one spring that broke, If tested out OK, could another spring break?
I can't understand if it is a bad batch, why are only one spring in an engine breaking?
Is there a particular cylinder that the spring breaks in, or is a random cylinder?
Is it only one spring that goes bad or is it multiple springs.
Most post are only one spring that broke, If tested out OK, could another spring break?
I can't understand if it is a bad batch, why are only one spring in an engine breaking?
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 35,010
Likes: 12,396
From: NE South Carolina
I asked in another forum and never got an answer.
Is there a particular cylinder that the spring breaks in, or is a random cylinder?
Is it only one spring that goes bad or is it multiple springs.
Most post are only one spring that broke, If tested out OK, could another spring break?
I can't understand if it is a bad batch, why are only one spring in an engine breaking?
Is there a particular cylinder that the spring breaks in, or is a random cylinder?
Is it only one spring that goes bad or is it multiple springs.
Most post are only one spring that broke, If tested out OK, could another spring break?
I can't understand if it is a bad batch, why are only one spring in an engine breaking?
It's a clean break not from a weak spring, which might be expected form say bad heat treating. My "GUESS" is its a metallurgical defect, like a nonmetallic inclusion etc. That would occur in some from a batch of bad rod the wire was made from. That batch of spings would be sent to the Tonawanda engine plant where they would be placed on the engine. Best GM can do is define about which egines might have used springs made from that bad batch of wire. Probably a small percentage and would cause short term failures.
Time will tell. But if over 500 miles looks like you may be safe.
Clean break not a weak spring!
Last edited by JerryU; Oct 5, 2020 at 10:17 AM.
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Race Director
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 12,351
Likes: 14,185
From: Central Illinois
I asked in another forum and never got an answer.
Is there a particular cylinder that the spring breaks in, or is a random cylinder?
Is it only one spring that goes bad or is it multiple springs.
Most post are only one spring that broke, If tested out OK, could another spring break?
I can't understand if it is a bad batch, why are only one spring in an engine breaking?
Is there a particular cylinder that the spring breaks in, or is a random cylinder?
Is it only one spring that goes bad or is it multiple springs.
Most post are only one spring that broke, If tested out OK, could another spring break?
I can't understand if it is a bad batch, why are only one spring in an engine breaking?
) I think I have seen #5 and #8 but don't know what other cylinders have had one. Seems to be random, and not head related, but truly spring failing from what Jerry has described.
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 35,010
Likes: 12,396
From: NE South Carolina
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 35,010
Likes: 12,396
From: NE South Carolina
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,171
Likes: 1,553
From: Johnson City NY
I still don't understand why only ONE spring is breaking.
If it is a bad supply batch, shouldn't more break per engine.
Or is there a special valve spring per cylinder because of the cylinder de activation? that is breaking?
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 12,351
Likes: 14,185
From: Central Illinois
Not a special spring, they are all the same. GM probably gets them by the thousands, the same spring goes in truck 6.2 liter motors and 5.3. If a few bad ones are in a container holding thousands of them it's just spring lottery at that point.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 12,812
Likes: 10,229
From: Garden Valley CA
It may not necessarily be an out of spec defect that is causing the problems. Nothing is perfect and the wire is likely allowed a certain number of (very small) defects within a certain proximity of each other. Normally these defects wouldn't cause a problem. The problem is when a defect is large enough to case a stress concentration that generates a crack. And sometimes cracks are "self healing" when they get to an area of lower stresses and they no longer propagate. Usually the center of the wire in a spring is under less stress than the exterior surface.
Ductility normally has an influence on crack propagation. If the heat treatment was performed such that the springs are too "brittle" then defects that wouldn't normally be a problem could cause crack initiation and propagation.
I'm not a spring expert but it would be interesting to hear from one.
