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From: Philadelphia PA (Birthplace of the USA, UNESCO World Heritage City)
Hi all- so my valve springs came in the mail today from Summit Racing and I had 3 questions:
a) They are the correct part number, however are a dark navy blue rather than the bright blue I've seen many pictures of. Has anyone ordered valve springs recently and had theirs in the same color? I'm seeing at least one example online where they are dark navy instead of bright blue:
b) The paint is chipped/worn off on all the valve springs, as you can see in the photo above. Is this something to worry about?
c) Has anyone used the FelPro SS71039 Valve Stem Seals?
It says direct replacement for factory and both Summit and Amazon state it fits a 2002 Z06, but just curious if anyone has personally used them and if they are a direct replacement for factory seals.
They are less than half the cost of OEM seals and FelPro is a trusted brand, so I ordered them, but just wanted to double check.
I ordered my springs from Summit and they may have been a little brighter than that, I can't remember. If the part number is correct then you should be fine.
From: Philadelphia PA (Birthplace of the USA, UNESCO World Heritage City)
Originally Posted by Trash
Part number is more important than color.
Paint wear is normal from shipping/manufacturing. Keep them oiled up so no corrosion starts.
Yeah, I was just being paranoid on whether a) maybe these were used and returned, since the bags aren't sealed. or b) they changed how they manufacture them, which could mean a gamble on the quality.
Yeah, I was just being paranoid on whether a) maybe these were used and returned, since the bags aren't sealed. or b) they changed how they manufacture them, which could mean a gamble on the quality.
I would simply install them and have fun. We could second guess a lot of stuff but then we'd never drive the car.
Was there any attempt to correlate the failures to the usage? For example, cars that were tracked or used for spirited street use versus those that did not spend much time above 4,000 RPM. My car is a January 2002 vehicle and not in the high risk group according to your stats.
My '04 Z06 has always run perfect. yesterday I was driving it and I heard a ticking sounds, almost like a header gasket leak and then the car started running real rough like there was a big load on it and then the check engine light came on. there are no codes. I have been researching this and it appears that tehse engines had valve spring problems. I am not sure what happens when a valve spring goes bad but do my symptons sound line a valve spring problem? the car starts and runs with no smoke. Thanks
Was there any attempt to correlate the failures to the usage? For example, cars that were tracked or used for spirited street use versus those that did not spend much time above 4,000 RPM. My car is a January 2002 vehicle and not in the high risk group according to your stats.
Short answer is no. But from all of the failures there has been no particular regime in which there is a high failure rate.
Some people have gone 90,000 miles without a failure, while some have happened at low miles and idle, others highway speeds and still others higher rpm.
Regarding your build date, mine too is a January 2002 build. One other member had a valve spring break and it was built one week after mine. Sooo, you likely are one of the potential victims. I changed mine at about 30-40,000 miles for peace of mind I guess.
My '04 Z06 has always run perfect. yesterday I was driving it and I heard a ticking sounds, almost like a header gasket leak and then the car started running real rough like there was a big load on it and then the check engine light came on. there are no codes. I have been researching this and it appears that tehse engines had valve spring problems. I am not sure what happens when a valve spring goes bad but do my symptons sound line a valve spring problem? the car starts and runs with no smoke. Thanks
Pull the valve covers and check. That's the easiest way. But yes those symptoms could be a valve spring. I would not run the motor or even turn it over until you find out. In some cases when the valve spring breaks the keeper and retainer stay intact. In other cases they don't and the valve drops.
A performance shop in Richmond, VA that works on a variety of cars, but has done lots of C5 and C6 work, stated to me that the issue "may" (I emphasize "may") be attributed to drivers who often or routinely hammer their car hard before it has been properly warmed up, e.g., cold start and then pull out of the driveway with the opportunity to rip her up through the gears close to redline.
That's his engineering opinion with not a lot of data, but he thinks it's a good hunch.
I had my springs replaced with factory OEM parts out of the Chevy catalog for the LS6, and my local dealer installed them. It was for peace of mind. My car now has 85,000 miles and doing well.
I plan to have that same Richmond shop install headers and dyno-tune my car, probably in February or March. I like the folks.
Cheers,
Mike
Originally Posted by Bryan.Elkins
Was there any attempt to correlate the failures to the usage? For example, cars that were tracked or used for spirited street use versus those that did not spend much time above 4,000 RPM. My car is a January 2002 vehicle and not in the high risk group according to your stats.
Replaced my stock 2002 yellow valve springs with factory GMPP blue springs and valve seals. I will now hammer away with no worry of snapping a spring. See my before and after pics.
I examined my rockers and trunions....they are all in great shape.
Last edited by AwesomeC5; Nov 7, 2017 at 09:01 PM.
Wow!!! Love the objective analysis. As the new owner of a 2002 Z06 with 43,000 miles, I will be changing valve springs before spring comes to Wisconsin again. Again, super job and thanks for taking the time to communicate so well!!!
A performance shop in Richmond, VA that works on a variety of cars, but has done lots of C5 and C6 work, stated to me that the issue "may" (I emphasize "may") be attributed to drivers who often or routinely hammer their car hard before it has been properly warmed up, e.g., cold start and then pull out of the driveway with the opportunity to rip her up through the gears close to redline.
That's his engineering opinion with not a lot of data, but he thinks it's a good hunch.
I had my springs replaced with factory OEM parts out of the Chevy catalog for the LS6, and my local dealer installed them. It was for peace of mind. My car now has 85,000 miles and doing well.
I plan to have that same Richmond shop install headers and dyno-tune my car, probably in February or March. I like the folks.
Wow!!! Love the objective analysis. As the new owner of a 2002 Z06 with 43,000 miles, I will be changing valve springs before spring comes to Wisconsin again. Again, super job and thanks for taking the time to communicate so well!!!
My 2002 Z06 is now approaching 90K miles. The springs were replaced 26 months ago. Great peace of mind in doing so.
[QUOTE=WannaC5Z;1596782502]What did the stealership charge you?
I already had the springs (factory OEM replacements out of the Chevrolet performance catalog). The dealer charged me about $670 for the labor. That's in Fredericksburg, VA. Labor rates vary across the country.
Need some help fellas. Picked up a mint 2002 Z06 with very low miles (7K). It had all the paperwork from mile 5 through 200 miles ago so am confident with the history and maintenance. The only two outstanding was the lockout and the spring issue. Fast forward, the paperwork showed the lockout was handled so now it's just the spring .
I took it to a world class place that specializes in Corvettes near me to have it 1) looked at top to bottom and 2) see if we can figure out if the springs had been replaced .
I've scoured this thread and don't see my exact issue. My springs were all metal with a yellow stripe. Can anyone verify is these are stock or aftermarket?
If they are stock I have a decision to make. Replace them now or, what I'm thinking, replace them as part of my Cam install (since they'll need to be replaced anyway).
Anyone know if I'm driving a time bomb based on this picture?
Need some help fellas. Picked up a mint 2002 Z06 with very low miles (7K). It had all the paperwork from mile 5 through 200 miles ago so am confident with the history and maintenance. The only two outstanding was the lockout and the spring issue. Fast forward, the paperwork showed the lockout was handled so now it's just the spring .
I took it to a world class place that specializes in Corvettes near me to have it 1) looked at top to bottom and 2) see if we can figure out if the springs had been replaced .
I've scoured this thread and don't see my exact issue. My springs were all metal with a yellow stripe. Can anyone verify is these are stock or aftermarket?
If they are stock I have a decision to make. Replace them now or, what I'm thinking, replace them as part of my Cam install (since they'll need to be replaced anyway).
Anyone know if I'm driving a time bomb based on this picture?
Kaboom or Nah?
Clearly looks to me that your springs have been replaced. I have the exact same car and my springs were completely yellow. I also posted here late last fall detailing my swap-out.
Clearly looks to me that your springs have been replaced. I have the exact same car and my springs were completely yellow. I also posted here late last fall detailing my swap-out.
My thing is how can I be 200% sure? I can see they aren't solid yellow but did they go to this type of spring at any point for the 02's.
