jjc508520

Her first dealer visit in the 4y I've owned her - I need my AC and I don't have the intestinal fortitude to rip the dash apart and chase the vacuum leaks Imagine my surprise when I see one entire section of the bay filled with vette's! One of the C6's is an '07 that's in for a wobbling crank pulley and another is a low-mileage example with a leaking oilpan due to shriveled gaskets (you gotta get out there and drive them!). Interesting to compare the rear brakes on the 2 at the end - I noted that one had bigger calipers than the other - the silver one of course is a Z06 - got me thinking about a brake swap

~Josh

FYI most of the oil pan/rear main leaks we find are caused by an oil-clogged PCV valve which becomes defective and allows crankcase pressure to build. We put in a new PCV when we do the gasket job otherwise it will blow out again.

Velocity_Vette

People tend to neglect any sort of PCV maintenance until it starts to cause issues and then still never actually sort it out; seems to be one of the most neglected service items for a C5 and doubly so considering the issues pre-2001 cars have with it.

The C6 Z06 brakes the silver car has are commonly swapped over to C5s. As the C6 uses similarly designed knuckles the calipers and hardware just swap over with little that needs to be purchased & altered. While they used to be extremely cost prohibitive - used they are comparable to some aftermarket brake upgrades - the cost of used calipers has started to come down and there are even re-mans being offered. The C7 on the other hand cannot have it's calipers swapped over as the knuckle design was altered.

jjc508520

The leakers were the C6's - but the C5's can have this same problem? Does it make any difference if you have a catch-can installed?

jjc508520

I thought I read some stuff here that "the proportioning valve gets confused as the C6 calipers have more fluid volume in them" or something like that...

~Josh

For oil pan gaskets we change maybe 3 c5s a month and one or two c6s.

The catch can doesn't prevent oil vapor throughout the PCV system which builds up over time failing the PCV valve.

jjc508520

PCV valve replacement - being added to the list

~Josh

Looks like an FRC from the avatar so the LS1 PCV assembly carries a factory part number 12590632

This is what the parts guy will hand you. Wraps around the back of the engine tying in both valve covers and feeds into the front of the intake manifold area on the passenger side.

'Shifter

Don't believe, mine work like a charm.

Steeldragon

Is there any difference in front calipers?

Vetteman Jack

Hopefully the number of Vettes there means they have good mechanics that service the cars. My guess is they do.

jjc508520

Um - OK - its more that "just a little check valve" - perhaps I'll ask the dealer to do it while I have it there...

knewblewkorvette

Could this happen with a C5 that has just 36,500 miles?
I was just told my oil pan is seeping even though I see no oil on my garage floor.

leadfoot4

Now, this has me wondering.....

However, a couple of years ago, when I initially noticed that my oil pan was "damp" with oil, the first thing I checked was the torque on the lower pan bolts. IIRC, the torque is something like 108 in/lbs. ALL of the bolts on my pan were loose.....

~Josh

The PVC valve itself is the little bulb at the end on the lower left extension.

The hose assembly is given as a package and I agree with fresh plastic that isn't heat f*cked. The hoses fail too causing intake/vacuum leaks.

~Josh

Typically 80k-130k

Could just be a bad gasket. If you change the PCV its $120 piece of mind. Can't beat fresh new parts.

jjc508520

Just got a call from the dealer:

1) PCV assy $129 and probably $70 to install - OK - told him to do it

2) "Your AC idler is squealing like mad/ready to fall off - it and the serpentine belt for $350 installed" - OK - I knew the birds were hiding under the hood - just wasn't sure where

3) "Once we got your system charged it started blowing cold out the dash - we have dye in there now - waiting for it to circulate - we think its the compressor" "As a policy we don't do aftermarket parts - but as a service manager I have SOME leeway as to where I source my parts" - we'll see what he says in a few hours.

The surprise to me was that they said there were no "behind the dash actuator issues".

soofrsh

the actuators were a fun project lol

~Josh

If one idler is bad you will have others within 10k fo' sho'.
Drive belt has one tensioner with pulley, and has one idler
A/C belt has one tensioner with pulley, and one idler.

At some point, change all/the rest in a batch. Eye your harmonic balancer. Not if, but when. $650

dbgoodwin

Oh my god, $350 for pulley's and belt swap? I'm in the wrong business considering it took me all of 12 minutes to do that earlier this year in a parking lot. a couple minutes of that included taking a video of the pulley too.