Aggiecatcher

First of all, I'm not a gear-head. Over the years, I stopped changing my own oil in my cars, and I have no way to change my Z06 at home anyway (I wouldn't even try). I found a local oil change place run by a guy who was a former lead mechanic at our local Chevy dealer, and has all kinds of certifications from Chevy/Detroit to work on Corvettes. He's been my go to guy for the first 1.5 years I've had my 2006 Z06. About 1,000 miles ago, I had the dealer replace some engine seals, and the car was in perfect condition (other than the air conditioning unit that needs to be replaced at some point). The car was running perfect, and I love that car.

So, I get an oil change warning yesterday, and had some time, so I went by to my guy. He wanted to do it himself, so we waited extra-long, had some lunch, and then came back. He still wasn't done. He then called me back into the shop two hours later. I figured he was going to tell me he found this or that wrong, but instead he tells me, "I screwed up, and siezed the motor." So, at this point, they are getting me a crate LS7 and having the dealer install it. Do I need to worry about the same old issues if they give me a crate motor? Anything I need to worry about in the swap out?

Frankie15

What exactly are you referring to regarding "worry about the same old issues"? If you're referring to the issue regarding the valves, then yes. You will still need to have them addressed.

Sorry this happened to you bud.

Aggiecatcher

Right, so my question is whether a new crate motor would still have the valve issue. Anything else to worry about with a motor swap?

jayyyw

Yes, a new crate motor will still have the same valve issue.

Aggiecatcher

Bummer, but I suppose it comes with a warranty too. I thought they would have addressed it in the new motors.

moldyviolinist

Crazy. How does one screw up an oil change that badly? New motor is always good though, my 2008 had a new one (dealer installed) and has been running great. You'll want to address the heads yourself.

Aggiecatcher

I've been learning about this all morning. Apparently, if you don't properly drain the dry sump, it can blow. Unreal. I'm still trying to get my head around this.

moldyviolinist

Wow fascinating. Maybe air gets into the system or something. I haven't changed the oil myself in mine either.

TRDNiteLife

You're getting a new motor for a 12 year old car. Not ideal circumstances, but it's something.

RedZ4me

Maybe I'm not getting it.............certificates from a matchbox or google?? wtf ??? Oil change take 20 mins - should have stuck around when they(he) was ready to do it. Either he screwed up..........or did he joy ride afterwards???

~STOLEN~

seems that the dealership and the company that you took your car to in order to have the oil change, must be using a different procedure than the rest of us..

ive changed my oil about 8 times and never had an issue like this or any of the other "i put 10 qts in the car and it doesnt read on the stick" problems

id change it yourself from now on. and if you have questions on this, ask us, thats what this forum is for. (you will have to filter through people being mad that you asked and didnt read the manual though )

Cman01

I guess your oil change guy with the certificates and stuff to work on Corvettes mean squat if he can't even perform an oil change on a Z06 properly.

Seriously, there's lots of info on how to do it properly here and online. Please for the sake of your new crate engine you are getting read up on this and do it yourself, you will know that at least you did the job and did it correctly.

Tony

Da Z06

This right here. Dude likes to party, went a little to hard and dropped a valve.

mittens

wrong procedure? you drian both, the pan and the tank, swap filters and fill do you not?

Dale1990

Maybe he tried filling it through the cap on the valve cover rather than through the cap on the dry-sump tank? Many an LS7 has been lost that way. It's good to see that he owned up to it and is handling it, though.

Dirty Howie

You do not need to change the oil yourself. But you do need to know how its done and then watch to make sure they do it right. This is what I do !!


DH

polyol

I dont get it, drain...fill...how can they screw that up? Just short filled it? Even then?

Nowanker

Sad situation, but bad sh*t does sometimes happen in a good repair shop.
It would have been better for all parties if it didn't happen, but he admitted his mistake, and is covering it.
As happy an outcome as possible....

mittens

at least he owned up to it, and is not trying to rebuild him selt and bla bla bla. nope here let me fix it from the factory. so stand up guy on that part. mistakes can happen its how you handle them in life that counts.

BigVette427

Just did this on my Z06 this past weekend; even without a lift it's not that hard. The hardest part is getting your Z06 lifted and level. The C7 Z51, Z06, and ZR1's all have dry sumps as well, as the procedure is the same. I knew the dry sump procedure but I couldn't speak to the "why" behind having to check when warm and all, so I looked it up and can now speak to this. I'm sharing this for others. As mentioned above, you don't have to change your own oil, just now how it is done, and preferably, why it is done this way.

http://www.101corvetteprojects.com/h...e-z06-and-zr1/

These vehicles have a racetrack-ready dry sump engine lubrication system. This high-performance system operates differently than a standard engine lubrication system and requires a special procedure when checking the engine oil level. Follow this procedure closely.

The engine oil level must be checked when the engine is warm. Cold oil level in the dry sump tank may not indicate the actual amount of oil in the system.

With this system, engine oil is contained in an external tank, separate from the engine. Under normal operating conditions, the oil pan under the engine does not store any oil. If the vehicle has been parked for an extended period without the engine being started, some oil will seep back into the oil pan, reducing the amount of oil held in the dry sump tank and there could be no engine oil at all showing on the dipstick. This is normal since the dipstick is designed to read the engine oil level only after the engine has run long enough to reach normal operating temperature.

Do not add engine oil based on cold engine dipstick readings. The engine oil level on the dipstick will also be inaccurate if checked while the engine is running.

1. To obtain an accurate engine oil level reading, warm up the engine to at least 80°C (175°F). Cold oil will not give a correct oil level reading.

2. Once the engine is warm, turn off the engine. Checking the oil while the engine is running will result in an incorrect oil level reading.

3. Check the oil level between five and 10 minutes after the engine is shut down.

4. Remove the dipstick from the external engine oil tank and clean it with a lint-free paper towel or a cloth. Re-insert the dipstick into the externa oil tank, pushing it all the way in until it stops.

5. Remove the dipstick from the oil tank and read the level on the cross-hatched area. If the oil is below the cross-hatched area at the tip of the dipstick, add 1 L (1 qt) of the recommended oil through the oil fill cap opening in the oil tank and then recheck the level.