msuc5vette

This is really too bad, do you have dual or single springs?

blazeone

That sucks, as you stated you only expected Cartek to deliver what they said they would. If they told you originally tough luck then you would not be expecting anything but when someone-anyone states they are going to support you in "this" way and then don't, that's just not right. Hope it works out for you

Dave00C5

You can measure a vendor by the customer service after the sale. I'm not bashing cartek but if they agreed to send you 450.00 they should. If they are too busy well then let em hire some more help. Sorry to see the pics of the damage and Good Luck to ya!

FreddyG

I've never dealt with Cartek, but I do hope that you get things worked out. this only makes a better case for me, that when I do decide to do a heads/cam setup, I'll go with dual springs. It might have prevented the valve from dropping. They cost a little bit more, but the old Fram commercial saying of "Pay me now or pay me later." has never been more true. Once again, Best of luck in getting things worked out.

MattG

In my opinion, vendors arent responsible for a valvespring failure unless they were installed wrong. If it was an install issue, the failure would have happened much much sooner. Also, just because the spring failed while you were putting along at low RPMs, doesnt mean that it didnt actually crack and start to fail much sooner. I would say this failure is nobody's fault but perhaps the spring manufacturer. Unfortunately, when you have aftermarket high horsepower equipment, you have to assume the risk of unforseen damage that was not really anyone's fault.

crainholio

Here's something to consider...the more often you change springs, the more likely you are to hit a bad manufacturing batch and incur a failure.

blackbullet

Marco,

I appreciate the information. Thanks for your help. I know it is not your issue but if you see Dave, just let him know that if he has a chance to send the $450 check, that would be awesome.

Thanks again for your help and support. M.

blackbullet

We agree. Thanks a lot for your support too John! M.

grady

MattG;

I had the HOME DEPOT install a garage door (Clopay) and door opener (Genie). The computer board in the opener failed at about five months. I called HOME DEPOT, they ordered the part from Genie. When the part arrived in a few days, I was called and asked when their installer could come and install.

That's how it's supposed to work.

As for R&D of these parts are 941 springs specifically for an LS1/6 motor or do they happen to fit the head. I don't think that most tuners have CAD type software and development departments. They are an installer of parts that fit in the hole. The customer is the guinea pig. There is no R&D like the auto manufacturers go through.

What are the new technological developments in the LS1/6/2? Is this motor still a small block Chevy V8. How much different are the component parts. A crank is a crank, pistons are pistons etc... Maybe different materials and dimension but still the same part type. Is the Lunati 383 crank much different to install than the GM 347 crank?

Don't get me wrong, I understand that the higher the HP the greater the failure possibility. Sure the dragsters are rebuilding their motors after a round or two but thats extreme. A C5 to Z06 is a 14% increase in HP. An LS2 to Z06 maybe a 25% HP increase. The factory tolerances maybe near the limits and tuners should not be trying for higher percentage increases until they know the parts they use will last 100k miles. I do not see any tuners stating the life of the components they use on their websites. I know most end users are ASSUMING the parts are better than stock and that many tuners lead you to believe the same.

If I buy Ken Kings interior, it better be superior to GM's. If they fade or crack sooner, please don't tell me "Well, you shouldn't have purchased the pretty color seats!"

blackbullet

dual (but only one failed)

blackbullet

Blazeone,

Thanks a lot for your support too. M.

blackbullet

Just to clarify "one" set failed but both springs the outer and inner ones broke. M.

blackbullet

This forum is great for this type of supportive email. Thanks a lot Dave! You and everybody else have been awesome. M.

blackbullet

Hi LuvmyC5,

I went with dual springs and Cartek can confirm that this package and heads have dual springs but both of them broke. Probably, the inner one did not have enough strenght to support the initial pressure when the outer one broke. But I agree with you, dual springs should help to lower the risk of damaging the valve and piston, but as you can see, it will not be a 100% bulletproof system. Thanks for the support!

M.

blackbullet

MattG,

I appreciate your answer but I suggest you read all the postings. Nobody is blaming a vendor here for a part failure. As I said in my previous postings, I never went back to Cartek and said "This is your fault", Cartek told me "We are aware of this problem, you are not the only one" and said, "Anything you could do me?" At that point, they mad some promises that have not been fulfilled.

M.

M.

blackbullet

Grady,

I am glad you said what you said. Thanks for the support! At the end of the day, having a bunch of people out there saying that they are "OK" with getting a poor service just because they go ahead (spending thousands of dollars) and when something goes wrong, their answer is "Oh, no problem, it is nobody fault and I am not expecting any help or any service from anybody". That kind of attitude does not help any of us. If that is the case, then all the vendors should say "Hey, you are going to spend thousands of dollars with me, but if something fails, you don't know me", what a great world the place would be if we are thinking that way, right? Wrong! That is why I appreciate your answer so much. Although, I consider myself a nice guy and I never blamed Cartek for anything, I only made the mistake to ask the question "Is there anything you can do for me?" They had the door wide open and they choose to say "Yeah, we can help you out". The only frustration I have is when people says "Yes, we are going to help you" and you have to be calling day after day and week after week to find out if they are living up to their promises and at the end, you have to give up because they don't come through. It is a very frustrating scenario. M.

STEALTH 99 C5

It's very possible the springs were installed at the wrong height . The cam blackbullet is running is not that big , I think it's .560 lift . My experience with Cartek has been excellent as far as performance and customer service . It's unfortunate that blackbullet went through this , I hope it works out in the end for him .

2ndVette

it's one thing to get great customer service when you are close enough to drop your car off to them on their front lawn, and , it's quite another test of customer service when your states distant and can only communicate via the phone. It's pretty tough to blow off someone that can get in your face and relatively easy when you blame UPS, the shipping department, oops I forgot etc...

blackbullet

Stealth,

Thank you for the feedback. I agree with you, the cam I have is not agressive, most likely it was installation or Cartek's feedback (part failure).

M.

John Shiels

I was told duels won't save it if it goes anyway. I have single Manelys. If it was the cam I think they would all be showing damage. Can you measure or test the others?
How many miles? I'd rather chance my luck with a bad one vs. a fatigued spring set. I doubt it was installation if you have some miles on it. Probably bad luck and just a bad spring.