2008 Chevrolet Corvette Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while driving out of his driveway, the "Service Active Handling System" warning light was illuminated. Neither the dealer nor an independent mechanic was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,600.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE EXHAUST OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO WATSON CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 625 WEST AUTO MALL DRIVE, TUCSON AZ, 85705, (520)329-4097 TO BE INSPECTED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ENGINE FAILURE WITH A CONNECTING ROD GOING THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED OR REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000.

2008 CORVETTE WITH 119000 HAS A STRONG ODOR OF GAS AFTER FILLING UP OVER A HALF OF TANK, BUT IS SHOWING NO LEAKS. THE GAS CAP IS FIRMLY IN PLACE AND WORKS CORRECTLY. I READ THAT I SHOULD FILL THIS OUT BECAUSE IT IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL CORVETTE AND COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE. I THOUGHT I HAD BOUGHT CHEAP GAS BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED AGAIN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. I DID SEE A RECALL LETTER FROM CHEVY BUT THE CAR IS OVER 10 YEARS OLD BUT IS UNDER 120,000 MILES. I HAVE HAD IT SINCE JUNE OF 2018. THE VEHICLE IS PARKED IN A GARAGE AND THE ODOR IS VERY STRONG. WHEN THE VEHICLE'S GAS SUPPLY DROPS BELOW A HALF A TANK, THE ODOR GOES AWAY. I FIRST NOTICED THIS IN THE FALL OF 2019, BUT HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE CAR VERY MUCH UNTIL THIS PAST WEEK. I HAVE HAD A POT HOLE ISSUE IN DEC WHERE A CLAIM WAS FILED BUT THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. I WAS WONDERING IF MY VEHICLE WOULD STILL BE COVERED AT NO CHARGE TO ME BY THE DEALER OR ANOTHER CHEVY DEALERSHIP CLOSER TO MY HOME? I READ WHERE THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE. I DID GUESS AT THE SEPT DATE I FIRST NOTICED IT BUT IT WAS ON WEDNESDAY MARCH 25 THAT I FILLED UP AND SMELLED IT AGAIN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.

2008 CORVETTE C6 Z06. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VALVE GUIDE MACHINING ISSUES. *LD *JS

LOUD TICKING COMING FROM VALVES, WORRIED TO DROP A VALVE WHEN DRIVING

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN 5TH GEAR #5 EXHAUST VALVE DROPPED INTO THE CYLINDER GOING THROUGH THE PISTON AND CAUSING CONNECTING ROD TO GO THROUGH SIDE OF THE BLOCK. ENGINE SEIZED AND CAUSED THE CAR TO GO INTO A 65 MPH SPIN. LUCKILY THIS OCCURRED LATE AT NIGHT ON A OPEN 4 LANE HIGHWAY WITH LITTLE TRAFFIC. I NEARLY CLIPPED AN ONCOMING PICKUP TRUCK BUT SQUEAKED BY HIM. THE CAR HAD 32,000 MILES ON IT BUT OUT OF WARRANTY BECAUSE OF THE YEARS. TOTAL COST FOR THIS LS7 REPLACEMENT COST ME 18,000 OUT OF POCKET. I HARDLY EVEN DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE I'M AFRAID OF IT HAPPENING AGAIN. I'M RELUCTANT TO SELL IT BECAUSE OF THE VALVE ISSUE HAPPENING TO POTENTIAL BUYER AND THEM COMING AFTER ME FOR THE FAILURE. GM NEEDS TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED LIKE I COULD HAVE BEEN THAT NIGHT.

DEFECTIVE VALVE GUIDES. THIS FIRST HAPPENED AT 13,500 MILES, AND CHEVROLET DID REPLACE THE HEADS UNDER WARRANTY. NOW IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN AT 28500 MILES AND I HAVE SPENT OVER $3100 IN PARTS ALONE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, WHICH HAS BEEN VERIFIED BY THE COMPANY WHO SOLD ME THE REPLACEMENT HEADS. I PROVIDED THE LABOR OR THE COST WOULD HAVE BEEN $1700 HIGHER. FOUR INTAKE VALVE GUIDES WERE BEYOND THE CHEVROLET REPLACEMENT SPEC AND ANOTHER FOUR WERE ALREADY AT THE CHEVROLET SERVICE LIMIT WITH ONLY 15000 MILES ON THE REPLACEMENT HEADS. OBVIOUSLY THE PROBLEM OCCURRED DURING CITY AND HIGHWAY DRIVING.

I BOUGHT MY 2008 Z06 BACK IN DECEMBER 2016 WITH 27000 MILES ON IT. LOVE THE CAR BUT FROM I UNDERSTAND READING ABOUT THE COMPLAINS FROM OTHER OWNERS IT HAS VALVE PROBLEMS AND THE CAN GIVE AWAY AT ANY TIME. DEAR GM I DON'T CARE HOW YOU TAKE THIS, BUT SHOULD MY 2008 LS7 MOTOR BREAK DOWN DUE TO THIS SPECIFIC SITUATION YOU WILL FIX IT AT YOUR OWN COST, I AM PRINTING THE COMPLAINS FROM THE FORUM ABOUT THE LS7 MOTOR ISSUES, AND IF THAT EVER HAPPENS TO MY CAR AND YOU REFUSE TO FIX IT, TV STATIONS, RADIO STATIONS, AND NEWS PAPERS WILL KNOW ABOUT THIS. LET ME CLEAR THIS IS A STATEMENT I AM MAKING THANK YOU

ENGINE IS MAKING A LOUD TICKING NOISE. SHOP RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE VALVE GUIDES AND REMACHINE CYLINDER HEADS. THIS IS TO PREVENT A VALVE DROPPING INTO THE ENGINE DUE TO OUT OF SPEC CYLINDER HEADS FROM THE OEM SUPPLIER. THIS IS A HIGH OCCURRENCE PROBLEM THAT HAS LOW OR REMOTE DETECTION METHODS. THE SEVERITY PRESENTS A POTENTIAL SAFETY/FIRE HAZARD.

I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT EXCESSIVE VALVE TRAIN NOISE AND AFTER READING SEVERAL CORVETTE FORUM THREADS ABOUT IMPROPERLY MACHINED HEADS BY GM'S SUPPLIER LINAMAR, AND THAT NUMEROUS VEHICLES HAVE HAD VALVES DROP AND RUIN THE ENGINES, I TOOK MY CAR WITH 9500 MILES ON IT TO A CORVETTE SPECIALTY SHOP TO HAVE MY VALVE GUIDE CLEARANCE TESTED. I HAD (2) INTAKE VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS, (4) EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS, AND A COMBINATION OF (10) OTHER INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES AT OR NEAR THE MAXIMUM OUTSIDE OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS. THE CAR IS BEING REPAIRED WITH PROPER RE-MACHINING OF THE HEADS TO MAKE THE VALVE GUIDES CONCENTRIC, NEW INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES INSTALLED, AS WELL AS NEW SEALS, VALVES, SPRINGS, ETC. 88% OF THE CORVETTE FORUM MEMBERS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR CYLINDER HEADS TESTED FOR EXCESSIVE VALVE GUIDE WEAR, WERE OUT OF SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS. SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.CORVETTEFORUM.COM/FORUMS/...-REGISTRY.HTML GM NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS ENGINE FAILURES AS A RESULT OF A DROPPED VALVE INTO A CYLINDER WHICH CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND FIRES. GM IS VERY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, BUT REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS HUGE SAFETY RISK TO DRIVERS, PASSENGERS, AND NEARBY VEHICLES IF THE ENGINE FAILS GOING DOWN THE ROAD.

ENGINE BEGAN TO RATTLE AND I STOPPED TO CHECK BUT SAW NO VISUAL PROBLEMS. NEXT DAY HAD IT SHIPPED TO MECHANIC TO CHECK AND FOUND THAT VALVES, GUIDES AND STEMS WERE OUT OF SPEC. STATED THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH HEADS FROM LS7 ENGINES. PIECE OF JUNK HE CALLED THEM BUT I CHOSE TO DISAGREE THATS WHY IM WRITING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN GM. 50 YEARS LOYAL GM OWNER AND MY DAD WAS AND STILL DRIVES GMS (70 YEARS).

THAT NIGHT I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE BLEW UP BECAUSE THE VALVE DROPPED THOUGH THE 8TH CYLINDER AND THE CAR SHOOK ALL THE EQUIPMENT STOPPED WORKING AND THE BRAKE NOT WORKING WELL ,I WAS SO SCARED THAT THE ROAD WAS VERY BUSY , THANKFULLY I DROVE THE CAR TO A SAFE PLACE,THE CAR MAKE 2008 ONLY 34 K MILE ,MY CAR HAD BEEN REPAIR AT CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP COST OVER 16 THOUSAND DOLLARS. *TR

YES ,WHEN DRIVING THE CORVETTE ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE BLEW UP AND QUIT WORKING EVERYTHING POTENTIALLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT TO ME AT THAT TIME I WAS VERY SCARED.........THE VALVE DROPPED THROUGH THE 8TH CYLINDER,WHILE DRIVING ALMOST CAUSING DRIVERS TO CRASH. *TR

ENGINE VALVES NOISY AND SHOWED EXCESSIVE WEAR AT 17,000 MILES. CONCERNS THAT THE ENGINE COULD FAIL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, RENDERING POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES INOPERABLE, RISKING A CRASH. HAD CYLINDER HEADS REPLACED AS A PRECAUTION TO PREVENT A POTENTIAL DROPPED VALVE.

THE CAR HAD AN OIL PUMP FAILURE IN JULY (ZERO OIL PRESSURE IN THE ENGINE), AFTER WHICH IT WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP WHO IS CURRENTLY REPLACING THE OIL PUMP AND VERIFYING THAT NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE ENGINE FOR A COST OF ABOUT $2000. UPON INVESTIGATION ON MY PART, GM HAS KNOWN THAT OIL PUMPS CAN FAIL ON NOT ONLY MY CAR BUT ANY CAR WITH A "GENERATION 4" V8 INCLUDING A 6TH GENERATION CORVETTES. THEY HAVE RELEASED TO THEIR DEALERS DOCUMENT PIP4158G STATING THIS. I THINK PERSONALLY THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL, BUT AT THE VERY LEAST GM SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY SERVICE WORK DONE BECAUSE OF THIS "KNOWN" ISSUE. I REFUSE TO TAKE MY CAR TO A GM DEALER, DUE TO THE PAST TREATMENT OF MY CAR BY DEALERS (THEY ARE CARELESS) AND SO GM WILL DO NOTHING AS THEY SAY "IT CAN'T BE DIAGNOSED BY ANYONE BUT A GM DEALER." THAT'S HOGWASH

WEAR ISSUE IS WITH THE VALVE GUIDES IN THE CYLINDER HEADS. IF THE ISSUE WAS NOT ADDRESSED, THE HOLLOW, SODIUM FILLED EXHAUST VALVE COULD BREAK AND DESTROY THE ENGINE. THE REPAIRS WERE MADE BEFORE THE CAR HAD AN ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. MILEAGE ON THE CAR WAS AROUND 32,000.

VALVE GUIDES ON HEADS WERE OUT OF SEPCIFICATION AND WIGGLED VISIBLY WITH SLIGHT SIDE PRESSURE, EVEN WHEN LOADED. HEADS R&R'D AT A COST OF $2500

THE LS7 ENGINE HAS A DEFECT THAT CAUSES ACCELERATED VALVE GUIDE WEAR. CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE CAR WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A VALVE DROPPING AND CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. ONCE THIS OCCURS THERE WILL BE A LOSS OF POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, AND WATER/OIL COULD GET ON THE TIRES LEADING TO A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE CAR. IN A FEW CASES FIRE HAS ERUPTED. HERE ARE TWO VIDEOS OF THE ISSUE HAPPENING: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=TM4MDCIX-KI HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=ZLT7DJNKVNY LUCKILY I FOUND THE EXCESSIVE VALVE GUIDE WEAR BEFORE THE ENGINE FAILED, BUT IT COST ME $3000 TO HAVE THE HEADS REBUILT. UPDATED 09/15/15*LJ *CN

HAD TO HAVE THE HEADS REWORKED BECAUSE OF BAD GUIDES AT 13,500 MILES. CAR OUT OF WARRANTY GM DOES NOTHING AND CLAIMS THERE ISN'T A PROBLEM. STOCK 2008 Z06 WITH 13,500 MILES ALL (8) EXHAUST OUT OF SPEC, (3) INTAKE OUT OF SPEC (5) INTAKE ONLY IN SPEC BY .0001-.0004 MEASUREMENT DONE BY KATECH/WCCH CAN PROVIDE DATA IF NEEDED

I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS OVER BAD HEADS AND VALVES PUT INTO A PERCENTAGE OF THESE CORVETTE Z06 CARS. GM HAS ADMITTED THERE IS AN ISSUE AND YET REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THERE WAS A MACHINING ERROR WITH THESE HEADS AND THE ENGINES CAN DROP A VALVE WITHOUT WARNING OR SYMPTOMS AND WITHOUT PULLING YOUR MOTOR APART THERE IS NO WAY TO DETERMINE IF YOUR CAR IS AFFECTED OR NOT. THE FACT IS NOW THAT AN INCREASING PERCENTAGE OF THESE CARS ARE LOSING THEIR ENGINES AND REPLACEMENT COST IS OVER 17000.00. SHOULD THE ENGINE GO IT COULD LEAD TO A SERIOUS CRASH FROM THE ROD PUNCTURING THE BLOCK AND SPREADING OIL UNDER AND AROUND THE CAR WHICH NOT ONLY AFFECTS THE CAR IN QUESTION BUT ANY OTHERS FOLLOWING IT AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME THAT HAVE GONE OFF THE ROAD BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE AND IT IS TAKING ANY OF THE JOY OF OWNING OR DRIVING THIS CAR AT ALL. GM WILL NOT EVEN TELL ANYONE OUT OF WARRANTY WHAT TO DO TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM AND WHEN SOME HEADS WERE REPLACED BY GM FOR CARS UNDER WARRANTY, SOME WERE FOUND TO HAVE BAD TOLERANCES BEFORE EVEN BEING INSTALLED. GM HAS NOW GONE ON TO THEIR NEW MODEL Z06 AND IS SIMPLY HOPING THIS ISSUE GOES AWAY WHILE THROWING ALL THEIR LOYAL CUSTOMERS UNDER THE BUS SO TO SPEAK. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE BEFORE THERE IS A DEATH CAUSE FROM THIS ISSUE, NOT TO MENTION A LOYAL CUSTOMER LOSING A 17000. ENGINE THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. I HAVE CONTACT CHEVROLET SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS MET WITH LITTLE RESPONSE OR ENTHUSIASM TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM AT ALL.