Will The LS7 Really BLOW UP?!

Will The LS7 Really BLOW UP?! | Corvette C6 Z06

Рет қаралды 8,232

Күн бұрын

Welcome to my 2009 Corvette C6 Z06. In this series we're going to get to know this sports car, from it's design, its 7 liter LS7 engine, it's TR6060 transmission and everything else everyone loves and hates. We're putting it up against the Camaro ZL1 1LE, the Honda S2000 and we'll compare it to other cars like the Viper, the Porsche 911 and more.
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Пікірлер: 73

@ChetanPatelshay 6 ай бұрын

First thing I did to my 2009 c6 Z06 was getting the heads addressed. It’s about $3k to do it and it’s a total investment / peace of mind.

@JackJones-fg1jx 22 күн бұрын

They still fail after getting heads redone. Sorry

@zo6joe979 4 ай бұрын

I own a 08 C6 Z06 with 11k miles I had American heritage performance take care of the heads and yes at 11k the valves had play. GM won't admit that they made a big mistake with out of spec valves and or guides.

@mrsaipros338 5 ай бұрын

I did the same as Derek. Brodix BR7s. I went with the Archangel from AHP. Stage 2 cam. Tony Mamo MSD AirForce Intake. Replacing the heads was the only way I could get peace of mind. It is THE source of the problem. Pony up the cash & fully enjoy the benefits of a 7 liter LS. 604 RWHP 552 lbs tq And this is a streetable car. A pleasure to drive. I left 40 HP on the table for better street manners. The heads breathe so good I can. They are worth the insane price.

@marinellzs4335 4 ай бұрын

Im looking at the arcangels did you keep the same rockers for that head or upgrade those as well

@jarrodhopkins4521 4 ай бұрын

For my AHP Arch Angel set-up Kohle recommended comp cams LS7 Shaft Rockers.

@donalddondero4402 5 ай бұрын

Good info. , Ive researched this issue also and im currently looking for a C6 Z , I think the only way is to change out the stock heads to be 100% confident in not having any failures

@anonymous..- 6 ай бұрын

I almost always find that the C6 Z06 owners that’s say they dont have a valve problem also don’t track the car or drive it how it was built to be driven. That’s a big variable. A local SCCA member bought a 2009, with the upgraded oil system. He thought the issue was exaggerated and it finally blew up requiring a new engine.

@F8L. 6 ай бұрын

I agree, my bone stock 2011 z06 has 60k miles I purchased it with 20k miles. Rarely sees past 5500 rpm since it’s more than enough to overtake 99% of ppl on any highway. Occasionally sees 7k rpm on a Sunday morning

@billmcmeekin7909 6 ай бұрын

Got my heads done in 2023. OEM Lingenfelter upgraded with inconel exhaust valves. Shop has done many, and most failures ( mainly stock) were just noted as " just rolling into throttle lightly at lo RPM". Broken exhaust valve! Can't get crate engines anymore, so not worth the risk for me.

@ssrebuild 3 ай бұрын

Great video, sounds like you did a lot of legwork.

@ramiroastrain4935 5 ай бұрын

I bought 08 Z with 13k miles. I tested valves and some exhaust valves had tons of play. replaced exhaust valves and guides and installed btr-2 cam n kit. running great

@jarrodhopkins4521 6 ай бұрын

Great content, good luck with the new purchase! Over the past 10 years I’ve had two C6 ZO6s. The first one I had ECS replace the stock LS7 heads with fixed LME LS7 heads. Drove that car with stock cam for 12,000 hard miles not one issue. Sold it a few years back. The new owner recently told me it runs flawlessly. Recently purchased a bone stock 2008 C6Z and after reading on the forums and talking to multiple engine builders, decided to completely abandon the LS7 heads and go with AHP’s Arch Angel heads. In my opinion there are just too many variables with the factory LS7 platform heads to keep them and considering you can no longer purchase a new LS7 from GM, buying aftermarket heads is the next best thing. Going to keep stock cam for reliability but install ported Mamo MSD and ARH 1 7/8 headers plus a tune along with American Heritage Performance Arch Angel heads. I ordered parts from Mamo, ARH & AHP and it’d been months of waiting. The hardest part is not driving the car while waiting for parts. I won’t drive the car with stock LS7 heads.

@billmcmeekin7909 5 ай бұрын

Mine sat in my shop for years, trying to find a reputable shop to conduct task in Canada. I heard of Davenport Motorsports in Calgary last winter, and now have OEM Lingenfelter upgraded heads, and enjoy driving once again. Risk vs Reward. Risk mitigated :⁠-⁠) cheers

@billmcmeekin7909 5 ай бұрын

@@robyna8995 My Nephew has had work there also on his C7 Z, and enjoyed the process. I also had new tires and an in-depth four wheel alignment. My Z runs so true, It's a dream to drive. Happy driving in 2024 robyna :⁠-⁠)

@marinellzs4335 4 ай бұрын

How long did it take for them to respond to you.. theres so manu options for the arcangel heads. How did you figure out what you wanted..

@billmcmeekin7909 4 ай бұрын

@@marinellzs4335 If you're talking to me, I just asked Namela a rep at Davenport Motorsports many questions. He answered all with detailed info, and confidence that my engine would be reliable and strong, like the dozens they had done already. Calling is easy, and information was free. Cheers.

@jarrodhopkins4521 4 ай бұрын

I called AHP and spoke to Kohle. Told him what I wanted to do with my car and these heads. Kohle then advised on what spring, valve, etc setup for the heads. You can also email them and Kohle usually replies within 48-hours.

@DennisMurphey 2 ай бұрын

I used oil testing to detect titanium in the oil, before any damage. Pulled the heads at my cost, removed the springs and showed the GM warranty inspector the intake valves just fell out of the heads. He authorized need heads and valves under warranty. This was a GM extended warranty j had purchased. I used Blackstone Laboratories fir testing they pointed out the titanium ppm was there but low. On the next oil change 22,000 it was up a lot. I called several dealers Corvette specialist they agreed stop driving it and pull the heads. Testing the oil saved my Ron Fellows 427. Dennis

@TommyJMaylee3141 Ай бұрын

Mine had several out of spec guides at 30,000 miles. The cam was also showing accelerated wear. Upgraded both with AHP parts and loved that engine for years.

@STEVEdh8xy 5 ай бұрын

I've never seen any hard data for this issue- only anecdotes on the internet. Zero issues with my '08 in seven years of ownership, but I have no interest in racing or modding it. There were over 28,000 of these made. How many of that number have dropped a valve? How many are tracked regularly? How many had a cam that wasn't stock? How many were over-revved? What is the breakdown by model year? You could read thousands of posts across the internet saying "this happened to me", or "I know a guy it happened to", but all of these posts could be referencing the same 200 cars for all we know. I'd love to see answers to those questions.

@codymiller1994 2 ай бұрын

Statistically it effects at least 10% of them and most shops with experience working on them say that it effects all of them. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.

@clutchcarabelli8054 23 күн бұрын

Mine's going on 18 years with stock heads

@InJasonsGarage 3 ай бұрын

Great vid, thanks for the reference to my channel near the end. It seems that there the best answer is that there is no right answer...and it depends on more than one factor. So on my channel, I made another video and gave my opinion on what to do...just to be safe.

@SpaccaMattone Ай бұрын

I bought a ‘09 Z06 with 17k km and I took it in to have it inspected and the mechanic was surprised I even made it to his shop. Said he never seen anything like that before. Anyways, had the issue addressed plus some extras and this thing is a beast.

@DesertRacer515 6 ай бұрын

Aside from the heads, witch also need the upgraded rocker bearing, some LS7s have a tendency to break a piston land. When the motor gets hot, which they do in the vette because it does not evacuate heat out of the engine bay, the rings will expand and push up breaking the piston land. You'll also get micro cracks in the stock sleeves. If this happens to you (like it did to me and another guy in my town) don't let the shop ditch you LS7 block, crank and rods. There are a few places that are proficient at LS7 re-sleeve and thats the route you should go. My shop talked me into a Texas speed 427 block (board out 5.3L) and forged rods/pistons. Although it can hold more power now (1200 crank), for a naturally aspirated setup, the car revs significantly slower. I should have never sold my LS7 block and rods...

@mlc7boosted 6 ай бұрын

That's good info for others. The LS7 has titanium rods which might explain a little lower REV. On the other hand the LS1 in the '04 C5 I drive around in revs a little faster and higher now with a BTR stage 1 cam, dual valve springs, titanium retainers, Johnson lifters, etc. from Michigan Motorsports. I picked up a couple hundred RPM at red line. As long as your cam is the same, heads are the same, and valve train is the same it should rev the same. Ignition timing is computer controlled on the Vette since the C5 (not like an old distributor on the C3 and C4 where the timing can be physically changed by rotating the distributor Retarded/Advanced). Something has to be different in the new valve train; crank shaft stroke, compression ratio, cam duration/lift is different somewhere.

@esad-ij5ie 3 ай бұрын

Huh I went with tsp ls3 resleeved, and mine is a beast. I wonder if your windage tray is there or if oil is lingering in your sump and creating an oil mist ?

@craigthescott5074 5 ай бұрын

From what I’ve read it can happen at 10K miles and it can happen at 80K and anything in between. It’s best to get it fixed and possibly do a cam upgrade. It depends on the valves and the heat treatment they received. It can definitely be fixed.

@ramiroastrain4935 12 күн бұрын

I figured it was valve guides installed off center and therefore leading to uneven guide wear and when it develops enough play valve will not seat properly and force to break.

@clutchcarabelli8054 23 күн бұрын

18 years with my C6Z stock heads untouched $0.00 spent at shops or any repairs beyond maintenance, went rippin in it last night 😎👍 and will continue to.. but you do you 😂

@BS-vm1vr 2 ай бұрын

Is it engine issues that prevented you from staying on the right side of the double yellow?

@louiC6Z 5 ай бұрын

For starters, without a doubt there is a problem even with fixed heads and Its mostly dependent on lift/cam choice. Fixed OEM heads with a stock or small cam will likely just run forever with no issues. High lift cams substantially stress and wear the valvetrain more and In my opinion would need aftermarket heads like brodix or CIDs. Even with aftermarket or fixed heads, it is recommended to get your valves tolerances checked every few years depending on what you do with the car. The small tank on the earlier models is only an issue on track with R comps not that big of a deal with you dont track it. Side note, the c6zr1 is an LS motor and the camaro zl1 is a LT motor they are actually very different and dont share the same issues with the oil pumps.

@mikec6447 6 күн бұрын

Bring to Race Proven Motorsports in DE. Get a stage 4 Cam and you’ll be GTG

@danlaur7973 5 ай бұрын

The "issue" is the improper valve guide machining process, not the guide material or the valves or the oiling system. The C6 ZR1 is a 6.2 liter engine, so you are comparing apples to oranges here

@backyardboosters9128 2 ай бұрын

Before the video even starts- you damn right it will lol

@terryspray2319 5 ай бұрын

Talk to Dan at Katech he will fill you in on the heads my Corvette z06 2008 JSB I also had a Dewitt’s rad installed AT I Harmonic Blancer installed this spring Taking to Linefelter up grade to 11 qt oil up grade good Luck my vett has 20.000 miles

@user-hl4iw7nu6g 5 ай бұрын

I had a 2008 c6 z and I had the heads done at 24k miles. Put 25k on it with no problems besides blowing up my bell housing with the 545 rwtq. But I was freeway racing my buddies stock 2008 c6z with my c6z with the heads fixed. He dropped a valve and blew his engine. I currently have a 2023 zl1

@derekperkins4141 6 ай бұрын

I have some Bridox B7 heads ported , Polished and milled with upgraded hardware by IronMask airflow being done now. I was going to go with fixed heads but I have see so many people have there heads fixed and still drop a valve are check them and they are still out of spec. I think there are a few variables that can cause this and one is the metal it’s self of the heads , How are they put to the right specs and still developing the same problem , I think the metal the heads was made of are trash, Not all but a lot of them , so I went with the B7’s they brand new fresh cut castings

@Stuffandfangs 2 ай бұрын

"The LS7 engine is known to be quite reliable, even after owners push it to its limits. However, there has been one major problem that it suffered, and it has to do with its valves. General Motors released a statement that said the problem was traced back to the supplier of its cylinder heads. They managed to figure this out by studying the heads returned under warranty. The problem occurred simply because some heads weren’t machined correctly. As a result, the valve guides and valve seats weren’t concentric, and that caused major damage to the valve guides. The LS7 engine valve issue isn’t as major as the news articles online would lead you to believe. General Motors believes that only 10 percent of the Corvette Z06s are affected - that’s a total of 1300 units." So just get high quality heads with good valves and guides and you're fine.

@polywoggins 6 ай бұрын

Get heads updated...cheap entry fee for one of the best engines ever made. Never look back...

@donalddondero4402 4 ай бұрын

Im going back and forth between a C6 manual GS or buying a C6 Z06 , I know if I buy the C6Z the heads absolutely have to be addressed right away for piece of mind.

@scottjames1904 6 ай бұрын

I think it’s the improper valve rocker angle that sideloads the guide and hour glasses it. I went with trickflows and roller rockers, right move? Who knows. It makes power though.

@esad-ij5ie 3 ай бұрын

I came to the same conclusion, but I think it's the higher rocker ratio and the 7,000rpms that create the side loading. Like you, I went with rollers. I went TSP with upgraded trunions. I have a big cam and the valve train sounds beautiful. My third oil change since rebuild coming up and going to send in for analysis. Wanted to pull heads at 10,000 to check everything, but if this analysis is clean, I don't see why. How long have you had your rollers?

@scottjames1904 3 ай бұрын

@@esad-ij5ienot long, maybe 3-4k miles. The car has been down for the winter to do a clutch job, gears, e85, ironmask msd and so on and so on. You know how it goes.

@TheSwampDonkey 2 ай бұрын

Josh has begun the process of getting the engine back in the Z06. If you follow the channel, you probably have seen. Can't wait for him to get it back on the road.

@FlyinGato 2 ай бұрын

I did watch his last update, it’s going to be a well sorted Z06

@srmurc6zo6 5 ай бұрын

I'm not trying to be a Richard, but the valve issue is more on exhaust valves which are not titanium. Only the intake valves are titanium and I don't think those drop but the guides and stems do wear prematurely. An oil starvation issue will destroy bearings long before it will damage valve guides. The lt4s do not share the same valvetrain as an ls7. Lt4s have completely different cylinder heads and utilize direct fuel injection, cylinder deactivation, have a different spec cam, and a lower redline.

@srmurc6zo6 5 ай бұрын

To answer the title question in a word.....yep. If you think rebuilding or replacing the heads alone will fix the issue.......nope. Yes, worn heads will need to be fixed or replaced for starters but what is overlooked most is rocker arm geometry. Quality roller rocker arms or a roller rocker shaft setup (and setup properly) is needed to minimize valve and guid wear.

@philwier2786 Ай бұрын

One variable I'm interested in is which model years drop the valves. I understand GM began putting in thicker exhausted valves in the LS7s during the 2008 production. Also, I don't know what year Corvette increased the capacity of the dry sump. I wonder how many blown engines were modified? To get a clear picture of the issue, we need to look at all the variables.

@FlyinGato Ай бұрын

2009 was the first year they increased sump capacity and made a few changes, ported over from the ZR1

@Tito-bv6om 4 ай бұрын

I have a 07 c6 z06 blew the original motor at 28k miles but that's because I was spraying nitrous at the time. it was 09 and I still had warranty so had it covered. got a early 09 service engine still brand new 0 miles and 72k miles later car is still running strong! as a matter of fact I just had a oil change and no metal shavings came off the plugs from the oil.

@failingup4907 2 ай бұрын

How did the warranty cover it if you were using nitrous?

@Tito-bv6om 2 ай бұрын

@@failingup4907 I took off the kit a month before it happened. plus it happened when I was driving normally and they determined it was the valve that dropped.

@gbass7328 6 ай бұрын

Yes, of course they may. Do a wiggle test to see how bad the guides are. It's a little complicated but worth it. Vids on YT.

@garyrichardson7592 4 ай бұрын

GM should have had a recall on some of these 427 LS motors they would sling a valve off into the block and destroy the engine but they never took accountability for bad heads on some of these cars.

@Mazak23 6 ай бұрын

I was attending a seminar hosted by Paul Koerner at Corvettes at Carlisle last year and he stated that the best way to keep your LS7 from blowing up is to keep the engine completely bone stock. No cold air intake, cam or headers.

@anonymous..- 6 ай бұрын

And yet I know 3 people with bone stock LS7’s that blew up. The video even shows Josh Van Velds channel, and his was bone stock. Now Josh is waiting for his new engine because it grenaded.

@aaronsspatcositevideos8463 5 ай бұрын

It’s got nothing to do with the mods it’s got to do with the hollow valves that will fail and drop into your engine. Very little research will show you this all over the net, just install new heads save yourself $20k for $4k

@billmcmeekin7909 6 ай бұрын

What I have heard is. One vendor was given the job to press in valve guides for these heads, another vendor assembled them. The quality control of press vendor was insufficient. Giving varying degrees of "true" seating of valve guide. Off by an inch or off by a mile? And how many? One, three or seven guides? We know it only takes one! Thus why some engines will live 5 thousand miles and others 100,000. But again, why risk it when I don't hear of many failures of engines with upgraded heads? Or am I wrong? Hope not, just did mine last year.

@terryspray2319 5 ай бұрын

Katech make a belt tensioner for corvettes and gm engines

@xitzstormshadow3036 5 ай бұрын

own the car since the break in period, maintenance and using good gas, built motor

@snowlessSTI Ай бұрын

LOTS OF KNOWLEDGE AND REALWORLD EXPERIENCE ON THESE COMMENTS. I STILL DONT UNDERSTAND WITH ALL THE ENGINE ISSUES HOW THESE HAVE INCREASED SO MUCH IN VALUE. I HAD A 08 WITH 12K I SOLD 4 YEARS AGO. NOW ITS WORTH 25K MORE LOL. I CHOCK IT UP TO PEOPLE HAVE JUST LOST THIER MINDS WITH USED CAR PRICING AND WHAT THEY ARE WILLING TO PAY.

@tonychilds884 4 ай бұрын

Making way way more out of it than is necessary. I’m on my third C6 Z06 and I have owned a 2019 ZR1. The problem with the valve train does exist but you are overdoing the description. Simply put, get your valve guides miqued, better yet, get your heads redone. End of story and go on enjoying your LS motor.

@josephpetersonjr.8270 3 ай бұрын

Nope,not them all. 09Z06 100k,no problems at all. But did have the heads rebuilt,last month.GM claims they can't narrow the years with issue problem problem problem

@philipgersdorf3372 5 ай бұрын

Bought an 08' Z and got the heads addressed. BUT... while your in there change the cam. Change the radiator. Change the shocks. Change the clutch. Change the shifter. Change the stock manifolds to headers. Change the exhaust. Give it an HP tune. So when all is said and done it's some big $$$ to make the Z really perform. But why only do the heads? Make it great!

@goblinzl1 4 ай бұрын

theres no way to know when or if these motors will blow with this known defect. just get it addressed and enjoy it. id get a monster H/C setup and kick some ass.

@mrhrobinson 5 ай бұрын

i have never heard of a cam breaking in my life.

@paulmoss7940 5 ай бұрын

I broke on in three pieces in a 69 Y block 400 pontiac.

@mlc7boosted 3 ай бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7KlqMehyZzLgnk.html Another LS7 bites the dust due to valve drop! Keep rolling the dice? Please remember, "pride goes before destruction" and your C6 Z06 is just as likely to drop a valve as any other LS7 powered Z06. Pay a little more now or pay ALOT more later. A new engine is upwards of $20k or more though I've seen around $14k. Fixing the issue with the cylinder heads would be less than $14k for a new engine. Am I wrong in saying around $5k to fix the heads including labor?