2006 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Complaints

DATE OF HEADS PULLED: 7/5/12 HEAD TYPE: GM LS7 YEAR: 2006 MILES: 16,000 TRACK TIME: NONE TUNE: STOCK I HAD MY CYLINDER HEADS REMOVED BECAUSE I WAS PARANOID AFTER READING ONLINE ABOUT MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVING ISSUES WITH THEIR VALVE GUIDES BEING OUT OF SPEC. MY CYLINDER HEADS HAD VALVE GUIDES THAT WERE WAY OUT OF SPEC AND THE CAR ONLY HAD 16,000 MILES ON IT AND WAS NEVER TRACKED OR ABUSED. THESE WERE ON THE VERGE OF HAVING THE VALVE BREAK OFF AND SEIZE THE MOTOR WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY TO MYSELF AND OTHERS AROUND ME WHILE DRIVING. I PAID OUT OF MY OWN POCKET TO HAVE THESE HEADS REDONE. MAX ALLOWABLE CLEARANCE IS 0.0037 FOR BOTH INTAKE AND EXHAUST. VALVE GUIDE CLEARANCES INTAKE #1 TOP .0027 MID .0021 BOT .0024 INTAKE #2 TOP .0030 MID .0022 BOT .0028 INTAKE #3 TOP .0025 MID .0022 BOT .0023 INTAKE #4 TOP .0030 MID .0023 BOT .0025 INTAKE #5 TOP .0033 MID .0022 BOT .0027 INTAKE #6 TOP .0028 MID .0022 BOT .0025 INTAKE #7 TOP .0029 MID .0023 BOT .0027 INTAKE #8 TOP .0030 MID .0023 BOT .0028 ========================= EXHAUST #1 TOP .0022 MID .0026 BOT .0069 EXHAUST #2 TOP .0022 MID .0024 BOT .0048 EXHAUST #3 TOP .0020 MID .0028 BOT .0064 EXHAUST #4 TOP .0022 MID .0024 BOT .0039 EXHAUST #5 TOP .0021 MID .0029 BOT .0085 EXHAUST #6 TOP .0021 MID .0023 BOT .0046 EXHAUST #7 TOP .0021 MID .0024 BOT .0054 EXHAUST #8 TOP .0022 MID .0025 BOT .0033. *TR

I STARTED THE CAR WHEN IT WAS COLD, IT BEGAN TO SQUEAL FROM THE BELTS. I GAVE IT A SMALL REV AND IT SQUEALED INTENSELY, I MEAN VERY LOUDLY! I OPENED THE HOOD AND BELTS WERE NOT MOVING. I COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR. THE HARMONIC BALANCER HAD LOST IT'S BOND. I AM JUST GLAD I WAS SITTING STILL. AT SPEED, THE STEERING WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST, IT COULD HAVE KILLED ME! I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE SHOP, AND IT COST ME $1000.00. NOT GOOD! I READ THAT THIS HAPPENS ALOT. BAD DESIGN FOR SURE. I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED. WHAT CAN I DO? CHEVY WON'T EVEN TALK TO ME ABOUT IT. IT'S A SHAME BECAUSE I LOVE MY CAR, BUT NOW I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT! *TR

MY SON WAS DRIVING AND JUST COMPLETED A TURN WHEN HE APPLIED THE ACCELERATOR AND THE ENGINE STOPPED ABRUPTLY. THERE WAS A CLOUD OF SMOKE AND THEN A SMALL FIRE UNDERNEATH THE CAR FROM THE OIL THAT CAME OUT FROM A BASEBALL SIZE HOLE IN THE SIDE OF THE BLOCK BELOW THE NUMBER 8 CYLINDER. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, A VALVE IN THE NUMBER 8 CYLINDER SNAPPED BELOW THE VALVE GUIDE DROPPING THE HEAD OF THE VALVE ONTO THE PISTON WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE. I HAVE THE ENGINE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. *TR

HELLO, I AM REPORTING ON MY 2006 C6Z06 CORVETTE THAT RECENTLY HAD THE VALVE-TO-GUIDE CLEARANCES CHECKED ON MY ENGINE AND MY MEASUREMENTS ARE BEYOND THE SERVICEABLE SPECIFICATIONS ON 8 OUT OF 16 VALVES, BOTH INTAKE AND EXHAUST. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO THE FACT THAT IF THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AND ENGINE SEIZES, LOSS OF CONTROL MAY OCCUR. I ALSO HAVE WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LEAK ON THE FUEL MODULE/SENDING UNIT, SPECIFICALLY ON THE TOP PLASTIC ELBOW CONNECTOR. I HAVE STRONG GASOLINE ODOR IN THE CABIN OF THE CAR AND VISIBLE GASOLINE FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR NEAR THE FUEL TANK. *TR

I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT EXCESSIVE VALVE TRAIN NOISE AND AFTER READING SEVERAL ACCOUNTS OF IMPROPERLY MACHINED HEADS BY GM'S SUPPLIER LINAMAR, AND THAT NUMEROUS VEHICLES HAVE HAD VALVES DROP, RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE. AS A RESULT, AFTER HAVING BEEN REBUFFED BY CHEVROLET, I TOOK MY CAR WITH 36,000 MILES ON IT TO A CORVETTE SPECIALTY SHOP TO HAVE MY VALVE GUIDE CLEARANCE TESTED. I HAD SEVERAL EXHAUST VALVE GUIDES OUTSIDE THE MAXIMUM SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS, INDICATING THAT A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WAS IMMINENT. THE CAR WAS 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 LOSS OF STEERING, BRAKING CAPABILITY, AND WHICH CAN RESULT 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 WHILE THE VEHICLE IS UNDERWAY ON PUBLIC ROADWAYS. *TR

THE CYLINDER HEADS AT 69K MILES WERE CHECKED DUE TO EXCESSIVE VALVE TRAIN NOISE AND THE VALVE GUIDES AND ONE INTAKE VALVE WERE FOUND TO HAVE CLEARANCE MORE THAN DOUBLE THE SERVICE TOLERANCE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE SERVICE HANDLING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V172000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000.

I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 60MPH WHEN MY LIGHTS WENT OUT. I HAD TO PULL OVER, AND THEIR WAS A GOOD DEAL OF TRAFFIC. I DISCOVERED THAT MY BRIGHT LIGHTS WERE WORKING. I HAD THIS PROBLEM OFF AND ON FOR AWHILE. I TOOK MY CAR IN TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. I GOT IT BACK AND CONTINUED HAVING THE PROBLEM. I HAVE AVOIDED DRIVING AT NIGHT WHICH LIMITS THE USE OF YOUR CAR. MOST PEOPLE WOULD CONSIDER THIS TO BE DANGEROUS AND DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE-DRIVING AND HAVING YOUR LIGHTS GO OUT IN TRAFFIC. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V251000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING). HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V251000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.