Broken Valve Spring

[ALMSGT1]

Yesterday as I was driving home, my 2003 Z06 started to run rough and made a clanging noise. As I was not in a good place to be stopped I slowly drove it home, a distance of about 10 miles. I had the car transported to the dealer this morning and the service advisor advised me that I had a broken valve spring, not specifying which cylinder, intake or exhaust. I asked about damage to the piston, valve, cylinder and cylinder head and he said not to worry about them. But I am worried about them!

Is there any way to determine if the piston, valve, cylinder walls or cylinder head have been damaged without removing the cylinder head? Inspection with a borescope, compression test, leakdown test? If it is necessary to remove the cylinder head is it wiser to purchase a new crate engine? The car only has 17,800 miles on it and is not abused.

I saved a long time to purchase this car and it is very special to me. I have wonderful memories of taking my Dad for rides and everytime I get in this car those times are relived. I want to make sure that everything is right. I appreciate your expert advice.

[02vette]

If the valve isnt bent and the guide isnt damaged, sounds like you averted major catastrophe.
If the valve would have met the piston, believe me, they would have known.

[ChuckG]

Originally Posted by ALMSGT1

The car only has 17,800 miles on it and is not abused.

I wonder if the GM field rep might be able to help here. I'd ask he be called by the dealer.

I can't imagine Chevy being at all too happy having people think their top vehicle had such a failure so soo. I think they'll be happy they were given the opportunity to consider a fair response. I've seen bills get cut in half and some go away all together. Worth a try.

Give the guy a call and give him a chance to make you happy before you authorize any repairs.

[bradfordsvettes]

usually as long as the spring parts stay stacked you will not see any internal damage. If it fell apart and dropped that cold be a diffenrt story .my take is if the car is running ok and no ses it is probably ok because any wek cylider performance would be picked up by the computer ansd set a light .I have replaced many springs on all kinds of cars with no ill effects. the ro should state what cylider spring failed to process the warranty claim Steve

[LLC5]

If a borescope and a leakdown test check good, then you should be ok. Is this warranty or customer pay?

[ToolGuy]

I feel if you get it fixed, the repair will come with a guarantee and be a lot cheaper then a crate engine.

I am sure the crate engine prices would make your head spin, not to mention the intstall labor and any other issues you may have down the road.

I say fix it and keep it all original to the car, not for collector value, but for less headaches down the road.

[ALMSGT1]

Thank you all for your input, I appreciate it. The part will not arrive until tomorrow. The car is not under warranty and the repair will cost about $350.00 for the labor. I will ask them to use a borescope and perform a leakdown test. I might be able to have a metallurigical analysis performed on the broken spring to determine why it failed. I will let you know how this unfolds. Again, thank you.

[ALMSGT1]

The repair to my Corvette was completed yesterday. The exhaust valve spring on the number 3 cylinder was broken. The service advisor said that the technician didn't believe that any damage was done secondary to the broken spring. I drove the car home and it ran very smoothly.

The work was performed at F. H. Dailey Chevrolet in San Leandro, California. I have been taking my cars there since the 1980's and they have always been very accomodating and rendered quality service.

[ToolGuy]

Excellent! Happy Vetting and I hope it is fine from here on out.

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,
That is GREAT to hear.
Let us know how everything goes over time.
Allthebest, c4c5