3,000 km - apparently I need a new engine.

This sounds like a similar problem I had with my LS7. Bad rocker arm, needle bearings all over the place and in the system, mushroomed the top of the intake valve, and scoring on the inside wall of the cylinder. These things happen, and my experience with GM was positive in the end. Luckily, it sounds like your dealer is taking care of you and you aren't having to fight them through the process.
 
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meyerweb said:
In spite of what fear-mongers on the internet will tell you, there is no "common problem" with valve springs or the AFM lifters on these cars. There was a problem with a batch of faulty valve springs on C7s, but that was totally unrelated to the AFM system. There are literally millions of small block Chevy's with AFM on the roads in Canada and the US, with billions of combined miles, and failures are very, very rare.
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100% agree
 
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Well they finally started working in my car again yesterday after it sat there for almost 3 weeks. . They took the engine out on Thursday, examined it today and very quickly found the problem: The bearings on the crankshaft for cylinders 7 and 8 are completely gone. They were sending the report and paperwork to GM today. I don't want it to be fixed - if that is even possible. I want a new engine. I missed two calls from the service department this afternoon but they left a message saying that they had already heard back from GM however the message did not specify GM's answer. So I should know how they are going to proceed tomorrow or Monday I guess.

Obviously a very unusual / rare occurrence but it happens. That it happened right in the middle of "Corvette season" is a major drag ...
 
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Sorry to hear about your engine. Did they offer any reason for the failure? Lack of lubrication, wrong clearance in assembly, overheating? You mentioned this was “unusual/rare”, but has anyone else experienced this? If the bearings are completely gone metal has gone through entire engine. I would want a new replacement as well. Best wishes.
 
There is little recourse. If the block was scored it would need to be machined and oversized bearing used (if there is such a thing these days) or a new block. For both 7 and 8 to go means something more than just bad bearings. Likely an oiling issue for sure. Can it be repaired? I imagine, but what other damage did it cause. Are they good enough to figure that out? Too many questions. I'd certainly want a new engine also. Lets hope that is what they decide to do.
 
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pnevillebc said:
I have a 2023 stingray that I picked up last fall and put on the road in April. It has 3,000 km on it now. Driving it two weeks ago I noticed a ticking sound coming from the engine bay - I could hear it from inside the car. I researched it a bit and found that it seems to be a fairly common thing that most people put down to fuel injector noise. At the same time however I noticed the check engine light came on. I had Onstar read the code for me as a malfunctioning knock sensor. I brought the car in to the local dealer here in Vancouver and they phoned me back the next day saying the actual problem was that on one side of the engine the valve springs were sticking. Apparently this too is a pretty common problem with these engines and their associated fuel saving 4 cylinder mode.....Anyway, not good news as they said they needed to change those springs and to do that they needed to pull the engine from the car. Not happy about that but no choice so I said go ahead. That was 10 days ago. They contacted me last Wednesday to say the springs had been changed and the car would be ready to go today.

Today they call me to tell me that unfortunately the sound is still there - i.e. there was no problem with the valve springs. They commented that when they did the job the springs and cam etc... all looked perfect - because I guess they were. Anyway they now advise that there is a bigger problem deeper inside the engine and they are going to have to remove the engine again and dismantle it completely. Terrible news. They said that likely they will be putting in a new engine but they must dismantle it to identify the problem, submit the paperwork to GM for the new engine authorization etc... I believe it is a very rare thing - the service writer mentioned that the manager of warranties for GM was going to come and see the car once the engine is apart to see for themselves why this happened. The car was broken in properly, oil checked regularly etc... So quite bad news as we are in prime 'Vette season and I had plans for a nice road trip through the interior of BC next week + loss of use of the car for an estimated 4 weeks! I tried to post a video here of the sound it is making however could not do it. Maybe only allowed to post pictures not videos here? I believe this is a rare problem but that doesn't make it any less of a drag.... OK whine over....
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Must be a hell of a load "ticking" noise to hear over the exhaust? I must listen for it: turn radio off. I replaced OEM exhaust with Paragon Performance , so, may not hear it. Good luck!!!
 
Dog said:
Sorry to hear about your engine. Did they offer any reason for the failure? Lack of lubrication, wrong clearance in assembly, overheating? You mentioned this was “unusual/rare”, but has anyone else experienced this? If the bearings are completely gone metal has gone through entire engine. I would want a new replacement as well. Best wishes.
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No they didn't give any opinion on the reason for it at all. I have not spoken to them yet - just the email and phone message they left. I will list here again if any other info becomes available.
 
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pnevillebc said:
I have a 2023 stingray that I picked up last fall and put on the road in April. It has 3,000 km on it now. Driving it two weeks ago I noticed a ticking sound coming from the engine bay - I could hear it from inside the car. I researched it a bit and found that it seems to be a fairly common thing that most people put down to fuel injector noise. At the same time however I noticed the check engine light came on. I had Onstar read the code for me as a malfunctioning knock sensor. I brought the car in to the local dealer here in Vancouver and they phoned me back the next day saying the actual problem was that on one side of the engine the valve springs were sticking. Apparently this too is a pretty common problem with these engines and their associated fuel saving 4 cylinder mode.....Anyway, not good news as they said they needed to change those springs and to do that they needed to pull the engine from the car. Not happy about that but no choice so I said go ahead. That was 10 days ago. They contacted me last Wednesday to say the springs had been changed and the car would be ready to go today.

Today they call me to tell me that unfortunately the sound is still there - i.e. there was no problem with the valve springs. They commented that when they did the job the springs and cam etc... all looked perfect - because I guess they were. Anyway they now advise that there is a bigger problem deeper inside the engine and they are going to have to remove the engine again and dismantle it completely. Terrible news. They said that likely they will be putting in a new engine but they must dismantle it to identify the problem, submit the paperwork to GM for the new engine authorization etc... I believe it is a very rare thing - the service writer mentioned that the manager of warranties for GM was going to come and see the car once the engine is apart to see for themselves why this happened. The car was broken in properly, oil checked regularly etc... So quite bad news as we are in prime 'Vette season and I had plans for a nice road trip through the interior of BC next week + loss of use of the car for an estimated 4 weeks! I tried to post a video here of the sound it is making however could not do it. Maybe only allowed to post pictures not videos here? I believe this is a rare problem but that doesn't make it any less of a drag.... OK whine over....
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You can post videos. Woops late to the party.
 
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1st Vette said:
I hear you. No excuse for that . Hopefully GM refuses to pay them for it given that they should have known. Perhaps they are still on dial up internet or have no idea that search engines exist. Jesus H .
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Most dealers, know less than this forum, about our C8s.
 
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The engine was finally replaced last week and I drove it for the 1st time yesterday. I was relieved to see that there are no scratches on the car at all - it looks just like when I brought it in - I.e.- like new ( because it is)..,. I drove it yesterday and again today and it was perfect. They did not give a conclusive reason for the engine failure. I have been in touch with GM customer service about compensation for loss of use of the car and am waiting on a decision for that. So the nearly two month saga is over and it feels good to be able to drive it again I must say.
 
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pnevillebc said:
The engine was finally replaced last week and I drove it for the 1st time yesterday. I was relieved to see that there are no scratches on the car at all - it looks just like when I brought it in - I.e.- like new ( because it is)..,. I drove it yesterday and again today and it was perfect. They did not give a conclusive reason for the engine failure. I have been in touch with GM customer service about compensation for loss of use of the car and am waiting on a decision for that. So the nearly two month saga is over and it feels good to be able to drive it again I must say.
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Great news!!! Congrats.
 
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