photo courtesy of GM Authority

by Sean Szymkowski as republished from GMAuthority 

Dateline October 2015: It hasn’t been much of a secret the LT4 6.2-liter supercharged V8 found in the C7 Corvette Z06 has had a few hiccups along the way, but the problem some owners are experiencing with the LS7 7.0-liter V8 in select C6 Corvettes may be lesser known.

A group of 19 owners, combining C7 Z06 and C6 Corvette drivers, have officially filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against General Motors, according to The Truth About Cars. C6 Corvette owners claim the LS7 V8 has issues with excessive valve guide wear, leading to engine failure. C7 Z06 owners continue to experience engine failure with some LT4 V8s dying with as little as 1,000 miles on the odometer.

The filing mentions GM has been aware of the valve guide wear problem, and has continually failed to address it. In total, the 19 owners have filed 70 claims.

According to owners, GM originally tested Corvettes with the “wiggle method,” but when it found the cars to have out of spec valve guides, the automaker dropped the test altogether because it “would lead to more repair and investigations than it wished to perform.”

 

Related Story:

Corvette Z06 Owners: Change Your Oil After First 500 Miles

by Drew Singer of GMAuthority

The arrival of the new Corvette Z06 has brought unfathomable joy to countless Chevrolet fans, however, a small clutch of owners have reported irreparable problems with its supercharged 6.2L LT4 V8 engine (we’ve reported problems with three Z06s so far).

Speaking with The Truth About Cars, a GM spokesperson said all disastrous engine failures seem to have three things in common: low miles (less than 2,000), early production builds, and oil contamination issues.

Now, it appears Chevrolet has finally issued a solution that will prevent the car’s alleged engine issues. The fix? Change the oil ASA(F)P.

Chevrolet says engine contaminants in the oil cycle through the engine during the break-in period. The company says it will upgrade the build process to minimize the risk of oil contamination, saying the cause could be thread shavings for the oil filter that make their way into the oil pan when the threads are tapped.

Consequently, Chevrolet is asking Z06 owners to change their break-in oil as soon as they clock 500 miles on the odometer.

“We now encourage all owners to change their oil at 500 miles to remove possible contaminants created during the engine break-in process. And, as always, we encourage the use of Mobil 1 synthetic oil – which is a factory fill for all Z06 models, and Stingray Z51 models – and encourage owners to follow the engine break-in process detailed in the owner’s manual,”said the news outlet, quoting Chevrolet spokesperson Monte Doran.

Owners are still reporting heat soak problems and infrequent power steering problems despite the fix, according to the news outlet.

The company says less than one percent of the 9,000 Z06s on the road have experienced engine problems.

Hopefully, Chevy’s new fix will finally put the issue to rest once and for all.