crawfish

So I have had this car for about 2 years, Only put 6k miles on it in a year and a half. The engine light came on along with the oil pressure light. Took it to my mechanic who said the #8 cylinder was off and he couldn't figure out what was causing it. He called his friend at the dealer who came and got the car and looked at it. They're telling me that it could be the camshaft which is going to cost a boatload of money, maybe around 5k. Needles to say I'm a little pissed off but not sure what to do. Any advice? I love this car but not sure I want to pay the price, especially the dealers price to fix the issue.

cv67

how does a cam or lifter go bad at that mileage? Id want to see for myself before ripping it apart or check the coil/injector at least.

bartsky

I believe this is a known issue with the 427 roadster.

cadyshac

The known issue on the LS7 that I am aware of is dropping an exhaust valve. Google it, you will get many results and opinions. Normally if it drops a valve that's the end of the engine.

crawfish

Injectors are working fine. Coil and wiring is fine. No broken values, rocker arms are moving fine.

GigG

Let's clarify here. @crawfish you've had it 2 years and only put 6k on it. Are you the original owner or did you buy it used? And if so what are the total miles?

crawfish

I'm the 2nd owner. The car sits for long periods of time w/out me starting it. I've had it about a year and 9 months. 23,600 miles are on the car. I've actually put just under 7k miles on it. I bought it with 16,400 miles.

Not really sure what to do with this thing. My mechanic did every possible test he could do and couldn't find anything wrong, then Chevy looks at it and says it's possibly the camshaft and I'm looking at 4k to 5k in repairs.

919cw313

Sounds like you need to take it to another shop for an opinion.

Corvette_Ed

Where are you located? Someone may be able to provide a Corvette specialty shop in your area you could take the car to for a second opinion. Personally I wouldn't trust anything a dealership shop has to say.

GS982

There is a problem with some '12 & '13 LS7s regarding the anti-friction coating on the connecting rods wearing off and then sending a bunch of Ti dust through the motor. This coupled with the new lead free bearings to meet European requirements caused the bearings to fail and destroy the motor. The telltale signs of this happening is loss of oil pressure and being hard to start when hot. Hopefully this is not happening to your car as others have stated their replacement motor and dry sump oiling system costing in upwards of $20K. I would get a second opinion and if possible send an oil sample to Blackstone. It might give you a better idea of what is going on with the motor. This has lingered in the back of my mind since I bought my 427. Good luck!

farmington

If it did eat the cam, you will have some crap floating inside the engine. It needs to come out, taken apart, and cleaned. Good time to get the heads taken care of at the same time. Time for a small camshaft upgrade too. Balancer too.

crawfish

When the car gets hot it does have trouble turning over. It cools off then starts right up. Even though the car is not under warranty I'm going to take this up w/ Chevy and possibly talk to an attorney. The car doesn't even have 24k on it and may need these kind of repairs??

Narddog

What good is an attorney going to do? Do you have an extended warranty or something someone is refusing to honor?

919cw313

^ You bought a used car and chose not to get a service contract on it. GM owes you nothing. **** happens, and we really don't even know what's wrong with the car yet.

(And yes, of course I would be pissed too, but to think Chevy should do something on a 6-7 year old car to a second-third-fourth? owner with a possible uncommon problem is not reasonable.)

GS982

If it is the rod/bearing failure that plagues some of the '12 - '13 LS7s, GM is well aware of the problem just as they are aware of the dropped valve issue that can happen to any LS7. GM is choosing to make a business decision not do the "right" thing for their customers to save some $$$$. You are absolutely correct in that GM is not going to do a damn thing to help the OP if that is what is wrong with his car.

crawfish

I'm in Arlington, Va. I talked to a couple guys that have shops. One suggested that I take it up w/ Chevy.

GS982

Here is a link to one of the 427 failures. Might be helpful?

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...r-failure.html

crawfish

I don't even know who to trust to be honest. I'm going to bring the car home and let it sit and figure out what to do. The car sounds fine and you wouldn't even know something is wrong with it. But the engine light is on and the oil pressure light came on for 3 seconds and went away.

Corvette_Ed

Did you pull the codes to see what's causing the engine light to come on?

919cw313

I'd buy a GMEPP today.