Engine Failure

[ngoni]

Isn't there still a big difference between the 6.2L V8's in trucks and SUVs and the 6.2L V8 in Corvettes, Camaros, and 5BWs?

 

[Finally-a-V]

@ngoni ...I thought so, I'm not sure. I thought I also read it might have something to do with either auto shut off or cylinder deactivation, but I'm not 100% on that

 

[RDATLTE]

Let's not begin to pretend that any of The Big Three are in the same league as Toyota (Honda probably has a place near the top end as well) as far as reliability goes. The domestics certainly have some catching up to do. Everyone knows this. I am venturing into GM for the first time (aside from classics) because of the unique configuration of the 5BW 6MT. I shouldn't have to hope I don't get burned, but here I am.

The LT4 has been around since what? 1996? Then they slapped a supercharger on it in 2014? If they don't have the kinks ironed by now, that is pretty discouraging.

I also find it rather disappointing that we as consumers make excuses for these manufacturers because "they all have issues" (a vague generality). So damn what! When you wait 18+ months in the Goat Rodeo to purchase a $125K automobile there shouldn't be any tolerance for these types of catastrophic failures! None!!

They'll get the hang of these small blocks at some point.

 

[668LT4]

Also, did those experiencing the failure adhere to the recommended break in process?

I would wager most Blackwing owners did not adhere to the recommended break in procedure. On the 5, it is 1500 miles before exceeding 4000 RPM. I don't care what the gauge does at 500 miles, the manual says 1500 miles. I have seen countless CT5-V Blackwings listed for sale these past few years with less than 1500 miles. Does anyone believe that someone bought that car, drove it for 500, 600, 700 miles without ever "seeing what she's got?" HELL NO. These cars were redlined without question. Heck, I posted a youtube video before with some ahole car reviewer out of Florida if I recall redlining a brand new manual 5 that had maybe 10 or 20 miles on it.

Does not adhering to the full break in procedure mean your engine will blow? I don't think so. But is it good to redline an LT4 with very few miles? No, I don't see that as a good thing to do. Surely some of the blown motors are strictly related to assembly or parts issues. But some might also be related to abuse.

 

[USMC1911]

People comparing reliability of a Toyota to a supercharged V8 are freaking hilarious.

 

[USMC1911]

Isn't there still a big difference between the 6.2L V8's in trucks and SUVs and the 6.2L V8 in Corvettes, Camaros, and 5BWs?

Forged crank, forged pistons, forged rods, titanium valves, hand assembled by one tech. The same but much, much different.

 

[TruckeeTaurus]

I would wager most Blackwing owners did not adhere to the recommended break in procedure. On the 5, it is 1500 miles before exceeding 4000 RPM. I don't care what the gauge does at 500 miles, the manual says 1500 miles. I have seen countless CT5-V Blackwings listed for sale these past few years with less than 1500 miles. Does anyone believe that someone bought that car, drove it for 500, 600, 700 miles without ever "seeing what she's got?" HELL NO. These cars were redlined without question. Heck, I posted a youtube video before with some ahole car reviewer out of Florida if I recall redlining a brand new manual 5 that had maybe 10 or 20 miles on it.

Does not adhering to the full break in procedure mean your engine will blow? I don't think so. But is it good to redline an LT4 with very few miles? No, I don't see that as a good thing to do. Surely some of the blown motors are strictly related to assembly or parts issues. But some might also be related to abuse.

Forsho. There’s lots of YouTube videos of when the tachometer goes from 4000 to 6000 or whatever it is, and the owner just goes full tilt boogey. Meanwhile I’m cringing and face palming as I know exactly what the manual says.

Personally, I’m gonna be granny lightfoot until 1500 with an oil change at 500 and again at 1500 plus drain/fill the differential.

I want my car to be running smoothly with no knocks, no bangs, and hopefully no engine malfunction.

 

[MookdocOE]

Let's not begin to pretend that any of The Big Three are in the same league as Toyota (Honda probably has a place near the top end as well) as far as reliability goes. The domestics certainly have some catching up to do. Everyone knows this. I am venturing into GM for the first time (aside from classics) because of the unique configuration of the 5BW 6MT. I shouldn't have to hope I don't get burned, but here I am.

The LT4 has been around since what? 1996? Then they slapped a supercharger on it in 2014? If they don't have the kinks ironed by now, that is pretty discouraging.

I also find it rather disappointing that we as consumers make excuses for these manufacturers because "they all have issues" (a vague generality). So damn what! When you wait 18+ months in the Goat Rodeo to purchase a $125K automobile there shouldn't be any tolerance for these types of catastrophic failures! None!!

Let's not even begin to pretend that Toyota is the same manufacturer of quality they once were in the 80's and the Big three are the same as they were in the 80's Not even close and (Honda) well they are pretty much way farther down the list than you realize. Yes, "they all have issues" and read the other poster about how Toyota went about their announcement as that poster was spot on 100% correct! So in vague generalities they are all the same on how they approach things in the automotive world and it's called "The Mighty Dollar"

Now, Toyota was quickly installing vehicle hoists at dealerships months & months ahead of anybody even knowing about a hint of a recall? So yeah, vaguely speaking......they are all the same!

 

[DCV]

I had a 1986 Acura Integra got up to 230k miles and ran great. Body was a bit rusty though.

 

[MookdocOE]

Forsho. There’s lots of YouTube videos of when the tachometer goes from 4000 to 6000 or whatever it is, and the owner just goes full tilt boogey. Meanwhile I’m cringing and face palming as I know exactly what the manual says.

Personally, I’m gonna be granny lightfoot until 1500 with an oil change at 500 and again at 1500 plus drain/fill the differential.

I want my car to be running smoothly with no knocks, no bangs, and hopefully no engine malfunction.

The LT4 uses a well versed tried and true main bearing caps.... I would stay light and easy and build up 1000's of miles before getting stupid.
Nobody listens to me anyways but hey I have taken engines to maximum longevity with proper break in.

 

[TruckeeTaurus]

The LT4 uses a well versed tried and true main bearing caps.... I would stay light and easy and build up 1000's of miles before getting stupid.
Nobody listens to me anyways but hey I have taken engines to maximum longevity with proper break in.

I definitely don’t plan on driving like an idiot. I also don’t plan on taking it on a track until I’m really really comfortable in how it handles. I do live like 20 minutes from sears point raceway. I also intend to take the classes/training at the mountain center.

This is going to be my first real sports car, and I want this baby to last forever. I mean it’s supposedly the last of its kind, which will make it one heluva collectors item when I’m old and gray.

I appreciate any advice from people that know what they’re talking about for sure. I’m also wise enough to take expert suggestions when they’re given. So good looking out my friend.

 

[BimmerFan]

There are soooooo many opinions on proper engine break-in. Often race engines are broken-in on the dyno, right at redline. Others are just driven (raced) immediately after assembly. They live a very hard, but also very short life. That's one argument. Another is to take it easy on something new and allow time for the parts to wear in.

My opinion has always been that the manufacturer would not specify a break-in period without some good reason. So, why not follow it? Is it going to kill you to wait another few weeks to wring out the engine (and entire drivetrain, for that matter)?

Me personally, I do what they say, with additional care. Take it easy, and then slowly and gently and gradually increase the revs as time/mileage goes by. Don't drive like a granny for 1500 miles and then do a WOT launch. But also, don't be lugging the engine either, that ain't no good.

 

[hawk02]

The LT4 in Corvette and Camaro trims are very reliable engines. The LT4 in the Cadillacs are slightly different than those used in the Z06 and Camaros. The main differences I think are the intake and exhaust systems leading to tuning differences. Whatever is the issue with the V series LT4 seems to be unique to them, not the LT4 in general. I don't recall the 2022 5BW having similar issues, either.

There have been above-normal amounts of oil pump failures in the Camaro ZL1 LT4s. The 2017 - 2018 model years seemed to have the largest percentage of failures. Supposedly GM made a change to the oil pump in 2019 but there still have been pump failures reported in some of the later models.

Anyone doing a CAM automatically replaces the oil pump as part of the build. Some owners have gone as far as paying the $3K to replace the pump just for peace of mind.

Other than the oil pump failures, reports of the ZL1 LT4s blowing up because of other causes have been pretty rare.

 

[hawk02]

I would wager most Blackwing owners did not adhere to the recommended break in procedure. On the 5, it is 1500 miles before exceeding 4000 RPM. I don't care what the gauge does at 500 miles, the manual says 1500 miles. I have seen countless CT5-V Blackwings listed for sale these past few years with less than 1500 miles. Does anyone believe that someone bought that car, drove it for 500, 600, 700 miles without ever "seeing what she's got?" HELL NO. These cars were redlined without question. Heck, I posted a youtube video before with some ahole car reviewer out of Florida if I recall redlining a brand new manual 5 that had maybe 10 or 20 miles on it.

Does not adhering to the full break in procedure mean your engine will blow? I don't think so. But is it good to redline an LT4 with very few miles? No, I don't see that as a good thing to do. Surely some of the blown motors are strictly related to assembly or parts issues. But some might also be related to abuse.

While this video discusses the break-in for the LT6, I suspect the same principles apply to other GM high-performance engines.

According to the GM engineers, the initial 500-mile break-in is to uniformly polish the surface of the bearings.

 

[Finally-a-V]

@hawk02 .........very interesting video, thanks.

 

[MookdocOE]

jesus..it shows it shifting @8500 scary to me!

 

[USMC1911]

There have been above-normal amounts of oil pump failures in the Camaro ZL1 LT4s. The 2017 - 2018 model years seemed to have the largest percentage of failures. Supposedly GM made a change to the oil pump in 2019 but there still have been pump failures reported in some of the later models.

Anyone doing a CAM automatically replaces the oil pump as part of the build. Some owners have gone as far as paying the $3K to replace the pump just for peace of mind.

Other than the oil pump failures, reports of the ZL1 LT4s blowing up because of other causes have been pretty rare.

One reason to change the pump is because it's cheap insurance. Even high end pumps like a Katech pump is $550 and you are already in there with the whole front of the motor off to swap the cam. Parts cost much, much less than labor. Even if you're doing the wrenching yourself nobody wants to get back in there and that pump is the lifeblood of the engine. It just makes perfect sense to replace it when you are in there.

 

[TruckeeTaurus]

There are soooooo many opinions on proper engine break-in. Often race engines are broken-in on the dyno, right at redline. Others are just driven (raced) immediately after assembly. They live a very hard, but also very short life. That's one argument. Another is to take it easy on something new and allow time for the parts to wear in.

My opinion has always been that the manufacturer would not specify a break-in period without some good reason. So, why not follow it? Is it going to kill you to wait another few weeks to wring out the engine (and entire drivetrain, for that matter)?

Me personally, I do what they say, with additional care. Take it easy, and then slowly and gently and gradually increase the revs as time/mileage goes by. Don't drive like a granny for 1500 miles and then do a WOT launch. But also, don't be lugging the engine either, that ain't no good.

I have a friend that has been a mechanic for a long time, and builds hot rods. He says that breaking in the engine is one of the most important things. It may be a test of patience, but it reaps rewards or consequences. I’ll take the manual recommendations and advice of experts over Joe Schmo on YouTube.

 

[TFG]

Add me to the list, I'm not sure if there's an official thread for us to gather so this was the first I found. Manual CT5, '22 with 19k on the odo, did proper break-in with service. I was driving the car last week and noticed performance was off under heavy accel in 2nd and 3rd gear. Turned all the TC settings off and tried again, engine was revving up but wheels weren't spinning. No codes and was running "fine" just cruising around town but dealer came and picked it up from my house last Friday. They ran a compression test on it yesterday and decided new engine + supercharger were required. No idea on how long it'll take yet at this stage but figured I'd share my experience.

 

[565565]

Add me to the list, I'm not sure if there's an official thread for us to gather so this was the first I found. Manual CT5, '22 with 19k on the odo, did proper break-in with service. I was driving the car last week and noticed performance was off under heavy accel in 2nd and 3rd gear. Turned all the TC settings off and tried again, engine was revving up but wheels weren't spinning. No codes and was running "fine" just cruising around town but dealer came and picked it up from my house last Friday. They ran a compression test on it yesterday and decided new engine + supercharger were required. No idea on how long it'll take yet at this stage but figured I'd share my experience.

Damm sorry to hear that.

There is a poll I made.

Thread 'Has your engine blown up yet?' CT5-V - Has your engine blown up yet?