02RedWS6

OK guys... here is what happened. I took my 2002 WS6 in to get the oil changed and the service guys called me back and told me that I had a busted rear main. They said it would be covered by the warentee and I told them to order the parts. One month ago I took the car back to let them do the repairs and they said that when they dropped the tranny they noticed the clutch was burnt. they gee and hawed with me until they agreed the warentee would cover it (long story...) as well so I let them fix it. Anyway now the engine has a vibration...

They installed a second clutch assembly which, just like the first assmelby, included a new flywheel and the vibration is still there.

They used some kinda vibration sensor and found out that there was a lot of vibration in the exhaust system and replaced the pipes from the exhaust manifold to the cats, the cats them selves and the pipes to the y-pipe, all to no avail. They said that something about the way it was put back on could have created the vibration.... ??? don't really understand that. maybe could have understood that if the pipes was all ****-eyed and stuff and was making contact with the floor pan or something. But that is not the case. They have a new y-pipe on order but I don't see it helping any.

Vibration occurs if the car is in gear or in netural... clutch in or out. around 2000-2500 and again around 4000-4700 rpm and is worse at the higher rpms. It has nothing to do with the drive train because it will do it with the car sitting still and tranny in neutral and the clutch in...

Shop checked for brown/dead cylinders and the balancer is installed and car is Bone Stock. With absouletly no mods, barring the use of syntheic oil and tinting the windows. Mileage is 13k. (and no... it wasn't me that burnt the clutch... that person knows who he is and where he sits in the car from now on... ) The shop is the local dealership.

Anyone have a problem like this or have any ideas on what to look for?

WILWAXU

iTrader: (6)

Did it vibrate before the dealer did work on the car?

SSTYCOON

iTrader: (2)

Service Techs at dealers are dumb, go by the book idiots, not all ,but most, they probably ruined you car. maybe they didn't torque down the flywheel properly? Was your clutch slipping? They might have thought you were stupid and trying to take advantage of you.
I just don't trust dealers, of course there are some great ones.

JJ1965

Check the ujoints at the rearend. I am not sure about our cars but on my truck you can get the joint to fit with one of the needle bearings laying in the bottom of the cap. It vibrated so bad it felt like I had sqaure tires. I also have had flywheel bolts be loose and cause vibration.

I just looked at your post again not the ujoint if it does it sitting still.

02RedWS6

Yeah it is not the U-joints.

The car did not have a vibration when I took it to them. It does now.

If you pay attention when you rev an LS1 engine in any stock F-Body around 1500-2000 rpm there is a throaty growl at constant RPM or a slight gurgle if you rev to 2000 and drop off the RPM's back to idle.

In my car the throaty growl and the gurgle is VERY pronounced, much louder than before they worked on it, and accompanied by a vibration that makes the car shake. It used to be smooth as silk. The shop replaced the flywheel and the clutch assembly two times and replaced some pieces of the exhaust system as well as replacing the rear main seal. Now they claim that all f-body's have the vibration in an attempt to not have to fix the problem.

Also the service manager said that there is no harmonic dampener on the LS1.....? Is this true?

alivegy

my car does what you're describing when you rev it. It's got 30,000 on it and the dealership replaced the clutch at 12,000. Not sure what it is, it's been doing it for so long i though it was normal.

Tranzor

Stop taking the car to the dealership and try a private shop that specializes in cars like ours... I'm willing to bet a good shop will fix that issue you for you and any other issues that might have happened at the dealer.

code4

iTrader: (30)

I am positive that it has to do with your clutch/flywheel. I have never changed the clutch on a LS1 so I don't know too much about them. I assume the flywheel will only line up a certain way like a SBC I dunno but I would focus on this. Maybe ask them to remove clutch/flywheel and see if some shop can check it for balance. Ask to install the old flywheel after resurfacing (I assume you can resurface) I also distrust a lot of dealerships & it would not surprise me if they did replace the clutch the first time but didn't the second time. I've seen them do similar things here before, making assumptions & not listening to the customer. I realize a lot of customers are very ignorant concerning automotive engineering and I'm sure they hear it all. But some of us are just the opposite. Good Luck.

02RedWS6

Well if your car is doing the same thing then that leads me to believe that it is a defective / improperly balenced Flywheel from GM. You have more than doubled your mileage and I assume no other problems? That eases my mind a little if you don't have any other issues. Just don't want to get a few thousand miles down the road and loose the engine or have it vibrate a couple needed pieces off the car...

As for the dealership doing the repairs... They done it under the factory GM warentee... Only 13,222 miles on it... So no $$ out of my pocket. Plus there are no LS1 shops around here in NC. Atleast that I know of. And even if I were to find one would they perform a warentee fix? I hate to be so tite with money where my T/A is concerned but I just paid off my truck and it needs tires and I then there is christmas to buy..... hey wait.... christmas.... anyone remember Santa's address?????? Does he have a phone #.... maybe a cell phone????

OK maybe not....

alivegy

I haven't noticed anything other than the slight vibration. It does seem like an imbalanced flywheel could be the culprit.

I don't know where in NC you live, in Charlotte there is a chevy shop called More Performance. However I really doubt they do warrenty work.

02RedWS6

I am in Ashe about 30 mins north of Boone, NC

Any contact Info on that shop?

02RedWS6

alivegy... Thanks!! I got your PM.

SSTYCOON

iTrader: (2)

the ls1 is internally balance

02RedWS6

Found it!

The vibration monster has been slayed!! The guys down at the dealership have re-programed my PCM and problem solved. It seems that the computer was all off, maybe because of disconnecting the batt.??? Maybe from not disconnecting the batt and welding on the car or something... anyways the programmed PCM has fixed the vibration in my car. I am happy...



Now if only GM will give me those payments back like they promised. The dealership has had my car of 67 days today. 12th of Dec 2004. I think that giving me the payments back would be a nice start to healing the wound...

alivegy

Congrats! Glad it ended up being just a simple fix.

02RedWS6

I may have posted too soon.

Went out there at lunch and sat in the car, started it up, and felt the vibration again. It seems that the perfect running car I sat in last Friday has turned into the piece of crap I sat in today. They replaced the MAF because it was throwing codes and it seems the vibration has returned and I am still waiting on them to fix my car. This time they are going to replace the PCM with a new unit and see if it can remember the program that they put in it. They say a new PCM is the last option they have of fixing it.

Talked to GM today and the guy said that he will pressure the dealership to get GM's field engineer to take a look at the car and see if he can fix it. A guy named Tim or Tom Pearson. I don't know if he can do anything for a PCM with alzheimer's, but I know that I am about to forget what its like to own an F-Body! Today is 67 days without her... Anybody in a really good mood???? I need an F-Body and an abandened parking lot for about 10 mins. I promise won't hit anything.... except the gas pedal and the locks on the steering... hehehehehehee...

IASphynx

I know how is a 10 year old but, buy was a fix ever identified?

02RedWS6

No. Not really.

I got bought out by GM. The rep told me that I could take the car as is or I could take the money. Just having found out the my wife was pregnant, I believe that I made the "responsible" choice. 3 beautiful girls later... I still wish that I had that old car back if for nothing else a tension release mechanism. I am still looking for a kind soul to let me bum the keys to an F-body and an abandoned parking lot. Promise I will return the keys inside of ten minutes!!!

I lost a little better than $6k in the car after owning it for 2.5 years and only 13k miles.

The dealership went under a short time after. They sold the car at auction and Mack Brown Chevrolet in Boone, NC bought the car and sold it two weeks later for $2k less than GM bought it back from me.

I think that it was sold to someone in Tennessee, but I am not sure...

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

old story but too bad it wasnt repaired correctly.


perhaps theres a 5th gen in your future.

03Sssnake

iTrader: (20)

I would be willing to bet it was the flywheel/clutch assembly. I had that issue in my 03 cobra after installing a Ram Powergrip clutch/pressure plate with a new factory flywheel. Had pretty bad vibration issues, in any event the clutch/pressure would not hold the power, so I ended up going to spec stage III setup with another OEM flywheel, issue was fixed. The other source could be the harmonic balancer/dampner, but that is doubtful since it should not have been touched for the clutch job.