Possible broken valve spring
Possible broken valve spring How can you tell if you have a broken valve spring, without the obvious of taking the cover off. I have a strange chatter at about 1200 rpms that I'm trying to diagnose. I've been told it could be a broken valve spring, but wouldn't that make the car run bad? The cam is 228/230 with LS6 valve springs. Thanks
Edited with sound clip you can hear the chatter at 26, 23 & 19 seconds left in the video
(poor quality, recorded with camera)
Edited with sound clip you can hear the chatter at 26, 23 & 19 seconds left in the video
(poor quality, recorded with camera)
Last edited by SS#8788; Dec 13, 2008 at 02:02 PM.
When I broke one on my gen I motor it had a miss and ticked like a Timex.
Throwing any misfire codes?
I had a rocker back off slightly after the cam went in and it kind of rattled and had a light tick too. It had just barely loosened up.
Throwing any misfire codes?
I had a rocker back off slightly after the cam went in and it kind of rattled and had a light tick too. It had just barely loosened up.
No codes and the cams been in for a couple years, the chatter just started after I got duals put on. I thought it was something with the exhaust, but I've taken it to two places now and they both said it's not coming from the exhaust and they're never heard a noise like it.
I didnt get a code when i broke a valve spring on my z06. It was clattering even at idle though. Pull the valve cover and look. 4 8mm bolts for the coils, 4 plug wires, 1 connector, and 4 8mm bolts on the valve cover. Will take you 5 minutes tops.
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 70
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From: DALLAS TX
a broken spring would in most cases cause a p0300, random misfire code. easiest way to find out is compression test. do a leak down test, listen for hissing from intake/t-body area and listen for hissing from exhaust. if you arent getting a misfire code i would not suspect springs. seems like the shops you take it to arent very helpful at all if they didnt do this test right off the bat IMO.
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On The Tree
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Agreed but I will say if the car has emissions still on it and other options, it is a little PITA to get in there and then its still not a garruntee your going to find it.
my true duals made the car sound way more chatty than before the duals. Then i did heads and cam and the springs were fine, the car sounds like a sewing machine, but so does my buddies Katech built LS as well.
The shops I brought it to looked at it for free and just gave me their opinions. The headers/cam/springs have been on the car for about 25k miles, I just had true duals put on and started to hear the chatter at about 1200rpms, that's it, no where else in the rpms. thanks for all the inputs
Take a piece of cut up garden hoes and put it to your ear and LISTEN to different areas where you hear the clatter. I was able to pinpoint the EXACT spring before i even took the valve covers off my z06. If it's in the head you WILL hear it through a piece of felxible garden hose or heater hose (touching it to different areas). If you can get under your car and listen by your flywheel to see if it's in the transmission like possibly a throwout bearing going or a pressure plate coming loose
Another place to listen would be on the front timing cover incase your shop didnt use threadlocker on your camshaft, or cam retainer bolts, perhaps they are backing out?
Another place to listen would be on the front timing cover incase your shop didnt use threadlocker on your camshaft, or cam retainer bolts, perhaps they are backing out?
I still haven't figured this noise out. I'm bringing it to the shop this week and told the guy when he figures it out, he can tune my car. If it's something in the engine, I want it fixed before I get it tuned. Anyway, I updated the first post with a video, you can hear the chatter on the way down after I rev it.
hard to tell from the video but it seems to me its an exhaust leak you said it started doing it after you got duals. did you get under the car while it was running and feel around on the welds to see if everything was fine? i was going to type you would hear it but i didnt hear anything when i broke a valve spring but its a 921. ive heard videos on broken spings and you can hear it inside the car when driving. I know thats a hit or miss but i dont know if you would be able to tell anything with those duals on there. keep us posted on what you find
I'll post up what it is when I get it solved. I really do think it exhaust, but I've taken it to two different exhaust shops that have never heard a noise like that. At one shop, the guy covered each pipe with his hand and he could hear the noise come out the other pipe.
I had a chatter like that on my third gen, turned out to be loose flex plate bolts from the previous owner doing a garage tranny install... Same issue tho, only at a certian RPM.....
GL with your troubleshooting.
GL with your troubleshooting.
