Speaking of Valve Spings.....

[JJMalone]

I believe on another forum a credible tuner opined valve springs aught to be changed somewhere around 50k miles to head off failures associated with valve spring breakage on high mileage engines. I’d like to hear some “expert” opinions on this. I’ve also heard it opined that LS7 valve spring reliability is greatly enhanced if the engine is warmed up thourgoughly before spinning up very far in the power band. I religiously adhere to this procedure as it makes good sense. One major mod I would like to make is the Ron Davis radiator. I’m going to run it by the dealer service manager and see if they will ok it for long-term warranty purposes. I have the extended GM warranty out to ’12 and don’t want to screw it up as I’m sure I’ll be able to blow or wear a motor out before then. I’d be interest in opinions/discussion.
JJ

[Katech_JASON]

Originally Posted by JJMalone

I believe on another forum a credible tuner opined valve springs aught to be changed somewhere around 50k miles to head off failures associated with valve spring breakage on high mileage engines. I’d like to hear some “expert” opinions on this. I’ve also heard it opined that LS7 valve spring reliability is greatly enhanced if the engine is warmed up thourgoughly before spinning up very far in the power band. I religiously adhere to this procedure as it makes good sense. One major mod I would like to make is the Ron Davis radiator. I’m going to run it by the dealer service manager and see if they will ok it for long-term warranty purposes. I have the extended GM warranty out to ’12 and don’t want to screw it up as I’m sure I’ll be able to blow or wear a motor out before then. I’d be interest in opinions/discussion.
JJ

ALL high performance engines should have warm oil before spinning them up. It doesn't matter if it is an LS7 or a Lamborghini Murcielago. The oil should be warm before getting on it. I wait for 150 deg. in my car, 130 deg. if I absolutely must.


The Ron Davis radiator with integrated oil cooler will help your oil get up to temperature faster.

As far as preventative maintenance on the LS7, it all depends on how you use it. If it is a race engine you may need them at 3000 miles. If it is a street car, maybe 100,000 miles. If you're going to have a valve spring failure because of a defect, its going to happen early on.

[JJMalone]

Originally Posted by Katech_JASON

ALL high performance engines should have warm oil before spinning them up. It doesn't matter if it is an LS7 or a Lamborghini Murcielago. The oil should be warm before getting on it. I wait for 150 deg. in my car, 130 deg. if I absolutely must.


The Ron Davis radiator with integrated oil cooler will help your oil get up to temperature faster.

As far as preventative maintenance on the LS7, it all depends on how you use it. If it is a race engine you may need them at 3000 miles. If it is a street car, maybe 100,000 miles. If you're going to have a valve spring failure because of a defect, its going to happen early on.

Thanks for the reply. I’ll be interested if the Chevy dealer would allow installing a Ron Davis radiator without effecting warranty. On some cold days it has been hard to get the oil temperature above 135F. Mine is all street and no race but I look for opportunities to work it a little. It seldom sees rev limit, but does occasionally. I guess I was thinking the valve lift is the same no matter what speed the engine is turning and the service life of the springs would get used under normal street use with x miles and since only one spring, failure more serious. I guess it’s a failure that can’t be predicted and can only be headed off with preventative replacement and I’d like to err on the safe side.

If it turns out the dealer doesn’t mind the radiator install, I’d go that route. It looks like better temperature control on both ends. I’d like to see coolant kept closer to thermostat rating when driving in the heat and traffic. Can the RD radiator be purchased with any/all hoses, hardware to complete the job with no fab or hoses/adapters to round up?
JJ

[Katech_JASON]

Originally Posted by JJMalone

Thanks for the reply. I’ll be interested if the Chevy dealer would allow installing a Ron Davis radiator without effecting warranty. On some cold days it has been hard to get the oil temperature above 135F. Mine is all street and no race but I look for opportunities to work it a little. It seldom sees rev limit, but does occasionally. I guess I was thinking the valve lift is the same no matter what speed the engine is turning and the service life of the springs would get used under normal street use with x miles and since only one spring, failure more serious. I guess it’s a failure that can’t be predicted and can only be headed off with preventative replacement and I’d like to err on the safe side.

If it turns out the dealer doesn’t mind the radiator install, I’d go that route. It looks like better temperature control on both ends. I’d like to see coolant kept closer to thermostat rating when driving in the heat and traffic. Can the RD radiator be purchased with any/all hoses, hardware to complete the job with no fab or hoses/adapters to round up?
JJ

Yes, I have the Ron Davis Radiator with all the fittings, hoses, and adapter block for the oil pan.

[badtbon]

Thanks for the post Jason.