Hello Anthony. This was an excellent video! Extremely informative for people with C5 thru C7 Corvettes with the Torque Tube Powertrain assembly. This style of powertrain is unique and enables the car to have almost perfect 51/49 front to rear weight per portions. After 120,000 miles, some of them hard miles I’m sure, you really can’t complain (not to imply that you were). Chevy did a damn nice job with this car and Vette’s are very reliable in general. Keep up the great work and please keep the C6 content flowing! I love my C6 GS with 44K miles on her. Sure I would love to upgrade the seats and I will eventually. All it takes is $$$ right 😂😂😂. Just tons of chedda.
Great video man. Editing kept me watching, and great choice on going OEM. Have seen lots of 900-1000whp cars on oem couplers. Much easier on the rest of the moving parts.
Nice to know what a shop would charge. I'm currently in the middle of this myself on jack stands in my garage. Already finished rebuilding the torque tube. Just installed a new rear main seal and cover, new clutch and new axle seals while the drivetrain is out. About to put it all back together. I've watched about every video on youtube covering how to do it and haven't had any issues so far and the job has gone pretty smooth and easy. So far my parts total is around $1800. Glad I chose to do it myself.
Hey there Noval! I'm wanting to replace my ds with a ds shop 3.5 carbon. Have you encountered anything that wasn't covered in any videos or forums? I appreciate any of your time and assistance.
The whole job went well. I watched several videos on each job I did. Some were duplicated like removing the drivetrain to rebuild the torque tube and another vid on replacing the rear main seal (you have to remove the drivetrain and torque tube to get to the rear main) so you may see variations on how others do it but you take the route that works best for you working with the tools you have. Even if you have to buy a tool it still ends up cheaper in the end compared to a shop doing it and you get to put a tool in your toolbox when it's done. Getting three wooden dollys from Harbor Freight to rest the drivetrain on so you can roll it out from underneath was the biggest help. Did the whole job by myself with no help and I'm 58 yrs old. Just watch as many videos as you can to become familiar with the process and take it step by step. Don't get in a hurry and you will get there.@@zacharyzane1638
@@zacharyzane1638 if you have any questions feel free to reach out, I just rebuilt mine with the DSS carbon fiber shaft. One thing some people don’t mention is to inspect the input shaft for any damage and replace if necessary, if the shaft or couplers get too out of balance/worn it can cause the tip that rides in the pilot bearing to become damaged.
Hey man! Great informative video and really fun to watch. I’m based in Huntington Beach, Ca. and I was stoked when I saw you used a shop in Riverside. Will hit them up for sure! I have a 1994 C4 manua and I’m experiencing the EXACT same noise as you. However I’m getting theories from shops that it’s the flywheel or throw out bearing. Quick question - did the noise you experienced disappear when the clutch was depressed?
Even though it cost more i always take my corvette to the GM dealership for repairs i am seventy years old so you can understand why I don’t work on my car
70??? Bruh if that’s you in the picture, you look amazing! I don’t blame you For taking your car to the dealership. There’s a time and place for everything.
I had a c5 years ago I replaced the torque tube myself found out the 2nd one was making noise since I bought it off of ebay took it back out and found the balance weight rivet was loose making the noise just smacked the rivet flush and cleaned around the balance weight and added high temp red gasket sealant it fixed it no more noise.
Good Video 👍One other problem (also do to design flaw) in these 'Vettes are the harmonic balancer.... I just recently had mine changed out for a piece of mind and well between the part/work it ended up being $2000... I know $3000 sounds like a lot of money, but for all the work the company did to your car it's still cheap compared to other high performance cars like a BMW or Audi... BTW, I have an '08 Black C6 Z51 convertible that has been awesome since I changed out the harmonic balancer 😊
You got a bad torque tube from the manufacture it wasn’t balanced right from the get go some torque tubes have over 250,000 miles on them and they’re still running fine
Corvette tech here, that is incorrect. The rubber couplers all wear at different rates due to a lot of variables. The bearings usually wear due to age, the grease in the bearings only last for so long. Skf makes an excellent upgraded bearing.
Very informative video. I have a stock 2003 C5 (non Z06) automatic. I drive it like an old man - oh wait...I am an old man! My C5 has 153,000 miles. Mine developed the dreaded rear main seal oil leak. It leaks a lot! I got a quote from a local garage for $1700 just to replace the rear seal.
Yeeeup… time for mine :-/ I thought I was immune, but tracking it really magnified the weak links. 77k miles, but as an 08 that’s a 15 year old car… let’s hope the diff and axles are as good as people say 🤞
$1000 labor for anything involving dropping the rear if the coupler comes apart (Cheap Coupler) they may have to cut the tube open to free it up so it can be removed so with buying another tube i spent $1700 or so 2 weeks before i spent 5k on the trans (RPM lvl V) and converter (PI Vig 2400) install. Do whatever else is there if u have it out already.
My Vette dealer replaced (2) complete drive tube-shaft ass'ys. I studied every blog, etc., and of course the Official manual. The dealer was not aware of the final step which was most important to the problem. 1st, tighten the drive SHAFT to the transaxle and the bellhousing.. Run engine to op. Temp, 10 min.; the Driveshsaft Expands in length... pushing the crankshaft also. Then loosen & retighten both. THEN, Drive the car, (after 2 tube ass'ys . he was happy, said he and the mechanic making sure of this step, really no problem existed.) This last step was the key. No more big. Damage. Very important ! With this expansion and contraction causes wear on your Thrust Bearings ! AND Distributer as the driveshxaft and Ignition system. All this was on my C7 and may not be necessary w/ C6's, but may help in understanding these big, expensive problems as they appear. Paul
just replaced the clutch in my c5 and rebuilt the torque tube while i was at it. used a friends lift and had it done in 2 days total. a bearing failure is rare, the couplers are the usual failure since they are 20 year old rubber. i got new oem couplers from rock auto with a bearing kit and its good as new. the billet couplers arent really couplers, they just extend the driveshaft, which means it needs to be balanced and checked so it runs true. many companies make bank from these billet couplers that make the car vibrate like hell and ruin the car. billet couplers can be done, but they have to be done right.
Any doofus with a lathe & a mill can crank out a billet coupler. That's probably why there are so many out there, but not many people have rubber molding machines. One could create a mold a pour a urethane coupler, but I wouldn't trust it.
Thank you for this video I got the same part of my Corvette it was driving me crazy I didn't know what it was now I know what it is the deal is charging me $4,000 and labor work
You got a differential leak. When I did my clutch on Jack stands at 70k I replaced all the tyranny and diff seals. The T56 is a notorious leaker. All new seals then reinstalled. Took 6mo on jacks only working weekends.
I had a C4...felt like I knew everything about that car....now I got a C7 Z06...and to be honest I'm a little bit worried???...and I've spent 20-plus working on jets. New Corvettes are some fine machines, and I love a fine machine...so, no worries......
I had torque tube problems on my C5. I just ordered a used one on ebay that was in fine shape for $350. Took mine out on jack stands and it wasn't THAT bad... Okay maybe it was so bad that I destroyed my transmission and had to pay a shop 4k to rebuild it... but all in all, I did do the job on jack stands, just did it wrong the first time around. Anyways, the one I took out sounded like it had sand in it, didn't even bother trying to take it apart to replace the couplers.
yeah, this guy way over paid for couplers , and at his skill level should just let the garage handle everything, preferably a dedicated corvette garage, since the cars are old and idiosyncratic compared to cars designed as daily drivers.
Same here, did a clutch and rear main and the rear main is leaking from my lack of correct install, never been so eager to pay someone 2k to fix my car that’s only been worked on by me
It’s very interesting to listen to these younger people and how they view “maintenance” hey if you have the car apart to that point I would have replaced every seal, bushing and anything else you can’t get at when the car is all assembled! I’m getting ready to do a clutch on my C-5 and I’m having everything replaced from slave cyl to rear engine cover to rear main seal along with having the tranny resealed! It will probably cost $6k but it’s worth every penny! BTW I could do it myself in my own shop but I would rather have the guys at the dealership do it because they do it all the time! Besides if something goes wrong they will have to fix it! Play with the big boys pay with the big boys!
Younger people don't have 6k to blow on o-rings and dust boots. Plus the younger crowd doesn't trust dealerships. You say dealerships do it all the time, but that's not true. The number of technicians working at any given dealership who frequently replace seals and engine covers on 15 year old corvettes is 0. Unless you get an older tech, then the guy working on your car likely has never even touched a c-5, much less replaced all the seals after removing the torque tube. Plus trying to get a dealership to take responsibility if they do break something is a monumental task. They'll tell you "it was already like that" or "there was an existing condition we didn't touch that caused the failure." Something that's impossible to prove in court, and it's not even worth trying to in the first place because taking the issue to court will likely cost more than just buying a brand new whatever-part-broke, not to mention your time. These are the people who claim it's normal for a new engine to burn oil. So to the younger people, it's not worth it to even consider going to a dealership. Too risky, and too expensive.
(for the manual guys)... In the Z06, the clutch is actually the real weak point. At minimum, put a fresh friction disk and throw-out bearing every time you split the bellhousing. Probably any C6 manual with a lot of power will be having clutch issues. When the plates get thin at all, the pressure plate won't release completely when hot. So, the plates must be fresh/new or just swap the entire thing. Monster makes a very reasonably priced replacement based on the C7 clutch (which has an enormously better pressure plate design and is twin disk). I also swapped for a carbon fiber driveshaft after twisting/warping my factory shaft. Besides being strong, the lighter weight noticeably improves shifting. And the shaft has enough flex/spring that solid coupling has little drawback.
@@salvadormonella8953 On every car that has that type of rubber coupler, replacing them is maintenance. They are very common on BMWs. They must be replaced periodically. I've replaced them many times over the years on 3 on 5 series.
@@yzScott That's wonderful you think that way. I say they aren't maintenance because they aren't on Chevrolet's Corvette maintenance schedule. There are many wear items that may require replacement over the life of the car that are not considered maintenance. Replacing a clutch isn't maintenance. I'd put replacing anything inside the torque tube as service or repair, not maintenance. GM is very specific about what maintenance items are. They're found in section 7 of your owner's manual. Nowhere in there is there anything about couplers. BMWs are not Chevrolet's. I don't think even BMW considers replacing couplers as "maintenance," although knowing those shysters as I do, they might. BMWs are a great car. You might do your own repairs on your car, but the VAST majority of BMW owners in particular do not. You may be going through couplers more frequently than everybody else, and so for you they're maintenance, but for the rest of the modern motoring world, myself included, they aren't.
Any high performance car is going to need maintenance along the way especially if your using them as intended. Frankly that little rubber coupler looks like a consumable to me and I would have gone neoprene again especially if the car sees track time. This looks like just one of those things that should be on your maintenance schedule obviously not very often but its going to need replacing. I ran an 08 Z06 with some mods and still love that LS7 now I have a 17 Z06 with both program and hardware mods both cars always ran/run strong but just remember maintenance is a cakewalk compared to having to fix stuff that you caused yourself by NOT doing maintenance!!!
I'm the original owner of a 2010 grand sport. My bearings went out at only 13k miles. Luckily it was covered under warranty. The car is a garage queen and is never driven hard and only has 16k miles to date.
Very rare for a torque tube to fail below 150,000 miles - unless you abuse your car or drag race or track race with bad technique or do extensive power mods. You know who you are.
I'm in love with c5 corvette's but this makes me realize I'm not financially ready for one. They may be super reliable but they're still sports cars that have been sitting around for at least 2 decades, and parts will get worn and if they don't you should probably be replacing them anyway.
You are right i have owned my C6 corvette over four and half years I have put in about six thousand dollars in my car just in repairs and new tire it cost money to drive but the pleasure of diving my corvette is outstanding it put a smile on my face every time I drive it
@@mariomccoy3938 definitely the best value sports car, so many good times to be had. That's why i want to wait till I can afford to have everything working properly and get nice ass rubber etc
Bought my 97 C5 almost a year ago and already made some extensive repairs myself (cracked radiator, leaking hose, steering rack not properly torqued and came loose WHILE driving, snapped shifter cable) you name it. But being someone who wants to learn from experience it’s definitely an adventure. My 2 cents 🤙🏽
I recently upgraded my 2007 Z06 to 625whp done by a Corvette specialist and with almost half the engine replaced and other parts to keep it in race ready condition, it ended up costing me around 30k including labor. The entire torque tube assembly was replaced and the clutch was also upgraded to handle 600ftlbs of torque, bigger radiator, bigger fuel injectors. . The whole car was taken apart and replaced all worn out parts. The parts list ended up like 5 pages long. The parts were all cleaned and not an oil leak. I was impressed by the shop they even replaced the missing brake bleeder nozzle caps.
Regarding the C5-C7 and $3000 seals/clutch/throwout. Explaining it to somebody who drives Miatas, S2000 and Civics Si and such like I did used to. They really don't make a reliable 400hp+ car. Everything is beefy, expensive and compact to work on. Tires are $2000 a set. Wheels are $600 if you bend one. Rotors and pads are huge. The dry sump on the C7 takes 9 quarts of expensive Mobile 1 ESP. Another thing, Corvettes are relatively cheap when you start reading stories on the Porsche and BMW M car forums. Nothing this fast is just a "change fluids" type car. Even a car like the Mustang GT is more greedy than a regular car.
I bought my TT coupler and bearing kit for my C5 from Lyle @ C&S Corvette for ~$280 Unfortunately it looks like you got bopped a bit hard with the Corvette tax from your friendly neighborhood GM dealer
If u own a vette be prepared for the cost of fixing it!!! I learned the hard way. Rear diff went and my bolt ons kill my warranty. 9k to repair. Found a used one bill was just about 5k
If C6 guys shy away from maintenance, what "maintenance" is done to help prevent torque tube issues? Anything? I wouldn't regard replacing couplers as "maintenance." Handling that stuff is REPAIR. You had to wait a few weeks for parts? Your dad picked up you couplers for you? I have a hard time having ANY feelings of pity for your situation. I have nobody to pick up couplers for me, and my dad died 37 years ago when I was young.
I know... I was trying to do some research on the corvette forum and people have paid a similar amount. They basically have to drop everything underneath the car from the engine to the rear diff.
there is a learning curve with keeping old cars on the streets. one should really stick with 'oem parts unless price is an objection. I am always surprised when people make poorly informed parts and repair choices when the internet has so much information, both good and bad.
I missed if you stated your Car being Standard-shift or Auto. Yes , it would add cost , but if it is a Standard-shift, this would be the time to splurge for a new Clutch assy.
Alternate title: "After 120k miles, parts that are designed to be replaced need to be replaced."
Coupler! Wow bro!! That’s a lot! But worth it!! Maintenance is way more important than mods…maintenance keeps the car roadworthy
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Hello Anthony. This was an excellent video! Extremely informative for people with C5 thru C7 Corvettes with the Torque Tube Powertrain assembly. This style of powertrain is unique and enables the car to have almost perfect 51/49 front to rear weight per portions. After 120,000 miles, some of them hard miles I’m sure, you really can’t complain (not to imply that you were). Chevy did a damn nice job with this car and Vette’s are very reliable in general. Keep up the great work and please keep the C6 content flowing! I love my C6 GS with 44K miles on her. Sure I would love to upgrade the seats and I will eventually. All it takes is $$$ right 😂😂😂. Just tons of chedda.
Great video man. Editing kept me watching, and great choice on going OEM. Have seen lots of 900-1000whp cars on oem couplers. Much easier on the rest of the moving parts.
Great info man! glad to see you're getting the most out of your vette. I know that was a costly repair, but ya gotta pay to play!
Your editing had me laughing way too hard! good shit!
Nice to know what a shop would charge. I'm currently in the middle of this myself on jack stands in my garage. Already finished rebuilding the torque tube. Just installed a new rear main seal and cover, new clutch and new axle seals while the drivetrain is out. About to put it all back together. I've watched about every video on youtube covering how to do it and haven't had any issues so far and the job has gone pretty smooth and easy. So far my parts total is around $1800. Glad I chose to do it myself.
Hey there Noval! I'm wanting to replace my ds with a ds shop 3.5 carbon. Have you encountered anything that wasn't covered in any videos or forums?
I appreciate any of your time and assistance.
The whole job went well. I watched several videos on each job I did. Some were duplicated like removing the drivetrain to rebuild the torque tube and another vid on replacing the rear main seal (you have to remove the drivetrain and torque tube to get to the rear main) so you may see variations on how others do it but you take the route that works best for you working with the tools you have. Even if you have to buy a tool it still ends up cheaper in the end compared to a shop doing it and you get to put a tool in your toolbox when it's done. Getting three wooden dollys from Harbor Freight to rest the drivetrain on so you can roll it out from underneath was the biggest help. Did the whole job by myself with no help and I'm 58 yrs old. Just watch as many videos as you can to become familiar with the process and take it step by step. Don't get in a hurry and you will get there.@@zacharyzane1638
@@zacharyzane1638 if you have any questions feel free to reach out, I just rebuilt mine with the DSS carbon fiber shaft. One thing some people don’t mention is to inspect the input shaft for any damage and replace if necessary, if the shaft or couplers get too out of balance/worn it can cause the tip that rides in the pilot bearing to become damaged.
Nice vid, I'm on the fence about buying a 2004 Z06. Didn't know about the torque tube coupler wear issue. I think I may stay happy with my 93 Z07!
That splash screen for your video is like a drama/murder mystery movie but with you, your c6 and its torque tube lol
Hey from Vancouver Canada. Like the Canucks cap.
Maintenance on a car you love is always money smartly spent.
Hey man! Great informative video and really fun to watch. I’m based in Huntington Beach, Ca. and I was stoked when I saw you used a shop in Riverside. Will hit them up for sure! I have a 1994 C4 manua and I’m experiencing the EXACT same noise as you. However I’m getting theories from shops that it’s the flywheel or throw out bearing. Quick question - did the noise you experienced disappear when the clutch was depressed?
Good, honest information. Thanks
Even though it cost more i always take my corvette to the GM dealership for repairs i am seventy years old so you can understand why I don’t work on my car
70??? Bruh if that’s you in the picture, you look amazing! I don’t blame you For taking your car to the dealership. There’s a time and place for everything.
Thanks bud your a good guy 👍
I had a c5 years ago I replaced the torque tube myself found out the 2nd one was making noise since I bought it off of ebay took it back out and found the balance weight rivet was loose making the noise just smacked the rivet flush and cleaned around the balance weight and added high temp red gasket sealant it fixed it no more noise.
Good Video 👍One other problem (also do to design flaw) in these 'Vettes are the harmonic balancer.... I just recently had mine changed out for a piece of mind and well between the part/work it ended up being $2000... I know $3000 sounds like a lot of money, but for all the work the company did to your car it's still cheap compared to other high performance cars like a BMW or Audi... BTW, I have an '08 Black C6 Z51 convertible that has been awesome since I changed out the harmonic balancer 😊
You got a bad torque tube from the manufacture it wasn’t balanced right from the get go some torque tubes have over 250,000 miles on them and they’re still running fine
Corvette tech here, that is incorrect. The rubber couplers all wear at different rates due to a lot of variables. The bearings usually wear due to age, the grease in the bearings only last for so long. Skf makes an excellent upgraded bearing.
My car has 35k miles and already need to be replaced, have the same noise as in this video
Great video. The sound it made, did it make it constantly or only when the car was in gear ?
hahahaha died when "heyyy guys kris fix here " 😂😂😂
Great job.
Bro 1 minute in and I'm digging your style. Great editing
Very informative video. I have a stock 2003 C5 (non Z06) automatic. I drive it like an old man - oh wait...I am an old man! My C5 has 153,000 miles. Mine developed the dreaded rear main seal oil leak. It leaks a lot! I got a quote from a local garage for $1700 just to replace the rear seal.
That's why you learn how to turb wrenches and do it yourself!!
It feels like xmas whenever kh3mist posts🙌🏼
Yeeeup… time for mine :-/ I thought I was immune, but tracking it really magnified the weak links. 77k miles, but as an 08 that’s a 15 year old car… let’s hope the diff and axles are as good as people say 🤞
I have a new clutch, couplers, torque tube bearings and fuel pump for my C5 and I’m so scared of the price just to get it all installed 😬
$1000 labor for anything involving dropping the rear if the coupler comes apart (Cheap Coupler) they may have to cut the tube open to free it up so it can be removed so with buying another tube i spent $1700 or so 2 weeks before i spent 5k on the trans (RPM lvl V) and converter (PI Vig 2400) install. Do whatever else is there if u have it out already.
I did the same, replaced the whole torque tube assembly from RPM instead of just the coupler.
How long did you drive the car with the bad torque tube ? I’ve been hearing it in my C6 2011 for a few days now and the sound is getting worse
Good video.
My C7 Z had 3k miles on it and GM replaced the whole torque tube assembly. About 7k.
My Vette dealer replaced (2) complete drive tube-shaft ass'ys. I studied every blog, etc., and of course the Official manual. The dealer was not aware of the final step which was most important to the problem. 1st, tighten the drive SHAFT to the transaxle and the bellhousing.. Run engine to op. Temp, 10 min.; the Driveshsaft Expands in length... pushing the crankshaft also. Then loosen & retighten both. THEN, Drive the car, (after 2 tube ass'ys . he was happy, said he and the mechanic making sure of this step, really no problem existed.) This last step was the key. No more big. Damage. Very important ! With this expansion and contraction causes wear on your Thrust Bearings ! AND Distributer as the driveshxaft and Ignition system. All this was on my C7 and may not be necessary w/ C6's, but may help in understanding these big, expensive problems as they appear. Paul
What sound does it make? Is it like a rrrrrrrrr sound when taking off in first and reverse?
just replaced the clutch in my c5 and rebuilt the torque tube while i was at it. used a friends lift and had it done in 2 days total. a bearing failure is rare, the couplers are the usual failure since they are 20 year old rubber. i got new oem couplers from rock auto with a bearing kit and its good as new.
the billet couplers arent really couplers, they just extend the driveshaft, which means it needs to be balanced and checked so it runs true. many companies make bank from these billet couplers that make the car vibrate like hell and ruin the car. billet couplers can be done, but they have to be done right.
Any doofus with a lathe & a mill can crank out a billet coupler. That's probably why there are so many out there, but not many people have rubber molding machines. One could create a mold a pour a urethane coupler, but I wouldn't trust it.
Thank you for this video I got the same part of my Corvette it was driving me crazy I didn't know what it was now I know what it is the deal is charging me $4,000 and labor work
You got a differential leak. When I did my clutch on Jack stands at 70k I replaced all the tyranny and diff seals. The T56 is a notorious leaker. All new seals then reinstalled. Took 6mo on jacks only working weekends.
Welcome to the world of high performance Corvettes!
I bought a new torque tube from gym about 2 months ago 4K miles ago and it already broke again
Sick vid
Happened to me. Bought a low mileage c5 and the couplers disintegrated and still dealing with the aftermath...
I had a C4...felt like I knew everything about that car....now I got a C7 Z06...and to be honest I'm a little bit worried???...and I've spent 20-plus working on jets. New Corvettes are some fine machines, and I love a fine machine...so, no worries......
I had torque tube problems on my C5. I just ordered a used one on ebay that was in fine shape for $350. Took mine out on jack stands and it wasn't THAT bad... Okay maybe it was so bad that I destroyed my transmission and had to pay a shop 4k to rebuild it... but all in all, I did do the job on jack stands, just did it wrong the first time around. Anyways, the one I took out sounded like it had sand in it, didn't even bother trying to take it apart to replace the couplers.
How did you manage to break the trans in the process?
Edit: not being a dick im genuinely curious
Had the same issue with my Porsche Cayenne Turbo. The couplers were cheaper though.
yeah, this guy way over paid for couplers , and at his skill level should just let the garage handle everything, preferably a dedicated corvette garage, since the cars are old and idiosyncratic compared to cars designed as daily drivers.
But, what it cost...?
Searching 2001 C5 seat covers
I did my c5 torque tube rebuild on jack stands… NEVER AGAIN!!!
Same here, did a clutch and rear main and the rear main is leaking from my lack of correct install, never been so eager to pay someone 2k to fix my car that’s only been worked on by me
It’s very interesting to listen to these younger people and how they view “maintenance” hey if you have the car apart to that point I would have replaced every seal, bushing and anything else you can’t get at when the car is all assembled! I’m getting ready to do a clutch on my C-5 and I’m having everything replaced from slave cyl to rear engine cover to rear main seal along with having the tranny resealed! It will probably cost $6k but it’s worth every penny! BTW I could do it myself in my own shop but I would rather have the guys at the dealership do it because they do it all the time! Besides if something goes wrong they will have to fix it! Play with the big boys pay with the big boys!
I agree you are right
I did the same approach and ended up spending a lot of money almost another Z06 ;)
Younger people don't have 6k to blow on o-rings and dust boots. Plus the younger crowd doesn't trust dealerships. You say dealerships do it all the time, but that's not true. The number of technicians working at any given dealership who frequently replace seals and engine covers on 15 year old corvettes is 0. Unless you get an older tech, then the guy working on your car likely has never even touched a c-5, much less replaced all the seals after removing the torque tube. Plus trying to get a dealership to take responsibility if they do break something is a monumental task. They'll tell you "it was already like that" or "there was an existing condition we didn't touch that caused the failure." Something that's impossible to prove in court, and it's not even worth trying to in the first place because taking the issue to court will likely cost more than just buying a brand new whatever-part-broke, not to mention your time. These are the people who claim it's normal for a new engine to burn oil. So to the younger people, it's not worth it to even consider going to a dealership. Too risky, and too expensive.
I run 1300 Rwhp with the stock rubber cuplers.
Bruh.....machanics are a Corvette's best friend.
😎👍
Hey Anthony. My name is William and I live out in San Jacinto. I own a 2004 C5 Z06 and would like to meet up sometime
I'm always in Riverside.
Good vid.. thx
Yep just did mine a couple of weeks ago, torque tube rebuild and my couplers were shredded.
How many miles does your car have and how much does it cost?
@@dogsandcars202 mine had about 80k on it and they hit me for about 2 grand in labor.
@@jimmyenriquez5100 same on cost, have to drop the whole rear, 130k miles on mine. Replace whatever else you need to while your in there .
@@rivaled had them go through the whole thing got me. We’re almost ready for heads cam now!
coupler my c7 has 75000 on it i might need that soon
(for the manual guys)...
In the Z06, the clutch is actually the real weak point. At minimum, put a fresh friction disk and throw-out bearing every time you split the bellhousing. Probably any C6 manual with a lot of power will be having clutch issues. When the plates get thin at all, the pressure plate won't release completely when hot. So, the plates must be fresh/new or just swap the entire thing. Monster makes a very reasonably priced replacement based on the C7 clutch (which has an enormously better pressure plate design and is twin disk).
I also swapped for a carbon fiber driveshaft after twisting/warping my factory shaft. Besides being strong, the lighter weight noticeably improves shifting. And the shaft has enough flex/spring that solid coupling has little drawback.
Good advice. I have a stock C6 with regular amounts of power. I don't think replacing couplers is "maintenance." That's REPAIR.
@@salvadormonella8953 On every car that has that type of rubber coupler, replacing them is maintenance. They are very common on BMWs. They must be replaced periodically. I've replaced them many times over the years on 3 on 5 series.
@@yzScott That's wonderful you think that way. I say they aren't maintenance because they aren't on Chevrolet's Corvette maintenance schedule. There are many wear items that may require replacement over the life of the car that are not considered maintenance. Replacing a clutch isn't maintenance. I'd put replacing anything inside the torque tube as service or repair, not maintenance. GM is very specific about what maintenance items are. They're found in section 7 of your owner's manual. Nowhere in there is there anything about couplers. BMWs are not Chevrolet's. I don't think even BMW considers replacing couplers as "maintenance," although knowing those shysters as I do, they might. BMWs are a great car. You might do your own repairs on your car, but the VAST majority of BMW owners in particular do not. You may be going through couplers more frequently than everybody else, and so for you they're maintenance, but for the rest of the modern motoring world, myself included, they aren't.
Coupler!!!
hey bro did you ever smell any burnt plastic when ur couplers were failing
Nahh I didn’t :/
You are lucky they let you into the shop
Any high performance car is going to need maintenance along the way especially if your using them as intended. Frankly that little rubber coupler looks like a consumable to me and I would have gone neoprene again especially if the car sees track time. This looks like just one of those things that should be on your maintenance schedule obviously not very often but its going to need replacing. I ran an 08 Z06 with some mods and still love that LS7 now I have a 17 Z06 with both program and hardware mods both cars always ran/run strong but just remember maintenance is a cakewalk compared to having to fix stuff that you caused yourself by NOT doing maintenance!!!
Thanks Karl...
I’m curious… How much $$$ was it, all up for the parts and labor? I’m guessing $2800 - $3400
You should also check the torqu converter since it cost no extra maintenance since that has to be removed as well
I've heard $1,700-2k labor + parts
Mine sounds like lifter tick
Oh... So it's my torque tube... I see.... Well, I guess it's a good thing I have the gas leak smell issue and need to drop my tanks.
Coupler
I'm the original owner of a 2010 grand sport. My bearings went out at only 13k miles. Luckily it was covered under warranty. The car is a garage queen and is never driven hard and only has 16k miles to date.
thats ashame
Need more carbo fiba
Very rare for a torque tube to fail below 150,000 miles - unless you abuse your car or drag race or track race with bad technique or do extensive power mods. You know who you are.
My 97 only has 81000 and the bushing started failing on it.
I'm in love with c5 corvette's but this makes me realize I'm not financially ready for one. They may be super reliable but they're still sports cars that have been sitting around for at least 2 decades, and parts will get worn and if they don't you should probably be replacing them anyway.
You are right i have owned my C6 corvette over four and half years I have put in about six thousand dollars in my car just in repairs and new tire it cost money to drive but the pleasure of diving my corvette is outstanding it put a smile on my face every time I drive it
@@mariomccoy3938 definitely the best value sports car, so many good times to be had. That's why i want to wait till I can afford to have everything working properly and get nice ass rubber etc
Find a low mileage C5 and you'll be fine. (04 Z06 w/42k here)
Bought my 97 C5 almost a year ago and already made some extensive repairs myself (cracked radiator, leaking hose, steering rack not properly torqued and came loose WHILE driving, snapped shifter cable) you name it. But being someone who wants to learn from experience it’s definitely an adventure. My 2 cents 🤙🏽
I recently upgraded my 2007 Z06 to 625whp done by a Corvette specialist and with almost half the engine replaced and other parts to keep it in race ready condition, it ended up costing me around 30k including labor. The entire torque tube assembly was replaced and the clutch was also upgraded to handle 600ftlbs of torque, bigger radiator, bigger fuel injectors. . The whole car was taken apart and replaced all worn out parts. The parts list ended up like 5 pages long. The parts were all cleaned and not an oil leak. I was impressed by the shop they even replaced the missing brake bleeder nozzle caps.
i just got plagued with this 😩😩😩
Regarding the C5-C7 and $3000 seals/clutch/throwout. Explaining it to somebody who drives Miatas, S2000 and Civics Si and such like I did used to. They really don't make a reliable 400hp+ car. Everything is beefy, expensive and compact to work on. Tires are $2000 a set. Wheels are $600 if you bend one. Rotors and pads are huge. The dry sump on the C7 takes 9 quarts of expensive Mobile 1 ESP. Another thing, Corvettes are relatively cheap when you start reading stories on the Porsche and BMW M car forums. Nothing this fast is just a "change fluids" type car. Even a car like the Mustang GT is more greedy than a regular car.
C5 Z was the exception to that rule.
I hope my fluid level is full. Not low. I have 71000 km. I pray this does not happen
No fluid in the tube.
You mean fluid in the diff?
3700! Omg
Couplers
Didn't show any of the repair.
I bought my TT coupler and bearing kit for my C5 from Lyle @ C&S Corvette for ~$280
Unfortunately it looks like you got bopped a bit hard with the Corvette tax from your friendly neighborhood GM dealer
I will take it I love over kill 😁
If u own a vette be prepared for the cost of fixing it!!! I learned the hard way. Rear diff went and my bolt ons kill my warranty. 9k to repair. Found a used one bill was just about 5k
Sometimes vette dealers won't help you after sale.
If C6 guys shy away from maintenance, what "maintenance" is done to help prevent torque tube issues? Anything? I wouldn't regard replacing couplers as "maintenance." Handling that stuff is REPAIR. You had to wait a few weeks for parts? Your dad picked up you couplers for you? I have a hard time having ANY feelings of pity for your situation. I have nobody to pick up couplers for me, and my dad died 37 years ago when I was young.
Can't anyone make anything right anymore??
3200 Wtf!!!!!!!!!!!
I know... I was trying to do some research on the corvette forum and people have paid a similar amount. They basically have to drop everything underneath the car from the engine to the rear diff.
Dagnamit
500 for a 16 dollar part dude this is why you dont bring it to a shop...you overpaid man. the job itself is not that bad.
there is a learning curve with keeping old cars on the streets. one should really stick with 'oem parts unless price is an objection. I am always surprised when people make poorly informed parts and repair choices when the internet has so much information, both good and bad.
I missed if you stated your Car being Standard-shift or Auto.
Yes , it would add cost , but if it is a Standard-shift, this would be the time to splurge for a new Clutch assy.
Hell, the chevy dealer here just charged me 1k to replace the shifter cable! Highway robbery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!