2013 engine problems

[aspman]

Is there a way to tell which 13s can have the engine issues if they are lower mileage?......which ones to avoid?

[zee]

Don't think so. I've heard some 13s and 14s have issues with a variety of miles - even as high as 8,000. Not sure if any 15s have had any engine issues yet?

[mblgjr]

No and theres no reason to specifically avoid a certain year.

13s just have had time to get more miles.

5700mi 2013... no probs.

Theres others on here with about 14k mi of mostly track use.

[ViperSmith]

The few 2013's that seems to die, seemed to be due to engine oil levels. The rash of 2014's are rod bearing failures from a manufacturing defect. I haven't heard of any 2015's dying.

[Jack B]

This problem has been well over stated. There are two totally separate issues:

1. A large percentage of the total failures are related to low oil levels. I do not think there were any 2013's that failed after 5000 miles due to low oil. The oil ingestion was during an extended break-in period. My rings did not totally seal till 3000 miles and I probably added 2-3 quarts during that time. Some of those failures could have been averted if the oil was checked, on the other hand, some say you should not have to check oil on a new car.

The burning oil is fairly easy to verify, either pull the plugs and/or do a leak down test to verify the engine sealing. Personally, I would not buy any high performance car without a leak-down test.

2. The second failure mode has been metal shavings from the block machining process finding their way into the crankshaft or oil pump. this is pure poor quality control or a vendor that has not done his job. I could be wrong, but, there seems to be more 14-15's that have had this problem.



Is there a way to tell which 13s can have the engine issues if they are lower mileage?......which ones to avoid?

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[senior racer]

According to Dick Winkles there were a few 13s that fell victim to defective valve springs(my 13 suffered this failure @380 miles). Replacement engine is now at 4000 miles with no issues. My 09 Z06 puked at 1700 miles(valvetrain). My 09 GT500 threw a clutch early.Everyone has issues. If you want troublefree buy a . Oh yea that doesn't work either.

[Jdmuscle]

Hey jack.. Have you heard of any 15s failing?

[Jack B]

What actually happened, that is a new one.



According to Dick Winkles there were a few 13s that fell victim to defective valve springs(my 13 suffered this failure @380 miles). Replacement engine is now at 4000 miles with no issues. My 09 Z06 puked at 1700 miles(valvetrain). My 09 GT500 threw a clutch early.Everyone has issues. If you want troublefree buy a . Oh yea that doesn't work either.

[Jack B]

That is a good question, I think a lot of the threads sort mixed the years together. Was the one that was just shipped back to Woodhouse a 14 or 15?


Hey jack.. Have you heard of any 15s failing?

[viperdriver5150]

This problem has been well over stated. There are two totally separate issues:

1. A large percentage of the total failures are related to low oil levels. I do not think there were any 2013's that failed after 5000 miles due to low oil. The oil ingestion was during an extended break-in period. My rings did not totally seal till 3000 miles and I probably added 2-3 quarts during that time. Some of those failures could have been averted if the oil was checked, on the other hand, some say you should not have to check oil on a new car.

The burning oil is fairly easy to verify, either pull the plugs and/or do a leak down test to verify the engine sealing. Personally, I would not buy any high performance car without a leak-down test.

2. The second failure mode has been metal shavings from the block machining process finding their way into the crankshaft or oil pump. this is pure poor quality control or a vendor that has not done his job. I could be wrong, but, there seems to be more 14-15's that have had this problem.




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That was my problem, metal in the oil line. Cooked the motor almost instantly. I believe the one that just went to Woodhouse was a 14', and for 15's, I have not seen a failure on one of those yet.

[aspman]

Thanks...good info...if you do a leak down test and its faulty is that a warranty issue?....I would assume it is.....does replacement of the engines if necessary affect the value of the car?

[viperdriver5150]

They took my car back (buyback) with only 6 miles on it. Others have taken replacement motors and some with as many as 4600 miles have received a new car as a replacement one model year up.

[mikesax]

My 13 had 21,000 miles-problem free!!
My 14 has 12,000 miles-problem free!!
My 15 has 5,000 miles-problem free!!
So far-rock solid!!

[swexlin]

A replacement motor should have little to no affect. I wouldn't have an issue with buying a Gen 5 that had a replacement engine.

[senior racer]

What actually happened, that is a new one.

These engines use a barrel(beehive) shaped valve spring. According to Mr. Winkles they had received a small batch of improperly manufactured springs. One of mine broke while sitting at idle at a stoplight and allowed the valve to drop down with the usual results. They changed suppliers after this happened according to him. I've never had any issues with my G2 or G4 so it was a surprise when this happened. But it was taken care of promptly.

[V10 Snake]

2 years and 4,000 miles on my car and no issues

[zee]

Thanks...good info...if you do a leak down test and its faulty is that a warranty issue?....I would assume it is.....does replacement of the engines if necessary affect the value of the car?

You will hear mixed feelings on this. I definitely think it plays a role, both negative and positive. One could look at it and see that the motor was replaced under warranty and the likelihood of it failing again is very low (which is extra insurance for you). However, something so big like a motor change can cause others to shy away (especially if they are not very savvy buyers).

[Jdmuscle]

That is a good question, I think a lot of the threads sort mixed the years together. Was the one that was just shipped back to Woodhouse a 14 or 15?

That's a 14 as well. An early one I believe.

[Salties]

My 13 had 21,000 miles-problem free!!
My 14 has 12,000 miles-problem free!!
My 15 has 5,000 miles-problem free!!
So far-rock solid!!
Three vipers , must be nice

[Steve-Indy]

At one extreme there are plenty of folks who do not care about matching numbers as their utilization is mainly for maximum performance..blow it up, get a new stronger motor...repeat cycle.

On the other end of the spectrum are plenty of folks who are not so adventurous...to whom matching numbers mean a lot...as in the collector world where an "original" car may be worth far more than a non-original car. Watch the auction shows to see the difference.

It' all good...different styles, different goals for different folks.

[V1P3R]

My 13 had 21,000 miles-problem free!!
My 14 has 12,000 miles-problem free!!
My 15 has 5,000 miles-problem free!!
So far-rock solid!!

38,000 miles in 3 years! That is freaking awesome!!!!

:dude3:

[Voice of Reason]

It was explained to me that if the engine is replaced under warranty then "the numbers" still match.

[BJG32]

It was explained to me that if the engine is replaced under warranty then "the numbers" still match.

Interesting, but a car fax will tell the real story still...

[CarolinaViper]

It was explained to me that if the engine is replaced under warranty then "the numbers" still match.

I have a 71 Plymouth GTX w/matching numbers (440 car) if it as a hemi car, matching numbers would be a bigger deal. On the replacement engines, I don't think they are stamping the VIN on the block, if they are not....no matching numbers.

[Mamba52]

I have a 15 and its a buy back car. What a pain in the ass.

[ViperSmith]

I have a 15 and its a buy back car. What a pain in the ass.

What's wrong with it?

[7TH_SIGN]

I have a 15 and its a buy back car. What a pain in the ass.

First 15 I hear of. So they bought it back? Was it the motor? Damn....

[Vprbite]

My 13 had 21,000 miles-problem free!!
My 14 has 12,000 miles-problem free!!
My 15 has 5,000 miles-problem free!!
So far-rock solid!!


Wow. You do not mess around when it comes to driving these cars. That's awesome.

[swexlin]

I have a 15 and its a buy back car. What a pain in the ass.

What happened? Was it an engine issue?

[viperdriver5150]

I have a 15 and its a buy back car. What a pain in the ass.

It is a complete pain in the ass, mine started in May and just ended a week ago.

[mikesax]

Yeah-the ONLY thing nicer than having a couple Viper's in the garage is taking them OUT of said garage as OFTEN as possible!! Going to and from work IMO should be as ENJOYABLE as possible!! I work 70 plus hours a week so driving is my SANITY and THERAPY!!!

[Jdmuscle]

Mamba52 & viperdriver5150... Care to explain what happened with your cars? Why did the cars become a buy back etc?

[steve911]

DRIVER 5150's motor went south at 6 miles. New factory engine installed by Roanoke.

[7TH_SIGN]

Mamba52, what happened to your 2015?

[viperdriver5150]

Mamba52, what happened to your 2015?

I would also be curious, as that would be the first 2015 I have heard of especially if its engine trouble....

[lochnessmonster]

I just took mine on a 400+ mile road trip. It has 9000km of problem free driving. The car is spectacular.

[LmeaViper]

2013...4000 miles..no issues at all.

Did put 1/2 a litre of oil in this week and I attribute that to recently tracking the car as I had some oil spots appear in my filter after the event.

[XTREME SUPERCARS]

30,000 miles on my 2013 and its never used any oil or had any problems even with lots of track time
3000 miles on my wife's 2013 and it going in for its first oil change next week no problems either

[darbgnik]

My 15 took some oil in the first 1000 miles or so, maybe a liter? Then it sealed up tighter than a drum. I put 8600KMS(over 5000 miles) on it this year, including many track days, and it's been great.

I did have to swap the oil pressure sensor a couple weeks ago, but needing a 50 dollar electrical item didn't bother me.

[Teneck83]

Check recent R28/R29 recall notice

[Policy Limits]

Guess it's a crap shoot and comes down to luck with these. Knocking on wood but 2.5 years of ownership, 7,000 Miles and engine runs strong. I've changed the oil 5 times and oil level has not been low.

I wouldn't be cool with not matching numbers on a replacement engine personally but then again what choice would you have in the matter?

If I were in the market for this car, I'd reconsider unless it came with a lifetime transferable warranty.

[Mamba52]

I would also be curious, as that would be the first 2015 I have heard of especially if its engine trouble....

Car would stall on its own. It was at the dealer over 5 times and 45 days and lemon law kicked in. When I would floor the car the oil pressure would drop to 0 and the oil light would come on. I guess SRT knew this was a problem car. It was a horrible experience during the buy back.

I do miss the car.

[viperdriver5150]

I miss my car also...

[Policy Limits]

So 13, 14 and 15 cars all have lemons sprinkled in. Any 2016 ones yet?

[supersnake]

Guess it's a crap shoot and comes down to luck with these. Knocking on wood but 2.5 years of ownership, 7,000 Miles and engine runs strong. I've changed the oil 5 times and oil level has not been low.

I wouldn't be cool with not matching numbers on a replacement engine personally but then again what choice would you have in the matter?

If I were in the market for this car, I'd reconsider unless it came with a lifetime transferable warranty. I would like to know what FCA is doing with these engines they are pulling out and replacing, Are they rebuilding and putting back into cars on the line or what happens to them, If they are reusing some or all of them they would have to re stamp the serial for a new car, So why could they not stamp the replacement engine for your car that needs the engine before sending out to dealer.

[lochnessmonster]

According to Dick Winkles there were a few 13s that fell victim to defective valve springs(my 13 suffered this failure @380 miles). Replacement engine is now at 4000 miles with no issues. My 09 Z06 puked at 1700 miles(valvetrain). My 09 GT500 threw a clutch early.Everyone has issues. If you want troublefree buy a . Oh yea that doesn't work either.

So true. My Honda S2000 blew the #1 spark plug out of the head for no reason after the spark plugs had been in there for about a year. It was repaired with a helicoil type insert, but the engine ultimately imploded a year later, and I'm sure it was due to the original spark plug issue. My WRX STi engine imploded on me during a road trip to Vancouver in the middle of the night. I believe it was due to the faulty pistons Subaru put in the EJ257 motors, and have known about them for years, but never attended to the problem like FCA.

The bottom line is, high performance engines fail. They do it all the time for various reasons, some of which are never fully understood. It's part of the ownership experience, and something you need to accept prior to purchasing a sports car. You can go round and round attempting to minimize your exposure to risk by trying to figure out which vehicle's engine's are more likely to implode than others, but ultimately that is a futile exercise given the number of variables involved. Just accept that an engine failure could happen, and find the car you like.

[ViperSmith]

I guess the "matching numbers" doesn't mean a whole lot to me. I don't think I'd be the least concerned. I think what would bother me more is buying a car with a rebuilt engine vs. one replaced. Sure, keep your "matching numbers" on your rebuilt internals, by all means.

[Viper vince]

I was at the factory last October for a tour and they pin print the vin # in the engine and transmission right before they install it into the car. To restamp the block you would have to machine it off and that would be fraud.

[supersnake]

I was at the factory last October for a tour and they pin print the vin # in the engine and transmission right before they install it into the car. To restamp the block you would have to machine it off and that would be fraud. This maybe, but they know what serial # of car the replacement is going for on the R-28 Recall so they could stamp it on the way out the door to the dealer

[Newport Viper]

Guess it's a crap shoot and comes down to luck with these. Knocking on wood but 2.5 years of ownership, 7,000 Miles and engine runs strong. I've changed the oil 5 times and oil level has not been low.

Did you send the oil in for analysis yet? Just curious...

[Policy Limits]

Not yet. Just got the call from SRT and the written notice only days ago. And now there's ice and snow and salt as long over the New England roads, negative 40 temp just thus morning with wind chill. (What is this, Canada? Lol) so mine will probably be addressed in a month or two. When taking it to the typical crappy dealer for warranty work u just need to remember it's covered under warranty and insurance and just need to throw in the towel and stop caring about the car. Been there done that. I experience the opposite feeling when bring my Maserati in to the dealer.

[TCurtner]

So true. My Honda S2000 blew the #1 spark plug out of the head for no reason after the spark plugs had been in there for about a year. It was repaired with a helicoil type insert, but the engine ultimately imploded a year later, and I'm sure it was due to the original spark plug issue. My WRX STi engine imploded on me during a road trip to Vancouver in the middle of the night. I believe it was due to the faulty pistons Subaru put in the EJ257 motors, and have known about them for years, but never attended to the problem like FCA.

The bottom line is, high performance engines fail. They do it all the time for various reasons, some of which are never fully understood. It's part of the ownership experience, and something you need to accept prior to purchasing a sports car. You can go round and round attempting to minimize your exposure to risk by trying to figure out which vehicle's engine's are more likely to implode than others, but ultimately that is a futile exercise given the number of variables involved. Just accept that an engine failure could happen, and find the car you like.

Yeah, if you grew up in early 70s...just going on a 'vacation' in ANY CAR meant you'd probably break down either coming or going...!

[Matt Dillon]

Three vipers , must be nice

Especially ALL Gen V's! :) But, it's Always Nice to have a Gen. II to go with them! :)