'94 Coolant Leak

[andrewc4]

Just bought a 94, of the inside of the engine hood are two strips of coolant residue. They look like they've been thrown up by the edge of the belt. I can also smell the coolant when the engine is warm. The leak isn't big enough to drip or leave any other tell tale signs I can see. Any suggestions on where I should start looking first, second, third, etc. The water pump and the hose connections in the front on the engine are the candidates. What are the opinions on Barr's Stop Leak. As the car is new to me, I'm going to replace the coolant, check hoses, etc. regardless. I've read about the water pump leaking on the Opti-Spark but haven't begun to explore the components in the engine compartment yet. Does the Opti-spark warning that apply to the '94 model?

Two other questions.

My spark plug cables are MDS's. Are they stock on a '94 or have the stock wires been replaced by a previous owner(s).

The intake manifold has an Edelbrock badge plate on it. Was this stock or has the intake manifold been replaced by the previous owner(s).

One more question.

Anybody know of any details of Corvette clubs. I'm looking from a bunch of gear heads who like to talk technical and show off their latest upgrade. maybe over a beer.

 

[Edmond]

Andrew,

Welcome to the Corvette world!

First off, do not use any of that stop leak stuff. It can clog up your cooling system and the vehicle can overhead. At best, that stuff is a crapshoot and a temporary means.

The updated Opti's were on the '95 and '96 cars.

MSD wires are performance wires. The stock wires should be AC Delco wires since that is the GM brand.

As for the Edelbrock, where is that stamp located on? Is it on the intake manifold itself or is it on the throttle body? I'm not too sure if Edelbrock made an intake for the LT1, but again, I'm not too sure.

It could be an Edelbrock throttle body or it could just be a throttle body plate that the previous owner put on there.

 

[toby]

Hi Andrew. This is the classic symptom of water pump failure. Coolant is leaking out of the weep hole in the water pump and being slung up under the hood by the serpentine belt. My '96 had the same symptoms. I ended up replacing the Opti (throwing a code for intermittent miss on all cylinders) a few months after the water pump was replaced. Since the water pump has to be removed to replace the Opti, you might want to take a hard look at the Opti when the pump is replaced. A new Opti is expensive, but it (and the plug wires) will never be more accessible than when the water pump is replaced.

Toby

 

[andrewc4]

I've looked again and the the plate says BBK/Edelbrok and is located on the Throttle Body. There is also a BBK that appears to cast in the piece on the left side, so I would say it looks like and Edelbrock throttle body. Can I assume this was not the factory installed part?

 

[andrewc4]

Sounds like exactly what I was afraid off. I gues the water pump replacement will be my first repair. Thanks.

 

[Edmond]

I've looked again and the the plate says BBK/Edelbrok and is located on the Throttle Body. There is also a BBK that appears to cast in the piece on the left side, so I would say it looks like and Edelbrock throttle body. Can I assume this was not the factory installed part?

BBK is an aftermarket manufacturer of performance parts as is Edelbrock.

I would safely say that these are not the factory installed parts, they are performance parts. It's possibly a 52mm throttle body with the stock being a 48mm throttle body.

 

[andrewc4]

Post Script:

I pressure tested the system. Found the leak was due to the hose clamp on the upper right radiator hose being too loose. I suppose you can expect those types of things happening in the first month or two of driving a newly purchased eleven year old car. I'm very glad I didn't have to pay for a new water pump. To those who answered, thanks much for the help.

 

[Edmond]

Andrew,

That is awesome! Nothing beats fixing the car for free.

 

[andrewc4]

Really, the pressure tester was a loaner from Autozone.

 

[WhalePirot]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you'll be another valuable member; and helpful!

 

[Baldie88]

Glad you were able to fix your car relatively easy. One of your questions that wasn't answered was about local Corvette clubs. Try going to NCCC. Here's the link http://www.corvettesnccc.org/. Scroll down about half way and look for your region and it should point you to clubs in your area.

Hope you enjoy.

Ron
"Baldie88"

 

[92conv]

Yeah, I had the happy experience of discovering a BBK/Edelbrock TB on mine when I bought it. Still haven't figured out what size yet but still a nice discovery.