Coolant and Water Pump Questions

[stearnman]

Over the past few days, my
COOLANT
LOW
light has been coming on when I startup the car, or into a hard right turn. And I noticed last night while I had the car outside, there was some watery "residue" pooling up on the garage floor.

_car front__
|..........|
[]....@...[] <- tires
|.....^....|
......^ approximate location of where the pooling watery residue is

From other things I've read here, it looks light the tell-tail sign of the water pump going out. Is this most-likely correct?

If I add coolant to restore the levels for now, should it be DexCool or regular coolant? Can they be mixed? (I'm not sure what the previous owner had in it last.) :confused

Thanks in advance.

 

[lone73]

There's a weep hole under the water pump that it always leaks from when it is going out. You can see it (the hole that is) if you hold an inspection mirror under the pump with a flashlight pointed just right. If it's moist with coolant then you need a pump. There will likely be some staining from the coolant around the hole also. When it starts leaking really badly it will cause the belt to start slipping and your steering wheel will be hard to turn due to no power assist.

I'm on my 4th or 5th pump on my '96. I have had a rough time getting one that didn't leak right out of the box. New, not rebuilt. Also, the upper left pressed in (or glued or whatever) steel sleeve is prone to popping out under pressure. The last one I put on it also leaked but that was the third in a row within about a 2 week period. I just decided to drive it and see if it got worse as I had no time to replace it again. To my surprise after about a month of driving it finally stopped leaking from the weep hole. The sleeve stayed put on that one also. These are brand new pumps I was trying out. One from O'Reilly's and two from NAPA. I finally kept the last NAPA pump on it that I bought. Both stores were offering a lifetime guarantee on the part.
Can't answer your question on the coolant type issue but I would stay away from Dexcool. I am still using it on my '96 but at the next change it will be replaced with non-Dexcool product.
good luck
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[gmjunkie]

What Color is the Coolant, Green or Red-orange??? If Green it is Reg. If Red-orange it is Dexcool!!! "DON"T MIX" Them!! junk!!

 

[Gary6586]

Hello all - just jumping in here to ask for advice (or opinions): I owned several Corvettes, with the last one being an '86 coupe. I have the opportunity to buy a '95 coupe AT/LT1 with 40,000 on the clock. The problem is that the vehicle was traded in at a new car dealer with a "salvage title" - meaning in this state that it was once totalled, and rebuilt. Carfax verifies this and shows an accurate mileage trace since rebuiild in 1998. I cannot see ANY evidence of prior damage, and it drives OK. According to the salesman, the car has been sitting for about one year.

Question: what should I look for in terms of "normal" things that go wrong with a '95. I realize that hoses/belts/tires, etc., will have to be replaced. I just don't want more of a winter project than I can handle.

Appreciate in advance your replies.

Gary

 

[speedmaster4]

check with ur insurance co first--many wont even write 'salvage' vehicles

buddy has an 02 rendezvous with a salvage title-- wanted to get a new car but all local dealers offer same trade-in = 0

 

[stearnman]

Ok, from further inspection after work..."green" coolant is being splattered on the underside of the hood.

So, I'm now looking for replace the pump with and electric pump. I've read a few thread on the electric pumps, but I'm sure I'll be needing more info.

I'll do my searching for info on electric WP installations and come back to here for more answers to other questions.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[stearnman]

Ok, my BIGGEST questions so far...
Is there a difference between the 92 LT1s and the 93-96 LT1s in regards to the water pumps?

Will a Meziere High Flow(http://store.summitracing.com/defaul...5&autoview=sku) work for a 92?

The Summit Racing site was showing only this high flow Meziere for 93-96. Search their site for 92, and it just turns up this CSR: (http://store.summitracing.com/defaul...5&autoview=sku)

Am I stuck with a lower flowing pump?

 

[stearnman]

Ok, good news. After research around the www, I found a "tech article" (knowledgebase type of personal experience article) with a guy that has a '92 vert 6-spd. Good detailed article that seems to go the extra mile for what he did and needed to do.

http://corvetteforum.com/techtips/viewsubtopic.php?SubTopicID=231&TopicID=2

So, he did use a Meziere HD Coolant Pump for the '92. Good for me.

If I go to the depth he is suggesting in the article, I'm wondering what other things I should really think about doing while the front of engine compartment is some-what cleared out.

Any suggestions? GM Hot Cam? (I will be inspecting the opti to see it's condition and if it's the updated type or not.)

If a Hot Cam is suggested, I might opt to just get the water pump done and wait until tax time to complete the LT4 "package" with more money.

 

[C4CRAZY787]

Might I pass on something that heard when I was asking these questions, "What are your plans for the car, do you want a good cruiser? do you want to run 11's at the drag strip, or run autocross?"
My goal is the 12's (prolly be there if the track was prepped right) so it was cam, headers and converter for me. The Hot Cam is great for me... the wife thinks the Vette shakes to much at idle now, I love-it, some folks think its not big enough.
Anyway, think about how you want use the car and go from there..anyway you go it'll be a blast...

 

[stearnman]

"What are your plans for the car,...

Anyway, think about how you want use the car and go from there..anyway you go it'll be a blast...

What I want is a vette that looks awsome and performs awsome on the street...not much of a track or auto-x type of person. My some-what long term goals are to get over 400rwhp. I don't think I'll be supercharging, turbo-ing, or NOSing it...I was thinking supercharger if anything, but figured I personally don't need that much HP to be wide-eyed and full of excitement!

We'll start here for now and see where it take me!

BTW, what kind of HP are you pushing out the rear wheels with your setup?

 

[lone73]

As old as your car is if you don't have any knowledge of when the last time the opti was replaced I would probably go ahead and do it while the pump is off. Bear in mind though that the pump is not too bad of a job. To get the opti off you'll have to remove the front dampner which has always been a pain in the arse for me.

If you do replace the opti. Definitely buy a modified torx of the proper size and disassemble the new one. Seal the seams with RTV and reassemble to keep out oil and dirt - you'll get a lot more miles out of it. I know that you can get a decent price on an opti from a dealer in Florida. I think its a Buick dealership. That's where I bought my last one. I can try and find my old receipt if you want. You could probably also do a search here or at that "other vette board" and find it also. Also, you should most definitely upgrade to the newer version IMHO.
good luck
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[C4CRAZY787]

My some-what long term goals are to get over 400rwhp.

For a NA motor @ 400rwhp your prolly looking at a stroker, that's my long term plans, a 396 shortblock with ported heads/intake. I've also read there are better cams than the HC for the strokers. Of course I read that after I install the HC.

BTW, what kind of HP are you pushing out the rear wheels with your setup?

Using these speed/hp calculators, my weight and 1/4 mile trap it works out to est, 324rwhp.
http://www.rpmoutlet.com/dyno.htm

 

[stearnman]

As old as your car is if you don't have any knowledge of when the last time the opti was replaced I would probably go ahead and do it while the pump is off.
...
good luck

You're right, I have no idea as to what has been done to this vette before I got it.

For a NA motor @ 400rwhp your prolly looking at a stroker, that's my long term plans, a 396 shortblock with ported heads/intake. I've also read there are better cams than the HC for the strokers.

Yup, I was thinking stroker...and with the number of miles my engine has, it most-likely would have to get bored out a bit. (But, the cool thing is that at 145k miles, it's not leaking any oil nor do I see any getting burned off!)

Thanks for the input guys!

 

[lone73]

Check here for opti prices...

Jason Cromer at Sam Taylor Buick Ft Walton Beach, FL 877-726-8295
Dale Slabaugh at [?] Buick Akron, OH 877-448-5451
Chris May at Superior Chevy in Kansas City, KS, 800-728-8267

Also be aware that depending on what year you have the opti was apparently driven differently and required a specific opti body to work or a modification to the cam. Probably Jason at Sam Taylor can steer you in the right direction in this regard, I just read that he sells a kit that converts the older opti's to newer style setup. Check out this thread...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1248273&highlight=sam+taylor+buick&forum_id=48

Here are some options to upgrade or eliminate the opti...

http://www.delteq.com/
http://www.dynotech-eng.com/dynaspark.htm
http://www.bailey-eng.com/

good luck with it
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