Guest Anonymous Posted November 8, 2001 Share Posted November 8, 2001 Well, its not a Z, but its still a pretty bad ride... I saw it for sale at a small dealership and just had to buy it. A 1979 Corvette. It has a great body, no rust in the frame (pretty good for a beach car), matching numbers, a nice leather interior, power everything, t-tops, ect. I got it for 5500 bucks. It runs strong too. Has a 400turbo tranny in it. Ran great for about 3 days, then I started having some probs. I just put a new fanclutch and water pump on it (The fan clutch was worn out, and I decided to replace the waterpump too because the car had been sitting up for a few years before the old man decided to get rid of it (he'd had back surgery and hadn't been able to drive it for a long time because it hurt his back, so he traded it even for a 97 minivan, go figure)), and now it overheats when I drive more than a mile. I just got it, so I'm scared that there may be something bad wrong with the motor. It runs great and has good oil pressure though so that probably isn't the case. After I let the car cool off for a while, I heard a hissing from under the hood. I looked and the top radiator hose was collapsed where no water could pass through it! So, why would it collapse and could that be why it overheated. I'm somewhat beffuddled because the day I bought the car, it ran fine (although the fan clutch needed replacing) and I drove it home through heavy traffic with it running cool! And it continued to run cool up until I replaced the water pump and fan clutch. I did a compression check on the motor before I bought it, and it has good compression, nothing seems mechanically wrong. So I'm a bit confused. Yall think that replacing the t-stat and the water hose should fix it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 8, 2001 Share Posted November 8, 2001 I would try the T-stat first, may also need to flush the cooling system. Is the radiator clogged? Good luck Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted November 8, 2001 Share Posted November 8, 2001 I would try to do as mark just suggested. FWIW, I have seen stranger things happen, when I worked for the dealership--many times a car would have been fixed for one thing and then break down due to another. Very frustrating for the customer as well as for the mechanics--it just looks really bad, but on an older car, anything can happen. Hope it is an easy fix Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 8, 2001 Share Posted November 8, 2001 Yeah, like Mark said, check the thermostat, sounds like it stuck closed. And as Mark also said, wrought out the radiator at a shop and re-install. That should probably take care of the problem, outside of the waterpump (which usually leaks when it goes out) there isn't much else in a cooling system to go wrong. Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 8, 2001 Share Posted November 8, 2001 I think I can help you. First of all your radiator cap is bad( the vacuum valve inside of it is bad, not releasing internal pressure, causing you radiator hoses to colaspe. Next ensure that water is passing through your top radiator hose, this verfies that your thermostat is working. Next drive your car at highway speeds to see if it runs hot. If it doesn't you are not getting enough air through the radiator at low speed. If it does runs hot, its your radiator or water pump, because at highway speeds enough is automatically forced through the radiator. Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 9, 2001 Share Posted November 9, 2001 The cap is bad. Replace it. Also check to see if wather is returning to the radiator. Replace thermostat ad drill two 1/8 inch holes in it. Also make sure that you have the correct waterpump. The one for the serpintine belt are reverve rotation and will not work on the older cars. It is a long shot but you could have been sold the wrong waterpump especially if it is a rebuilt unit. I think the motor is ok or it would have had trouble from the get go. Be careful not to hurt it by the overheating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted November 9, 2001 Share Posted November 9, 2001 I think Bubbafet has got it. My money is on the wrong pump. Still have the old one? Swap it out and try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 9, 2001 Share Posted November 9, 2001 Hmmm, good point on the possible reverse flow pump instead of the correct old style regular non-reverse flow. Are the bolt patterns the same? Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RXO510 Posted November 10, 2001 Share Posted November 10, 2001 Reverse Flow water pump? Wow! Would never have even thought about such a thing. Thanks for the great info. Very curious to hear if this was the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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