csjohnson65

I recently purchased my first Corvette, a 1991 ZR-1 Red on Red. It has 72K miles and is in great shape. There are a few minor issues with which I could use some advice before I either attempt them myself or send it to a shop. And, as this is my new baby, I confess that I'm being somewhat of a perfectionist with some of these.

Coolant Spray
This is the only potentially serious issue. I had some of the fluids changed, to include the coolant, so I would have a known starting point for routine maintenance. Shortly thereafter I opened the hood and saw that coolant had sprayed back from the top passenger side of the radiator hood and the headlight was drenched.

The GM mechanic said he must have overfilled it and it should stop. But I don't know how he could overfill it, and if he did, is there a pressure valve of some sort that would allow coolant to exit the system? Could it exit from the Air Bleed Access Plug?

It did subside, but then the low coolant light would come on intermitently. I've kept my eye on the coolant temp and it sometimes gets up there in traffic (I'm in Florida) but doesn't quite make it to the warning area.

Based on the low coolant light, I added coolant/water and the spray started again. Then I noticed that the overflow reserviour was almost dry. so I added coolant/water there instead and while I didn't get any spray or low coolant lights, the reserviour was almost dry again.

I suspect I have a leak somewhere, but before I remove the radiator and hoses I thought I'd check to see if anyone has similar experience or additional insights. I thought about added a leak sealant but decided against it thinking that even if it worked, while that might not be a bad fix for say, a Dodge Aspen, it's probably not the right fix for a car like a Corvette.

Door Chime
No door chime heard but believe it has one. All fuses in the main fuse box are good, though haven't accessed the aux fuses. I'm assuming fuse '11 LCD' which includes 'Tone Gen' would be the applicable fuse, though I'm not positive.

Underhood Lights
Don't turn on. I'm hoping this is just a fuse removed to save the battery while someone was working on it. I understand the fuse location to be near the driver side parking light assembly, but I can't seem to identify it. If that's not the problem, I'm not sure what else to check.

Hood Release Latch
After pulling to release the hood, I have to push the lever forward or the hood won't close. I presume this should spring back rather than being manually reset. Am I correct? If so, what's the likely culprit?

Interior Bolt/Screws
The Instrument Cluster bezel is missing several screws that don't show up with the bezel in the diagrams a GM parts department consulted. Without a part number, he says he can't order them. Same for the screws/bolts that hold the carpeted lower trim panel underneath the steering wheel. It's also missing a couple of U-bolts. Is there a way to identify the size/type of the interior bolts and screws and a source for obtaining them?

Paint Scratches
There are some minor to moderate paint scratches. I have touch-up paint, but before I apply it to all the scratches, I wondered if there's a better way. I remember seeing a car show on TV where a body shop carefully applied paint in a scratch so it was slightly above the original paint, and then buffed it down. I've used touch-up paint in the past, and while visually better than leaving an exposed scratch, it was obviously touched up. On those cars, I didn't much care. On this car, I do, so want to use the best method that maintains the original paint.

If you've read this far, thank you! Advice on any or all would be appreciated!

Chris

Demps

I'll start with the apparent most serious--the thermostat housing is inboard of the right front tire and low. The thermostat gasket can be "mis-seated" when re-installed and cause the leak. The mechanic should have drained/flushed the system from here. I would check that first. Ted

csjohnson65

Thanks Ted! I think you're right. The shop manual and visual inspection support your theory. I also discovered that the thermostat seal is a one use part, but my invoice doesn't show a new seal.

Dandy97

Here is a few thoughts, I am sure you will get more.

Underhood lights: there is a 2-position connector under the headlight housings on both sides that goes to the lights in the hood, many people disconnect this so that the lights don't stay on at car shows and such.

Hood Release latch: I could be wrong but I don't think the hood release has a return spring, mine does not.

Interior Bolt Screws: Places such as Corvette Central carry interior screw sets for about $25.00. I know for a fact that the instument cluster screws are in it.

Paint Scratches: To do it right is very time consuming. If you have a lot of dings it might be easier to have someone else do it. The short of it is that you over fill the scratch with paint and then use a mild abrasive to level it. Then you clear over that. It takes some time and practice to get it to look good, but it can be done.

boatman

CS - Your hood lights probably have the bulbs taken out. I have done that on C-4's I have owned. Keeping hood open when working under the hood, lights drain the battery. Better left out.

Hood opening cable, get some lube in each area. Mine are OK on this Z, but have had problems with other C-4's. I always re-set the lever each time I open hood.

You may want to pull the battery and check all wiring behind it. There are a few fusible links back there that may need cleaned up. I do not want to say to fix anything that is working, just inspect the area.

Boatman
Hobe Sound, FL

ALLT4

If the fuses check good, more than likely a switch in the ignition cylider has become dirty or non operational. I went through this with mine, it doesn't really sound like a serious problem untill you try to program stuff that counts on that switch working. For instance I couldn't program any of my keyless transmitters untill that switch was working.

The first thing I would order if I were you is one of the Helms service manuals. Even if you can't understand everything it's help to have some pictures of stuff and some troubleshooting guides.

zr1-2go

A friends Zr-1 had a similar coolant leak problem. It turned out to be the seal between the core and the end tank. The end tank has a number of tabs that are crimped over to attach it to the core and have been known to spread out over time and pressure. Can be recrimped or replacing the radiator is not too hard or expensive.

90 Corvette ZR-1

my rad was doing the same thing, it needed replaced

JoeyGibson

There is a fuse connection under the hood, it's the easyst way to turn off your under hood lights.

The fuse is monted on the rear of the left side front park / turn signal light, there is a red and an orange wire going to it, pull off the connector, there should be a fuse in there, if not, get one and your lights will probably work. It's a snap pulling this fuse when you want to disconnect the hood lights.

tomtom72

Hi Chris, I'm a new Z owner also so I don't have much experience. I read this somewhere in this section about "stop leak additives"... Do not use any was the impression I got from the senior Z owners here. There is a chemical reaction that isn't good that can happen, or at least that is what I understood from the members here.

Good luck with your Z! Tom

JoeyGibson

The manual specifically states not to use stop leak pellets in the LT-5.

TommyL

[QUOTE=tomtom72]Hi Chris, I'm a new Z owner also so I don't have much experience. I read this somewhere in this section about "stop leak additives"... Do not use any was the impression I got from the senior Z owners here. There is a chemical reaction that isn't good that can happen, or at least that is what I understood from the members here.

I have used the veggie tablets from GM to seal my cooling system. The tablets are recommended for all aluminum motors "they are added to the northstar V8s cooling system when a fluid change is preformed". They are safe for your ZR-1 and work quite well. I add only 3 tablets and smash them into powder before adding them to my system...not recommened to put them in whole.

csjohnson65

Thanks Boatman! I'll make sure they're appropriately lubed.

csjohnson65

Thanks for the reply, and very good advice. Yep, one of the first things I did was buy the Helms! ;-)

csjohnson65

Thanks! I'm glad I didn't use the bottle of touch-up! I think I'll take it to a quality body shop and make sure that it's done right.

csjohnson65

That's one I hadn't considered and will look at over the weekend. Thanks for the post!

csjohnson65

I think I read something similar. Long-term, it's probably best to take the time to locate the exact cause and fix it right. Thanks!

csjohnson65

Thanks Joey. Mine definitely won't get any!

csjohnson65

Thanks Tommy. I've actually never heard of "veggie tablets." Are those the same as the "stop leak pellets" JoeyGibson refereneced? I'm sure I can find some info on the net. I think I'm going to take the time to track down the exact cause of the leak, but you've given me something to research that may be appropriate for other vehicles I own.

csjohnson65

I'm hoping it's not the radiator, but they aren't that that expensive or difficult. Thanks!