woodstockdrifter

Hey everyone new to the forum

A buddy of mine is selling his 95 C4 manual. I'm pretty set on buying it I really like how it drives. Can I take it to a regular shop for an inspection and fluid change? Or are these cars so old and unique that I should only go to a Corvette shop?

Also is there anything I should pay special attention to like certain fluids or parts you don't find in other cars? Everyone knows the usual stuff like brakes, clutch, shocks, tires but Im more talking about stuff unique to the car. Not worried about smaller things like weatherstripping. Car has 85,000 miles. Thank you

Nowhere Man

It's still a common Chevy. Any shop should be able to give it a once over

94corvetteC4

I haven't found anyone in my area that is a good corvette mechanic. In fact I just had a shop diagnose my non working AC. The mechanic told me that someone didn't know what they were doing because the orifice tube was in upside down. They put a new orifice tube in and they tried to refill the system and it wouldn't take the R134. It took them close to an hour to get the new orifice tube out that he put in upside down and had to get another one because they destroyed it trying to get it out. We were talking in the shop and I was telling the mechanic that a coolant flush was next on my agenda and that I wasn't looking forward to pulling the knock sensors to flush the block. He said the knock sensor is in the intake not the block. I told him not on this LT1, they are in the block and in the water passage. His response was that he has been a mechanic for 37 years and he has never seen a knock sensor in a water jacket. He said I must be talking about a temp sensor or some other sensor not a knock sensor, no one would ever design an engine with the knock sensor in the water jacket because it wouldn't detect a rod knock.

Funny thing is he was loading a 1992 LT1 B body engine into the back of his truck when I got there that he is going to rebuild and put in a truck. If I'm not mistaken that engine block is the same as my 94 vette so he will find out sooner or later that 37 years as a mechanic doesn't make him a expert as he was suggesting.

I went to a shop when I first got the car to have the trans and dif fluid changed. When I picked up the car they told me they couldn't change the dif fluid because they couldn't find a drain plug. I told them I assumed they knew they had to use a vacuum pump to drain it when they told me they could change the fluids. His reply was they don't do that type of work.

A few shops I went to said they don't work on Corvettes.

Cruisinfanatic

It's just a car

woodstockdrifter

This is what I was thinking. That some things can be done normally by any shop and other things should be done by a Corvette shop. Thanks for giving your experience

Nowhere Man

What on earth beside the interior is totally different that any competent shop couldn't fix or look over in a C4. It's just a basic Chevy

FWC

^^^ Except it gets the Corvette tax! ^^^

94corvetteC4

Apparently the orifice tube, knock sensors and the absence of a drain plug in the rear end.

The first shop I went to for my AC issue didn't want to work on it. I have used this shop for all my other cars for the last 10+ years and they always do good work. I have never had to take a car back a second time for the same problem. The owner, Mike, looked outside at my vette and said he didn't have time to work on my car after the guy that works behind the counter just told me they had an open bay and nobody ahead of me. Mike then proceeded to the other side of his shop where he works on his personal vehicles and started to apply primer to his Mustang. First time I have ever known him to let a paying customer walk so that he could work on his own car and not get paid.

I don't think their are many true mechanics in my area just people who work on cars swapping parts till they solve the problem. I don't see certificates hanging on the walls like I use to back in the day unless I go to a dealership.

cv67

True hard to find competence

With the others though its another used Chevy.

Check the typical stuff no real mysteries biggie are all the electronics
A good shop will even do a scan to ck all sensors etc.
Every cars gonna need something

Some dont want to work on them some things are a royal pain
The right guy will jump on it, if someones hesitant probably a good reason

woodstockdrifter

I just read a couple threads on how the clutch replacement shouldnt be done by a regular shop unless they have the experience on a ZF manual. the flywheel led to several threads. I dont think regular shops would know about that.

I know thats a little outside of my first post because I was talking more inspection and fluids but Im trying to spot pretty much anything that I should have done just by a specialized shop.

Ill keep reading but if anyone can point to something specific let me know. Thanks!

Nowhere Man

The biggest problem is your looking at 21 year old car. The drive line and related parts are just common Chevy parts. The fluids are nothing special and can be found any where. No offense but if you can't check the fluids then you shouldn't own a 21 year old car. If you have to pay a shop to do the most simplest jobs your going to go broke keeping it up.

jay23ls

I'm also interested in this thread! I think anyone can figure out how to check the fluids but doing the work even if its easy comes down to either laziness or time

Don't know the OPs situation but Im not doing even simple things fluid changes bc Im so short on time. I run a couple different small startups. My work follows me and really can't free up time for more than dyi oil change, wax, small things like changing head/fog light bulbs

Why did I get an early 90s sports car? Im crazy I know haha well I love it. I will do some stuff on my own but until business slows a little I'll have to pay the shop costs $$

woodstockdrifter

I know how to check some. I can learn how to change them out just wanted someone with experience to do it since ive never worked on cars much and its the market so I would need to grab it before the next sucker does! haha

I am willing to learn though. Found this

http://www.corvetteforum.guru/module...p?post_id=8367

Nowhere Man

The best way to learn is READ the owners manual and buy a factory service manual and page through it and read what your working on. I skimmed though that link and couldn't figure out the point of it.