mwier76

Just re joined the corvette world with a 1998 Coupe 6 speed. One owner with 23k miles. Clean carfax. Great condition other than a small rip in the drivers side seat bolster.

The original owner passed in December and I bought it from his son who never moved it afterwards. Driven 18k miles until 2003 and then pretty much around the block once a year according to oil change records.

I have a few records but not many. He changed the coolant earlier this year.

Looking for suggestions on what to do for maintenance before spring driving in Michigan!

I also have a suspicion that the tires are original. Good tread left, but I assume almost 20 years would necessitate replacements?

Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

FX VETTE

^ Excellent advice above. Welcome back!

Mike98SilVert

I agree, install a LMC5 or Column Lock Bypass. Do not let the dealer perform the column lock recall, they will only cause more problems. Install or have someone install the LMC5 or a Column Lock Bypass.

I have installed both on different cars and it was not difficult;

http://complianceparts.com/lmc5install.html


You can do many of the maintenance items yourself. This is the best DIY info website for many maintenance items: http://www.toquez06.com/z06index.html
and http://www.97vette.com/

Here are the lifting & jacking locations:



Always use jacking pucks when lifting from the frame contact hoist locations if you don't have frame rail protection.

Jacking Pucks: https://www.corvettepartsandaccessor...-jacking-pucks

Lifting without pucks. :

http://www.z06vette.com/diy_lift.php

I use the following 2 low profile jacks; one Larin 2-ton aluminum jack and one Harbor Freight 1.5-ton aluminum jack.

I installed frame rails with built in pads from Elite Engineering:
http://www.eliteengineeringusa.com/c...nd-mtg-screws/

For oil changes I use a set of 57" 2-piece Race Ramps and drive the front wheels up on them while driving the rear wheels onto Trax Jax when I perform oil changes.



Then I lift the rear of the car up under the rear cradle with a low profile jack supporting and protecting the cradle with a 4x8 piece of wood so the weight is dispersed evenly across and there is no metal to metal contact. You only need to raise the rear of the car slightly higher than the front to completely drain out the oil. I make sure to chock the rear of the front tires on the ramps.

You can use one of these under the cradle in place of wood: http://www.harborfreight.com/steel-f...eam-60762.html

Here are some links to oil changes:

http://www.97vette.com/howto/carlift/index.html

http://www.z06vette.com/diy_lift.php

http://www.toquez06.com/oil.html

Since the coolant was recently changed you are good for 3 years.

Absolutely change the brake fluid, especially if it appears dark in the reservoir. You should change the clutch fluid if it appears dark in the reservoir, however you will have to search the Ranger method. Find a good Corvette shop if you don't want to bother with these items. I have used the Ranger method but in the end needed to replace my clutch master cylinder.

Air filter change is simple on a stock intake, just unsnap the 2 handles at each end, lift and carefully remove and install the new filter.

If the belts are original I suggest replacing them. Make sure to get the correct part number belt for your car.

You should check the sway bar end links and bushings. If they are the original plastic end links, they are probably shot and should be replaced with the oem metal end links.

Make sure that the drainage udders are free of debris. Here is a good thread with plenty of links: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...er-udders.html

Your plugs are probably fine but you may want to replace the wires. I replaced my plugs and wires with my header install and it was a breeze but it will be a PITA on a stock car with exhaust manifolds in place. My wires were brittle and 3 broke apart even though the car ran excellent before the change. Your car will run great even though the wires are old.

Replacing rear diff fluid: http://www.toquez06.com/diff.html

Manual trans fluid change: http://www.toquez06.com/tranny.html

Congrats on a great find and welcome.

Vetteman Jack

with the above, especially about the column lock, tires and fluids. Hoses and belts would be another concern. Another area to address would be the weatherstripping - put some dielectric grease on the pieces to help preserve them. Replacing weatherstripping can be quite expensive. Good luck with the car.

C5Vette614

I agree with these guys aswell. Check fluids, new tires. The weather stripping is expensive but much needed. Possibly look into better brake setup. Check spark plugs, the belts, harmonic balancer. Get that baby up in the air and stroll under and look for leaks. If can't tell go to a good reputable mechanic. I'm in Ohio, and daily drive my 98' Vette. You have a very nice car my friend, enjoy it! Stay safe.

mwier76

Thanks for the advice. Planning on making it my daily driver this summer. I'm excited to get started working on it. Glad we don't have any snow right now and had a huge rainstorm earlier this week to wash roads off so I can at least drive it around a bit!