Low mileage 76 Corvette with coolant drip
06-04-2017, 11:49 AM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Member Since: Oct 2016
Location: Way too effing close to the city.......NRA Life Member!
Posts: 3,606
Received 269 Likes
on
173 Posts
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Low mileage 76 Corvette with coolant drip
I have a 76 Corvette that was owned by my cousin since the mid 80's. He has passed away so no verbal info can be obtained. The original owner started a "history book" with info on what has been done to the car over the years (and the second owner and my cousin continued).
It has a couple leaks, one from the tranny and the other from the coolant system. The tranny will be addressed at a later date so I'm working on the coolant drip. At first, it dripped from the front of the car so I thought it might be the radiator or hose. Checked them out and both appeared OK. After it sat for a while it appeared to leak from the front by the radiator and the back near the firewall. No coolant on the passenger floor board and didn't see the drip spot under the heater core area of the firewall. I rented a leak detector but it was a piece of crap so I bought a Mightyvac coolant leak detector and it installed as it should and I pumped up the system on dry, level pavement. I can't seem to get it to 15 lbs (arthritis!) but at 13-14 lbs it visibly drops pressure and does not leak up front at the radiator area or in the firewall heater core area. It drips off of the plastic fender well just under the coolant bottle.
I don't have a lift yet and with all the stuff they cram in that area, it's hard to see exactly where the drip is from. The car has only 49,000 actual miles so it's not a beater. Has anyone here had the coolant overflow bottle leak?? Where is the best replacement obtained from and how hard is it to switch out? Much better than the radiator or heater core if this fixes it.
I figure the tranny drip is from either the tail shaft seal or the linkage shaft seal so I can fix that next.
Any thoughts or info appreciated!!
OLE442
It has a couple leaks, one from the tranny and the other from the coolant system. The tranny will be addressed at a later date so I'm working on the coolant drip. At first, it dripped from the front of the car so I thought it might be the radiator or hose. Checked them out and both appeared OK. After it sat for a while it appeared to leak from the front by the radiator and the back near the firewall. No coolant on the passenger floor board and didn't see the drip spot under the heater core area of the firewall. I rented a leak detector but it was a piece of crap so I bought a Mightyvac coolant leak detector and it installed as it should and I pumped up the system on dry, level pavement. I can't seem to get it to 15 lbs (arthritis!) but at 13-14 lbs it visibly drops pressure and does not leak up front at the radiator area or in the firewall heater core area. It drips off of the plastic fender well just under the coolant bottle.
I don't have a lift yet and with all the stuff they cram in that area, it's hard to see exactly where the drip is from. The car has only 49,000 actual miles so it's not a beater. Has anyone here had the coolant overflow bottle leak?? Where is the best replacement obtained from and how hard is it to switch out? Much better than the radiator or heater core if this fixes it.
I figure the tranny drip is from either the tail shaft seal or the linkage shaft seal so I can fix that next.
Any thoughts or info appreciated!!
OLE442
06-04-2017, 12:19 PM
#2
Le Mans Master
Heater hose.
Heater shut off valve, mounted on passenger wheel well under anti freeze over flow tank. There are two connections on the valve and are hard to see.
If heater hoses are old, change them as they become brittle. Get pre formed hoses from any of the Corvette suppliers.
Heater shut off valve, mounted on passenger wheel well under anti freeze over flow tank. There are two connections on the valve and are hard to see.
If heater hoses are old, change them as they become brittle. Get pre formed hoses from any of the Corvette suppliers.
The following users liked this post:
MISTERZ06 (06-05-2017)