80 road trip
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: Delta Ohio
80 road trip
Hi all
I will try to keep this kinda short. i just finished driving my newly purchased 80 vette from northern maine to Nothwest Ohio(1200 Miles). My last post was about my break problems. 565 dollars later it was only the rubber hose(thanks for the advice) sears mechanics are clueless. Anyway after 1200 miles in 2 days i got to know the car well.
1st it is a stock 80 with factory air, smog pump etc.75k miles the Air works pefect but here are the problems i had.
1. after 60 MPH I would get a vibration which seemed like my tires. new tires all around (dunlop) and balnced before the trip by sears.
2. power stearing is almost none existant unless im moving and at slow speed its kinda ratching feeling. (propb the pump??)
3. at higher speeds 40 and up my steering wheel moves left to right about 3/4 inch in both directions while the car tracks straight as an arrow
4. cruise control engages perefct except it will increase 5mph above set point then coast to 5 mph below set point and continue to do so no matter if im going straight, up hill or downhill.
other then these few minor problems it was an awesome drive and i was very surprissed on how comfortable it was to dive the long distance.
larry
I will try to keep this kinda short. i just finished driving my newly purchased 80 vette from northern maine to Nothwest Ohio(1200 Miles). My last post was about my break problems. 565 dollars later it was only the rubber hose(thanks for the advice) sears mechanics are clueless. Anyway after 1200 miles in 2 days i got to know the car well.
1st it is a stock 80 with factory air, smog pump etc.75k miles the Air works pefect but here are the problems i had.
1. after 60 MPH I would get a vibration which seemed like my tires. new tires all around (dunlop) and balnced before the trip by sears.
2. power stearing is almost none existant unless im moving and at slow speed its kinda ratching feeling. (propb the pump??)
3. at higher speeds 40 and up my steering wheel moves left to right about 3/4 inch in both directions while the car tracks straight as an arrow
4. cruise control engages perefct except it will increase 5mph above set point then coast to 5 mph below set point and continue to do so no matter if im going straight, up hill or downhill.
other then these few minor problems it was an awesome drive and i was very surprissed on how comfortable it was to dive the long distance.
larry
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,838
Likes: 13
From: Kingman AZ
1 Recheck your balance. You did say Sears???
Did this occur from the beginning of the trip? I know its a shot but did you check tire the production date.
2 Check your belts. Look for loose belts leaks and fluid levels. Easy stuff first
3 On the steering box is an adjustment. It is center of the box. Unfortunately I dont have a jpg in my files to point it out. Rght on top. Loosen the nut that keeps it tight. Turn with a screwdriver just so slightly to feel it tightening. turn nut to lock everything down. Over pressure is guranteed damge.'will take out the slop"
4 Me...no clue bout that stuff.(some will chime in)
sounds like little stuff....The sickness begins...
Enjoy it
Did this occur from the beginning of the trip? I know its a shot but did you check tire the production date.
2 Check your belts. Look for loose belts leaks and fluid levels. Easy stuff first
3 On the steering box is an adjustment. It is center of the box. Unfortunately I dont have a jpg in my files to point it out. Rght on top. Loosen the nut that keeps it tight. Turn with a screwdriver just so slightly to feel it tightening. turn nut to lock everything down. Over pressure is guranteed damge.'will take out the slop"
4 Me...no clue bout that stuff.(some will chime in)
sounds like little stuff....The sickness begins...
Enjoy it
Last edited by rayluka; Sep 9, 2008 at 10:25 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,435
Likes: 9
From: Kalamazoo Mi
for the tyers you might have thrown a wheel weight, happened to me on my jeep. I would check the balance again (go to discount tire they do good work) that is the cheapest thing that could be wrong. Other than that could be wheel bearings. Maby a dragging warped rotor, but you would feel that at all speeds (and mostly through the break petal)
I also own a 1980, although mine is far from stock. Good luck with your new car, and ENJOY!
2The power steering is mostly likely fluid or belts. as was said above.
3 Hopefully your steering can be adjusted and not worn out. As was said above, carfull not to over tighten. Because steering is a safety issue, if you dont know what your doing, have a buddy help you, it is a great way to learn, and will save you a lot of frustration
4 as for the cruise control, you could have a vacuum leak maby.
I also own a 1980, although mine is far from stock. Good luck with your new car, and ENJOY!
2The power steering is mostly likely fluid or belts. as was said above.
3 Hopefully your steering can be adjusted and not worn out. As was said above, carfull not to over tighten. Because steering is a safety issue, if you dont know what your doing, have a buddy help you, it is a great way to learn, and will save you a lot of frustration
4 as for the cruise control, you could have a vacuum leak maby.
Last edited by Bowerss2; Sep 9, 2008 at 10:37 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 830
Likes: 1
for the tyers you might have thrown a wheel weight, happened to me on my jeep. I would check the balance again (go to discount tire they do good work) that is the cheapest thing that could be wrong. Other than that could be wheel bearings. Maby a dragging warped rotor, but you would feel that at all speeds (and mostly through the break petal)
I also own a 1980, although mine is far from stock. Good luck with your new car, and ENJOY!
2The power steering is mostly likely fluid or belts. as was said above.
3 Hopefully your steering can be adjusted and not worn out. As was said above, carfull not to over tighten. Because steering is a safety issue, if you dont know what your doing, have a buddy help you, it is a great way to learn, and will save you a lot of frustration
4 as for the cruise control, you could have a vacuum leak maby.
Tires are not balanced correctly.2. try checking the Power steering fluid, could just be low. (but, more than likely, you'll need $ to throw at the steering system). Call GTR or Jim Shea on the forum.
4. That is very common on these old vacuum servo systems. They are not all that, um... exact.
In 4 months time, my 1980 factory-ish engine was all cleaned out & redone.
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Hickam AFB Hawaii
I have all the exact same problems on my 1980.
1. Vibration problem: Problem was still there after new wheels and tires. Replaced all 6 U-joints, made a slight improvement. Also have new crate motor which didn't have any affect so I know it's not an engine vibration. I've read several posts about driveline angles being off and causing this. I'm pretty sure that's my problem.
2. Power steering I would bet either low fluid or bad power steering pump. You can get an inexpensive, but good quality replacement from NAPA. Need a puller to get the pulley off though.
3. Steering problem is common. Caused by worn gears in the steering box. You might be able to get some of the slack out by adjusting it as mentioned earlier, but heed the warnings. This could cause worse problems if overtightened. Steering box needs to be rebuilt or replaced (expensive).
4. Cruise control could be vacuum leaks, could be binding speedometer cables, could be bad transducer. Haven't figured out what's causing my problems yet.
1. Vibration problem: Problem was still there after new wheels and tires. Replaced all 6 U-joints, made a slight improvement. Also have new crate motor which didn't have any affect so I know it's not an engine vibration. I've read several posts about driveline angles being off and causing this. I'm pretty sure that's my problem.
2. Power steering I would bet either low fluid or bad power steering pump. You can get an inexpensive, but good quality replacement from NAPA. Need a puller to get the pulley off though.
3. Steering problem is common. Caused by worn gears in the steering box. You might be able to get some of the slack out by adjusting it as mentioned earlier, but heed the warnings. This could cause worse problems if overtightened. Steering box needs to be rebuilt or replaced (expensive).
4. Cruise control could be vacuum leaks, could be binding speedometer cables, could be bad transducer. Haven't figured out what's causing my problems yet.
