I don't have time to do a search for all of these so I will list them and see who can give me some good answers. I just bought a '70 coupe and found some problems that need to be fixed..

- Tach is dead
- Car runs rough and stalls sometimes
- Brake peddle goes down almost to floor before the brakes work
- After shutting the car off, there's a hissing sound coming from under the dash
- Inside door lock is broken, guy said it needs a spring to hold the lock on...
- Guy also mentioned there's a factory alarm but there's no key thing in the back and can't figure out if there actually is one or if it works..

Thanks in advance..!



[Modified by OneHotV6, 3:26 PM 10/22/2003]

 

Does the car still have the Tach drive distributor? It could be as simple as changing the distributor and attaching the cable.

Running Rough - It probably needs a tune up. New plugs, wires, cap, rotor, air filter and a fuel filter would be what I start with.

How does the Brake fluid look. When I bought my 71 I found it was neglected. The fluid in my car looked brown instead of clear. I flushed the system out with clean fluid and bleed the brakes that helped for a while. Now I am actually getting ready to change everything in the brakes to Stainless steel.

The hissing is probably from the vacuum hoses under the dash for the wiper door and headlights. It it is not one of the two obvious switches it could be from the vacuum piece behind the tach or AC controls.

I am not sure about the door.

The alarm if your car has one would have the horn mounted under the back of the car up by the radio antenna.

It would be helpful to get an assembly manual from one of the corvette parts distributors it will be a god send on knowing the car.

 

I haven't had time to pull anything apart yet so I don't know what to expect. I am figuring everything is stock as far as the distributor. I will tune it up and see what happens.. Is it dangerous or doing any harm if the hissing sound continues? I am planning on eliminating the wiper door anyway so I don't care about that.. the headlights I need though. As far as the brakes go, I have some receipts that state it has stock calipers on it.. I heard these are crap and should be upgraded.

Thanks!

 

The tach problem could be a broken tach drive gear from the distributor.

A tune up would help, also make sure there is fresh gas in the tank.

The stock brake calipers are good, but the problem arose when the pads were replaced. As the original pads wore down the pistons in the calipers moved out. Since brake fluid attracts moisture, the area around the pistons would corrode. This corrosion would wear out new seals in no time. The solution was to have the piston bores sleeved in stainless steel. If this has not been done I suggest you have it doen as soon as possible otherwise you will forever be leaking brake fluid.

And yes, get yourself a service and/or assembly manual. Preferably both.


[Modified by 6t9l4t6, 9:13 PM 10/22/2003]

 

First thing you need to do is locate and fix the vacuum leak under the dash.
Not only is it hissing, it is likely the cause of the engine running rough and
stalling. Fix this first. Just get the leak plugged for now.

The brakes sound like you need a new master cylinder or rebuild.
There could be air in the brake lines, too. It is tough to find the cause of
air in the brakes, unless you did work and just didn't bleed them well.
Try bleeding first - then start replacing parts.

Factory alarm ? (chuckle) I've never seen one that worked. If it did, what use
do you think it would be ? Most thieves will not be deterred by this.

The stock (cast iron) calipers are not necessarily crap. However, replacements
are almost always sleeved inside with stainless steel. If calipers were purchased
in the last few years - they are most likely sleeved.

Oh - and the lock **** is held on with a little spring clip - just like the ones
that hold a manual window crank on. You can get these at the parts store - in the "HELP" display.

:seeya


[Modified by NHvette, 4:13 PM 10/22/2003]

 

Well, the vacuum leak is contributing to the running rough. I have found the easiest ways to trouble shoot a vacuum leak are with a vacuum pump or a cigar. You can clamp off lines and pump them with the pump and see which hold a vacuum and which do not. With the cigar method you just blow smoke into the vacuum lines and look for it to exit. Where it exits is the leak. The stock calipers are all right the problem is probably with rotor runout . If you do a search you will find out all about that topic.

 

Did you get a deal? :skep:

 

I'm hoping at this point I got a good deal.. the car has new paint, tires, weatherstripping and carpets but has minor crap wrong with it. Unfortunately I don't smoke and don't have a vac gauge so would it be better to replace all the vac lines instead of searching for the bad one? I hope the alarm (if there is one) doesn't work.. I hate them anyway!


[Modified by OneHotV6, 4:23 PM 10/22/2003]

 

Let's see,

- Tach is dead

Cable driven - very common for the brass drive gear at the base of the distributor to strip.

- Car runs rough and stalls sometimes

Boy, thats a tall order. Check the basics (compression, tune, vacuum) and go from there.

- Brake peddle goes down almost to floor before the brakes work

Also very common - pull the wheels and check your calipers. They are probably leaking. If not, bleed 'em out and go from there to a possible master cylinder.

- After shutting the car off, there's a hissing sound coming from under the dash

Check that the vacuum hoses under the dash are all secure. The 2 over-ride switches for the wiper door and headlights tend to leak - cheap fix.

- Inside door lock is broken, guy said it needs a spring to hold the lock on...

You just talking about the ****? There is a spring clip that holds it to the lock stud.

- Guy also mentioned there's a factory alarm but there's no key thing in the back and can't figure out if there actually is one or if it works..

Alarm horn is inside and underneath the LR fender. Alarm relay and flasher are inside the jack storage compartment behind the passenger seat. Should be contact switches at the back of both doors and hood on the body. Key hole probably got 'glassed over...

Thanks in advance..!

Contact Juliet (Juliet@annapolis.net <Juliet@annapolis.net>) if your car is not already on the '70 registry...

Hans


Geez, in the few minutes it took me to put this together, you get 6 other tips! Cool. DON'T try and replace all the vacuum lines at once. There are too many! find the leak and plug it for now. Anything you take off, save or offer up to others here. It is all hard to find.



[Modified by Wrencher, 1:46 PM 10/22/2003]