hey all

well i took the vette out for a short drive today, and after a little while i noticed the fuel gauge was on 3 bars, then 2 and the reserve came on! anyway the car seemed to not go then go etc... well i thought maybe a plug lead was not on properly, but then realised it was probably low fuel pressure! i got fuel and it seems fine, so i hope it was that!

but

the problem is to do with steam coming up through the dash vents! i couldn't believe it, and hoped it was not on fire! then i could smell a coolant type smell! i stopped and looked under the car and could see a liquid(i think coolant) running along the chassis and dripping of the cat! smoking!
crap i dont know much of these engines, and wondering where the leak could be from( most likely case) pump, heater hoses? any i better ideas? thanks

another problem is the passenger seat belt wouldn't work(locked) so i went for a drive and it was fine, but when i braked the seat flung forward! i couldn't believe it! so i checked under the bottom seat bit and could see the part of the bracket that holds a metal rod to lock the seat into position was not there!
why would someone take this out? so now i have to find a replacement! (for safety reasons mainly) can this bracket be bought or found from a second hand place?


i am very dissappointed at this time, i paid a high price for this car and thought it would be in better shape( never thought about checking under the seats for something like that! or for unforseen things like coolant issues) anyway i still love the car!

 

Your heater core is leaking. The part is very cheap, but a pain in the butt to replace. If you don't need heat you can just bypass it to stop the leak.

 

You have a bad heater core and will either need to replace it or loop the system but then have no heat. Your issue on the fuel is common on the C4 as the float level in to tank tend to stick and then dramatically drop after they get to a certain point. No big deal as your aware of it now most of us use the trip function to make sure we are keeping a tab on the penominal gas mileage you may be getting. I just hit the trip button and leave the range button function runing at fillup.

 

^^or filling up when it reaches three bars.....

 

heater core hey? does this mean the dash has to come apart? i would really like to have heat, especially now it's winter here!

yeah i suppose i could just fill up before the reserve comes on!

with the seat problem can parts be bought seperately?
the part i need is the bracket bit that olts to the rail! it joins the front long metal bar to it and then there is a hose connected to it!
Thanks

 

C4's are notorius for faulty gas level senders. Even though I've attempted repair twice mine still doesn't go down until its almost out. I use the set trip to 0 when tank is filled. At 250 miles, start looking for a gas station.

There was a vendor that rebuilt the seat tracks, do a search. Maybe they can help you with the one part you think you need. I wonder if the seat just needs to be bolted back on the frame.

 

You should never let the tank get below 1/4. Any lower and the fuel pump is not submerged and will run hot causing an early failure. Don't get down on the car, the low fuel is your fault, the missing seat pieces are the po's fault, and the heater core is something we all dread but must face at some point in ownership.

 

Jaa1992: Ok i didn´t know that c4´s had a fuel sender problem! though i do now! actually i put around 25 litres in and the gauge reads full! which i am guessing would be only half the tank! so i will be careful.
No it doesn´t need to be bolted back down, i looked at the drivers side and comparing the two, the passenger side is missing the main part that moves the seat along the rail!

Midnight85: well if i knew that the gauge wasn´t working properly i wouldn´t have let it get down below 1/4, i never do that with cars as a rule!
i still love the car, it feels awesome to sit that low, but i just didn´t expect these things to go wrong with it! i am not giving up though!
i still have to look at the heater hoses! i am hoping it might just be an old heater hose connection needing tightening!
i thought it was strange that the heater core(in under the dash) would leak coolant to the outside of the car and onto the cat!?
!