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I am purchasing my first Corvette. A C4 1995 with auto.
The car has 92K miles on the clock. Owned by a retired fellow. What should I inspect or replace to keep it in tip top shape. I am 67 years of age. I have owned many cars. Last Chevrolet's I have owned were 1965 Chevelles and Nova's . The Corvette's heater / air conditioning / radiator fans are not operating at present. All the indicator lights are working. I'm in Southern California where it is 80 degrees in December. Thank you.
Last edited by Richard Johnson 50; 01-07-2018 at 07:17 PM.
Reason: Picture
Is it not working at all or just no heat? If no heat it could simply need to be flushed out. Have the heater core hoses been bypassed in the engine compartment? If so its more than likely the heater core needs replacing. Not exactly an easy job but can be done. And before you get pummeled......pics !!!
Is it not working at all or just no heat? If no heat it could simply need to be flushed out. Have the heater core hoses been bypassed in the engine compartment? If so its more than likely the heater core needs replacing. Not exactly an easy job but can be done. And before you get pummeled......pics !!!
I believe that the C4’s started down the assembly line with just a heater core hanging there, then they proceeded to build the rest of the car around it. LOL
I believe that the C4’s started down the assembly line with just a heater core hanging there, then they proceeded to build the rest of the car around it. LOL
The car has 92K miles on the clock. Owned by an older fellow. What should I inspect or replace to keep it in tip top shape. I am 67 years of age. I have owned many cars. Last Chevrolet's I have owned were 1965 Chevelles. The Corvette's heater is not operating at present. Everything else is OK. I'm in Southern California where it is 80 degrees in December. Thank you.
Congratulations you just purchased THE best year C4.
If you do not have detailed maintenance records from the fellow you purchased it from consider the following:
I'm going to ignore the issue with the heater core and just answer your general question.
Change ALL fluids going from front to back, coolant & hoses, power steering fluid, brake fluid flush, oil & filter, trans fluid & filter (don't flush it just drain it), rear diff & posi additive. No matter what fluid you prefer for the rear diff use the posi additive as well. Put it in first then fill with your favorite brand of diff lube.
check ball joints at all 4 corners as well as swaybar bushings.
Check brake pads & rotors. NOTE starting in 1995 all corvettes came with the J55 13" larger front rotors & calipers. So if you ever go to replace the front rotors be aware that they are 13" not 12".
Two things to NOT do:
Leave the opti spark unit alone unless and until it proves itself to be bad.
Don't pressure wash the engine bay. Water is not a problem but water pressure is a problem.
The two volume factory service manual is great resource to have particularly when it comes to doing diagnostics on all of the systems in this car. The 95 is not a car that you want to throw parts at
I believe that the C4’s started down the assembly line with just a heater core hanging there, then they proceeded to build the rest of the car around it. LOL
OK, that was the laugh of the day for me, good one. Beats out the parade they are going to have for the Cleveland Browns next weekend (0-16) with a corporate sponsor….. …… Excedrin!
I obtained the car today. The milage is 92,000 original miles. The last owners are retired and have owned the car 13 years. I have a file they kept on the services done to the car. I checked the oils and they used Mobil 1 on all the services.
I decided to put the tires on in the correct direction.
As this was the first time I have ever tried to jack up a Corvette I looked over the underside of this plastic car. The factory jack points looked scary to me. I found where 3 pieces of metal seem to form a sound lifting place forward of the rear tire. There were cables and lines ( brake ) so I cut out a piece of popular wood to sit on my floor jack. I used a couple of Honda jacks just to hold it once I got it high enough to get the tires off. I then cut some 2 X 4's 9" X 9" to replace the jacks. I glued the wood blocks together and screwed a piece of plywood to the stack of 2 X 4's. I placed these under the rear shocks. I took my wheels out to my friends shop and he swapped the tires around for me. Way better now.
The one big difference with the Corvette is the power and feel of the car. I will have to be very careful for a while as I have not driven a car with this kind of power for many years. I will be keeping a raw egg between my right foot and the gas pedal.
My friend with the garage says I can bring the car out to him. He will look it over for me and see about the air / heater.
Side Note *
I have a friend with a sign shop. Today he was applying a black vinyl strip to the top of a brand new 2018 Corvette. It was not an easy install and we don't know why the owner wanted it ?
I am also a blessed fellow for having good friends. One fellow I have known since the 1960's still has his 1957 Fuelie / 4 speed Corvette and 2 1970's Stingrays. He has traveled over 200 mph in 1974 at El Mirage, California. That was in a 1927 Ford roadster streamliner.
Last edited by Richard Johnson 50; 01-05-2018 at 09:05 PM.
My drivers side remote door lock won't open the door. I can hear it clicking, but not unlocking. Right side works and rear deck works. I also found a plug and wire on the backside of the drivers side seat that has been cut ? the plug is connected but the wire is cut. Seat works just fine. I am wondering if this wire is for the seat belt alarm ?
Last edited by Richard Johnson 50; 01-05-2018 at 09:13 PM.
The car has 92K miles on the clock. Owned by a retired fellow. What should I inspect or replace to keep it in tip top shape. I am 67 years of age. I have owned many cars. Last Chevrolet's I have owned were 1965 Chevelles and Nova's . The Corvette's heater / air conditioning is not operating at present. Everything else is OK. I'm in Southern California where it is 80 degrees in December. Thank you.
Congrats on the car Richard I'm 69 and got my first Vette 6 months ago, love the car except when getting in and out of it Ha
I'm in Florida only care about AC Heater core was removed by last owner. I need to send my heater ac control unit on dash off to be rebuilt
It blows cold air but 1/2 the buttons do nothing
Last edited by BillDurant; 01-07-2018 at 10:08 AM.
Congrats and enjoy it!! Looks great. I'm sure you'll find it a great driver and your mechanic will figure out the HVAC issue. The driver's door lock issue is one of the little gremlins that seem to always crop up on these cars. BUT the drive train is solid as is most all the mechanicals. I have the same C4 (among others) and I enjoy it immensely.
I agree with Mr. Peabody about what to do with the fluids, etc. I strongly recommend only changing the A/T fluid and NOT doing a complete flush. And DO NOT touch the opti-spark.
12-31-2017, 10:14 PM
I am purchasing my first Corvette. A C4 1995 with auto.
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