Neglected vette, help!
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 18
Likes: 1
Neglected vette, help!
I recently bought my first Corvette (1984) that was neglected in a backyard for some time. I want to say 3 years? I was shown a snapchat video of it driving so I know it hadn't beentoo long since it ran. They seller told me it had a fuel system problem, (which when I took out the fuel sending unit it was rusted to hell and the gas tank was mixed with water and gasoline the whole way through.) Go figure, so I ordered a new tank, and the sending unit. Tank has been drained since. Before I even consider doing work to it, what should I be aware of? We put engine starter and the belt was moving fine, and I didn't hear any knocking. Could water have travelled anywhere else ? I heard the l83 wouldn't send enough gas to the carburator properly, could this be the fuel problem it had when it was running ? I just graduated high school, and I really don't know how to get my hands dirty with older cars yet, but I'm so excited to start off with this one so I apologize if I'm not making a lot of sense. Thanks either way!
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 142
Likes: 36
From: Southern New Hampshire
First off... Welcome the the C4 Club and the board. The first thing you should do is get a Factory Service Manual. With that you will be able to trouble shoot a great deal of potential problems. As you follow the instructions in the FSM you will become a better mechanic and understand your C4 and "older" cars in general. The principals are the same in general but as time has progressed so much more has become computer controlled and tied directly to the ECM on most cars. However, things like brakes, belts, hoses and other mechanical things basically remain the same. As far as your current question, you should inspect/replace all of the rubber fuel lines and certainly the fuel filter before you attempt to start it. Others will chime in with more I am sure. I am no expert but learn a lot here and from the FSM.
Take care of it.
Take care of it.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 18
Likes: 1
Last edited by Lunala; Jun 3, 2020 at 05:53 PM. Reason: Typo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 6,192
Likes: 750
From: near the thumb in the mitten
Welcome.
buying a neglected and parked anything is taking on a challenge. You have to get the maintenance caught up Clean the crud out of the tank then you can work on why it was parked in the first place.
buying a neglected and parked anything is taking on a challenge. You have to get the maintenance caught up Clean the crud out of the tank then you can work on why it was parked in the first place.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 11,627
Likes: 1,067
From: Compound in the Grove, Ga.
2026 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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St. Jude Donor '16
Great information on the L83 here read and enjoy. Having owned 4 L83's in both C3 and C4 they can be very solid motors.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...solutions.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...solutions.html
Racer
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 260
Likes: 94
From: Wilmington, Ohio
You can count on replacing the sending unit, clear the lines, replace the filter, and, unfortunately, replace the fuel injectors. Check the fuel pressure regulator and flush the fuel rails. Trust me, I just went through this on my build. Now it runs great.
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Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 18
Likes: 1
Were did you buy your injectors from?
Racer
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 260
Likes: 94
From: Wilmington, Ohio
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 18
Likes: 1
First off... Welcome the the C4 Club and the board. The first thing you should do is get a Factory Service Manual. With that you will be able to trouble shoot a great deal of potential problems. As you follow the instructions in the FSM you will become a better mechanic and understand your C4 and "older" cars in general. The principals are the same in general but as time has progressed so much more has become computer controlled and tied directly to the ECM on most cars. However, things like brakes, belts, hoses and other mechanical things basically remain the same. As far as your current question, you should inspect/replace all of the rubber fuel lines and certainly the fuel filter before you attempt to start it. Others will chime in with more I am sure. I am no expert but learn a lot here and from the FSM.
Take care of it.
Take care of it.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 162
Likes: 27
From: Clifton City Missouri
St. Jude Donor '20-'21
Welcome to the forum and congrats on your first corvette......
You might be able to locate an FSM on ebay or keep an eye on the c4 forum parts for sale section here where other owners periodically advertise them for sale.........
Good luck
Terry
You might be able to locate an FSM on ebay or keep an eye on the c4 forum parts for sale section here where other owners periodically advertise them for sale.........
Good luck
Terry
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 142
Likes: 36
From: Southern New Hampshire
I do not believe you can find it online without paying for it. I prefer the printed version. There are Searchable PDF and non-searchable PDF versions to be had as well as on disk. Amazon actually has your manual if you search. You can also post in the parts for sale/wanted section here in the forum. They are sometimes for sale there as well.