Warped Head?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 998
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis IN
Warped Head?
I bought an 89 that I am told has an overheating problem.
Its off the trailer now and I have filled the radiator with water and coolant.
The dash never left "Lo" when I let it sit running. The previous owner thought it might have a warped head or something else going on. The car has 175,xxx miles on it.
After running it I went ahead and put the cap back on, it burped a lot of air out of the system, as the previous owner had been leaving the cap off. I checked the oil and the level read high, so is it pushing radiator fluid into the oil system?
When I took it down from the trailer it was hard to keep running, once I got it going it seemed ok.
What should the oil PSI be at idle and at say 30mph?
I am very new to the C4 so its basic characteristics I do not know yet.
It has some body work that needs to be done, lots of interior, and some fiberglass underneath on the passenger floorboard as well. The transmission should be good to go as it has receipts from 2005 of around 1900 in work.
Its off the trailer now and I have filled the radiator with water and coolant.
The dash never left "Lo" when I let it sit running. The previous owner thought it might have a warped head or something else going on. The car has 175,xxx miles on it.
After running it I went ahead and put the cap back on, it burped a lot of air out of the system, as the previous owner had been leaving the cap off. I checked the oil and the level read high, so is it pushing radiator fluid into the oil system?
When I took it down from the trailer it was hard to keep running, once I got it going it seemed ok.
What should the oil PSI be at idle and at say 30mph?
I am very new to the C4 so its basic characteristics I do not know yet.
It has some body work that needs to be done, lots of interior, and some fiberglass underneath on the passenger floorboard as well. The transmission should be good to go as it has receipts from 2005 of around 1900 in work.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 220
Likes: 0
From: Castleton NY
Anti freeze will settle to the bottom and oil will rise to the top if they are mixing. Any oil in the radiator? If your oil level is going up on the dipstick, that could be a good indication. If you want to know for sure....drain your oil pan and see what is in there.
Oil psi can vary...should be at least 20psi at idle. I rebuilt my engine because the pressure dropped to 0 psi at idle. I had to knock it into neutral and rev it at stop lights. That got old quick. Maybe someone will chime in that knows for sure. My new engine has super pressure - idles at about 45psi and I love it.
Any smoke out the tail pipes? Indicative of a warped or cracked head.
Last suggestion....don't take his word for it - warm it up and see what it does (provided the oil isn't loaded with antifreeze...maybe change your oil and then warm it up)
Oil psi can vary...should be at least 20psi at idle. I rebuilt my engine because the pressure dropped to 0 psi at idle. I had to knock it into neutral and rev it at stop lights. That got old quick. Maybe someone will chime in that knows for sure. My new engine has super pressure - idles at about 45psi and I love it.
Any smoke out the tail pipes? Indicative of a warped or cracked head.
Last suggestion....don't take his word for it - warm it up and see what it does (provided the oil isn't loaded with antifreeze...maybe change your oil and then warm it up)
Last edited by ODIVETTE; Apr 10, 2007 at 01:35 PM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 998
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis IN
Tomorrow if I have some time I will drain the oil and see what I get.
I really want to get it over to the body shop to see how much its going to cost to get it looking ok on the outside and fix a damage fiberglass section on the floorboard passenger side.
I really want to get it over to the body shop to see how much its going to cost to get it looking ok on the outside and fix a damage fiberglass section on the floorboard passenger side.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
Cosmetics comes after all else is done.
I wish I had a dollar for every time I argued with guys running engines I built for them. They all wanted to show up PRETTY!
First SHAKE IT OUT, THEN SHOW UP PRETTY.
They seemed to be more concerned about the :OOOHs and AHHHs" their "friends" would make, rather than see the car make a decent pass. It's a self-esteem issue, trying to impress 'others'. SKIP THAT BS!
What'll happen if your beautiful, well manicured car shows up and then belches, bucks and smokes it's way down the street/track?
Skip all that BS and get the car mechanically sound. The accolades will come later.
Jake
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 220
Likes: 0
From: Castleton NY
I drove my Vette around with blistered clear coat for 2 years while I was de-bugging it. But...when I'd pull up next to my buddy in his pristine 96, I'd blow him away. (She's now painted.) I'd rather drive an ugly car than have a beautiful, non-running car in my garage.If you look at my avatar pic, you may notice the road looks wet. That's because I only took pics of it in the rain so you couldn't tell how bad it needed paint. Every time I showed up anywhere...I felt like I had a woman on my arm with a black eye. That poor old Vette. Once I got the drivetrain squared away, I was able to save up and get her painted. I have to change that pic.
Last edited by ODIVETTE; Apr 11, 2007 at 07:57 AM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 998
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis IN
I want to make sure its not going to cost a fortune to do that repair.
I never said anything about taking the car to the track? I am not going to drive it over there for paint etc right now but I need to get an idea of repair cost on that fiberglass work and anything else we find underneath the car, a quick peak I did not see anything with the frame but I can't really get under it to look.
I did see some surface rust where the back plate should go, it looks to me like its on the fuel tank, I assume this is common?
I never said anything about taking the car to the track? I am not going to drive it over there for paint etc right now but I need to get an idea of repair cost on that fiberglass work and anything else we find underneath the car, a quick peak I did not see anything with the frame but I can't really get under it to look.
I did see some surface rust where the back plate should go, it looks to me like its on the fuel tank, I assume this is common?
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